Hour 2- October 30, Scott Thompson

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Steve Rivera, He's got his eye on the ball on
Tucson Sports station Fox Sports fourteen fifth day.

Speaker 2 (00:10):
Hey, welcome back to my on the ball here on
Fox Sports fourteen fifteen. I'm Steve Rivera, and today with
me is former you assistant coach Oregon State head coach
Jay John. Did you when you got when they let
you go in two thousand and six, right? Eight? Oh,
so you completed your second did you think you could
get back into the business.

Speaker 3 (00:31):
Well, you know, when I got let go, it was
quite honestly, it was the day later in that day
or the day after, I got a call from Mike Montgomery.

Speaker 4 (00:42):
Which is a great call, you know, and just said,
what do you feel like doing?

Speaker 3 (00:45):
It? Said, you know, Mike, I'm a coach. You might
keep coaching trying to find something. Yeah, well I'm you know,
at the time, you know, he left in O four,
coached the Warriors for two years, right, and then they
let him go and he wanted to get back in.
So he says, well, I'm thinking of getting back in.
You know, let's keep talking. And I said, yeah. So

(01:08):
when he got the cow job, I mean and I
went with him.

Speaker 2 (01:10):
So let me tell you this because it's obviously you're
one of those great guys. You're one of the great guys.
And I'm not saying because you're sitting in front of me,
I've known you for a while now. But you do
it right because you met the right people. You're good
to the right people. They think of you and to
the good guys. I'm to the great guys that I know.

(01:30):
Lud Olsen, who you had a conversation with and a
relationship with, calls you and bring you on staff. And
who better on the West Coast than these two with
by Montgomery. Honestly, he's he's another good dude.

Speaker 4 (01:43):
Yeah, no, absolutely true.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
I mean again, how things happen, you know, you're right,
don't know.

Speaker 4 (01:50):
But the bottom line is, you.

Speaker 3 (01:52):
Know, people that I've worked for very blessed because when
you're a young coach, you could get in with.

Speaker 4 (02:00):
You know.

Speaker 3 (02:00):
You know again, it's about the level of conscience that
you have. Okay, I mean, I'm like, I have the
Catholic guilt. I mean I got it from the nuns
and the sisters and then God amend me a better person,
it says, But you know the idea of doing things
the wrong way that would bother me, you know, and
so and some young coaches get into a situation where

(02:22):
where you know you're button up against the line of
the ethical line all the time. That's a hard way
to be a young coach, because you're trying to prove
to your head coach that you're loyal. I may not
agree with what we're trying to do. You know, I
was blessed with the coaches that I worked for, that
they that they had the vision, the plan, the talent,
the skill to be able to coach young men and

(02:43):
put together teams.

Speaker 4 (02:45):
And so I worked for some great Again, I'm blessed.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
So I remember seeing you with him on that cal
sideline right before, of course, and then and then then
he left again. And then so what were.

Speaker 4 (02:56):
You thinking well that particular time in twenty fourteen.

Speaker 3 (03:00):
I guess I've always said it in a certain way,
somewhat facetious but maybe truthful. I think I was still
in search from jail, from from Morgon State. You know,
I can't really pinpoint it. I just know at the time,
you know, I still want to coach my youngest son.
He's finishing his sophomore year in high school. You know,

(03:21):
my wife had been. You know, we'd moved all over sure,
and she says.

Speaker 4 (03:25):
I'm not leaving.

Speaker 3 (03:26):
You know, you can go find something, you know, and
could be quite honest, Steve, I'm like, okay, how am
I going to pay a California mortgage and find another
job someplace and live and you know for a couple
of years before you know, he goes to college and
I'm like, I had an opportunity to get an administration
at col and so I helped, you know, with the

(03:47):
process of consum art and being hired and just you know,
went to start raising money, you know, for for basketball
and and you know I.

Speaker 4 (03:55):
Was able to keep working.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
How did you like that?

Speaker 3 (03:58):
You know, again, it wasn't the same, you know, but
you know it was you know, you were involved and
started to do radio, you know, which kept me involved,
and you know, and then you know, one thing leads
to another.

Speaker 4 (04:10):
You know, could I have left? There were some things
that that I.

Speaker 3 (04:13):
That I pursued, but you know, my son was playing
college basketball, and you know, I had a good gig,
and little by little I started getting sports revision, you know,
assignments with other teams, and so I was coaching coaches
and you know it was, you know, I I enjoyed it.

Speaker 2 (04:31):
So so I asked this of people all the time,
people who listen to me all the time, how do
you keep those competitive juices flowing? Are you golfer? Are
you a well I think no, I like golf.

