Hour 2- November 13, Frank Busch

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Streaming live on the Ihearts Radio while this is Eye
on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
Hey, welcome back to Wild the Ball here on Fox
Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, your j John. Let's
continue the story of talking about your son.

Speaker 3 (00:19):
Yeah, so based on what you're talking about relative to
a team like the U of A that's got some
good chemistry already. You know, my oldest son is the
basketball strength manager, spence strength coach at Robert Morrish University.
They go to the NC to a tournament. Yeah, you know,
they've got like a you know, three hundred and fifty

(00:39):
three hundred and seventy five thousand dollars budget for nil.

Speaker 4 (00:42):
They go to the tournament, the.

Speaker 3 (00:43):
Kids, the kids all leave for payday, so they replace
twelve thirteen twelve players. Maybe now when they come back,
they come in all brand new as peacocks, all trying
to wrestle and fight their way into playing positions. You
don't necessarily get that chemist tree right away, you know,
it's it's it's a And that's what's going on in

(01:04):
a lot of the places. In this case for you
of A. Again, you have you have been there, done
that with four guys that have stayed, and they can
all give their reasons why they why they didn't leave,
and and and and so, what what the value is
of being at the u of A and that kind
of retention. When you find these programs, they typically have

(01:25):
to happen at the highest level, because you know, those
are the ones in the sty and age that can
afford to keep the roster attack. But it does if
those kids have leadership and they care and they have
buy in, they're gonna they're gonna pull kids with them.

Speaker 4 (01:36):
And it's a good thing.

Speaker 2 (01:38):
God, you mentioned these things that we already know right now,
you confirming. You know, it's the haves and the have nots,
you know, or the people who've had it for a
long time. Kentucky's blue you know those guys, the blue
bloods and the rest. Well, good luck.

Speaker 3 (01:53):
Well you can cherry pick your roster every year, now,
you know. And so you know, somebody comes out of nowhere.
You know, these international kids are showing up all over
the country at specific places, and you go, okay, that's
a good player. Well you know now you you know,
you can they call whatever they want and call tampaing
all you want. But again, when there's so there's only

(02:15):
so many nil agents, okay, and they they're trying to
get their stable of of coaches and players, and so
all of a sudden, it doesn't take long you call
somebody and say, just let them know where interested.

Speaker 4 (02:28):
You know, well, we'll talk later. We're watching, Yeah, yeah,
we'll talk later.

Speaker 2 (02:31):
I'll tell you. Henry Henry, who I thought was fantastic
when he first arrived here, got hurt and played well
last year, and everybody's saying, well, how can we how
came we kept creevous and not Henry Henry was leaving
for that reason that you talked about. Some called he
is Henry. You think, you know, maybe he's available, Okay,
and then he's gone to North Carolina. Yeah, I mean,

(02:52):
more power to them. It's just what it is.

Speaker 3 (02:54):
Well again that that is just what it is. And
we talked about this before. It's it's why you'll continue
to see in football and basketball some of the head
coaches that have done a very nice job at a
mid level area and just you know, throw their hands
up because it's just so fatigued with it. I get it,
you know again, I'm gonna go take an assistant I'm
gonna take an coordinator's job. I'm gonna go take an

(03:15):
assistant job in basketball. I'm gonna have a good life.
But you know what, my kids are eight to twelve
years old. I need I mean, I can't all those
kind of things to go through.

Speaker 2 (03:22):
I get it. Yeah, yeah, no question. Let me tell
you this too. I'm not sure my philosophy about this.
It changes every now and again. But it also doesn't
work where you have a big budget and I'll mention
the school here a big budget football basketball and you
get the players, the supposed players. LSU football paid a
ton for their roster, and it still doesn't work because

(03:45):
I still think that coaching matters and chemistry matters. You
have a lot of type a's in the same room.
It doesn't work.

Speaker 3 (03:55):
Yeah, that one's that was an interesting one, you know,
to just try to, you know, pick that apart.

Speaker 4 (04:00):
I don't really have an answer to that. I would
I would say, just.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
Any any school, not just any school where you have
all these athletes and you know you've seen them, you
know you see only it doesn't win all the time either.
What I'm saying, all these great schools what I do.

Speaker 3 (04:15):
What I do know is this is just like in
the NFL, you can't miss on the quarterback. There's certain
they can't miss on the quarterback. Because if I'm a receiver,
my value is tied to your ability to throw the ball. Okay,
and so if you can't throw the ball, I'm not
staying here, you know, or offense, you know even but

(04:35):
if you hit on the quarterback, then everybody's excited. And
if you don't, then it runs the risk of just
falling apart.

Speaker 2 (04:43):
Well, that's true. You got to be the centerpiece, have
that centerpiece, whether it is the quarterback. But you're right,
the quarterback and football.

Speaker 3 (04:49):
So I just just just an observation that I have.
That's just it's just it's blown me away when I
look at it. You know, when I look at standings football,
incite a football and look at the big big ten,
and I look at the teams at the bottom, things
that I never thought I would see, you know, Wisconsin,
Penn State, you know, Michigan State.

Speaker 4 (05:10):
You know produced at the bottom, and I use at
the top.

Speaker 3 (05:14):
You know that what up? This isn't the basketball, I mean,
this is football. I mean all some of these things
are just bizarre. And it is those people all have
the money, but they're not they're not they're not getting
the right guys.

Speaker 2 (05:25):
Well, you are living in bizarre world. You know, we
just are. I mean just what used to be front
is back and back to the top and bottom blah
blah blah. But that's what makes it kind of fun.
And everyone talks about party and I don't know if
it's about Pardy, it's just because it could change next year.

