Hour 2- December 9, Joan Bonvicini

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Streaming live on the iHeartRadio WAB. This is I on
the Ball with Steve Rovera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Hey, welcome back to ian the Ball Here on Fox
Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, your Dave Silver talking
no breaking news today, although there is probably some stuff.
But let me ask you, Dave. You don't have to
answer me because you're San Diego State grab do people
chase you down for nil or anything like that? From
being from San Diego to a Yeah, because I'm just

(00:33):
reading a story on Troy Aikman. How I guess he
cut a check for somebody at UCLA. He said, sizeable check,
and he didn't get a thank you, And eventually the
kid left and he sounds like he was a little
upset about you know, he gives a gives money, sizeable check,

(00:53):
like I said, he leaves, didn't get a thank you,
and he says that's the only time I'll ever do it. Wow.
I mean that's I don't know how much.

Speaker 3 (01:03):
If you probably give to your school a little bit
here and there, I mean I still do. I used
to give to the UFA and things like that, and
I always get a thank you letter. I mean, no
matter if you can five, but the very least. Yeah,
I mean the very least. And that was one thing
I did when I was working in development at the
university was to make sure to thank them no matter what.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
I mean.

Speaker 3 (01:19):
We used to kind of joke like, wow, we're writing
this person to thank you letter and they just gave
you know, twenty five cents. Well, thank them, because you
never know. Some of the biggest gifts could be a
test ever gotten. Usually start off by somebody giving you
fifty dollars. Next thing, you know, in twenty years, they're
giving you five million.

Speaker 2 (01:35):
That could be the test. I'm going to give them
fifty bucks. Let's see how they react to that. If
they react favorably, I'm going to add more to it
down the road. Exactly, Yeah, exactly.

Speaker 3 (01:44):
I mean almost every test case, most of your biggest
gifts didn't just show up just one time. You know,
it's been building for years in most cases. You know,
there's been some huge ones in college athletics in the
last couple of years.

Speaker 2 (01:58):
Wasn't there just a big one just the other day? Yeah? Yeah,
a five million for something I can't remember what it was.
Here's here's my issue. And because I don't make what
I you know, I don't make any money here. But
but it's hard for me to in your case, probably
the same because you're you know, you're retired now whatever
giving money to people who are making a million dollars. True,
you know what I'm saying, how does that work?

Speaker 3 (02:20):
We would again, going back to my development times, that
was a hard argument to get past sometimes people saying, well,
I don't need this money. It isn't they don't need
this money they're getting, you know, X amount of whatever.

Speaker 2 (02:34):
But I don't know.

Speaker 3 (02:35):
You just try to personalize it and you just say, listen,
you realize what you're You're helping these kids. You're changing
their lives. These are transformational gifts and they appreciate it.
And I'm sure if someone's going to give, you know,
a major gift like that, they're gonna get a lot
of thank yous.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
Yes the way, and some kids are like that. I
saw today and I can't remember where I saw it.
H Ohio States in the red big time. Uh, Colorado
is definitely in the rent a big time. So all
these schools that have to come up with the money
for nil yearly like that twenty two million, twenty million,
like Arizona are getting killed financially. Well, it's like Arizona was.

Speaker 3 (03:12):
And there, you know, because they're building facilities, it cost
of fortune. They're upgrading things like that, the expenses that
are always used to do. But now you got this
other you know, twenty million dollars you have to come
up with as well.

Speaker 2 (03:23):
And before we started today, I think you asked me
about the new deal at Utah, right, you asked be
equity or whatever. It was private equity where there's potentially
five hundred million or something. But then you have a
lot of owners of the program. It's like you're investing
into the program. Right. Well, now Dave Silver is a
part owner of the program, right you know. It's kind
of like the saw Baffort. As part of this how

(03:47):
they have horses where you and me could have a
stake in the horse. Right for one hundred bucks you
put into a small percentage of the of the horse.
I have a couple of friends have done that. And
it's cool because you get newsletters and you're part of
the If he wins, you do well, you know, you
get maybe I don't know what the return is, but
you're part of the action, right, that makes any sense.

(04:08):
I wouldn't mind doing that, but really do I really
want to it's kind of giving money to the program.

Speaker 3 (04:13):
Yeah, I mean you want to do it for a reason.
You don't want to just give the money to give
the money. I mean, there's usually a reason behind it.
You you know, you like the sports, you like the
music department, you like the English department. That professor you
know changed my life. Those there's those kinds of reasons
why people give.

Speaker 2 (04:29):
Could I pick your brain? What were maybe one or
two good reasons on both ways? Okay, I'm doing this
because or I'm not doing this because in your situation, most.

Speaker 3 (04:41):
Of it was appreciative of what they got as college students,
and you know it led them to successful careers and
whatever it may be.

Speaker 2 (04:49):
That's usually what happens in college. Is it somebody you
know made a different life. Yeah, made a difference. You know,
some professor who you know, he was just doing his job.

