Hour 1- December 4, Lamonte Hunley

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:02):
This is I on the Ball with Steve Rivera on
Fox Sports fourteen fifth Day powered by Nova Insurance Services
insure your most prized possessions.

Speaker 2 (00:14):
A good afternoon, everybody. Welcome to you Eye on the
Ball here on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera,
and today with me is kind of my new Thursday
guy or a you of a assistant coach Oregon State
head coach basketball, of course, j John, did you see
Steve same year? How cold is it in Corvallis right
now or San Francisco where you were least cold made?

Speaker 3 (00:37):
I don't know.

Speaker 4 (00:38):
San Francisco it never gets way way cold and it
never gets way out right. But Corvallis, you know, you're
probably in the you know, forty five to fifty two,
and you're in heaven right now, reigning. You're in heaven
right now. Absolutely, that's where you're back. That's why you're back.

Speaker 3 (00:53):
Absolutely. We have a special show today.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
We get a lot Honey Buddy from the Honey Honey
Huddle Show, and we'll have that show actually one more
time before the season's over. But we'll have him to
evaluate what happened or what he saw over the last
few days. And then we're gonna have your guy, Dick Cartmel.
Dick Cartmel, I know the name. You tell me who
he is.

Speaker 4 (01:14):
So Dick Cartmel was a longtime Pack ten, Pack twelve
basketball official, thirty.

Speaker 3 (01:21):
Four year career. Did he ref your games? Oh? Yes, okay,
and you like him? So I did?

Speaker 5 (01:26):
Like kick Carmel?

Speaker 4 (01:28):
It, uh, you only you're only asking for somebody that
will just you know, officiate the game, irrespective of whether
you know you're a visiting team or you're a home team.

Speaker 3 (01:37):
Just call the game.

Speaker 4 (01:38):
You know, we have a local gentleman here, Chris Rasta,
and he's now in charge of all the referees.

Speaker 3 (01:43):
And Chris was that way. You know, it's like a
no drama.

Speaker 4 (01:46):
You get up in your YACKI Chris, he just puts
his palms up and he looks at you like what
do you want me?

Speaker 2 (01:52):
Do?

Speaker 5 (01:52):
You know?

Speaker 4 (01:53):
And you know it as a basketball coach of games
moving on, it just diffuses you right right. Let me
ask you, did you ever get thrown out? There's no way,
there's no way. I was just gonna say. My guests
would say, no way you got thrown out?

Speaker 3 (02:04):
No, no, the tea, Oh yeah, you're gonna get technical files.
Maybe I might. I may end up with you know one, you.

Speaker 4 (02:11):
Know, if I had to second, if I had a
second tea during the season, I don't remember it, but there's.

Speaker 3 (02:15):
Always a could it be surprised? And did you kind
of do that purposely?

Speaker 2 (02:20):
No?

Speaker 3 (02:21):
I you know what I'm saying, Well, you have to.
I think the.

Speaker 4 (02:25):
People that actually will do that, you know, take the
tea are are those that have I don't know, I
must say more sure themselves. But they've got the crowds
and they know that they can incite it. You know,
you can cite a crowd, okay, and so at Oregon State.
You know, the one thing that I do remember getting
a T T four one time. It's just taking a

(02:46):
jacket off and throwing a jacket down, and you know,
referees think like they can. Everything gets af stirred up
because you took a jacket off and all the crowd
gets mean.

Speaker 3 (02:53):
But it's an overreaction on both people's parts. Yes, with you,
weren't you there? With uh? When did you? When did
you join? Lute?

Speaker 2 (03:01):
Nineteen ninety nineteen ninety eight, nineteen ninety nine, Jason Terry
Albuquerque and Long.

Speaker 4 (03:08):
Moose stubing Mountain long and and the people on the
scorers table in Mexico just laughing because they know what they.

Speaker 2 (03:13):
Did, right, they know what the score the clock from
the coast started. Yeah, the coast to coast, he got
the moose stubing. I think Game of Tea maybe threw
him out. I can't remember threw Game of tea. He
removed his coat.

Speaker 3 (03:26):
Yeah, big game, funny game.

Speaker 6 (03:28):
Boy.

Speaker 4 (03:29):
It was been you know, it was it was a
game that that was from what I remember.

Speaker 3 (03:33):
It's the last time Arizona played in Mexico for a while.
I'm never going back.

Speaker 5 (03:37):
You know.

Speaker 4 (03:38):
And uh, but again, that was one of those games
that you know, it was early in the season. Yeah,
and you know, everybody was coming off of the thinking,
you know, the ninety eight team in how you know,
many veterans were gone, Yeah, you know, and there was
you know, a j and Jason Terry and a bunch
of freshmen. Yeah, Richard, you know, you know, Richard Richard,

(04:00):
rich Mike Wright, you know, uh, Anderson, Ricky, Ruben Douglas,
Travis Wilson, right, and and so you weren't sure, but
j T just kind of had the special season.

Speaker 3 (04:11):
But earlier in the year.

Speaker 4 (04:11):
You didn't really know all that and and but that
that there was I don't know.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
Let me say this to you and maybe you can
agree here and disagree with me, which is fine. I
see a lot of Jason Terry in UH and Bradley
circumstances because he's kind of had to take over games
a time or two.

Speaker 3 (04:29):
And that's what JT did well.

Speaker 4 (04:31):
J T that that year was phenomenal. And so far
Jim brad Bradley has done that. He's you know, he's
he's delivered at U c l A. You know, he
delivered at Yukon, you know, and I do you know
when you start to just compare the two his players,
you know, Bradley's if his shooting continues to get better,
because you know, people have asked me over over the

(04:51):
time he said, you know, who are the who are
the best shooters? You know that you that you've coached,
you know, and I always know Jason Terry in there
because he was and he his ability uh to just
make baskets, you know, just he just made baskets. It
always had big moments and and not you know, some
people are really wired for that and most people aren't.