Speaker 3 (05:41):
Well, you know, you're scouting and your ability to pick
and I give the I give the young man tilling him.

Speaker 4 (05:47):
I guess it. Air is on a state credit.

Speaker 3 (05:49):
You know, they yank a backup quarterback for Michigan State
and they see something on him, and now you get
a quarterback. I mean I didn't after everything that happened
with the previous head coach and the staff and the institution,
stuff all tough with COVID, I didn't see Arizona State.

Speaker 4 (06:03):
Sure, you know, I'm Arizona fan. I didn't see him
get better. I'm not like.

Speaker 3 (06:07):
I not like I just in Arizona team, but I
want the Arizona Wildcats be ahead of them.

Speaker 4 (06:13):
And they turned that thing pretty quick.

Speaker 3 (06:15):
But sure they got They got themselves a quarterback, and
they got a good infrastructure and they made some good
decisions in the recruitment.

Speaker 4 (06:21):
Sure you know anyway, sure.

Speaker 2 (06:23):
No, Like you said, the quarterback, basketball is party point guard.
You know, there's a lot of and I'm sorry to
say this, in basketball, height is overrated in my mind,
unless you have a great guy with height. Uh, and
that's very rare.

Speaker 4 (06:38):
Well, that's that's the piece. It's still it still has value.

Speaker 3 (06:42):
The big guy still has value if he's one of
those guys that you could throw it to him and
he commands a double team and you just got to.

Speaker 4 (06:47):
Deal with him.

Speaker 3 (06:48):
But you know that that that player is not around
like like it once was. And you know, the definitely
with the influx of the international player, the skill set
on those guys is just so phenomenal that you you
really can move defenses around because these guys.

Speaker 4 (07:04):
Comfortable with the ball at the top of the key.

Speaker 2 (07:05):
Or did you did you have we talked about this
because I can't remember about our conversations internationally. Did you
have a few on your roster? And purposely?

Speaker 3 (07:16):
Well you you again, that was I started recruiting overseas.
What changed things for us at a But the university
was when we got a bit when we got a
big guy from the Netherlands, okay, seven foot three player,
So all of a sudden, well Ralph was good enough,
did we throw it to him for those two points?
But well that was the time when we got the program,

(07:36):
you know, moving really got over the hump, yeah, you know,
and led and led to things. Because now when we
were playing big ten teams, you know, then we had
we had defensive we had basket protection, you know, and
so those games that were playing against IU in a
regular you know, when we're going down to the wire
with IU, Okay, same with Purdue, but you had basket protection.

(07:58):
And so now all of a sudden, you know, we
had somebody to cover up for some of your defensive airs.
So I kept recruiting overseas, you know, and we had
the unfortunately one young man in Arizona, you know, left
and who knows what we may have won the national
champions Tell me robertas youe tokus, Oh yes, yes, yes, okay,
if we have him in the two thousand and one season, yeah, okay,

(08:19):
that's a big deal.

Speaker 4 (08:20):
We already got to the championship game.

Speaker 3 (08:22):
But Robertas would have been nice to be able to
go play against Boozer, you know, and that type of thing.
So it's that that market for the player has been
around for a long.

Speaker 2 (08:31):
Time, no question. Well I think that's the reason I asked,
is the ninety two ninety three did I bring the
schedule up? When I first started covering the team back then,
Lout and Huggins were promoting the Seven Up Classic for
the Cincinnati game early and Loot had just come back
from Europe with his coaching clinics is Nike coaching clinics?
And I said, is this going to be the wave

(08:51):
of the future, right, because ninety two is what thirty
three years ago and it was just kind of started.
And he said, oh yeah, they're they're gonna get good,
They're gonna get better, They're going to come over and
this was you know, revolutionary. They're doing some things and
guess what here they are.

Speaker 4 (09:05):
Yeah, there's no doubt.

Speaker 3 (09:07):
I mean, but even with that time, there's a political piece,
you know, when things kind of fall apart in Eastern
Europe in terms of political position. Now these countries are
open and and so you know, you always still had
very good Olympic teams from Yugoslavia and from Russia, Okay,
and but now all of a sudden there are in
all the different countries and it's spread out, and you know,
it's the basketball over there has always been we said

(09:30):
this before. The best players in Europe and these formed countries,
they get coached by the best coaches from the time
they're ten eleven years old, right, and so all that repetition,
and then you know, if you're a quality big man,
you know, Jokic is playing against twenty one year old
twenty's fourteen, and so you're starting to learn things you

(09:50):
know about yourself and about your game and working on
things that's that's at an advanced level. Then maybe what
happens here, you know, the prep school thing in the
United States is the beginning to get that kind of
competition against competition.

Speaker 4 (10:02):
But anyway, so.

Speaker 2 (10:05):
Let me the trends that we're going to have Frank
Busher on the other side, and we want to remind
it about coaching today and maybe how he held it.
But I sent you something yesterday about with Kennedy coach Kennedy, right,
and how he was very walking a fine line of
being wanting to criticize his team, but not criticizing his team.

(10:25):
He says, where did this go? You can't really, you
can't really criticize them because you don't know if they're
gonna be with you. And it's a it's a fine
line with coaches these days.

Speaker 3 (10:34):
Well it's one thing too and I read it and
I started kind of chuckling, because no one knows what
goes through head coaches mind. Okay, and you know, at
the end of the game, you've lost the game that
you should have won and most people's but you know,
you've got to go to the media, which is the
last place you want to go. Okay, So he's he's
thinking out loud, you know, what am I supposed to
do here? How am I supposed to react? That's you

(10:55):
could be saying that to himself in the locker room
looking at a statute, the same question, you know, And
it is a question that every coach has to to
consider because it's too many times. I think in the
recruitment process is people try to find reasons why you
shouldn't do something. And I always try to recruit to you.