Speaker 3 (04:57):
Next thing, you know, you go off and you become
a pole surprise winning you know, journalists because of this
great journalism a professor or you get you know, obviously
in the medical field, things you learn in college are
the things that you know, you could be saving lives,
not necessarily changing lives.

Speaker 2 (05:12):
You're doing more than that.

Speaker 3 (05:14):
So there are a lot of reasons that those kind
of gifts would would come in. In athletics, most of
it it was just an affinity to the to the teams.
And I remember when I was in college, you know,
we went to the final four or whatever, we went
to bowl games. That was such an important part of
my life. You know, that's kind of why people.

Speaker 2 (05:31):
Would give Let me ask you an embarrassing question if
you want to answer this one too. So, so you
went to college, what did you learn? What's the one
what's the one or two things that you learned if
you did take your time trying to remember exactly. It's
been a long time. Well I learned. That's the issue
I have with with this thing with college. With with

(05:53):
with college. I mean, I have the interns and they're
learning this, right, they're learning this the board, which it
took me a while, and I'm comfortable more now with
it before Okay, but the kids today, like what I
need for is the social media blah blah blah. They're
already good at that. They already know how to do
all this stuff with the videos and the social medias
and posting and graphics and all that. So they're not

(06:14):
learning in school because they already know how to do
this right, you know what I'm saying.

Speaker 3 (06:18):
You learn some of the other basics of writing and interviewing.

Speaker 2 (06:21):
The one that's the one thing getting.

Speaker 3 (06:23):
Up in front of people and speaking that you know,
you do that in a classroom that you're gonna have
to do that eventually out in the real world. Presenting yourself,
you know, even if it's just getting a resume put together,
that's going to attract something. So you can walk into
a you know, a manager's office and have a conversation
and present yourself in a good way.

Speaker 2 (06:42):
Yeah. Well, when I was teaching and I, you know,
have been the intern stuff. Yes, is my son or
daughter are going to get a job? Well, we don't know,
do we know? And that's part of the it's got.

Speaker 3 (06:52):
A better chance if they come in at eighteen, if
they get through four years of college twenty two, they're
going to have a little more they can about themselves.

Speaker 2 (07:00):
Of course. Yeah, hello, you're in the air nine of
the ball who's this?

Speaker 4 (07:05):
And speaking about fundraising and also behind the scenes of
the journalists world First of all, the journalists world, do
the reporters travel.

Speaker 5 (07:18):
With the team, say, the football team of the basketball.

Speaker 2 (07:21):
Good question, good question. I did in the way past
what you're almost talking. Thirty eight years ago. I traveled
on the charter working for the Tucson Citizen eighty six,
eighty seven, eighty eighty nine, and then after that I
didn't because I covered the basketball team after that. But
I don't think so, not anymore, not anymore because now
they fight charter and I don't think they allow that.

Speaker 4 (07:43):
Okay, well you know that, you know as well as
better than anyone, the newspapers and the I don't know
how TV does, but the a lot of media stripped.

Speaker 5 (07:53):
For money, so that would be good. But I guess
they give those extra seats, I guess to the big odors.

Speaker 3 (08:01):
Yeah, no, go ahead, No, I was gonna say for us.
I mean, I go back to when Channel nine was
carrying the U of A football games for a couple
of years, and we did get access because we were
the whatever, we were.

Speaker 2 (08:13):
The ship flag ship station.

Speaker 3 (08:16):
So I got to go on the charter for a
couple of years, but after that it was.

Speaker 2 (08:19):
All from on our own. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (08:22):
Nowadays, the guys don't go with the team, do they
know none of their basketball writers?

Speaker 6 (08:27):
No, Okay.

Speaker 4 (08:29):
One of my highlights and college being editor of a
daily Weldcat was I got to travel with the football
team on time to the Washington Safe Team Washington SAFT game.
So that was a lot of fun.

Speaker 5 (08:42):
And of course we said it in the back and
we didn't really.

Speaker 4 (08:44):
Mix with the players. So it was so good to
be on the plane.

Speaker 2 (08:48):
What what made it fun? And you're talking like in
the sixties.

Speaker 4 (08:51):
Probably, yeah, I'm talking I'm talking sixties five.

Speaker 2 (08:56):
Yeah, so what made it fun? What made it fun?
Because you were with the t or you cover the
game and the Wildcat.

Speaker 4 (09:02):
I've had the Wildcat fan since you know, I was
about eight years old.

Speaker 5 (09:06):
So yeah, and I'm now eighty two.

Speaker 4 (09:09):
So that's just you know, I've always.

Speaker 5 (09:10):
Said that you were my fans of coupling with a team. Again,
that's kind of a you know, those guys are celebrities
to me.

Speaker 2 (09:17):
I know, this is mister all right, this is I
might see.

Speaker 1 (09:21):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (09:21):
So let me ask you a question because I asked
the kids here all the time. I'm not affiliated with you,
bandy and go to school here. How was it and
is it you think for the kids today who go
to school here and cover the team, was it was
it tough given that you were a fan, but you
still had to cover and be fair?

