April 6, 2024 • 24 mins
Colin talks to UConn head coach Dan Hurley about defending their National Title and still being labeled underdogs
Where Colin was right and wrong
BREAKING NEWS: Stefon Diggs is being traded to the Texans
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
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Speaker 2 (00:22):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
You know, I was saying, this is everybody wants new
in basketball. We got to go small ball and everybody
everybody it's all threes and that that's fine I adapt to,
I hope so. But what I like about Yukon they
have these certain principles that they feel very old school
to me, and the coach can still use volume. They
(00:46):
defend like like old school defend. They can shoot threes,
that's okay, but they got no interest in small ball
and just shooting threes. They go through their bigs and
they have what I think with coach K. J. Wright
Williams leaving, there is an opening. And it's not that
Dan Hurley needed an opening, but you can make an
argument is this is what coaching looks like in twenty
(01:09):
twenty four. And he has been nice enough to take
time for us today and join us live. Dan Hurley,
Yukon's basketball coach. So I view you. I look at you,
and I think, oh, I love this guy. This guy
is old school. You know, he'll bark at players, he
likes bigs, he likes physicality.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
That.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
But that's how I view you. Do you view you
is a little bit old school?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Absolutely, you know, I think I represent in terms of
like the you know, the way that we push our players,
the way that we challenge them to be, you know,
to get better, but then also be about winning. I
think like the values, the work ethic, the preparation, the accountability,
(01:58):
I think is.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
All old school.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
But then I do think though, you know, we do
play the modern you know game of basketball.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
Uh, you know, blended with some of the analytics. Uh. Obviously,
you know, becoming a better offensive.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Team has uh you know, has changed the trajectory of
our program in the last you know, a couple of years.
It was our undoing a couple of years ago. Uh,
in that New Mexico State game. But you know that
that was kind of like a come to Jesus moment
in terms of you know, just becoming a better coach
and not having holes in your game.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
You know, Dan the nil on the transfer portal. It's
very difficult some coaches. You could see some of these
college basketball guys, these legends, they're like, I'm out.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
It is hard to create loyalty when you bark at
players everybody thinks are a little better than they are,
Yet you demand they play defense. You're not afraid to bark.
But yet you're endearing enough to players that nobody plays
as hard as you. I said the other day, you're
the un LV Rebels with tar And I remember Shayzewski
(03:01):
saying to me one time before he played him. He goes,
we play hard. He goes, we don't play as hard
as you and l V. I don't know how he
gets them will play that hard. You in a world
where every kid wants to leave the minute he hits
the bench. How do you get these guys to be
so endearing and yet you demand so much of them?
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Well, I just think you know we we we don't
you know, misrepresent things when we when we go through
the recruiting process with them. You know when they when
they when they visit campus.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
I I demand that they are here at a time
of year where they can see practice. So they could see,
you know, potentially, you know, what they'd be getting themselves into. Uh,
you know what the environment is truly going to be
like for them, the emphasis that we're going to put,
uh you know, on winning. You know, I do think
though we spend so much time with our players. You know,
(03:52):
I think a lot of other college coaches, you know,
complain about having the players on campus during the summer.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
Oh man, I got a coach during the summer.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
I wish they would double our summer hours.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
I wish they would.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
The easiest part of my day is that time on
the court, you know, with the boys. But you know,
we've the players understand, They've got they've got friends that
play in other college programs. They understand the commitment that
I make and the staff makes to helping them absolutely
max out the value in their career.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
And when you invest that type of time and love,
and you know.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Any athlete or player worth anything is going to allow
you to get the most out of them.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
You may end up facing Zach Edy and I had said,
I don't know what his NBA future is, but I
know how good Gonzaga is. And I watched him eat
Gonzaga live twice and Gonzaga may lose infrequently, nobody's blowing
Gonzag out. Mark Few came on our show last week
and said, I don't know what to do. I don't
have an answer, And I look at Zach Edie and
I think, I don't know if he's a pro. But
(04:57):
nobody's stopping Giannis and Jokich and MB. Now, you can't
tell me there's not fifteen minutes to night. I know
that you haven't probably scouted them yet, but what is
your take on like an ed when people say just
a college guy, and I'm like, Dan, I don't know,
what's your take on that?
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Yeah, I guess a little sad I get if that's
what if if Zach Edy is not like a lottery
pick and you know, a tremendous NBA player, then there's
something wrong with the NBA, you know, like then they're
maybe not not playing the right the right game at
that level. You know, this guy's been as dominant, you know,
(05:39):
like brings you back to like Ralph Samson, Patrick Ewing, Yeah,
David Robinson type of performances at that spot. So you know,
the kid's a special player, and special players when they
go to that next level, that they they add new
skills quickly. So I think he's going to get to
the NBA and increase his range and shooting, is passing,
(06:01):
is dribbling, and he'll adapt.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
That's what special players do.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
So the last team to repeat was Florida. That was
Billy Donovan's teams. Those were good teams. They had, if
I recall uh Noah, Ronnie Brewer, a lot of NBA
guys and they played defense as well. And so you
win last year and I always think, uh, oh boy,
that's that's that's tough, that's hiccup time. You're a target
(06:26):
every game, Yukon's always a bit of a target. But
have there been times this season, Dan, that you were
worried about Okay, kind of a bad practice, guys aren't
focused in Have you seen any of that from your team?