Speaker 2 (05:13):
Mm Yeah, j C was one of those guys and
had that fantastic year college Player of the Year in
a couple of UH organizations. Bradley reminds me a lot
of them, circumstance wise, even kind of body type, a little.

Speaker 4 (05:27):
A little bout the type. Yeah, you know, and now
he's you know, he's kind of and you know the
development and growth of him. You know, it's it's circumstances, right,
you know. Well, now as he's as he's playing, he's
he is that takeover guy you know in in previous season.

Speaker 3 (05:43):
Has he done that? Is there a history of that? No,
you haven't seen that.

Speaker 4 (05:46):
But this is the part about, you know, kid not
cheating himself by leaving college too early, you know, or
or chasing bigger money somewhere if it was there. He's like, no,
I'm in a position where I can develop and grow
and I have the responsibilit at the end of the game.

Speaker 3 (06:01):
And now he's people are watching. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (06:03):
JT did that, being the backup to Bibby, to Miles
to Dickerson, waited his time and kind of lived off
that six man guy.

Speaker 4 (06:11):
His personality to that was was something else because JT
was always about Okay, you know, you start whoever you want.
I know who's going to be on the floor at
the end. Yeah, okay, I'll be on I'll be on
the floor at the end of the game. So I'm
cool with that.

Speaker 2 (06:25):
You know what in ninety seven and you went on
this great run, and we'll kind of go back and forth,
uh with guys like the Bibby who had a fantastic tournament,
Miles had a fantastic Final four. AJ played beyond his
means or whatever. Everybody just stepped up even without Dickers.
Dickerson played the good defense, but he wasn't there offensively,
and JT Fielding everything else.

Speaker 4 (06:47):
Well, you know, I was still about the university at
the time, and I remember, I remember where I was
during the Sweet sixteen game against Kansas. Yeah, the year
before was that the year before ninety six? That was
in ninety six. Okay, my bad, My bad. I for
reason was putting them together and that was a part
of that thing. But I was still a butler. And
I know the Final four was in Indianapolis in ninety

(07:07):
seven and stuff. But you know, in in the and
in that final four, you know tournament, I mean the
shop making of Mike Baby and Jason, you know, just
really superseded what Kentucky was doing.

Speaker 2 (07:18):
Oh yeah, yeah, and then negated what Kentucky could do with.

Speaker 3 (07:22):
The press or pressure blah blah blah. Yeah, with all
the guards. Yeah, they didn't have any problem breaking that thing.

Speaker 2 (07:27):
Yeah, no, no, we always go back to the ninety seventeen, right,
of course, So we're gonna have mister Cartmell in the
second hour. We're gonna have La Hunley in the first hour.
You had a good holiday.

Speaker 3 (07:39):
I did have a good holiday.

Speaker 4 (07:41):
Been back visit some families, get to see the grand
kids and uh, you know, can't can't see the grand
kids enough. And just watching how the youngsters just you
know changed. Yeah, what do they call you? What's your name?

Speaker 3 (07:53):
I'm Papa J. Papa J.

Speaker 2 (07:55):
Okay, right, Papa J. Looking forward to talking to the
ref The loot was okay with refs. I mean on
the court he wasn't, but after that it was fine.

Speaker 7 (08:06):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (08:07):
Yeah. But coach always had a way about him.

Speaker 4 (08:08):
There was never anything that was so overtly demonstrative.

Speaker 3 (08:14):
Maybe because your team is going he didn't need them.

Speaker 4 (08:17):
Yeah, but you know it is this, you know, coach
always had a court presence you know, and the referees
knew who they were referenced, sure, And referees are human too,
and so anytime you look at your referee schedule and
you see where you're going, you know, I got Okay,
I got Arizona, I got UCLA. Okay, where are they playing?
And go okay, that's gonna be a fun matchup.

Speaker 2 (08:38):
Yeah, how wasn't going to guess him even though he
was your former boss? And let me see this because
I want to ask you who's first today's game, and
it's removed from him?

Speaker 3 (08:46):
He was?

Speaker 2 (08:47):
He retired like in two thousand and nine, ten somewhere
run that time, No.

Speaker 3 (08:52):
Eight nine seasons.

Speaker 2 (08:52):
Yeah, yeah, so today I would say, Patino, they have
that presence. I'm just going with the those guys who
have that presence, right, Patino.

Speaker 3 (09:07):
Sure, Cal Cal Perry, Bill Self, Okay, you know, even
Self is kind of does he have that? Does he
have that? He is who he is, but does he
have that?

Speaker 4 (09:18):
Well, it's I mean any of those let's put it
this way. Maybe Kansas and what Kansas funts was, whatever
that's supposed to mean.

Speaker 3 (09:26):
But there's a there's.

Speaker 4 (09:27):
A window of time where just Bill Bill, Bill definitely
was on top of the world. Let me just think
about what happened in the you know, you go back
to the to the O eight Memphis h Tournament, okay,
and they shouldn't have won that game, you know, And
then there's other games that can be watching the Kansas
team you have no business winning and you win, and
those are the things. Many times it's just you just

(09:49):
whatever it is about your culture. It's like, no, we
know we're not gonna lose. We just we got to.

Speaker 3 (09:53):
Sure sure they have that presence?

Speaker 2 (09:56):
Was it you were not intimidated by Loop because you
worked for the guy, But is it?

Speaker 3 (10:01):
Man, he's going to get a couple of calls on.

Speaker 4 (10:04):
You know, you can't really think of that, right, But
is it there? Well, no, it's no, Sure it's there,
but you just don't you know, they're going to happen
in windows of time when when when it don't make
sense to you, But you know it's it's one of
those things that I could say that you know, you
know that it's there, but it's like, you know, where

(10:26):
it was more prevalent was coming down to Tucson than
in Corbals. You know that that sure things where you
knew it's no different than you know, if you are
the challenger in the heavyweight fight.