Speaker 7 (09:39):
Well.

Speaker 5 (09:39):
Actually I wasn't covering sports, you know, I was a
editor and you know I call the shots. No, I
wasn't really covering. But if I had to do so,
I think I did cover some.

Speaker 4 (09:51):
Uh some other sports. You know. No, you just detach
yourself from being.

Speaker 5 (09:56):
A fan and tell it, you know, tell it like
it is.

Speaker 6 (09:59):
So.

Speaker 7 (10:00):
Uh.

Speaker 5 (10:01):
You know, if you're.

Speaker 4 (10:02):
Writing a column, that's different, of course, you know that, Steve,
and you know Dave, when you get a chance to
do your your own opinion, that is different.

Speaker 2 (10:11):
Right, right?

Speaker 3 (10:12):
Sometimes another thing ahead, another thing, Dave Silver, Remember one time,
I promise.

Speaker 4 (10:19):
You that when I win to power Ball, I will
give up whatever money's necessary to.

Speaker 5 (10:24):
Build a new school of journalism, build a new building.

Speaker 2 (10:28):
Remember, Dave, it's going to be the school of journalism. Yeah,
it's gonna have to be.

Speaker 4 (10:34):
All I need to do is to win the power Ball.
Can you make that happen?

Speaker 2 (10:37):
Can you make that happen? If I can make it happen, Frank,
if I hit it, if I hit it. You'll never
hear from me again. So good luck that.

Speaker 5 (10:44):
Oh my god, Oh Steve, come on, what where.

Speaker 4 (10:51):
Did you go to college?

Speaker 2 (10:52):
New Mexico State?

Speaker 6 (10:54):
Okay, the Aggies.

Speaker 4 (10:56):
I'm going to give a cool minute to the Aggies.

Speaker 2 (10:59):
They need more help than my million man didn't needed
more help than that.

Speaker 5 (11:04):
All right, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Speaker 2 (11:07):
Yeah, my place needs a lot more than that.

Speaker 3 (11:10):
And that's product of the you have a journalism apartment
who went on to win a Pulitzer Prizes the l
A Times.

Speaker 2 (11:16):
Yeah okay, yeah, yeah, and they won a few David
Star with the Mason thing, right, didn't they with the
uncovering or whatever they did here with the Tonys just
before your.

Speaker 3 (11:26):
Time, just barely I walked into the Tony Mason. Uh
what do you call when they were suspended?

Speaker 2 (11:33):
Okay, yeah, that was the That was the Ricky Hunley
and that was that time.

Speaker 3 (11:38):
The n I L was just going on before the
n I L was right, right, you probably have some
pretty good stories about that.

Speaker 2 (11:49):
Yes, you'll probably not say, I tell you, yeah, maybe
I get them on the Rocky Hunley show, Honey to
talk about that. Are the gonna do the We're gonna
we're gonna do one. We're gonna do one more with
the We're gonna do with the next Saturday, whatever day,
the twentieth, we're gonna do it. Get together and talk
about the big game here on the show. We don't
know the time yet because it's still way too far ahead. Okay,

(12:12):
let's take a break here, get ahold of coach Bonfacini
and talk about the women's basketball program.

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Speaker 1 (17:02):
This is I on the Ball on Fox Sports fourteen
five day. I want to take part in the show.
Call up Steve now went five to two oh four
one six seventy four.

Speaker 2 (17:14):
Hey, welcome back to Why I'm the Ball Hero Fox
Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. In today with me
is Dave Silvert. Now on the fun we have coach
Joan Baum Cassini. You know you know we're from UA
Basketball Now. She's a producer of the Analyst Now and
many things.

Speaker 6 (17:28):
Coach, how you doing, I'm doing fantastic, Thanks Basking.

Speaker 2 (17:32):
We listened to you over the weekend and saw a
pretty good game with New Mexico. What are your thoughts
on the early part of coach Brook's career here at
U of A.

Speaker 6 (17:45):
Well, I think I think she's a very good coach.
I think, you know, I was concerned when they last
early in an exhibition to think it was West Texas
A and M. But they steadily improved from that point
until they played Southern where they got a little exposed

(18:06):
because of the quickness from the Southern players and sides
and length because the Wildcats aren't that's not their strength
right now. They don't have that on their squad. I
mean they have some quickness, but they don't have side,
you know, and they don't have a lot of experience,
you know. And so then they lost to Southern. Southern

(18:28):
actually is better than their record. They went and lost
to Houston. I mean, they beat Houston after that, so
I think Southern in their conference. I wouldn't be surprised
if they're an NCAA team. And then they lost to
New Mexico on Sunday, And honestly, New Mexico is good.
They're a good team, quality team. But I think the

(18:50):
thing that Arizona can do better because they have a
good team and they like it's not that New Mexico
didn't beat them, but there were some things that Arizona
could do better. And one is, uh, they need to
shoot better from the free throw line. So as a team,
they did not do well. But the thing that's most

(19:11):
concerning is they're they're not rebounding well. And when you're
getting that rebounded by double digits, you know, that's hard
and it's hard to make that up in points because
you're losing points when you're doing that.