Did you worry about it?
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (06:41):
I you know, maybe I was a little worried when
we were picked closer to the fourth than we were
third in the preseason coaches poul in the Big East,
you know, and then you know our close scrimmage, you
know versus Virginia. H you know, we got smoked in
the second half, uh of that closed scrimmage. That was
a little scary. You know, our first Big East game
(07:05):
this year's Seaton Hall. Uh, you know beat us by
double figures and obviously Clinging got hurt in that one.
But I'll say this, Colin Man, the thing about stores
and Yukon is that it attracts serious people. You know,
you lived here, you you've been around the state. You
know the landscape here, you know how big Yukon basketball is.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
I just think that this place.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
You know, it's obviously it's got one of the best
brands and incredible recent history. But there's you know, there's
less grimy places that you can go and play college basketball.
That's maybe you know, they've got a bigger social media presence. Uh,
you know, they got bigger social media, they got better marketing,
you know, they got they got more national media behind them.
(07:50):
I think Yukon know it attracts serious basketball people, and
I think that explains a lot of our success.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Yeah, there's never been in the history of college athletics.
The women's program, the men's program are I mean, I
can remember saying this to friends of years ago, asked
Duke who they don't want to play in the tournament?
It was always Calhoun like they're just they're just men.
I mean that was always my feeling. And in a
weird way, don't you kind of like it that even
though if you win a title, you'll have six, you'll
(08:19):
be you'll that's more than That's more than Shryzhevsky, that's
more than Kansas, That's like UCLA territory. Don't you kind
of like it that you're not You're not as discussed
as Michigan. Michigan football has got two Natties since nineteen fifty.
I can't we can't stop talking about him. Don't you
kind of like the underdog thing a little?
Speaker 4 (08:40):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (08:40):
I love it. I love it. And then and then
we use it. I mean, it is, it is, it is.
It's awesome fuel. You know, the slights, the perceived slights,
the made ups, the made up slights, the the quotes
that we make up here that people have never said,
uh uh you know, uh take you know, misquoting opposing
(09:04):
coaches and players about our players. Uh yeah, you got
to use it all and uh and and yeah, because
lit'st when you achieve a level of success that we've
had going back to you know, a calendar year. The
human nature stuff is there that complacency and uh, you know,
you got to use anything at your disposal to keep
(09:25):
the boys on edge.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Dan Hurley, what a pleasure, big favorite. That's just the
world they live in now against Alabama, there's bigs all
over the place. Burns and Zach Edie, they they they
run their offense through bigs as well. They're physical. I
said a couple of days ago, the refs maybe the
only thing that could beat you if you're allowed to
play physical basketball. You guys are a complete handful, a
complete handful. I love your style and I appreciate you
(09:49):
taking ten minutes because you're kind of a busy guy
these days, Dan, and I really appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
Al this is a this is a great one to
be on. Man. Been a big fan. Uh, been a
big fan forever.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
Man, So I know I've hit you know, we've done
some good things here if I've landed on this show.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
All right, thanks coach, all right, pair of stuff. Really
a remarkable When I lived there for ten years, it's
really a remarkable story. They don't get the headlines of
like like you know, you know now they do Geno does, obviously,
but for years it was Tennessee or it was a
Stanford and you've had other great players, and kim Okie
gets a lot of attention, and it's just like all
(10:25):
Yukon does with basketball is win addies. That's all they do.
And I like the word he goes. We're not we're
a little grimy. We're not, you know, we're not what
everybody is. But I just think there's nothing wrong. I
like evolving too. There's nothing wrong with old school. Yeah,
there's nothing wrong with it.
Speaker 5 (10:40):
How about him saying we conjure up disrespect. It's like
Michael Jordan mis quotes from coaches talking about our program,
our kids. That's awesome. That was my that in the
fact that he said honesty during the recruiting process, that's
a big takeaway from me.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
We don't blow smoke exactly.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
You want to come to stores. This is the process.
Speaker 5 (11:00):
This, this is how it's going to be.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
You and I talked about this this morning. There's about
a seven state area, and not all of them are
hot beds, but New York, Delaware, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, and
you start caught Massachusetts, you start cobbling together. There's seven
states there and they are the singular basketball power. Now
Syracuse Beheim's now gone, so you know, you don't quite know,
(11:24):
but it's like Saint John's isn't despite Betino, Like you
get into a seven eight state area where you know,
when I grew up as a kid, the Washington Huskies
were great and they were surrounded by your Oregons and
your Idaho Wyoming all this stuff, but it was like
they were the power and like a five or six
state area and they got the best players from all
the states. And you know Villanova, I guess with Jay
(11:46):
Wright gone, is that one they battled. But Villanova tends
to recruit the DC area.
Speaker 5 (11:50):
Yeah, this could potentially be six titles in twenty five years,
going back to ninety nine.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
That's incredible, it really is, with all the people trying
to win now the big money in college basketball and football.
All right, Albert Breer around the corners of NFL stuff,
where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong? On a Monday,
plenty of both, and the question I can't figure out
In Sports Live at LA it's the Herd.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon eastern non am Pacific, so.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
We do it every Monday. It's called where Colin was right.