Speaker 3 (10:41):
You know, you're you're.

Speaker 4 (10:42):
You know, you're down, You're down three, you're down three
ring three rounds zero, you know, and so you're going
to have to have to take it. You have to
take it, and and so and that's you know, right,
wrong or different.

Speaker 3 (10:54):
You know that that's the deal. But it's the same
for your players.

Speaker 4 (10:57):
You know that that who steps up and is is
elevating to the moment. You know, it's like no, I
will we we are not going to lose against you,
and and you know, but definitely a fine line.

Speaker 2 (11:12):
So when I did the book on loute To a
couple of years ago, uh Montgomery was one of the chapters,
and I asked him how difficult was playing in McHale
because they had great games. They're here, ones two's the
best two teams in the league. And he's said, you know,
he's mcale. That had something to do with it. But Steve,

(11:32):
they had pretty damn good players. You know that it
had a pretty good coach. Beguil's like third on that list.

Speaker 3 (11:40):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (11:40):
You know what's what's funny is Mike's very practical, right,
and so I had I had the opportunity to meet
him back in the eighties, right after he got to Stanford,
and I worked the camps, so I knew I knew
Mike a little bit better then. I worked for one
of his top assistants, Barry Collier, so you know, I
did know Mike. And so I can remember I don't

(12:00):
know if it was two thousand or if it's two
thousand and one. I can't really remember which time Stanford's
coming it's and and they're going to come do their
shoot around game. They shoot around after us. So Mike's
standing there. We're just we're just shooting free throws, no
big deal.

Speaker 3 (12:16):
And Mike, I see you, say, Coach, how's it going,
he goes. He says, fine, Jay, how are you?

Speaker 4 (12:20):
And he says, uh, he says, you know, I've been
coming here for whatever it was sixteen seventeen years at
the time, he says, And of course, so coach gets
lute that long.

Speaker 3 (12:29):
He says, you know, the playbook just keeps getting smaller.

Speaker 4 (12:34):
And he says, I can remember when when when Louke
was playing these zones and doing all these things and
all this, all this, he.

Speaker 3 (12:41):
Says, and now he says. You know, it's catch twenty two.

Speaker 4 (12:45):
You're not an easy You're not hard to scout, he says,
but the players are so darn.

Speaker 3 (12:49):
Hard to guard.

Speaker 2 (12:50):
Right right when you were this would be your last
question before to go to break, when you were with
him and you did some of the recruiting, right, who
were you trying to get?

Speaker 3 (12:57):
And that you got? But he had to come in
and you know, finish.

Speaker 4 (13:01):
And said, well he always was going to save because
I not save the day, but he also was going
to be the hammer. You're you're thinking as an assistant coach,
it's like, you know, I want this done, you know,
and when coach gets in the when coach gets in
the road, you know, and so you know it's part
of you know, I'll be honest with Steve. This is
not just you know, you know ego on my party

(13:22):
says most of the time, there wasn't By the time
it got to the point when coach was going to
be there, then uh we already they already they were
already in their own you know what do you something biased? Whatever,
it's this this confirmation biasing you think with everything is right,
just comes here and make it up, make.

Speaker 3 (13:44):
It all feel right, But you know the give me
a name or two.

Speaker 4 (13:49):
Well, the one, the one that still sticks in my
crow that had nothing to do with anything, was Rick Rickord.

Speaker 3 (13:53):
Oh, yeah, you know Rick.

Speaker 4 (13:55):
And he committed to us, you know, five tones, Yeah,
committed to us, you know, or five different times. And
at the end of the day signs a letter to
Minnesota with an Arizona hat on. Okay, And it's like,
I say, do I mean his dad just wouldn't sign
the letter, you know.

Speaker 3 (14:09):
And so that one still chaps me, you know.

Speaker 4 (14:13):
And that's one of the ones where I think Coach
gave me one of the best compliments. He says, you
couldn't have done a better job. Just that has nothing
to do with you, I says, coach. I'm still ticking.
And you know Rick would have been better off coming
coming to Arizona.

Speaker 3 (14:26):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (14:27):
I don't know anybody that who left didn't think that.
Why did I leave a year or two later? You
don't think should have stuck it out?

Speaker 3 (14:34):
I ran into will bind him. Uh you know, I
don't know.

Speaker 4 (14:37):
Ten years after the fact, and and I said, well, hey,
you doing that? And he says, Coach, I never should
left Arizona And I said, Will you played in the
final four at Georgia Tech. Yeah, okay, he says, still
still I was quitter.

Speaker 3 (14:51):
I shouldn't have left Arizona.

Speaker 4 (14:53):
And you know, we we you know, he obviously had
a wonderful NBA career, but one of those things where
you se it's still sat in his mind.

Speaker 3 (15:01):
Guy, I shouldn't have left. Two stories.

Speaker 2 (15:03):
We've got to go ready overly, but two guys, there
were mysteries to me when I left. Will and the
kid that went to Notre Dame. I think we had
this discussion. Just not he just like up and left.
It was like, what the hell you doing?

Speaker 4 (15:13):
Well again, Dennis, I think saw what was going on
and he wanted to be a three man and there
was no way that was.

Speaker 3 (15:21):
No, he was not that guy. Yeah, he was not
that guy. Yeah. So he was more of a four
applauding four.

Speaker 1 (15:26):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (15:26):
Yeah. Okay, let's go take a break and come back
with mister Lamont.

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Speaker 1 (20:14):
Streamy live on the Ihearts Radio while this is Eye
on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

Speaker 2 (20:23):
Hey, welcome back to my I on the Ball here
on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Riverta, your Jay
John Now won the phone. We have Lamont Hunley from
The Honey Show.