(11:17):
It's like, listen, you know, you don't shouldn't pick us
because we're prettier than them. You should pick us because
you can see a future for yourself here. Yeah, but
you know he's got to go through that because as
soon as you dis somebody, well you know that kid
or that parent they talked to the NIL agent, and
then that guy says't not pretty soon, all of a sudden,
all you're doing is swimming upstream, trying to trying to like, hey,

(11:39):
just just give me a break in a tender moment.
I just I said something I should have said, you know,
but that's all everybody's can remember for a while.

Speaker 2 (11:47):
Oh sure, no questions.

Speaker 4 (11:48):
No, that's a tough one.

Speaker 2 (11:49):
But but you're talking maybe twenty years ago. How do
you handle the soft emotions or the soft egos or
whatever word you want to use nowadays? Because you know
that if you you want to coach, you want to
be a stern good coach with discipline. But no you can't.
I gotta I gotta walk on the show.

Speaker 3 (12:09):
Well, I think that you still have to talk to
the kid with the assumption that we both know that
you can go anywhere you want when you want.

Speaker 4 (12:16):
Okay, we both know that how this.

Speaker 3 (12:18):
Is working these days, and said, but for right now,
this is where you are, and if you're going to
be a pro, you need to remember that the most
important thing is to be where your feet are today, Okay,
not someplace else. That's the only way you're going to
get better. Okay, So while you're here, this is what
we're going to do. And I think that's you've got
to make you You just can't try to It's kind

(12:39):
of like trying to talk to the twenty years ago.
Try to talk the kid out of putting his name
in the draft. Well that's a loser. Hey, don't do that. Okay,
Now you're restricting my growth. So if I'm going to
wrestle with you, you know, like coach Kennedy is going through,
I can't do that. But I do need to while
you're here, you know, And this is this is, this
is what we've got.

Speaker 2 (12:58):
To work on right right, real quick, cause we gotta
go in about a minute or so. Were you here
in two thousand and three? So so oh three, I
think this was And I won't mention the player's name, Uh,
Solut was Lout and he's you know, the alpha guy,
he's the coach. There was a player or two on
the roster at that time, A pretty good team, uh,
and kind of giving Lout some trouble in terms of

(13:21):
coaching and stuff, and Lut says, in practice, this is
I'm gonna be here next year, whether you like it
or not. I am the coach. And if you're gonna leave,
you're gonna leave. I'm not gonna I'm gonna be back.
You know, I'm gonna be back. And I'll tell you
off the air who it was. But it was kind
of like you had to deal with egos and threats

(13:42):
of leaving early and YadA YadA, and he just I
had enough. I just I'm gonna be back. Whether you're
on the roster or not, that's your issue. Well those things,
those those that's the truth, okay. And you know, the
truth is something that needs to be communicated often in
certain times one on one and other times in a setting.
But the truth that that messages for everybody on the roster, right,

(14:05):
And he said it in front of everybody.

Speaker 3 (14:06):
Yeah, and so, but I mean it's that's the reality
of it. And you know, so it's I'm sure things improve.
I'm sure things improve from there. We'll talk here we go.

Speaker 5 (14:20):
Are you ready ready to discover your soul? Your wild side,
your passion, your joy and excitement. From the latest slots
and table games, to award winning dining, to world class
entertainment to a luxurious resort.

Speaker 2 (14:39):
Discover all this and more.

Speaker 5 (14:41):
Discover with Soul Casino del Soul, the Soul of Tucson.

Speaker 4 (14:47):
Are you ready enterprise of Fasco Yuki Try?

Speaker 6 (14:50):
The Window Depot has everything you need to create the
kitchen or bathroom of your dreams. Frowsy aisles of instock
cabinets available in a variety of sizes and configuring and
instantly elevate your space. Today, visit a showroom and let
our experts guide you. Whether you're choosing for Monday to
Go designs or creating a custom masterpiece. We can help
you select the perfect wood, type, color and style and

(15:13):
top it off with unique hardware to complete your look.
Find a location near you at the Window Deepot dot com.
The Window Depot more than a windows store.

Speaker 2 (15:21):
Steve Rivera here to talk about Dorato Rock Materials. I
needed a lot of gravel for my driveway, so I
called Eric at Dorato Rock. He found out the amount
and color I needed and boom, it was taken care
of and at a great price. How do I know
radio commercials work. I heard one of his on the radio.
Dorato Rock Materials provides a wide range of landscaping materials,
including decorative rock, boulders, gravel, soil, and sand for residential

(15:44):
and commercial use in the Tucson area. They are locally
owned and have been around for more than fifteen years.
Give a call at five two zero four zero zero
for two three three Steve Rivera here. Have you seen
any sports guys in shape? Yes, it's rare given. We
got into this business for free food at games. I
told Buddy Scott I needed to start walking, and he
looked at my feet and said, not with those shoes,

(16:04):
you're not You're gonna hurt yourself. Scott sent me to
see James at Performance Footwear and Boyd. He did not disappoint.
James took all sorts of measurements, did a foot strike
analysis where he used a dynamic pressure pad to help
determine my gait. Then he educated me on what kinds
of shoes made the most sense for me. They'll do
the same for you. Just go to Performance Footwear and Gifted.
They're great. They're on Broadway and Creekroft in the Williams Center.

Speaker 7 (16:26):
It's time to give that special student athlete a creative
award for his or her efforts at the fall sports game.

Speaker 4 (16:31):
And we're better than at Creative Awards.

Speaker 7 (16:34):
Visit us online at Creative Awards AZY dot com or
see our Idea Center at two twenty eight West Dracman Street.
We have over one thousand awards of shoes from plaques,
glass awards, art glass trophies, trophies and.