Speaker 3 (19:27):
When you start from scratch, like Becky's had to do,
what what's the biggest challenge here is she's really starting
from from ground zero?

Speaker 2 (19:36):
If I could attach that, how did you start here?
I mean obviously you replaced somebody, So did you have
to start at like like that?

Speaker 6 (19:43):
Yeah, well the rules were different, but I'll go with
the old rules, like you know, so yes, I brought
in a couple of recruits. One was Brenda Pantohial ended
up leading the nation in a sense. You know, we
ended up being a very good player. But I you know,
you inherited a team, and I got hired in early

(20:05):
April in ninety one. And if I could do something different,
I would have done something different. Like I did not
bring any players with me for Long Beach State, and
that's where I had coached previously, and we, I mean
I had great teams there. We were ranked top ten
every week for twelve years and a couple final fours.

(20:25):
But they were so upset about me leaving, I decided
not to take players with me, and they all wanted
to go, trust me, they all wanted to go and hindsight,
I would have done it. I would have taken all
of them because their careers weren't nearly the same after

(20:46):
I left, and they would have helped me jump They
would have had the city year, but they would have
jump started things here earlier then thought. You know, the
way it worked out, it took me like four year
years to get things really going. But you know, with
the transfer portal, it's so different, and so now it's

(21:08):
not just the portal, that's how much money your revenue
sharing and how much money you have. So there is
a little bit of money that this current team, I mean,
I don't know the exact numbers, but you know a
lot of their better players are mid major kids. You
know Lonnie Cornfield, who were highlighting tomorrow. She had twenty

(21:32):
points against Buffalo and it was actually third in the
nation in assist with the eight a game. And she
came with Becky Burke from Buffalo. But she's five six maybe,
but she's tasked that she's little. And then the other
kid is Mickey Purdue. She came from Cleveland State and

(21:54):
actually as a two thousand point scorer and she's five seven,
did not have a great game against the Metsko only
had five points, but she's had twenty seven points and
thirty one points before this season. But usually if you're
going to bring nick mid majors, you compliment that with

(22:16):
Power four kids who are proven. So they have some
Power four kids, but none none of them either played
a year ago or had any good numbers. So that's
the tough part, you know. And then you know, basically
there's really no returnings, and you know, and people are
up said, well, why they leave? They left because they

(22:38):
got a lot of money. I mean a lot of
these kids, you know are like the big kid went
to Texas and I heard she had got either six
or eight hundred thousand.

Speaker 2 (22:50):
Wow.

Speaker 6 (22:51):
Jada Williams went to she's at Iowa State. I think
she got four hundred. Another kid went to Virginia, you know,
and some went to SMU and they got money when
they but they left because they got money. I mean,
that's just the way things are. You know. People don't understand,
Like I'm like, I know obviously our guys and I

(23:15):
just saw them because I watched the women practice and
then the men were right after me. I mean, I'm
happy for Tommy Moorey. They have an awesome team. But
they have an awesome team because he's a really good
coach and he has good culture. But they paid those
guys some big money, right they may maybe not the most,
that they're making some big money and honestly, if you

(23:35):
look at the top teams in the country, that's what
they're doing and a lot so in the conference right now,
Big twelve, I'd say who has the most in their
budget for nils TCU I know last year was well
over a million and might be over two million now
and probably then it'd be Baylor and Iowa State, Oakland,

(23:58):
Homa State has a good team. But that's what that's
it's the same thing. Maybe not the top, uh, you know,
as much as the guys, but it's changed, like what
was happening last year is a lot different than happening
this year. And so but I I think Becky's a
very good coach as a proven coach, you know, and

(24:22):
they're funding team to watch. But that's they got a
rebound better, That's what I think.

Speaker 3 (24:27):
How do you think they'll stack up in the Big twelve?
You mentioned some of those teams being pretty.

Speaker 6 (24:31):
Good, you know, I was at mid media day Cindy
Brunson my play partner, play by play partner, and we
call games together and we enjoy it calling a game.
We were in Kansas City together and Arizona is by
far shorter than anyone else. They're they're they're gonna, i think,

(24:56):
be challenged. That they might win a few games, but
they're going to be challenged heighth wise and quick, quickness wise,
and tough. You know, like these guys are experienced, like PCU,
like he had a great year, went to the Elite
eight last year and he signed probably the number one
transfer from Notre Dame. She transferred out point guard. I

(25:21):
think she was main player of the week for the country.
Like this kid's could I mean a living a mile
she was. She could have come out and gone in
the draft last year and she was going to go
number two in the draft. You know, they're good, really good.
I'm really really good.