Speaker 3 (20:31):
What's Up? It's called the Hundly Huddle. Man.

Speaker 2 (20:36):
I did that purposely so you'd love correcting me.

Speaker 3 (20:39):
So there you go.

Speaker 2 (20:40):
I teed it up for you, Baby, teed it up
for you and I say hello, you said goodbye. You know,
I know my place with the honey huddle and you guys.

Speaker 3 (20:50):
It's been a second scene.

Speaker 2 (20:52):
I know I've been working. Man, I need to pay
some bills. Let me ask you something did uh?

Speaker 7 (20:58):
So?

Speaker 2 (20:58):
You and I, well, you and I had kind of
been a similar opinion opinions on Noah maybe three or
four games in, and he turned the corner with you
and with me? Uh just can you say the season
he had and maybe what convinced you that he become
that guy?

Speaker 12 (21:17):
Well, you know, if if you remember a couple of
let's say, three four games, I can't remember the exact
game that we we kind of like talked about this
and things that I noticed, and and Noah as far
as you know, just just taking that initiative and and
being more you know, more confident in regards to.

Speaker 3 (21:37):
You know, delivering in the ball.

Speaker 12 (21:39):
And and and his reads and things of that particular nature.
And when I when I saw that, I mean you
could just basically see the maturity just naturate itself and
happened and and I you know, and it doesn't hurt
when you got you know, a group of receivers that
you can pick and choose, and those kids also throughout

(22:00):
the season just as well. And I think the maturity
factor of Noah along with his receiving group and knowing
basically where they was going to be. You know, that's
that was the turning light in regards to you know,
Noah being the but the Big twelve first team selection
and I'm gonna be surprised if he's not offensive player
just as well.

Speaker 3 (22:21):
Interesting on that.

Speaker 4 (22:23):
So just you know, a long time to Soning and
college basketball coach for a good while.

Speaker 3 (22:28):
I was at the U of A.

Speaker 4 (22:31):
You know, probably more when you're a little older than
your brother, but I was there during that time. And
so as you watch the seasons and I watched these games,
you know, I look at the b YU game is
some things changed, you know, moving forward. And in one
of the things I noticed with all the teams that
came UH to the U of A, I mean they
always were they all were bigger than than the U

(22:51):
of A players and his NOA fe had some sightline issues. Okay,
there was a couple of passes against b YU where
they were volleyball.

Speaker 3 (23:00):
There were volleyball spikes.

Speaker 4 (23:02):
Correct, But as time went on, the the and It's
part of my question is how long now with roster
changes and shifts do you think how many games do
you think it is before guys kind of figure each
other out and an offensive coordinator figures out my roster.

Speaker 3 (23:19):
How many games do you think that takes it? And
has it changed from when, you.

Speaker 4 (23:23):
Know, years past, when we didn't have all this nil
and transfer business.

Speaker 3 (23:28):
Yeah, I think it.

Speaker 12 (23:29):
I think it really has changed in regards to where
it extended that longer, particularly offense versus defense, but like
you say, offensively because of the you know, transactions that
we deal with and present date not only with the
with the players, but the coaches too. So you know, Noah,
he was dealing with some new players offensively, some receivers

(23:52):
as well as the front line and as well as
the offensive coordinator. So I think, I think when you're
dealing with that particular situation which is not normal, I
think in this case, I think the time period was
led up closer.

Speaker 3 (24:09):
I always said before the BYU game.

Speaker 12 (24:11):
I can't remember exactly which game it was, but I
said before the b YU game when I started seeing
maturity and Noah having the confidence again in the receivers.

Speaker 3 (24:21):
That he can pick and choose from. And if you.

Speaker 12 (24:23):
Notice every game Noah was given, he was he was
passing the.

Speaker 3 (24:28):
Ball more to one player.

Speaker 12 (24:30):
One person didn't get the ball, you know, eight and
nine receipt receptions each game. It was always each week
was somebody different, someone different who was getting the ball.
And I think a lot of that had to do
with the confidences he was gaining with these players throughout
the year. And and when when you say his size,

(24:50):
I totally agree with that. He's an undersized kid. So
now you got to get get him in that offensive
coordinator to kind of figure out design some plays where
he can roll roll out and have that openness or
he can see his receivers down the field.

Speaker 3 (25:04):
And that also took place.

Speaker 12 (25:06):
Now.

Speaker 3 (25:06):
Last year, now he.

Speaker 12 (25:07):
Would have rolled out and kept running and kept you know,
falling back, so rolling backwards to try to you know,
you know, find an open receiver. This year he would
roll into an open spot and sit down and wait
until someone's open, you know.

Speaker 3 (25:22):
So the confidence level that it was.

Speaker 12 (25:24):
Gained throughout throughout the year, not only in his ability
to deliver the ball, but also in the confidence he
had the receivers to get open.

Speaker 2 (25:32):
One of the things I think that's underrated in their success.
And I think you'll agree with me because we talked
about this a lot early too. The offensive line all
those penalties, all those penalties, and then.

Speaker 3 (25:42):
He stopped or at least the side subsided they. I
mean again, that's the same thing, Steve.

Speaker 12 (25:50):
The offensive line had to mature themselves too, and the
maturity factor was gained throughout play. The more games you played,
the more or confident you get in the guys sitting
besides you and you know, and if you think about
it too, because of Nora's ability to.

Speaker 3 (26:08):
Move around a lot, that also.

Speaker 12 (26:10):
Creates some penalties for the offensive linement, you know, you know,
I mean you can very easily. You know, Noah goes
out of the park at offensive lineman he's chasing a
you know, a rush in, and his arms.

Speaker 3 (26:21):
Go outside of the body structure of that rush in.
You know, there's a penalty.

Speaker 7 (26:25):
You know.

Speaker 3 (26:25):
So they also had to you know, gain.