Speaker 4 (16:47):
Cast bronze plaques.

Speaker 7 (16:48):
And time for some new promotional products representing your school
or corporation with your logo and event name and giveaways
for the upcoming twenty twenty six season. Visit us at
Creative AWARDSAZ dot com.

Speaker 8 (16:58):
Hey, Tucson, Ricky here Well Home Loans. I trust the
team that's been winning for over forty years Noble Home Loans.
Born in Tucson and trusted across Arizona. NOVA brings local
heart and unmatched experience. They're fast, friendly and focused, just
like we are on the Hunley Huddle. Buying your first
home or refinancing, Nova's got your back with smart loan
options and a team of experts who put you first.

(17:20):
Nova Home Loans pro title sponsor of the Hunley Huddle
and Prowl. Supporter of Wildcat Nation.

Speaker 7 (17:25):
No Home Loans and mL on three Z early seven
VK zero nine zero two fourteen nine equal housing opportunities.
Did you know collecting sports cards is one of the
fastest growing hobbies around. Whether you're looking at this chart
or expand your collection, Showtime Cards is your ultimate destination.
As one of the leading card shops in the country,
we've been serving our community for over twenty five years
with the best in sports cards.

Speaker 2 (17:44):
And trading card games.

Speaker 7 (17:45):
From rare fines to the latest releases, Showtime Cards has
it all. Check them out at Showtimecards dot Com or
visit them on East Speedway and discover why collectors everywhere
trust Showtime Cards for their passion.

Speaker 9 (18:00):
Got bugs, termites, fees or rodents, Arizona Pest Control will
hunt them down. Arizona Pest Control is your complete desert
pest management specialist that's can't run or high from Arizona
Pest Control. They use only the latest and most technologically
advanced methods of pest elimination available, which minimizes the effects
on the environment. Let Arizona Pest Control get rid of
your bad bugs, termitespees, or rodents, serving Tucson and southern

(18:24):
Arizona since nineteen forty seven. Go to azypest dot com
to schedule your free evaluation Today.

Speaker 6 (18:30):
Looking for quality windows without the weight, come to the
Window Depot. We carry a huge selection of mill guard
windows in stock now and ready for pickup. Need something
custom no problem, from new construction to full home replacement.
Will help you order the perfect mill guard windows built
to fit your space, style and budget. Whether you're a
homeowner or contractor, the Window Depot makes it easy to

(18:52):
get the windows you need fast. Visit the window Deepot
dot com to find a location near you and see
why we're your mill guard window sex.

Speaker 2 (19:03):
This is I on the Ball.

Speaker 1 (19:04):
I'm Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I want to take part
in the show Call up Steve now went five to
two oh four one six seventy four forty.

Speaker 2 (19:15):
Hey, welcome back to I'm the Ball here on Fox
Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Roberta in with me. Today's
Jay John. Now on the phone. We have Hall of
Famer Frank Busch. How are you doing, Frank?

Speaker 10 (19:26):
I'm great, Steve. Are you guys?

Speaker 2 (19:28):
We're doing fine. It's been a while since you've been
on the show. I've missed all that waxing poetic philosophy
from mister bush Man. I'll be serious too, I'm being
dold serious.

Speaker 10 (19:41):
You appreciate your kind words. I'm you, and I go ahead,
just just as as I talked to Jay earlier today,
there's so much that are happening in the sports world
because collegiately that it's it's a data day process.

Speaker 2 (20:01):
Right, Well, I have I think of you this way.
I think of Andy Lopez this way, Mike Ca Andrea,
some of the best guys that I was able to
cover back in the day, and all have great stories,
are all great storytellers, and all great winners, you know,
winners you want on a different level, and all are
gone from the sports because hey, I don't have to

(20:22):
deal with this crap anymore.

Speaker 10 (20:27):
Well, it's needless to say, and I'm sure all your
listeners know this too. It's it's a very different it's
a very different sports world. It's a very different collegiate
sports world.

Speaker 2 (20:39):
I'm glad you're out. I'm sure.

Speaker 10 (20:43):
I certainly missed the relationships. But other than that, there's
and the people that I was around on a regular basis.
But the hurdles and the diplomacy I don't miss.

Speaker 3 (21:03):
So I'm gonna ask kind of a two part question, Frank,
and you you can cram about thirty years of your
career in the one answer. You come to the u
of A somewhere. You know, you might have been here
before I got here, before ninety eight, and the u
of A has had a sporadic swimming success over the

(21:25):
years leading up to the time that you got here.
And then while you're here, I learned a lot of
this and as a sports supervisor at CAL at Berkeley
with working with Dave Drton, but Cal had the men's
coach coaching the men and women's coach coaching the women.
And you're here and you're coaching both of them, both sports,
and so that puts a roster, you know, at you know,

(21:48):
seventy people plus.

Speaker 4 (21:49):
Or minus that you're responsible for.

Speaker 3 (21:52):
And and as I recall, you know, I'm still coaching
at the time, but paying attention to you of A.
In two thousand and eight, the men and the women
win both win national championships. Those championships are a week apart,
you know, in March, So there's all that, and then
then obviously then there's a transition to USA Swimming. So

(22:13):
I'm just kind of curious about that path and in
your own mind, you know, as how things progressed, and
you know, I'll give you a follow up question after
once you get through the USA Swimming thing.

Speaker 4 (22:25):
But it's a very interesting transition that you.

Speaker 3 (22:28):
Had as well as what you needed to do, the
challenges you had to coach. You know, I don't even
know how many assistants you had at the time, but
to win both of them at the same time the
same year, it's a really remarkable achievement.