Speaker 2 (25:41):
I'm curious, coach if if Coach Burke tried to pick
your brain or you offered some assistance in a conversation,
because you've been here, done that, you know how to
attract the players to come here. You don't know, I'm
not private to your conversations. If you want to go there.
But did she and what was your advice if you did.

Speaker 6 (26:01):
Well? Becky? And I never like, I didn't know her previously.
I was at the press conference when she was hired.
I was very impressed. My first impression was a real
good one and still is. So I didn't know her.
I met her there and I was impressed. And I mean,
she's talked to me. And because we talked, because I'm

(26:23):
calling the game, I go to practice, I go to
shoot around, I'm there as a resource. You know. I
asked questions, you know, you know, I asked her today
at the end of practice about rebounding, and I mean,
and they you know, they got a rebound, but that's
also they box out really well. They do, but they

(26:43):
got to get rebounds, you know, and you know they do.
They're not gonna grow taller this year. They're not gonna
get quicker. So this is what you got, and you
know you want to. I think she's very realistic with
her expectations this year. She feels like she's got to

(27:06):
be the best coach she can be this year and
be creative how to and how to win at this level.

Speaker 2 (27:12):
If I could did real quick, So when you got here,
was there. Were you frustrated in the early years because
it maybe it took you some time or what had
to take you some time. I'm sure that's.

Speaker 5 (27:24):
Well.

Speaker 6 (27:24):
I mean I was when I left Long Beach State,
I was winning his coach in the country, see, I
mean I've gone to every NCAA tournament, gone a couple
of Final four as I was coach of the year
for the country. I mean I coached players of the year.
I had Olympians everything, like I could get in the
houses and get in with the top kids of the country.

(27:45):
But at that time, they would not commit to Arizona.
It was hard and uh, and so I had to
change after a couple of years. I mean, my first
recruiting class here was ranked seven, but it was still
like hard. It was hard, and we got better. Like

(28:08):
I think my first year was nine wins, like I
was ready to throw up. I mean, I mean I losing.
Then after that it was right five hundred and it
wasn't until Ada got here and played. And her second
year was when we won the n i T Women's

(28:28):
and then we were really good. We were very very
good after that. But it took longer because you know,
I didn't get the transfers. That's what I'm saying. If
I could go back and do something different, I would
have brought all those kids who wanted to go with
me from the Long Beach to Arizona and they would
have had better careers and it would have jump started here.

(28:51):
But it didn't happen, you know, And I love like
I loved coaching. I mean I had great times. You
have hard times, but I love it. You know. People
always ask me if I would, you know, could coach now,
And I'm sure I could. I think I could handle
the portal because kids like for the most part, bland

(29:12):
for me. But it's the it's the nil, you know,
you've got to have the funds and the money. And
I think Betty said, you know, like it's interesting, like
how they're gonna do it. They have money, and she's
gonna really pick and shoes the transfer kids. At these

(29:32):
they already had a good freshman class. I mean, she
has a few four stars and I've looked at these
kids on film, the kids she signed, the freshmen, they
look good. But on how she gets kids in the
transfer portal. They're gonna give those kids money and be
very selective of who they give money to, and they're

(29:52):
gonna give money to these kids coming out, you know
at the end of the season and end of the year.
That's how she's going to be very strategic. And that's
also just a general manager now in Michelle Marciniac, and
that's what she helps do. And so it's you know,
it's just different. You know, the game is changed, and

(30:14):
of how kids play and of how the game is played.
They're much more versatile. You've got post players shooting threes,
and it's just different. But I think the biggest difference is,
you know, like the team you have one year could
be completely different. Kids are looking to play more or

(30:35):
make more money, and that's the way it is, you know,
and so it's just different. You know, it's like something
I always said I would never do. I would never
want to coach at junior college because they basically you
got a new team every year. And that's how it
is for most coaches now in the Division one level.

(30:56):
You have a new team, you bring it in six
to plus kids every year, new kids.

Speaker 2 (31:03):
How do you think it's going to work?

Speaker 3 (31:04):
You know, with with her and the athletic director and
you know, say they have a just an awful season,
and let's hope they don't. But you know she's going
to say, listen, I need money. I mean, how is
that going to work? What's that conversation going to be?

Speaker 12 (31:16):
Like?

Speaker 6 (31:17):
I think they know pretty much how much they have.
And Becky and from what I understand, Desiree, Uh, she's
a real hand of Desiree and and really respects her.
I think I think Desiree, and I don't want to
put words in her mouth, is well aware of what's

(31:38):
going on in the Big twelve because you've got to
be competitive in your conference. I mean sure, it's like saying, hey,
I want a recruit. I mean used to be all
recruiting budget. Hey, if you want me to recruit, you know,
you've got to be in the top three four at
recruiting budget. If you want me to be there at
the end, you got to give me something. Well, now

(31:59):
it's you know, the revenue year, you know, yeah, you know.
But now you can look at football. You look at
Texas Tech, I don't know what how much how much
money do they give those guys in football? Well they're leaders, yeah,
particularly h yeah, you know, and I don't think Arizona

(32:20):
football and I'm a big football fan. I'm going to
the bowl game in San Diego. I'll be there at
the Holiday Bowl, and I'm a season ticket holder. Like,
I don't think their budget is near what Texas Tech is.
Oh yeah, you can't. You can coach kids up, but
you can only do that so much.