Speaker 12 (26:29):
That you know, maturity on their part just as well,
and get to know the offense as well as get
to know Nor and have that confidence in Nor.

Speaker 3 (26:38):
At the beginning of the year.

Speaker 12 (26:39):
Our offensive line, I don't think we played, you know,
a series of games up to about maybe the fifth game,
where we had the same offensive linement each week that
was someone's always hurt.

Speaker 3 (26:51):
And and then once you you know, you know you
got that that that's core that offensive line in place.

Speaker 12 (26:57):
I mean you you notice that the penities dropped and
you know, we started protecting no better and they start.

Speaker 3 (27:05):
Running the ball.

Speaker 12 (27:05):
You know, So at that point in time, the defense
was on their hunters and had no idea of what
they was dealing with.

Speaker 4 (27:12):
That's interesting to watch the evolution. It definitely is a
team that continued to improve over the season. And and
again I don't really have any basis from you know
what other than watching games from TV in California last year.

Speaker 3 (27:25):
The other thing that I've seen that I'm really really.

Speaker 4 (27:27):
Impressed with is is the tackling ability of the of
the of the linebackers and the defensive backs.

Speaker 3 (27:35):
I mean, it's because again people are people are.

Speaker 4 (27:39):
Bigger, you know, but it's the defenses has really grown too.
And you know, can you just speak to the effect
that the new defensive coordinator, Coach Gonzalez, has had to
the to the to the team and that defense.

Speaker 3 (27:53):
Well, you know the thing is and I and I
think you probably heard.

Speaker 12 (27:57):
These coaches echoed this all the time in regards to,
you know, the system that they was trying to create
and the system that they was trying to create and
get these kids to buy into that type of a system.
And it was a vicious, nasty, you know.

Speaker 3 (28:12):
Type of a system.

Speaker 12 (28:13):
He wanted those guys that have that type of attitude,
you know, and and by far, our defensive backs they
came with that attitude game in and game out. And
I'm Dalton Johnson and Trey and and Spikes.

Speaker 3 (28:26):
I mean those kids, they they played with.

Speaker 12 (28:28):
A chip on their shoulder and they they basically played
the way coach coached them up throughout the year. And
and and as you notice, their personality started, you know,
filtered down into the linebackers and even to some of
the defensive front.

Speaker 3 (28:41):
That was there.

Speaker 12 (28:43):
I'm looking at this team right now and and basically
and I remember, uh the twenty I guess it would
be the twenty twenty three year where we played in
San Antonio?

Speaker 3 (28:55):
Is that?

Speaker 12 (28:55):
Is that right?

Speaker 3 (28:56):
The same?

Speaker 12 (28:56):
So if you look at the that that that that
that type a team that we had going into the
week of that or the last week of the season
into that Bowl game. I say, we mirror this same
team this year right now, we mirror that same team.

Speaker 3 (29:12):
You know, those guys they realize that, you know what.

Speaker 12 (29:15):
We can fight with anybody. We can batter way anybody.
We can you know, stand tote to total with anybody.
So I think that's what we're seeing right now, is
that's the reflection of that same type of team two
years ago. Particularly defense and defensively, you know, the model
is to turn the freaking ball over, get the ball,
get on the sideline, give it to Nord, let him
do his thing. And and I and I honestly think

(29:38):
that that's what we're seeing in this team. And and
and and you know, that's that's something you know over time.
You you know, you try to teach the kid, but
once a kid gets that defensively and they get that bull,
I mean, they they want to fight for that ball
every play. And and by far, I think that's what
we got in Gozales as far as you know, teaching

(29:59):
that nastiness down, hungriness, and let's get to the football,
get the ball and get on the sideline and chick
and put put the opponent ball in the four, you know,
and present yourself that way man, and if we can,
you know, go into that mind frame with this Bowl game.
Who my god, next year is gonna be special too.

Speaker 2 (30:17):
I guess you're gonna pay my fine. If that s
word did get through the system, no, because your fingers lowed. No, No,
I got it, I got If not, you're finding one
hundred bucks, that's fine with me.

Speaker 3 (30:30):
It's a sponsorship you paid for. Hey, go ahead, go ahead.
I was gonna say no no.

Speaker 2 (30:37):
Twenty twenty three, and we talked about this a little
this week. Twenty twenty three and twenty twenty five. Very
similar in a sense that they played right and then
they played close to Washington and they paid post to
USC had maybe could have beaten USC here, they could
have beaten BYU or Houston, and then they rolled the
rest of the way.

Speaker 3 (30:56):
Kind of to your point, it's kind of a similar team.
What or who.

Speaker 2 (31:01):
Impressed you the most? And let me say one last
thing before uh they did all this without really a
good kicker.

Speaker 12 (31:08):
Yeah yeah, And well, I mean the players that you
know obviously impressed me the most. Is that defensive back
I mean, and I honestly I'll say all those kids,
I mean all those kids, I think they play head
above themselves in regards to what we expected by by
by all means and talent wise, yes.

Speaker 3 (31:31):
You know, by all means and kudos to them, you know.

Speaker 12 (31:34):
With with the awards that they were receiving, because they
very much deserve every bit of it. Kicking wise, Steve,
you know what, earlier in the season, I was like, so.

Speaker 3 (31:45):
Poo poo on the kicker. I said, Man, this kid
is killing us. This kid killing us.

Speaker 12 (31:49):
And actually, this is my first time really watching because
I didn't go to the Sue game.

Speaker 3 (31:54):
I watched them TV.

Speaker 12 (31:56):
And three of those kicks wasn't that kid's fault? M
Now I'm thinking, really, all these kicks this kid fall.
So in my head again as far as thinking, I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (32:06):
Look, dude, if if, if this kick is kicked, if.