Speaker 4 (22:43):
So this kind of how that all evolved.

Speaker 10 (22:48):
Through a lot of hard work, a lot of years
of being close but not quite getting the prize, but
tremendous assistance. I think everyone that builds a program, or
at least tries to build a program, you need to
have something that is that draws people's young people's and

(23:14):
their parents' interest, not only from a sports standpoint, but
a wholeness. We tried to I tried to look at
it from a family perspective that if you send your
son or daughter to the University of Arizona into our program,

(23:36):
I'm going to watch over them. Yeah, the same way
that I would ask you to watch over my son
or daughter if they were in your hands.

Speaker 3 (23:44):
So for.

Speaker 10 (23:46):
Me, that was that was critical in the relationships that
I was able to develop and over a period of time.
So that was that was our that was our formula.
We had a code that I asked kids to follow,

(24:08):
and it was to show up, pay attention, tell the truth,
and honor your team with your effort. Not that kids
weren't going to go out on Saturday nights and do
some stupid things and make some poor choices throughout their
college career. That's what development is. But accountability is what

(24:30):
built your program. And so those were the ways in
which I thought were the most important. And as far
as coaching men and women at the same time, certainly
a lot of similarities in the fact that they're in
the same sport together training in the pool, but there

(24:51):
is certainly is a difference the emotional side of one
versus the emotional side of another, and and how to
balance that. So those are the things that we rejected
to our athletes and tried to get them to make

(25:12):
sure that they bought into it. And as far as
the transition goes into USA swimming, that was a very
difficult choice. For me to make. But I felt like
since I had had quite a bit of exposure to
USA Swimming through being on the Olympic staff in two
thousand and four, in two thousand and eight, it really

(25:34):
was not a rewarding experience for me, and I didn't
think it was as rewarding for the athletes as it
should have been. So when they asked me to consider
leading USA Swimming, I thought, well, this is a chance
to change that, to change the narrative, to change the atmosphere,

(25:56):
to change the excitement and the fun of being able
to compete at the highest level and represent your country.
So it was it was a difficult decision to leave
the o AY, but it was also an opportunity to
change a culture which I felt like needed to be changed.

Speaker 4 (26:15):
So I'm going to jump in on that and that culture.

Speaker 3 (26:18):
But one of the things that I don't think that
people truly realize is the pressure. This is why I
look at it. You can tell me whether it was
pressure or not. But the swimming leads off the Summer Olympics. Okay,
it's leads. It leads off the Summer Olympics, and so
the pressure upon the leader of USA Swimming my opinion,
my view is tremendous because the rest of the entire

(26:41):
country gets started in the Olympics when when the United States,
you know, swims and beats the world and people take
pride right away US US, you know, with the swimming
in the lasts like ten days. So just keeps coming
and you know, obviously, you know Australia is good, and
there's more teams in your catching.

Speaker 4 (27:00):
Up blah blah. But that's a that's a taller order
than one.

Speaker 3 (27:05):
When I realized that you get the TV, let's get
the USA off to a good start here with these medals.

Speaker 10 (27:13):
You're you're, you're absolutely correct. I'll just give you a
very simple maybe my Within the first month that I
took the job, I had a meeting with the USOC.
It was the USOC at that time. Now it's the
USO PC, the USO PC, and so it was very
obvious that the way it works is very simple. You

(27:36):
win medals, you get funding. You don't win medals, you
don't get funding. And so under the circumstances, the US
was already a strong team, but I knew we could
be better. And I felt like once we did change
the culture, once we integrated way more with the athletes,

(27:59):
with the idea that you're representing your country and it's
an amazing opportunity. I knew that once we could get
that buy in, then they felt that we were going
to be just fine. So in London we won thirty
one medals and then in Rio we won thirty three,

(28:20):
and so it felt like it was it was an
effort of a lot of people, but we certainly were
kicking off kicking off the the Olympics in a way
in which USA could certainly have momentum.

Speaker 2 (28:39):
Let me ask you, somebody. You may have already answered
this in your previous answer to Jay, but I asked
the questions and I may have asked you this before.
What do you think your secret sauce is to all
your success?

Speaker 10 (28:55):
I came from a I came from the the swimming
coaching ranks as a very young person, and the more
I did it, the more I enjoyed it, the more
I loved it, and it really did become a passion
for me. And as you kind of grow into a sport,

(29:20):
you realize that the only way that you're going to
make a difference and to compete at the highest level
is to outwork your competition. So I feel like I
had a great work ethic and it didn't matter whatever
it took, I was willing to do. And so I

(29:41):
would say that that was I don't want to say
secret sauce. It was just if you want to if
you want to be the best, you've got to work
outwork the best.

Speaker 3 (29:52):
So, Fred, what are your what are your thoughts in
you know, in today's in today's world, in today's quote
unquote new institute, A a lot of conversation with the
way nil is and rep share and the things within
university properties. Uh for for the funding, where do you
see the you know, the future college athletics and the

(30:14):
Olympics Olympic sports college athletics just in our system, in
in in the institute as the many times it's been
the training ground for the future Olympians. At what level
of jeopardy do you see that being affecting swimming and
or maybe any of the other sports.