Where Colin was wrong over the past week, there's plenty
of both in here we go.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
I've said for the first time, probably in about a
year or two, that I really liked this Lakers team.
They've won now seven of ten. They have great length,
They match up with Denver. Don't beat them, but they
match up well, and not everybody in this league does.
D Low has been great since December when he got benched.
Jared Vanderbilt's coming back, and I think they've beaten good teams.
(12:51):
They've beaten the Clippers and OKC and Minnesota and the
Celtics and the Bucks, some of those games on the road.
So I've been critical of the Lakers. But what I
see now as a team where Austin Reeves can be
the fourth score, not the second or the third. And
I think when you put Austin in that space, this
is a team that could play for a championship. Where
(13:12):
Colin was raw, I really like the jets moves this offseason.
Reddick a couple of tackles getting older players Mike Williams
who are at the end of it, but they don't
feel like you're getting guys that are just Aaron Rodgers' buddies.
They're productive older players who have won a lot of games.
But Diana Russini says, don't don't kid yourself. Aaron's getting
(13:35):
a heads up on all this.
Speaker 6 (13:38):
Aaron Rodgers hasn't lost any power at all. He is
involved in everything the New York Jets has done. Because
here's the problem. Come, you can't give the keys over
to him when he joins the Jets and then go,
oh wait, you know you tore your achilles and recommended
some really crappy players to us that we sign for you,
So now we're going to take them back.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Aaron still has the power where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
I said, Bill Belichick feels very old school. Wants the
power with personnel, can be a bit grumpy. Everybody has
to sacrifice. Well, he's got no market. The story is
Bill's planning to write a book. TV no offers head coach,
No offers running a franchise like Bill Parcells later did
(14:23):
in Miami. No offers. Listen, this league is pivoted. If
you're a defensive coach like Demiko Ryans, you gotta have
a feel for offense. Raheem Morris in Atlanta Sean mcvay's buddy.
You gotta have a feel for offense. I think Belichick's
an all time great, but I kept saying, is be
very careful. I've seen it happen a million times where
(14:45):
an old successful coach digs his feet in kind of
it's embedded on his way of doing things, and those
offers drive up quickly, not for long. You gotta win
in the league. You got to adapt. Andy Reid has
Bill doesn't feel like he has where Colin was row.
I didn't think Jerry Jones would ever finally say I'm
(15:08):
gonna let Dak Prescott, one of my stars, play through
his contract, not going to negotiate early. But that's exactly
what Jerry did at the NFL meetings, and that's what
he should do. Dak is a very good quarterback. But
when you get blitzed at home by Jordan Love, when
you are sub five hundred against winning teams in your
(15:29):
career and have really beaten up on bad giants and
Commander teams and bad NFC teams, you shouldn't start negotiations
at fifty eight million dollars. Patients in negotiating, regardless of
your the employee or the employer matters in Jerry's patient
approach is the right of approach, but I didn't think
(15:50):
we'd see it with dak Where.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
Colin was right the Warriors.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
Tim Kawakami, respected journalist in the Bay Area, said the
Warriors need Draymond Green. That's why they accept the chaos.
They've won four straight, by the way, eight of nine yesterday,
twenty one points, eleven assists, six deals. I've said this
about him. He's not only a great defensive player. He
makes them practice hard. He holds teammates and coaches accountable,
(16:16):
and he has much more than people understand. An offensive
Catalyst Steve Kerr even said yesterday, like, how great was he?
When Draymon plays well, they win. When Steph shoots well,
they don't always win when Dramon is on his game.
This team beats virtually everybody.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Not named Denver, where Colin was rowed.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
I think Minnesota is an up and coming team, but
DraftKings Sportsbook over unders had them at six and a half,
and I'm like, I love their offense, I love their coach.
I like Sam Darnold six and a half. That's like Carolina,
New England, New York Giant territory. So I am much
higher on the Minnesota Vikings than everybody else. Now, some
(17:00):
of it could be the division, which I think Green
Bay and Detroit front offices have built like five six
years star power rosters. But I like Minnesota much more than.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
DraftKings where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
But the Bears are eight and a half over under,
and I think that's a signal that Caleb Williams is
gonna work. So think about this. Justin Fields won ten
games in three years. They think Caleb Williams could win
nine games next year. Now, some of that is the
offensive weapons, but none of those players Keenan Allen, DJ Moore,
They're not worth a point of game. It is the NFL.
(17:37):
What they're telling you is even in a division with
talented Green Bay and Detroit, as the NFC gets better,
they think Caleb Williams is going to be battling for
a playoff. And this is what I've been saying for
a year. Caleb Williams and Justin Fields are not the same.
Caleb Williams is one of the best prospects in a decade.
Justin Fields was a fifty to fifty deals when he
(18:00):
walked into this league. Based on his coach and where
he landed.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Everybody says Donovan Mitchell, I say Trey Young is going
to end up in Los Angeles, and there are Laker
rumors now, Joe Van Buja of the Athletics saying, keep
your eye on Trey Young and the reason I think
he works with the Lakers. First of all, shooters are
always great with Lebron. Secondly, he's got star power and
(18:26):
a d in his prime or late prime. Trey Young
in his prime and an older Lebron feels like a
championship team. To me, Los Angeles has always attracted bona
fide stars. I think Donovan Mitchell is an excellent player.