Speaker 12 (32:09):
This kicker is that bad, Brenan would have pulled this
kicker months ago. So it's not the kicker, it was
the the It's the holder as well as the staffer.
Those were some a lot of issues at least the
ESSU game that I saw, so if I see him
there by far, those same things took place earlier in

(32:29):
the year two for this kicker, So I really got
apologize to the kicker because I really felt the same
way you feel about the kicker. Punting now is another issue,
you know, because that all belongs to the punter, per se,
and our our kicker, the kid that kicks off for us.
I mean, I mean, I mean, by far, he's he's

(32:50):
our special team player of the year, and you know so,
so as far as the kicking aspect of it, I mean, I.

Speaker 3 (32:57):
Think if we really evaluate.

Speaker 12 (33:00):
It could have been some of the things that would
happen with the snapper and the holder on that aspect
of things. So who knows. Only Brennan knows that, and
the kicker.

Speaker 2 (33:09):
I think, right, m h okay, we'll see what happens.
We're gonna have a show with the guys. I think
maybe next Saturday, after the announcement of the game, with
you and your brother.

Speaker 3 (33:22):
So, y'all go give me my marching orders. I gotta
wait to her things. You know that, right, Yeah, you're
the third to know. That's right.

Speaker 2 (33:28):
Just you know your place. That's why you're such a
good player. You know your place exactly. That's that. Hey,
but coach, hey, coach, he coach. I do I do.

Speaker 12 (33:37):
Remember you very very back in the day, as far
as you're coaching at here at Arizona in Oregon State,
a good friend of mine, I don't know if you
remember this name or not.

Speaker 3 (33:47):
Her name is Mary lu Frinkle.

Speaker 12 (33:50):
She used to be part of the athletic department at
Arizona and and she she she she unfortunately she's no
longer with us, but she used to talk very highly
of you.

Speaker 3 (33:59):
Oh well, so those things always nice to hear. I
don't remember.

Speaker 4 (34:03):
I don't remember her, but that being said, you know,
as a as a as a Tucson kid and a
South Point grad and a U of A alum. Uh,
the idea of being able to come back and coach
at the u of A and such a great program
was such a great man, you know, that was that
was just, you know, the thing of a lifetime. And yes,

(34:24):
you know, it's it's it's it's you know why after
all the rest of the years of Oregon State and
cal you know there, there wasn't a whole lot of
hesitation coming back home, uh to Tucson.

Speaker 3 (34:34):
So that's why he never left. That's why he never left.
That exactly.

Speaker 12 (34:39):
That's that's why I I love every bit of this
place because they you know, the community still embrace you
for the things that you did on and off the
court and basketball field, football field and basketball court, and
and you know, you got to respect that and and
I totally appreciate this community for those reasons.

Speaker 4 (34:56):
Do you have time for another qua? So you know,
I noticed that you brother from Petersburg, Virginia. Okay, yeah,
So I have two quick ones. Okay, who's more famous?
The Hunley family from Petersburg or Moses alone?

Speaker 12 (35:10):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (35:10):
Moses got us buddy.

Speaker 12 (35:11):
Okay, So Moses, Moses was our hero growing up.

Speaker 3 (35:17):
I bet, yeah, I have to be.

Speaker 4 (35:19):
So you guys, are you guys are playing football in
Virginia in the seventies?

Speaker 3 (35:25):
Okay?

Speaker 4 (35:25):
And right, one of my favorite movies of all time
is Remember the Titans, And amen, I've done a lot
of reading on that, and you know, it really was
kind of a true story.

Speaker 3 (35:35):
It was a true story.

Speaker 4 (35:37):
And so if you're a high school kid playing in Virginia,
obviously there's no movie for twenty some years. Were you
guys aware of what went on.

Speaker 3 (35:45):
At that at TC? Williams?

Speaker 4 (35:47):
Just I'm just curious that was something that in the
state of Virginia people knew about as kids growing up.

Speaker 12 (35:54):
Yes, by all means, we were completely aware of it.
I mean even even that that those same things was
happening in Petersburg. And you know, I Petersburg was a
pretty much predominant black city, but you know, you know,
people of other color basically ran the city. I mean
I had white coaches. I didn't have any black coaches.

(36:16):
All of my coaches was white, you know, so they
and they came in and and basically, you know, coached
every sport, football, basketball, baseball, you know, most of had.
Mosa alone was basically the same way. There were certain
places that he couldn't go to because of the color
of his skin.

Speaker 3 (36:33):
And things of that particular nature.

Speaker 12 (36:35):
And I had uncles and nephews of comes, uncles and
cousins and aunts that also.

Speaker 3 (36:40):
Went through that, you know.

Speaker 12 (36:43):
I mean I again, I was probably more of a
very young kid, six seven years old, but I was
totally aware of it because, like I said, I had
uncles and aunts as well as my older siblings that
was affected by it.

Speaker 3 (36:57):
So it was real.

Speaker 12 (36:58):
I mean, it was real, and it was it was
part of our life, and you know something that I'm
I'm glad that I was part of because you know,
it gives me a different view point of of people,
viewpoint of life, life itself.

Speaker 3 (37:14):
You know.

Speaker 12 (37:14):
So being growing up in that environment, you know, is
it made me the person who I am today? And
uh and why I treat people certain ways because of that?

Speaker 3 (37:23):
So it is real, most definitely was real. I hope
you learn to treat me better. That's all I want
to know. Everybody but Steve Hey, Steve Hey, you know
I'm my grandfather.

Speaker 2 (37:36):
Oh yeah, I know.

Speaker 3 (37:37):
Does that mean I have to treat you nicely?

Speaker 1 (37:39):
Now?

Speaker 5 (37:40):
Yes?

Speaker 3 (37:40):
Right David.

Speaker 12 (37:43):
It looks that I haven't cut you off, Steve, I
might have to cut you off her.