Speaker 10 (30:34):
I can't imagine it not affecting our future dominance or performance,
uh in the Olympic sports in the Olympics to come,
because there's there's only so much money available and we
can we can sit and talk about various schools that

(30:56):
have have broke the mold in regard to what they're
willing to give. The million dollar contract to the softball
pitcher of Texas Tech, some of the obviously some of
the some of the other offers that have been made
in other sports. So there is no way that it

(31:17):
is not going to affect the United States in the
non revenue sports because universities cannot continue to have the
well will eventually if it doesn't dry up, it's certainly
going to be a trickle when it comes to the

(31:39):
minor sports, so to speak. I don't think I'm I
don't think I'm projecting anything that most people don't already know.
And yes, the two biggest conferences, the big ten in
the SEC, they will and they are funding a lot

(32:01):
of their Olympic sports with nil money, So it will
be very difficult for schools to compete against the ones
that put that kind of money into those sports. So
as far as will the pyramid be the broad based
to the point, I see it being a much narrow

(32:27):
avenue to that, so's it could be club sports, it
could be partial scholarships, it could be a combination of
the two. It could be need based exclusively, but swimming
and tennis and golf and some of the other Olympic

(32:49):
sports are sports where families generally speaking, are in better
financial positions than some of the other sports. It's definitely
gonna affect our future in this country.

Speaker 2 (33:03):
Let me let me ask you. Could you give me
the four things that you said you did you required
of the kids. And I have a reason I'm asking this.

Speaker 10 (33:11):
Well, it was it was pretty simple. It was, you know,
show up, meaning you come to practice, which was never
an issue. Pay attention because if you can, if you
can follow a black line, which is.

Speaker 2 (33:23):
What you're following when you're in a.

Speaker 10 (33:25):
Swimming pool and you have no you don't have the
stimulation that other sports have to have, a visual stimulation
or anything else, just a lot of gurgling in your ears.
So show up, pay attention, tell the truth because if
you don't tell the truth, it's gonna snowball. It's gonna

(33:45):
affect you and everybody else. And then you honor your
team with your efforts. Yeah, I think if I think,
if as simple as it sounds, as long as you
know that, that's that there are know you don't waiver
from those four things. The other small things that happen,

(34:06):
the mistakes, the poor choices that kids make, They'll figure
them out.

Speaker 2 (34:11):
Okay, So I'm gonna go with that. And that's all
cool stuff. That's why I asked you to repeat it.
But let me say that you talked about being a
family and recruiting the kids and telling their parents I'm
gonna treat them like one of my own. Frank, Yes, everybody,
let me say, a lot of the coaches say the
same thing. Now, I'm gonna promise you this, and I'm
gonna promise you that, and they're gonna be mine. Just

(34:32):
what they don't pull that off? They just don't. I've
heard family. I wanted to go there because it's a family.
You pulled it off. So there's people who say it
and don't do it, and there's people who say it
and do it. If that makes any any sense, Well.

Speaker 10 (34:50):
And there unkept promises are part of the fabric of
a lot of coaches. Yes, it's a lot of times.
Maybe it's because they're just not sure of themselves or
they are so focused on winning that they forget that

(35:12):
the foundation is what you have to build on in
order to win. So, Steve, I watched all sorts of
things happen in the thirty one years that I was
a Division one coach and heard every story and every promise,
and you know, you talk to recruits after. You know,

(35:34):
one of my lines to the recruits were, if they
didn't choose to come to Arizona, it would be I
wish you the best. I'm not looking forward to competing
against you, but we certainly do accept transfers.

Speaker 4 (35:50):
Yeah, let's let them know. You know, just follow up.

Speaker 3 (35:53):
But you talked a little bit about the Olympic sports
and the teams and what just dawn on me. I'm
going through that we already in the United States, throughout
the Olympic sport portfolio, from school to school, we are
we are already training many of these international kids to
go win medals.

Speaker 4 (36:12):
You know, I think about Leon Marshawn.

Speaker 3 (36:15):
You know, he got trained, you know who already was good,
but you know, he got trained over here in the
United States and then he goes back to France and
wins however many medals he wins. That whole piece now,
because now that's not going to change because the competitive
nature and this and need for college coaches to win
in their own sport. So the training level of this

(36:37):
is going to be interesting to see how how it
evolves over the next bunch of years, because you know
the TV people, you know, they get their advertising dollars
when the USA is winning medals, that's for sure.

Speaker 10 (36:48):
You know, there's look at all the sports now, Jay,
think them how many born basketball players there are? Yeah,
and obviously and in some of the other sports, track
and field and golf, tennis, there's there are places in
the world that are actually ahead of us at the

(37:09):
junior levels in some of those sports. So it is,
as I would tell everyone, the University of Arizona signs
my paycheck, and so my my athletic director, my school
expected me to do well. And if that meant that

(37:30):
I had some athletes that weren't from this country, so
be it. Because when when you it's like building anything else,
you want to you want to try and build things
so you attract more and the more you build your program,
the more attractive you become to the American athletes. So

(37:50):
it's plus the fact that some of the kids from
other countries, they add such a different heart, a very
important piece to the reality of life that a lot
of our kids in the United States have no clue,
so it's it can be, it can be a tremendous

(38:12):
They are a tremendous ex They're they're they're just they're
a tremendous asset to programs.

Speaker 2 (38:20):
Well, Frank, we appreciate your time. I felt like I
went to the church of Frank Bush today. I'm gonna
leave youre smarter.

Speaker 10 (38:27):
I'm sorry, I.

Speaker 2 (38:31):
Felt like I went to the church of Frank Bush,
and I'm going to leave this office a little bit smarter.

Speaker 10 (38:38):
Well, Steve, I appreciate the opportunity to come on. You've
got someone with you now, Ja John, who is not
only coached at the highest level, but has been through
some of the transitions and collegiate sports that not a
not a whole lot of people understand or could navigate.
So I think your show's just taken another step up.

Speaker 2 (39:04):
Well, thank you very much. Appreciate it. Coach, thank you,
thank you. Appreciate it again.

Speaker 10 (39:10):
You guys have a great day. Thank you very much.