I think Tray Young has star power and that's why
I think is his game would come to Los Angeles
with Lebron, get a little cleaned up, not as quite
(18:48):
as loose, and I think he'd be a big hip
in Los Angeles.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd Weekdays
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Speaker 7 (18:57):
Hey it's me Rob Parker. Check out my weekly MLB podcast,
Inside the Parker for twenty two minutes of piping hot
baseball talk featuring the biggest names, the newsmakers in the sport.
Whether you believe in analytics or the ie test, We've
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(19:18):
so do yourself a favor and listen to Inside the
Parker with Rob Parker on the iHeartRadio app or wherever
you get your podcast.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
So let's talk about this. Stefon Diggs gone. Josh Allen,
the Bill Starr quarterback, absolutely signed off on this. I
was told a year ago that privately, Josh Allen was
getting frustrated with some of the drama. There is no
proof you need a number one receiver, a dominant number
one receiver to win a Super Bowl. You do need
(19:47):
a good coach, you generally need a better than average
offensive line and pass rush, and you need some weapons.
But a star number one receiver. There's no proof Chiefs
didn't have it this year. Stefan Diggs is very good.
Five years in Minnesota and four with the Buffalo Bills,
but a little drama in both places and Kirk Cousins
(20:07):
and Josh Allen win. That's the NFL. You keep the
quarterback if he's B plus or above the one position
in the NFL that historically has given us some drama
with personality, just tends to be wide receiver. I've got
my own theories why Andre Risen too, Randy Moss, Dez
(20:28):
Bryant ab It's just that one position. But make no
doubt about it, Stefan Diggs is excellent and was incredibly
productive first in the NFL in receiving yards. Since he
has arrived there, he mattered. He was very valuable despite
some turbulence in the last year and a half. He
is a great fit for the Texans. I'll get to
(20:49):
that in a second. But wide receivers in the NFL
tend to be all about fit. Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase
Buddy since College, Matt Stafford, ku per Cup. It's literally
like they read each other's minds on routes. Julian Edelman
and Tom Brady highly detailed and precise players were literally
(21:11):
monsters year after year in the playoffs. But this is
the thing with wide receivers, especially those that are outspoken
in drama. They have an expiration date.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
Now.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
They're not like milk. They're not gonna sour in a week.
It can take years. And Stefan Diggs was highly productive
a player I like a lot in Minnesota and highly productive.
I think he's gonna end his career in Houston and
be really really good with CJ. Stroud the Texans. And
here's the thing about the NFL. It's so crazy if
(21:42):
you get the quarterback right, CJ. Stroud and an amazing
how everything works, every single move. Joe Mixon, a run
game that'll work. Stefon Diggs. I like that every draft
pick Tank Dell. I knew that guy was gonna be.
That's what happens when you get the quarterback right.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
When you don't.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
In Carolina and a year ago, year and a half ago,
Carolina Houston were the same thing. A mess, a mess.
Carolina's quarterback's not working so far, nothing feels like it's right.
In Houston, every move feels like it's working right. But
here's my concerns. If you're Buffalo, this is an offensive league.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
Now.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Andy Reid, the greatest offensive coach arguably ever and maybe
the best coach ever, has rebuilt his offensive line twice
in a year, rebuilt his receiving corps more than once,
and his defense, and they just keep getting the Super bowls.
Can Shawn McDermott a defensive coach who has struggled to
(22:43):
build a running game for seven years, has struggled to
consistently build an offensive line. Can he now totally rebuild
his receiving corps in one draft? I have my doubts again,
Andy Reid, Sean McVay, those guys rebuild receiving course, rebuild
(23:06):
run games, rebuild offensive lines in an off season because
the league now it's all about elevating them. McVeigh. If
he coached twenty years ago, Andy Reid did coach twenty
years ago, the rules all worked against them. Now the
defensive coaches have them all working against them. And I've
had my doubts with Pete Carroll's last several offensive lines,
(23:29):
Mike Tomlin's offensive line, Sean McDermott's offensive lines, Brandon Staley
and the Chargers. It got worse. Can McDermott rebuild this
wide receiving corps. It's a good draft for receivers in
one year because Baltimore looks like it'll be better, Kansas
City's going nowhere, Miami's still good, Aaron Rodgers coming back. CJ.
(23:52):
Stroud's now a star, Herbert has Jim Harbaugh, the AFC
last year was an opening. Burrow hurt, Mahomes had a
bad receiving corps, Justin Herbert didn't have a capable coach.
The AFC next year is going up. It's going to
get better. The star quarterbacks getting better, the star quarterback's healthy.
(24:15):
I just don't know if Buffalo took advantage of that
small window of weakness last year in the conference. Wish
them well. They're not going to draft just one receiver.
I'd expect two
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Speaker 2 (00:22):
You're listening to Fox Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
You know, I was saying, this is everybody wants new
in basketball. We got to go small ball and everybody
everybody it's all threes and that that's fine I adapt to,
I hope so. But what I like about Yukon they
have these certain principles that they feel very old school
to me, and the coach can still use volume. They
(00:46):
defend like like old school defend. They can shoot threes,
that's okay, but they got no interest in small ball
and just shooting threes. They go through their bigs and
they have what I think with coach K. J. Wright
Williams leaving, there is an opening. And it's not that
Dan Hurley needed an opening, but you can make an
argument is this is what coaching looks like in twenty
(01:09):
twenty four. And he has been nice enough to take
time for us today and join us live. Dan Hurley,
Yukon's basketball coach. So I view you. I look at you,
and I think, oh, I love this guy. This guy
is old school. You know, he'll bark at players, he
likes bigs, he likes physicality.