Speaker 2 (37:51):
That's oh no, that's that's what's gonna sun. I didn't
even think of that. You know, talk about that, don't
talk about that. You've got a new year coming, I know,
I know, I know. Okay, I'll have to sweet talk
to you. Thanks man, We'll.

Speaker 4 (38:08):
See you at y'all.

Speaker 13 (38:13):
Too.

Speaker 2 (38:13):
That's funny because he's one of my sponsors. So that's
what I said, because he's got a granddaughter. Now that
money's going to go over there, I'm still hoping he
adopts me. I'll be a honey brother.

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Speaker 1 (41:54):
This is I on the Ball with Steve Ravera on
Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Subscribe now to the podcast on
the iHeartRadio just search Ie on the Ball.

Speaker 2 (42:06):
Hey, welcome back to I on the Ball here on
Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. I'm Steve Rivera, your Jay John
to talk to Lamont. I think Buddy Powell one of
my sponsors. I hope he comes back. We'll see. I'll
see him next week with his brother at the Hunley Huddle.
But to your point of coming back, did you ever

(42:27):
not think you were gonna not come back?

Speaker 4 (42:29):
There was a window of time where, you know, when
my wife and I started talking about things. I said, listen,
I loved living in Indianapolis.

Speaker 3 (42:36):
Okay, was it an option? Now?

Speaker 4 (42:39):
Oh, it was an option, But at least at leasta
it was for me. At least says I'm not going back.
I lived in That is she from here? She's Indianapolis.
Oh okay, she said, no, I'm going back. It's too
cool to gold.

Speaker 3 (42:51):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (42:51):
Listen, this is not Chicago cold. I mean, this isn't
this isn't you know? I ninety four Michigan cold still,
it's cold enough.

Speaker 3 (42:59):
I'm not going back, okay, So, but that was what
I did. I loved saying in Indianapolis.

Speaker 4 (43:05):
I really came of age and grew up there, you know,
and uh and so but we have some great friends.
Boys are born our kids are born there. But that
was that was an option. And so you know, coming
back to Arizona, she made.

Speaker 3 (43:19):
The right decision. Yes, yeah, you know, she's the head coach.
Absolutely in the j John family. Absolutely, No. Look, okay, cool, if.

Speaker 2 (43:28):
You guys want to call, we have about eight minutes
five to zero four one six seventy four forty. Let
us know how we're doing on the call with Lamont
or have you have a call or a question for
a coach, Please call and ask I. We'm glad to
help you. Maybe one for me. Kind of slow this week.
We talked to Tommy today getting ready for Auburn. Auburn

(43:49):
looked pretty good last night, uh, in their win. Who
did play North North Carolina State? I think it was
a lot home. So they're coming here on Saturday night.
We'll see you're going to think, right, yes, it should be.
It's probably the best non conference game at home here
before they get to the Big twelve here in next month.

Speaker 4 (44:07):
How you know, not having experienced with a Big twelve schedules,
Like an eight am tip on Saturday?

Speaker 3 (44:15):
Is that something at eight pm?

Speaker 13 (44:17):
A pm?

Speaker 3 (44:17):
I mean, is that something they need to plan on happening? Well, yeah,
you need to get there Tuesday.

Speaker 2 (44:23):
You've been to how many games in Tucson at Michael
Nothing really changes.

Speaker 3 (44:27):
It's a later riving crowd.

Speaker 1 (44:28):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (44:29):
They'll be there though for this game because it's a
big game.

Speaker 4 (44:32):
But we used to have a lot of Saturdays to
tip off at eleven am and noon and you you're
can go out to dinner.

Speaker 2 (44:39):
Out Yeah yeah, no, no, you go to dinner before here,
and you're gonna get home late. You know, you're not
forty five anymore. Jay, you know you're gonna say, like
the rest of them, if it's a twelve to fifteen
point lead with five minutes left, some of them are
going to get up and go you know that.

Speaker 3 (44:56):
Yeah, Well, that that's just that's every that's everywhere these days.

Speaker 4 (44:59):
But I guess you know, just from the from the
the experience of a PAC twelve schedule when you're in
mountain time versus now where you're behind behind.

Speaker 3 (45:08):
The central I mean, as have have tip times been
you know.

Speaker 4 (45:12):
Pretty good for for crowds or for well just you know,
you're just for logic.

Speaker 2 (45:17):
Yeah, they're still late and people are still gonna complain
about the times like they do for football. Uh, it's
it's it's gonna be a nice crowd, but they'll you'll
see some seats missing because of the lateness of the game.
But it is the prime game of the year if
you have a ticket, because it's it's Auburn, they're ranked
and it's not the Big twelve, you know. And then

(45:40):
next week they play San Diego State on the road, right, Uh,
and then they play Alabama, I'm sure Alabama Alabama, and
then they come back for San Diego State. So and
Alabama is another good one. So here's the stretch of
you know, good, not so good, good and that's so good. Oh.

Speaker 4 (45:54):
I've felt throughout the schedule, given the fact that you
do have freshmen, given the fact that sometimes the freshman
needs to be able to feel like freshman, which is
I'm better than the competition I can put You're gonna
let me play through my mistakes.

Speaker 3 (46:06):
Yeah, and I can score like you know, Burrys gets
twenty US yah, yeah, yeah, tell me just let's let him.

Speaker 4 (46:11):
Play because you know, one of the things I used
to rail against with kids in high school and teams
in high school is to put freshmen in varsity.

Speaker 3 (46:18):
I hate that.

Speaker 4 (46:20):
Okay, let freshmen play with freshmen, let them feel my class.

Speaker 3 (46:23):
Okay, even though they're good enough, even though they're good.

Speaker 4 (46:26):
Now again, if if, if the competition is you're dominating
so much, you know, and bring the February, bring them
up in February. But I believe that kids need to
be able to dominate, okay, and feel good about dominating.
If I'm a basketball player, or you're gonna come guard
me every different way.