Speaker 2 (32:38):
Right, Well, this is let me tell you there's the reason.

Speaker 6 (32:41):
There's a reason they're in that, you know, in the
championship series for football.

Speaker 2 (32:47):
Yeah, well, let me tell you this. This is how
naive I was three years ago when all this money,
you know, you hear all this money coming in the
twenty million or whatever and tea. Yeah, the women's softball team,
the women's basketball team, the track team, that everybody would
get equal shares. This is how Niave I was thinking,
because they too practice as hard as the football team
and the basketball team. This is no, no, no, Steve.

(33:08):
It's about eighty percent to the big guys and then
you know, and the rest of it just the programs
get what they get. And I'm thinking, really, you know,
that's how neat I was.

Speaker 6 (33:18):
Yeah, so like probably on in women's basketball, some of
the top is UCLA has a lot of nil money,
a lot I've heard over four million for them for UCLA,
Like they got some really good transfers came in there

(33:39):
and their kids they have, you know, obviously South Carolina.
You come on. I mean these schools have a lot
of money. Yeah, and then you could get money on
your own, like when Jada Williams was here. Yeah, she
got a lot of nil money through her stuff doing
TikTok Instagram. Like she is an influencer, so she has

(34:02):
a lot of followers. So, I mean, I didn't understand
what that was. But let's use example, for example, Adidas.
She gets Adidas, they give her clothes, she wears them,
she posts on Instagram, and she makes forty fifty fives.
She was making like over four hundred thousand dollars doing that.

Speaker 2 (34:21):
Coach, you know what this tells me, you were born
way too. You were born way too.

Speaker 1 (34:26):
Yeah.

Speaker 6 (34:27):
I asked Aery McDonald. We had her at a game
a couple of weeks ago and they honored her. It
was great. It was Aery McDonald day and we asked her.
We had her on for a quarter. Cindy and I
were interviewing her how much she was worth, and she
just shook her head, you know, I said, I don't
know if Arizona could afford her that, right, right, yeah, yeah, no, seriously, seriously,

(34:51):
but she was great. She was great. So I think
Becky is a really good coach. I think people have
to be pay and realistic with expectations. Like tomorrow's game,
they're playing Eastern Kentucky. I've never coached against them. The
University of Arizona has never played them before. But this guy,

(35:14):
the head coached for Eastern Kentucky, is a very good
coach and has a very good record. His name's Greg Todd.
You know I've watched them on film. I'm gonna go
to their practice here in about an hour. That it's
gonna be a good game tomorrow, and this guy is
a really good coach. Arizona's favored to win, but you

(35:36):
know it could go either way. So we got to
hit some free throws and score some buckets. And and
it's a home game. This is a games at eleven o'clock.
It's a I've never called the game like this. I
don't even know if I ever coached in a game like.

Speaker 13 (35:52):
This this early.

Speaker 6 (35:54):
And there'll be a lot of kids, hopefully a lot
of regular fans show up you didn't.

Speaker 3 (36:00):
These are like the I think they call it like
the field trip game, something like that.

Speaker 2 (36:04):
You didn't have those.

Speaker 6 (36:05):
I don't know if I ever coached a game like that.
I can't remember as having a game like this. If
we have kids come, it would be like on the afternoon.
I don't remember playing a game this early. I know
a lot of women's teams particularly do this, So there's
going to be at least like three thousand kids.

Speaker 2 (36:25):
We heard, ye, well, coach as always, thank you very much,
enjoyed it.

Speaker 6 (36:31):
I hope, Uh, you guys have a great holiday, and
you know it's a great time right now to be
a wildcare right say that.

Speaker 2 (36:38):
You're definitely right.

Speaker 6 (36:39):
Thanks.

Speaker 2 (36:39):
We might see you in San Diego. Take care.

Speaker 6 (36:41):
I'll be there. I'll be there for New Year's even standing.

Speaker 2 (36:44):
Oh great, great, have fun, be well, thank you, holidays,
Thank you, Bombasini. We're way over, so let's take a
break and come back. Maybe take a call or two.
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Speaker 1 (40:21):
Streamy live on the Ihearts Radio WIP. This is High
on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox sportsporteen fifty.

Speaker 2 (40:30):
Hey, welcome back to Win on the Ball here on
Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, you're Dave Silver.
It looks like we got about seven or eight minutes
to shoot the breeze with the lost stuff going on,
you know, maybe breaking news at this point. Yeah, it's
a great time again.

Speaker 3 (40:47):
We've been talking about some big events for Arizona sports
for Tucson fans, and it sounds like a lot of
them are going to be heading to San Diego for sure.