Speaker 2 (01:26):
That.
Speaker 1 (01:26):
But that's how I view you. Do you view you
is a little bit old school?
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Absolutely, you know, I think I represent in terms of
like the you know, the way that we push our players,
the way that we challenge them to be, you know,
to get better, but then also be about winning. I
think like the values, the work ethic, the preparation, the accountability,
(01:58):
I think is.
Speaker 4 (01:58):
All old school.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
But then I do think though, you know, we do
play the modern you know game of basketball.
Speaker 4 (02:06):
Uh, you know, blended with some of the analytics. Uh. Obviously,
you know, becoming a better offensive.
Speaker 3 (02:11):
Team has uh you know, has changed the trajectory of
our program in the last you know, a couple of years.
It was our undoing a couple of years ago. Uh,
in that New Mexico State game. But you know that
that was kind of like a come to Jesus moment
in terms of you know, just becoming a better coach
and not having holes in your game.
Speaker 1 (02:32):
You know, Dan the nil on the transfer portal. It's
very difficult some coaches. You could see some of these
college basketball guys, these legends, they're like, I'm out.
Speaker 4 (02:41):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
It is hard to create loyalty when you bark at
players everybody thinks are a little better than they are,
Yet you demand they play defense. You're not afraid to bark.
But yet you're endearing enough to players that nobody plays
as hard as you. I said the other day, you're
the un LV Rebels with tar And I remember Shayzewski
(03:01):
saying to me one time before he played him. He goes,
we play hard. He goes, we don't play as hard
as you and l V. I don't know how he
gets them will play that hard. You in a world
where every kid wants to leave the minute he hits
the bench. How do you get these guys to be
so endearing and yet you demand so much of them?
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Well, I just think you know we we we don't
you know, misrepresent things when we when we go through
the recruiting process with them. You know when they when
they when they visit campus.
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Uh.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
I I demand that they are here at a time
of year where they can see practice. So they could see,
you know, potentially, you know, what they'd be getting themselves into. Uh,
you know what the environment is truly going to be
like for them, the emphasis that we're going to put,
uh you know, on winning. You know, I do think
though we spend so much time with our players. You know,
(03:52):
I think a lot of other college coaches, you know,
complain about having the players on campus during the summer.
Speaker 4 (03:59):
Oh man, I got a coach during the summer.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
I wish they would double our summer hours.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
I wish they would.
Speaker 3 (04:05):
The easiest part of my day is that time on
the court, you know, with the boys. But you know,
we've the players understand, They've got they've got friends that
play in other college programs. They understand the commitment that
I make and the staff makes to helping them absolutely
max out the value in their career.
Speaker 4 (04:25):
And when you invest that type of time and love,
and you know.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Any athlete or player worth anything is going to allow
you to get the most out of them.
Speaker 1 (04:35):
You may end up facing Zach Edy and I had said,
I don't know what his NBA future is, but I
know how good Gonzaga is. And I watched him eat
Gonzaga live twice and Gonzaga may lose infrequently, nobody's blowing
Gonzag out. Mark Few came on our show last week
and said, I don't know what to do. I don't
have an answer, And I look at Zach Edie and
I think, I don't know if he's a pro. But
(04:57):
nobody's stopping Giannis and Jokich and MB. Now, you can't
tell me there's not fifteen minutes to night. I know
that you haven't probably scouted them yet, but what is
your take on like an ed when people say just
a college guy, and I'm like, Dan, I don't know,
what's your take on that?
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Yeah, I guess a little sad I get if that's
what if if Zach Edy is not like a lottery
pick and you know, a tremendous NBA player, then there's
something wrong with the NBA, you know, like then they're
maybe not not playing the right the right game at
that level. You know, this guy's been as dominant, you know,
(05:39):
like brings you back to like Ralph Samson, Patrick Ewing, Yeah,
David Robinson type of performances at that spot. So you know,
the kid's a special player, and special players when they
go to that next level, that they they add new
skills quickly. So I think he's going to get to
the NBA and increase his range and shooting, is passing,
(06:01):
is dribbling, and he'll adapt.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
That's what special players do.
Speaker 1 (06:04):
So the last team to repeat was Florida. That was
Billy Donovan's teams. Those were good teams. They had, if
I recall uh Noah, Ronnie Brewer, a lot of NBA
guys and they played defense as well. And so you
win last year and I always think, uh, oh boy,
that's that's that's tough, that's hiccup time. You're a target
(06:26):
every game, Yukon's always a bit of a target. But
have there been times this season, Dan, that you were
worried about Okay, kind of a bad practice, guys aren't
focused in Have you seen any of that from your team?
Did you worry about it?