Speaker 3 (46:44):
And so because if you he pushing me.

Speaker 4 (46:46):
Up and I'm always playing against older guys, you know,
you're restricting what I can do because I'm not ready
to do all these things yet.

Speaker 3 (46:53):
So by the time I'm a senior. You know, have
you been double teams? You know? How do you know
how I get it? I get it? And so you
you know, so with.

Speaker 4 (47:01):
These freshmen, you have, you have these big games and
in various points of times freshman has stepped up and
sometimes not. But you know, you have to have take
it back to a level, a different compet competition level,
and let me work through some things and then, you know,
build up my confidence so that I can get in
stretches of games and the game is slower.

Speaker 2 (47:24):
I like the philosophy there is the I have a well,
actually I'm doing It's funny you say this because I'm
doing a story on the freshman just as a group
and how well they've played so far, and you're to
your point.

Speaker 3 (47:34):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (47:35):
He even kind of talked about that. He's kind of
he has this group that he wants to play. Four
of them are freshmen that he's playing right most of
the time, and a couple of three two three starters
and letting them work out their kinks because down the
road he's going to need them in March.

Speaker 3 (47:50):
There's no question.

Speaker 4 (47:50):
So I think about the young man from the Netherlands, Aristoti,
I guess mis say his name. So he has the
threes against the threes against the NAU but all of those.
A lot of shot making is how you feel when
you catch the ball. Okay, my feet are set, this
ball's going in. Okay, he's not there yet, okay. And

(48:11):
some of it is is the length of the defenders.
You know, good teams, they're going to be on the
way to close out, they're going to be a little
bit longer on the close out. And Northern Arizona couldn't
reach could reach the height of his release point. But
there's a young man that here in these next bunch
of games, if he can get himself really comfortable, he's
a shooting weapon.

Speaker 3 (48:32):
I watched him practice.

Speaker 4 (48:33):
Who you're talking about, Ariostotic pronouncing airstoe. And so it's
just a confidence, you know, and it's just a you know,
it's a feeling like you know, the game doesn't matter,
the opponent doesn't matter.

Speaker 3 (48:46):
I'm open, you made a mistake, balls on time. I
got a three.

Speaker 2 (48:49):
So let me give you this philosophy because this is
what I talked about a lot.

Speaker 3 (48:52):
You're freshman.

Speaker 2 (48:54):
You're good, but I totally agree with what you said
about the freshman playing in freshmen. But you're good, You're
really good, and you you kind of supersed. It's like
a donere aiden. You you play, you're better than them.
You kind of a lollygag and you're just better than them.
But in order to get better as a better player,
you got to get beat by the older dudes, because.

Speaker 3 (49:15):
You get better, you have no choice but to well, I.

Speaker 4 (49:18):
Think everybody's trying to play up to you know, you're
trying to compete, right, and you can feel you know.
One thing we didn't get to talk about with with
coach Henley earlier was the fact that as a football player,
this is what I think about these dbs. For U
of A, I can feel whether you're stronger than me
in a football game. I can really feel that. And
you know, I was just saying basketball more so of

(49:39):
the inside. There are certain players that have a force field. Okay,
you can be six inches away from me and you
could feel he's strong.

Speaker 3 (49:45):
Felt people felt that way about Michael Wright, Yaka feel
the same way as we walk.

Speaker 4 (49:50):
Out, okay, and so you can those things are true.
I'm not sure people felt the same way about Lon
Woods in terms of just exerting a force field, okay.
And so those are some of the things. If you're
a five star kid out of high school, that start
doesn't mean anything when you get to college.

Speaker 3 (50:06):
But by switching and changing your.

Speaker 4 (50:08):
Competition levels and stuff, I can be a five star
player against certain teams. Yeah, I mean, now you want
to turn yourself into a conference play if I was
a five star, Can I just be a solid three
star player?

Speaker 3 (50:20):
You know, my freshman year in conference play and then
little by a little, you know, I meet my potential. Yeah.

Speaker 2 (50:26):
Well, there's different philosophies for different people, right, But I
totally agree with your you know, I've never really heard that,
although I've seen it done. Right, play your freshman year
till you can't, and then move up when you.

Speaker 3 (50:38):
In high school.

Speaker 4 (50:39):
Yeah, mean, that's how I feel, because then I developed
the confidence like, Okay, how many how are you going
to guard me to do?

Speaker 3 (50:44):
Okay, you're going to guard me this way, You're gonna
gard me that way.

Speaker 4 (50:46):
By the time I'm an upperclassman in high school, I've
already been through this.

Speaker 3 (50:49):
Yeah right, I'm not going to panic, right, you.

Speaker 2 (50:52):
Know, And because everything changed defensively, I asked tell me
about this about the freshman just collectively, and I didn't
need anything else besides that. But invariably, maybe see your philosophy,
this freshman at some point hit a wall.

Speaker 3 (51:05):
It's just what they do. True, it's true. It's true.
It's it's it's it's long.

Speaker 4 (51:10):
You know, there's there's a whole lot I mean every game,
every game, like in high school, a lot of these kids,
you know, they'll play. And one of the things I
always just to ask kids in recruiting just to hear,
how many games a year do you walk out on
the court and think that we might lose?

Speaker 3 (51:26):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (51:26):
Many, you know, and so not many, right, and so,
but when you get in a college game, every game
you go out, Okay, something can happen. Yes, you know,
there's there's there's precedent, something can happen.

Speaker 3 (51:37):
We might lose.

Speaker 4 (51:38):
And and you know, now with transfer portal, you know,
you don't really have too many teams that are just young.

Speaker 3 (51:45):
You know, yeah you're older.

Speaker 4 (51:46):
You've got hyphenated teams and there they've got twenty three
and twenty four year olds on the team.

Speaker 3 (51:51):
You know, so okay, hey we got to go with that.
Will go and come back on the other side,