Speaker 2 (40:54):
Yeah, it looks like Noah Flafida is going to be
or he's a finalist for the Polynesian College Football Player Year,
one of the finalists.

Speaker 3 (41:02):
An award that was won by Tim mac last year.
So the Wildcats have again again like kind of going
back to the dictomy world of bringing in a lot
of players from that part of the part of the world,
although nos from California.

Speaker 2 (41:16):
Yeah, but you know what I mean real quick, and
he won the He became the first quarterback at U
of AID to win the first conference Quarterback of the
Year since seventy five. I think it was That's what
I'm reading what Brian Peterson wrote earlier that and then
I guess Danny Gonzales, one of our favorite guys here,

(41:39):
missed out on being a finalist. For the Broyles Award
the top defensive coach. But he had a good showing. Yeah,
and he got a nice raise too. Did they not
announce it? Well, I mean, I think that's the word
the streets getting. He's good. Yeah, two big, big reasons
why they succeeded.

Speaker 3 (41:59):
Yeah, I mean, and again I think short term it's
it's great, but you got to protect these guys.

Speaker 2 (42:04):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (42:04):
And you know, if they have another big season next year,
I'm sure they'll be an attraction.

Speaker 2 (42:10):
Yeah, no question about that. And then what was I
telling you about the tickets? So I said jokingly that
Arizona was the best team that nobody really saw this
year given, you know, jokingly because thirty thousand people did
I know? Weekly? But now they sold their tickets. Ten
thousand tickets have been sold for the for the game,
at least Arizona's allotment. Yeah, and it's fills about I

(42:32):
think it feels about thirty eight thirty one thousand.

Speaker 3 (42:34):
Eight thousand. It's not that huge. We used to always
joke about. God, can you imagine if Arizon ever got
to the Rose Bowl? How yeah, tickets we you know
they could sell?

Speaker 2 (42:42):
Yeah? Well, that that's that's an accomplishment. So you know,
Jay's parents died hoping to get there, and yeah, and
it took so much time.

Speaker 3 (42:51):
She get what they get the school's getting maybe with
thirty thousand tickets or something like that.

Speaker 2 (42:54):
I'm not sure what that is.

Speaker 6 (42:55):
It was.

Speaker 3 (42:56):
It's pretty big, yeah, but still that's good. Ten thousand
they did it, what in two days? That's not too
not too bad.

Speaker 2 (43:02):
So they're going to that and sold out, and it
looks like you for those who plan to go and
make the true of San Diego, the first ten thousand
fans into snap Dragon Stadium will receive a free one
day admission into Sea World ten thousand fans or one
ten thousand, ten thousand, So there's still tickets that be
a ticketmaster. So if you still want to head out there,

(43:23):
I Ate West, just go up to I Hate and
take a left past alcohol. Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah. Where
did you grew up there?

Speaker 12 (43:32):
No?

Speaker 2 (43:32):
No, you go to school there? Yeah? Yeah.

Speaker 3 (43:34):
So the university was up on the you know, it's
the one up on the hill coming on the left side,
so we had we had no football stadium and we
played it, you know, Jack Murphy or whatever it was
back in those years, and they played, had some good teams.
Arizona came out there a few times because they were
in the we were not in the whack yet STSU
went to the whack when Arizona went to the Pack

(43:56):
eight to make it a pack tens. Anyway, there was
a little bit of a rivalry, had some good games.
But you know U of a fans Again, it's a
short how many two some people go to San die
every year all the time. We were just there a
month ago.

Speaker 2 (44:10):
It's a twenty five degree difference, yeah.

Speaker 3 (44:12):
If that if not more so, people know where to
go and they've got friends, they got relatives, and again
the Southern California contingent will be strong for sure.

Speaker 2 (44:21):
It's uh. You talked about this about a hour or
so ago. Just the dates so weird because it's after
January one, because before it's like twenty seven, twenty eighth, right,
and you can have Christmas and then get out there
for two three days. This is just so awkward because
if you want to travel, you have to do it
on January one. Yeah, and you miss all the good
games and then you're still recovering.

Speaker 3 (44:43):
I have a feeling there's going to be a traffic
jam on the day. Oh, there's no question people are
going to be heading out. I'm going that time too,
you know, five am and off you go. You get in,
get some lunch, mosey over to the game.

Speaker 2 (44:55):
They sent us the hotel Media Hotel for some price,
I guess, but we had already booked our reservations, so
it's a little cheaper than that. Yeah, but it's gonna
be a lot of you know it is you get out,
there's everybody from Tucuny. You didn't see a lot of
barrows on the plates.

Speaker 3 (45:11):
Yeah, it'd be good to hear some of the callers
who were going to go what their plans are they
gonna are they gonna go before the you know, before
New Years and hangout and then leave like after the
game and go back on Sunday.

Speaker 2 (45:20):
Yeah, and it's a nice on Saturday. I guess it
would be. It's like the fourth of July. I'm sure
I went there a couple of times for the July
with the family, and I'm sure they have a lot
of fireworks stuff of course. Or San Diego.