Speaker 2 (06:41):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (06:41):
I you know, maybe I was a little worried when
we were picked closer to the fourth than we were
third in the preseason coaches poul in the Big East,
you know, and then you know our close scrimmage, you
know versus Virginia. H you know, we got smoked in
the second half, uh of that closed scrimmage. That was
a little scary. You know, our first Big East game
(07:05):
this year's Seaton Hall. Uh, you know beat us by
double figures and obviously Clinging got hurt in that one.
But I'll say this, Colin Man, the thing about stores
and Yukon is that it attracts serious people. You know,
you lived here, you you've been around the state. You
know the landscape here, you know how big Yukon basketball is.
Speaker 4 (07:26):
I just think that this place.
Speaker 3 (07:28):
You know, it's obviously it's got one of the best
brands and incredible recent history. But there's you know, there's
less grimy places that you can go and play college basketball.
That's maybe you know, they've got a bigger social media presence. Uh,
you know, they got bigger social media, they got better marketing,
you know, they got they got more national media behind them.
(07:50):
I think Yukon know it attracts serious basketball people, and
I think that explains a lot of our success.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
Yeah, there's never been in the history of college athletics.
The women's program, the men's program are I mean, I
can remember saying this to friends of years ago, asked
Duke who they don't want to play in the tournament?
It was always Calhoun like they're just they're just men.
I mean that was always my feeling. And in a
weird way, don't you kind of like it that even
though if you win a title, you'll have six, you'll
(08:19):
be you'll that's more than That's more than Shryzhevsky, that's
more than Kansas, That's like UCLA territory. Don't you kind
of like it that you're not You're not as discussed
as Michigan. Michigan football has got two Natties since nineteen fifty.
I can't we can't stop talking about him. Don't you
kind of like the underdog thing a little?
Speaker 4 (08:40):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (08:40):
I love it. I love it. And then and then
we use it. I mean, it is, it is, it is.
It's awesome fuel. You know, the slights, the perceived slights,
the made ups, the made up slights, the the quotes
that we make up here that people have never said,
uh uh you know, uh take you know, misquoting opposing
(09:04):
coaches and players about our players. Uh yeah, you got
to use it all and uh and and yeah, because
lit'st when you achieve a level of success that we've
had going back to you know, a calendar year. The
human nature stuff is there that complacency and uh, you know,
you got to use anything at your disposal to keep
(09:25):
the boys on edge.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Dan Hurley, what a pleasure, big favorite. That's just the
world they live in now against Alabama, there's bigs all
over the place. Burns and Zach Edie, they they they
run their offense through bigs as well. They're physical. I
said a couple of days ago, the refs maybe the
only thing that could beat you if you're allowed to
play physical basketball. You guys are a complete handful, a
complete handful. I love your style and I appreciate you
(09:49):
taking ten minutes because you're kind of a busy guy
these days, Dan, and I really appreciate it.
Speaker 4 (09:54):
Al this is a this is a great one to
be on. Man. Been a big fan. Uh, been a
big fan forever.
Speaker 3 (09:59):
Man, So I know I've hit you know, we've done
some good things here if I've landed on this show.
Speaker 1 (10:04):
All right, thanks coach, all right, pair of stuff. Really
a remarkable When I lived there for ten years, it's
really a remarkable story. They don't get the headlines of
like like you know, you know now they do Geno does, obviously,
but for years it was Tennessee or it was a
Stanford and you've had other great players, and kim Okie
gets a lot of attention, and it's just like all
(10:25):
Yukon does with basketball is win addies. That's all they do.
And I like the word he goes. We're not we're
a little grimy. We're not, you know, we're not what
everybody is. But I just think there's nothing wrong. I
like evolving too. There's nothing wrong with old school. Yeah,
there's nothing wrong with it.
Speaker 5 (10:40):
How about him saying we conjure up disrespect. It's like
Michael Jordan mis quotes from coaches talking about our program,
our kids. That's awesome. That was my that in the
fact that he said honesty during the recruiting process, that's
a big takeaway from me.
Speaker 1 (10:56):
We don't blow smoke exactly.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
You want to come to stores. This is the process.
Speaker 5 (11:00):
This, this is how it's going to be.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
You and I talked about this this morning. There's about
a seven state area, and not all of them are
hot beds, but New York, Delaware, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, and
you start caught Massachusetts, you start cobbling together. There's seven
states there and they are the singular basketball power. Now
Syracuse Beheim's now gone, so you know, you don't quite know,
(11:24):
but it's like Saint John's isn't despite Betino, Like you
get into a seven eight state area where you know,
when I grew up as a kid, the Washington Huskies
were great and they were surrounded by your Oregons and
your Idaho Wyoming all this stuff, but it was like
they were the power and like a five or six
state area and they got the best players from all
the states. And you know Villanova, I guess with Jay
(11:46):
Wright gone, is that one they battled. But Villanova tends
to recruit the DC area.
Speaker 5 (11:50):
Yeah, this could potentially be six titles in twenty five years,
going back to ninety nine.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
That's incredible, it really is, with all the people trying
to win now the big money in college basketball and football.
All right, Albert Breer around the corners of NFL stuff,
where Colin was right, where Colin was wrong? On a Monday,
plenty of both, and the question I can't figure out
In Sports Live at LA it's the Herd.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd weekdays
and noon eastern non am Pacific, so.
Speaker 1 (12:20):
We do it every Monday. It's called where Colin was right.