Speaker 2 (39:12):
Yeah, Frank Bush. That was Frank Bush. Always good to
hear from Frank Bush. Let's take a break here and
come back. Where do you buy exercise equipment?

Speaker 9 (39:19):
Arizona Health Arizona Health Arizona Health.

Speaker 4 (39:22):
Of course, to.

Speaker 11 (39:23):
Feel better and look better, it makes sense to buy
your fitness equipment from the people who know it better
than anyone else. At Arizona Health, our goal is to
help you choose the equipment you need to reach your goals.
Your health and fitness deserve the best you deserve. Arizona
Health the.

Speaker 2 (39:41):
Leading it and exercise equipment.

Speaker 11 (39:43):
On twenty second, just west of Wilmot.

Speaker 12 (39:47):
What's your goal a new career or career advancement? How
about transferring to a four year college. PEMA Community College
can help you make some day today and reach your
goals affordably on your schedule. With over one hund programs
to choose from and financial laid available, it's time to
earn the degree or certificate you need to prepare for
the career you want. PEMA offers free career exploration classes

(40:10):
so you can choose the field that's right for you.
Learn how at pema dot edu. Slash Someday, Hey.

Speaker 2 (40:16):
Tucson, Steve rivera heir, and I've got a tip for you.
Want to be in good hands while cruising the desert
or kicking back at home, then you need to call
my friends at the Edmond Markets All State Agency. These
guys are the MVPs of home and auto coverage. Whether
it's a fender bender or a leaky roof, They've got
you covered. Don't fumble your chance to say call them
today and score big on your insurance. With the Edmond

(40:37):
Markets All State Agency, You're always in good hands. Visit
them at twenty seven nineteen North Campbell or call them
at five two zero three two three nine three three three.
Where do you buy exercise equipment?

Speaker 9 (40:48):
Arizona Health Arizona Health Arizona Health.

Speaker 11 (40:52):
Of course, to feel better and look better, it makes
sense to buy your fitness equipment from the people who
know it better than any what else. At Arizona Health,
our goal is to help you choose the equipment you
need to reach your goals. Your health and fitness deserve
the best you deserve.

Speaker 4 (41:09):
Arizona Health the leading.

Speaker 11 (41:11):
It an exercise equipment on twenty seconds just west of Wilmot.

Speaker 13 (41:15):
This month's urger of the Month, we are doing the
rusty trombone Oklahoma City styles smash patties with thin red onion.
Wanted to get a little that sweetness in there. A
little pickle housemade steakhouse sauce. We are doing pepper jack cheese,
onion rings, Coney Islands style chili, and it's amazing the
rusty trombone.

Speaker 2 (41:40):
But wait, there's more.

Speaker 13 (41:42):
We're also gonna do a ripper brisket, burn in sausage.
We're gonna shove it inside some onion rings, put some chili,
onions and mustard on it, and you can.

Speaker 4 (41:50):
Have it both ways.

Speaker 2 (41:51):
If you want.

Speaker 14 (42:01):
Looking to buy a new or used vehicle or refinance
your current auto loan, Pyramid Federal Credit Union offers auto
loans with competitive rates as low as six point two
four percent APR on new and refinance loans. Visit a
Pyramid branch today and see how much you can say
And remember, new members at our Spectrum branch can also

(42:23):
earn a two hundred dollars bonus. Pyramid Federal Credit Union
is an equal opportunity lender.

Speaker 15 (42:31):
Hey, Tucson, have you checked out the Monica Downtown voted
Tucson's best new restaurant? Or when was the last time
that you visited El Charro Cafe, Tucson's oldest and most
beloved Mexican restaurant. If you're looking for local places to
see or be seen, visit cicharro dot com for lunch, brunch, dinner,

(42:52):
and cateriemnis Cicharro dot com.

Speaker 1 (42:55):
Steve Rivera, he's got his eye on the ball on
Tucson Sports Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

Speaker 2 (43:05):
Hey, welcome back to I on the Ball here in
Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera, your jay, John.
You have about eight minutes or so. What was I
going to ask you? I was gonna ask you something.
It was good to talk to coach to coach Bush,
but for you it was not about basketball. Did they
say something over the to watch poetic with something.

Speaker 3 (43:27):
Well, no, you just just said that you were gonna
ask me a question, a.

Speaker 2 (43:32):
Little blow for it'll come to me. It'll come to me.
But good to talk to to Frank about a lot
of different things, right, philosophy, And you can't deny how
successful he was.

Speaker 3 (43:42):
No, you know, it's interesting here because again you've just
grown up in the United States and Olympics. You know,
someer Olympics swimming always leads off in the United States
has always been premier. And to hear Frank say that
there were some things not going specifically, well, you know, wait,
you know that you want to get you know, fixed
and such like that and just kind of get it

(44:04):
to be a maybe just a better run organization. There's
there's there's no denying the impact that he that he
had on on the on the sport. And you know,
so three Olympics, I believe, twelve, sixteen and then obviously
twenty one before he retired. But yeah, it again it's
beating the chest proud when the United States is up

(44:26):
there in the metal block.

Speaker 2 (44:27):
Yeah, yeah, no question. And good kids, I mean you
have to have good players, good players and them swimmers. Oh,
I know what it was. Now you transitioned from coaching,
doing some radio, doing supervising some teams. How in thirteen teams?
How tough was that? Cool? Was at whatever word?

Speaker 3 (44:45):
Well, the biggest, the first piece of the transition was
still you know, heavy basketball. As I you know, I
found fundraising to be an extension of recruiting and accept it.
You know, I just said you had I used to say,
you have unlimited scholarships. So just as long as your
product was such, you know, you could you raise money.