Speaker 3 (45:31):
Yeah, I just head down to Mission Bay. You know,
they always do stuff out there.

Speaker 10 (45:35):
You know.

Speaker 2 (45:35):
What happened to me last time I was there, Car, Car,
Is that what I was into? Yes, I was at
an airbnbyond the beach at Mission Mission Base and they
broke into it. They didn't take anything, which is shocking.
I had my work bag, I had my tickets and
all that stuff. They didn't. They left me tickets. We
don't want these. They just want to saw my plates

(45:55):
probably and just you know, right across the park, right
across the facility. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (45:59):
If uh, you know, things continue to play out the
way basketball is going Therezon. I could be there in
the first round of the tournaments. There's a regional SDSU, so.

Speaker 2 (46:07):
They were just there the first year Temmy and they
beat TCU and I can't remember who the first game
was to get to I don't remember. That was the
Sweets see that was his Elite thirty eight, about thirty eight.

Speaker 3 (46:19):
They're coming to Phoenix to play the Wildcats before that,
so I think it's December twentieth right up there a
late game, which kind of drives me crazy because I
don't I can. I think it's an eight thirty started
it that night. It was late, but it was crazy.
It's a bad, bad starting time.

Speaker 2 (46:35):
There's no point in staying there writing, because if it's
at eight thirty, ends at ten thirty, brush comerents ends
at eleven thirty, who's gonna be up? What do they
have to say about the game, Mildred Nothing.

Speaker 3 (46:49):
That's when you go home and you get get a
good night sleep and write your story.

Speaker 2 (46:52):
So you know this guy, Jeff, Jeff Goodman, So he's
a U a grad kind of a kind of a homer,
not really a homer. Yeah, he's predicting Arizona would lose
this first game when basketball, Yeah, this week and no, no,

(47:14):
it's like February ninth, is ships what they were saying
on the broadcast. They're going to struggle this weekend.

Speaker 3 (47:20):
Then things kind of clear up, they said for a while,
and really tough games come very much season. Yeah, so
they could be number one if they can get past
this game, It could be number one for a while
for a while. Yeah, which is you know good. So
maybe they lose a game there and they drop to five.

Speaker 2 (47:35):
Yeah whatever, And there's so many other schools. If they're
not impressive, you know, Michigan continues to be impressive, they
could kind of leap frog that and like I said,
it doesn't really matter, I know, people think that it doesn't.
And I'm good for you because you could be right.
But and they say recruiting Arizona is Arizona. They already
know who you are, right, that's not it doesn't matter.

Speaker 3 (47:55):
It doesn't matter from that standpoint, right, because they're going
to turn over that roster too.

Speaker 2 (47:59):
I'm sure. I don't want to be pessimistic here.

Speaker 3 (48:02):
We are right and I but who knows what we'll
be talking about in a year with that team?

Speaker 2 (48:06):
Right? And we've seen it. This is the fortieth week
they've been number one, and all this time sincey eight
And you were here in eighty eight when they when
they when they went to Stanford and they got they
went to New Medicicool and they got beat that first
week and that they were Yes, and they've been number
one forty times eight weeks, I should say. And how
many times have they been number one when it mattered once?

(48:29):
Who know? Who know? So you know, good for you.
I'm the best looking guy in the room until I'm not,
until I'm not, you know what I'm saying, or you
could be. I mean, what does it do? Well?

Speaker 3 (48:40):
It doesn't do you much, doesn't do you much until
you have to count lift that championship trophy at the end.

Speaker 2 (48:45):
Well, look at the best team I thought, and I
talked about this yesterday, that Arizona's had ever is the
two thousand and one year, the year Bobby passed. Luke
came back and they went on that great run with
some very good players. To me, that was the team
ever finished second, and no one really talks about that team, right,
and they were fantastic.

Speaker 3 (49:05):
Richard Luke, I think I tell more about how it ended,
you know, yeah, oh we got robbed, you know, that
was Jason Williams foul, Jason Gardner. I mean things like that,
those stories. Gilbert was heard, was injured. They forget about that.
We ranted as Zach Randolph. Yeah, Luke was hurt, Lucas
any of those. Yes, it was injured. So you're right,
that was such a great team. That was a good
We've talked about and it was good. We had Lauren on, yeah,

(49:27):
a couple of months ago, right, I tried to get
him back on. He's coaching now, So he's really he's coaching.
I thought he was doing movies. He was in la
Yeah he was. He was doing some TV work or
the movie work.

Speaker 2 (49:37):
Yeah. They said he couldn't come on because he's coaching,
so we'll get him on again. He was good. He
was good.

Speaker 3 (49:43):
Anything else, No, I mean women's hoops tomorrow, that day
game eleven o'clock should be fun.

Speaker 2 (49:48):
Like I said, it's an interesting environment. Okay, that said,
you gotta go. It just crept up on us. Thank
you Dave again for Tuesday. Stay yep, I'll see you
next week