Where Colin was wrong over the past week, there's plenty
of both in here we go.
Speaker 2 (12:27):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (12:29):
I've said for the first time, probably in about a
year or two, that I really liked this Lakers team.
They've won now seven of ten. They have great length,
They match up with Denver. Don't beat them, but they
match up well, and not everybody in this league does.
D Low has been great since December when he got benched.
Jared Vanderbilt's coming back, and I think they've beaten good teams.
(12:51):
They've beaten the Clippers and OKC and Minnesota and the
Celtics and the Bucks, some of those games on the road.
So I've been critical of the Lakers. But what I
see now as a team where Austin Reeves can be
the fourth score, not the second or the third. And
I think when you put Austin in that space, this
is a team that could play for a championship. Where
(13:12):
Colin was raw, I really like the jets moves this offseason.
Reddick a couple of tackles getting older players Mike Williams
who are at the end of it, but they don't
feel like you're getting guys that are just Aaron Rodgers' buddies.
They're productive older players who have won a lot of games.
But Diana Russini says, don't don't kid yourself. Aaron's getting
(13:35):
a heads up on all this.
Speaker 6 (13:38):
Aaron Rodgers hasn't lost any power at all. He is
involved in everything the New York Jets has done. Because
here's the problem. Come, you can't give the keys over
to him when he joins the Jets and then go,
oh wait, you know you tore your achilles and recommended
some really crappy players to us that we sign for you,
So now we're going to take them back.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Aaron still has the power where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (14:02):
I said, Bill Belichick feels very old school. Wants the
power with personnel, can be a bit grumpy. Everybody has
to sacrifice. Well, he's got no market. The story is
Bill's planning to write a book. TV no offers head coach,
No offers running a franchise like Bill Parcells later did
(14:23):
in Miami. No offers. Listen, this league is pivoted. If
you're a defensive coach like Demiko Ryans, you gotta have
a feel for offense. Raheem Morris in Atlanta Sean mcvay's buddy.
You gotta have a feel for offense. I think Belichick's
an all time great, but I kept saying, is be
very careful. I've seen it happen a million times where
(14:45):
an old successful coach digs his feet in kind of
it's embedded on his way of doing things, and those
offers drive up quickly, not for long. You gotta win
in the league. You got to adapt. Andy Reid has
Bill doesn't feel like he has where Colin was row.
I didn't think Jerry Jones would ever finally say I'm
(15:08):
gonna let Dak Prescott, one of my stars, play through
his contract, not going to negotiate early. But that's exactly
what Jerry did at the NFL meetings, and that's what
he should do. Dak is a very good quarterback. But
when you get blitzed at home by Jordan Love, when
you are sub five hundred against winning teams in your
(15:29):
career and have really beaten up on bad giants and
Commander teams and bad NFC teams, you shouldn't start negotiations
at fifty eight million dollars. Patients in negotiating, regardless of
your the employee or the employer matters in Jerry's patient
approach is the right of approach, but I didn't think
(15:50):
we'd see it with dak Where.
Speaker 2 (15:51):
Colin was right the Warriors.
Speaker 1 (15:54):
Tim Kawakami, respected journalist in the Bay Area, said the
Warriors need Draymond Green. That's why they accept the chaos.
They've won four straight, by the way, eight of nine yesterday,
twenty one points, eleven assists, six deals. I've said this
about him. He's not only a great defensive player. He
makes them practice hard. He holds teammates and coaches accountable,
(16:16):
and he has much more than people understand. An offensive
Catalyst Steve Kerr even said yesterday, like, how great was he?
When Draymon plays well, they win. When Steph shoots well,
they don't always win when Dramon is on his game.
This team beats virtually everybody.
Speaker 2 (16:33):
Not named Denver, where Colin was rowed.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
I think Minnesota is an up and coming team, but
DraftKings Sportsbook over unders had them at six and a half,
and I'm like, I love their offense, I love their coach.
I like Sam Darnold six and a half. That's like Carolina,
New England, New York Giant territory. So I am much
higher on the Minnesota Vikings than everybody else. Now, some
(17:00):
of it could be the division, which I think Green
Bay and Detroit front offices have built like five six
years star power rosters. But I like Minnesota much more than.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
DraftKings where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (17:14):
But the Bears are eight and a half over under,
and I think that's a signal that Caleb Williams is
gonna work. So think about this. Justin Fields won ten
games in three years. They think Caleb Williams could win
nine games next year. Now, some of that is the
offensive weapons, but none of those players Keenan Allen, DJ Moore,
They're not worth a point of game. It is the NFL.
(17:37):
What they're telling you is even in a division with
talented Green Bay and Detroit, as the NFC gets better,
they think Caleb Williams is going to be battling for
a playoff. And this is what I've been saying for
a year. Caleb Williams and Justin Fields are not the same.
Caleb Williams is one of the best prospects in a decade.
Justin Fields was a fifty to fifty deals when he
(18:00):
walked into this league. Based on his coach and where
he landed.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
Where Colin was right.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Everybody says Donovan Mitchell, I say Trey Young is going
to end up in Los Angeles, and there are Laker
rumors now, Joe Van Buja of the Athletics saying, keep
your eye on Trey Young and the reason I think
he works with the Lakers. First of all, shooters are
always great with Lebron. Secondly, he's got star power and
(18:26):
a d in his prime or late prime. Trey Young
in his prime and an older Lebron feels like a
championship team. To me, Los Angeles has always attracted bona
fide stars. I think Donovan Mitchell is an excellent player.