(45:07):
And so that those years with conso Martin you know
and even you know, those things we really elevated some
things that way. And then but as time went on,
you know, the coaches at Calous, they asked about my
availability to be a sports supervisor. So one sport, then
there was another, there's another another, and then you know,
then it ended up being thirteen. That's a lot of teams,

(45:31):
a lot of teams, a lot of kids. But again,
those kids don't need a sports supervisor until you know,
the s hits the fan.

Speaker 4 (45:42):
Yeah, okay.

Speaker 3 (45:43):
And so the bottom line is I'm coaching coaches and
here and there trying to interject where I can, is
you get to know some of the rosters because I
had three hundred some odd kids, is part of the
sports rosters that I had, you know, but you know,
coaching coaches and just getting to think. You know, we
talked about it earlier about having somebody thinking kind.

Speaker 4 (46:01):
Of globally, you know, so I'm that guy. Well, yes,
I'm for my Olympic sports.

Speaker 3 (46:06):
Yes, So some of the others where they don't have,
you know, heavy assistant coach rosters. You know, Baseball just
got there a couple of guys. So Baseball you talk
about things. And because of my understanding of the sport
and the industry, I was I was a different kind
of administrator.

Speaker 4 (46:23):
So I could actually talk to the coaches in that
way and just.

Speaker 3 (46:26):
Like, okay, we think about this, what do we you know,
how can I help here and help there? And then
the other part of that is just with with the athletes,
you know, you know, you just trying to keep them
out of wrecking their careers, you know, by just talking
to them about you know, the social media stuff and
and all the other pieces and just kind of you know,
it's fragile.

Speaker 2 (46:46):
Yeah, So so you were at cal how long were
you there?

Speaker 4 (46:49):
Seventeen years?

Speaker 2 (46:50):
Seventeen years? Okay, so this is you can divulge whatever
you want to do. Bul It was kind of like
a school. It wasn't Stanford, but I'd go there and
it was different. You know, even Telegraph Avenue or whatever
the teams from from a time or two with Jason
Kidd and Murray and that group was very good, but
it wasn't consistently good, if that makes any sense. Well,

(47:13):
I'm not telling anything you don't already know.

Speaker 3 (47:15):
Probably no, And I'm not working there anymore either, So
I don't have a kid, So why is that? Well,
I think we talked about this last week, and it's
so vitally important. You have to have alignment. Okay, there has.

Speaker 2 (47:28):
We talked about in different situations.

Speaker 3 (47:30):
You have to have alignment from your from your administration,
you know, along with your coach, you know, and and
and your your admissions office as well as your donors.

Speaker 4 (47:40):
And so there has to be are we all are
we all swim in the same direction?

Speaker 3 (47:45):
And you know, the issue the issue with with with
Cal had been leadership. You know, they're with intermaintees again,
you know, and so it's just you know, and you
have to you know, and that's one thing with with
University of California has always been a push pill with
you know, the university give you a perfect example. The

(48:06):
university they call themselves Berkeley. The athletic department they call
themselves col and so there've always been these conversations, how
do we merge into be one? But the campus know
they don't want they don't want athletics. They want to
be separate. So when you have those things, it's hard
to be aligned.

Speaker 2 (48:25):
And no question, it's an academic school on an academic
power right, a lot of brainy access there.

Speaker 3 (48:31):
I've said many times and again it's when you talk about,
you know, with the basketball you have fits and starts
where the program's good and something all of a sudden
happens and then it's not good.

Speaker 4 (48:42):
Okay, And so.

Speaker 3 (48:45):
You know, the best the best things that happen at Cal,
you know, are what goes on in the classroom and
then what goes on with the kids in practice. There
are tremendous head coaches there. Okay, but if you're not,
if everything everybody else this isn't all rolling in the
same direction, you know, then you just you fall short here,
you have a surprise season there, whatever, What do.

Speaker 2 (49:07):
You mean success is in practice? Because who notices those?

Speaker 8 (49:10):
Well?

Speaker 3 (49:11):
But what I'm saying is, there's if I'm a student athlete,
I feel I feel really good.

Speaker 4 (49:15):
About what's going on. I'm getting better.

Speaker 3 (49:17):
Yeah, okay, but you know, since my coach were doing
but the coaches need a bit more money for funding
here funding there, Yeah, you know, and many times, you know,
when I'm at Cal. We did win a conference championship
at twenty ten.

Speaker 2 (49:31):
That was under Montgomery, Okay.

Speaker 3 (49:33):
But we also we also you know, won a conference
we were let's see, how don't want to say this
in twelve and thirteen, we lost the last game of
the season to win a conference championship. So it would
have there was a possible window there would have won
three of the four pack ten championships. But in twelve
and thirteen, you know, we had a player get hurt.

(49:54):
We had something else somebody else could hurt. Now your
depth issue, But you know some of that, it's just
submissions too.

Speaker 2 (50:01):
One last question, good got maybe under a minute. I
know this is good too much Stanford Col. Is there
some jealousy in between?

Speaker 3 (50:10):
There's healthy respect for that, you guys think, because everybody
understands that both of them have the same mission. But
I laugh, I laugh as you wear as you've got
your red jacket on here, there was always something at
col that you couldn't. You didn't wear red at cow
in the athletics department. If you wear red, you were
honor in Stanford. So for seventeen years I didn't wear red. Right, No,

(50:34):
red's good. I used to say to people in July
that I might wear something. I go, this is neutral
colors a month there's no sports going on. Right now
I'm wearing red.

Speaker 2 (50:42):
It's a good color, right right right? Okay, thank you, Jay.
We'll probably talk to you next week, right next Thursday.
Thanks everybody for listening. Thanks Frank Bush, Thank you Michael
liv See you tomorrow.