I think Tray Young has star power and that's why
I think is his game would come to Los Angeles
with Lebron, get a little cleaned up, not as quite
(18:48):
as loose, and I think he'd be a big hip
in Los Angeles.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
Be sure to catch live editions of The Herd Weekdays
and Noone Easter non a Empacific.
Speaker 7 (18:57):
Hey it's me Rob Parker. Check out my weekly MLB podcast,
Inside the Parker for twenty two minutes of piping hot
baseball talk featuring the biggest names, the newsmakers in the sport.
Whether you believe in analytics or the ie test, We've
got all the bases covered. New episodes drop every Thursday,
(19:18):
so do yourself a favor and listen to Inside the
Parker with Rob Parker on the iHeartRadio app or wherever
you get your podcast.
Speaker 1 (19:27):
So let's talk about this. Stefon Diggs gone. Josh Allen,
the Bill Starr quarterback, absolutely signed off on this. I
was told a year ago that privately, Josh Allen was
getting frustrated with some of the drama. There is no
proof you need a number one receiver, a dominant number
one receiver to win a Super Bowl. You do need
(19:47):
a good coach, you generally need a better than average
offensive line and pass rush, and you need some weapons.
But a star number one receiver. There's no proof Chiefs
didn't have it this year. Stefan Diggs is very good.
Five years in Minnesota and four with the Buffalo Bills,
but a little drama in both places and Kirk Cousins
(20:07):
and Josh Allen win. That's the NFL. You keep the
quarterback if he's B plus or above the one position
in the NFL that historically has given us some drama
with personality, just tends to be wide receiver. I've got
my own theories why Andre Risen too, Randy Moss, Dez
(20:28):
Bryant ab It's just that one position. But make no
doubt about it, Stefan Diggs is excellent and was incredibly
productive first in the NFL in receiving yards. Since he
has arrived there, he mattered. He was very valuable despite
some turbulence in the last year and a half. He
is a great fit for the Texans. I'll get to
(20:49):
that in a second. But wide receivers in the NFL
tend to be all about fit. Joe Burrow, Jamar Chase
Buddy since College, Matt Stafford, ku per Cup. It's literally
like they read each other's minds on routes. Julian Edelman
and Tom Brady highly detailed and precise players were literally
(21:11):
monsters year after year in the playoffs. But this is
the thing with wide receivers, especially those that are outspoken
in drama. They have an expiration date.
Speaker 4 (21:21):
Now.
Speaker 1 (21:21):
They're not like milk. They're not gonna sour in a week.
It can take years. And Stefan Diggs was highly productive
a player I like a lot in Minnesota and highly productive.
I think he's gonna end his career in Houston and
be really really good with CJ. Stroud the Texans. And
here's the thing about the NFL. It's so crazy if
(21:42):
you get the quarterback right, CJ. Stroud and an amazing
how everything works, every single move. Joe Mixon, a run
game that'll work. Stefon Diggs. I like that every draft
pick Tank Dell. I knew that guy was gonna be.
That's what happens when you get the quarterback right.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
When you don't.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
In Carolina and a year ago, year and a half ago,
Carolina Houston were the same thing. A mess, a mess.
Carolina's quarterback's not working so far, nothing feels like it's right.
In Houston, every move feels like it's working right. But
here's my concerns. If you're Buffalo, this is an offensive league.
Speaker 4 (22:20):
Now.
Speaker 1 (22:21):
Andy Reid, the greatest offensive coach arguably ever and maybe
the best coach ever, has rebuilt his offensive line twice
in a year, rebuilt his receiving corps more than once,
and his defense, and they just keep getting the Super bowls.
Can Shawn McDermott a defensive coach who has struggled to
(22:43):
build a running game for seven years, has struggled to
consistently build an offensive line. Can he now totally rebuild
his receiving corps in one draft? I have my doubts again,
Andy Reid, Sean McVay, those guys rebuild receiving course, rebuild
(23:06):
run games, rebuild offensive lines in an off season because
the league now it's all about elevating them. McVeigh. If
he coached twenty years ago, Andy Reid did coach twenty
years ago, the rules all worked against them. Now the
defensive coaches have them all working against them. And I've
had my doubts with Pete Carroll's last several offensive lines,
(23:29):
Mike Tomlin's offensive line, Sean McDermott's offensive lines, Brandon Staley
and the Chargers. It got worse. Can McDermott rebuild this
wide receiving corps. It's a good draft for receivers in
one year because Baltimore looks like it'll be better, Kansas
City's going nowhere, Miami's still good, Aaron Rodgers coming back. CJ.
(23:52):
Stroud's now a star, Herbert has Jim Harbaugh, the AFC
last year was an opening. Burrow hurt, Mahomes had a
bad receiving corps, Justin Herbert didn't have a capable coach.
The AFC next year is going up. It's going to
get better. The star quarterbacks getting better, the star quarterback's healthy.
(24:15):
I just don't know if Buffalo took advantage of that
small window of weakness last year in the conference. Wish
them well. They're not going to draft just one receiver.
I'd expect two
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