Speaker 3 (04:42):
I can't say I'm certainly not a golfer, but I
like it, you know, be quite honest. I you know,
as a player, you know, I didn't dunk. I wasn't
a great athlete. I love to play, but my body
never got beat up. So I still play basketball.

Speaker 4 (04:59):
You know, and.

Speaker 3 (05:01):
You know, and so you know the parts of working out.
I mean, there is truth at sixty seven. You know,
you just got a cute. If you don't use it,
you lose it, you really do, you know. And so
but again it uh you know, now again I play.
But that you know, play is is a loose definition
of running up and down the court when you can't

(05:22):
go buy anybody and you still got a shot, you
can make an open shot.

Speaker 2 (05:26):
Yeah, okay, Well it's funny because I was mistaken and
I thought we were going to have Scott Thompson on
the other hour. We obviously have gaming all the meet up.
We're gonna have Scott Thompson in about ten ten fifteen minutes,
but to you and I think they've had them since.
And now to your question, to my question, do you
aren't you glad you're out of the business given the
situation now.

Speaker 3 (05:46):
You know it, it's it's it's funny and to say that,
you know, I can sit there and say, yeah, you know,
you wouldn't like to have to work that way because
I worked a different way. But when you're in the
middle of it and you're you're younger and you got
family such you are adapt or die. Yeah, you have
to because you know you need to keep working. And
you know the piece it's always like when we were

(06:08):
in COVID and you're sitting at the home, You're sitting
at home all day and and and all that in California,
COVID was different than other parts of the country. COVID
and we're literally in the house. You know, for those
two months, I just started picking up the phone calling
former players.

Speaker 2 (06:22):
Huh.

Speaker 4 (06:22):
You know, I had a list of maybe.

Speaker 2 (06:23):
You know, to to the purpose just to say.

Speaker 3 (06:26):
Hi, you know, sitting around them, how you doing, How's
how's how's your family doing? I mean, just that went
through about fifty and I'm like those relationships that you
had during you know, because the kids are around those things.

Speaker 4 (06:39):
You know, those things are beautiful, you know, and and you.

Speaker 2 (06:42):
See that's why you are who you are. I mean,
you've kept that.

Speaker 3 (06:45):
You know, and so today that's the hard part today
is the guys aren't around, you know, and it's so
much more transactional that that, you know, my playing for
the name on the front of the back anymore.

Speaker 1 (06:58):
Right.

Speaker 2 (06:58):
Well to the point again, you don't have to deal
with n I L. You don't have to deal with
administration stuff, particularly in I L. And it's look at
the situation going with football right now. If you and
these are big time programs, you don't win, you're as
good as your last haircut. Baby, we're gonna find somebody
to pay you off and you're gone and we're gonna
find somebody to fill your spot.

Speaker 3 (07:18):
Yeah, it's very much. It's very much the truth. And
you know it's it's again the relationship. You'll see it
with a number of coaches that that that are very
successful at certain universities and like, no, I'll go take
an assistant job there, you know. Jeff Lindner at Wyoming
is very good basketball coach, very very good basketball coach.
You know he used to work with with Graham Castle

(07:41):
and you know when they were in Midland Junior College
and Grant brings them back.

Speaker 4 (07:45):
He says, you know, I'm gonna do this.

Speaker 3 (07:47):
You get football coaches doing some of the same thing
because you know, that's just not they're not wired that
way to to to to to help somebody grow. And
then watch a quarterback come in your office and say, sorry, coach,
thanks for everything.

Speaker 2 (08:00):
But well, coach Kelly, I think you know when he
left the head coach in the uclated assistant in Ohio State,
what what are you thinking?

Speaker 4 (08:08):
He's thinking?

Speaker 3 (08:09):
Probably right, you know, it's just it's you know, it
depends on how you're wired. And that's you know, that's
why you know those coaches are those basketball coaches that left,
you know acc now on the East Coast. I mean, okay,
they've they've done enough, they could afford to do it,
but not everybody can't afford to just walk away and
stop working.

Speaker 2 (08:26):
So I'm going to put you on the spot. You
don't there's not no right or wrong answer. You don't
even have to answer. So I've been around this program
for a long time, as everybody knows, seen some pretty
good players. So I have my list of people who
give me your top three if you can, best basketball
players you coached.

Speaker 4 (08:43):
Well, you know it's no one listens.

Speaker 2 (08:46):
To us, so don't worry about it, you know.

Speaker 3 (08:47):
But I mean I'm just taking you know, in terms
of just your collegiate stuff. But they do the two
the two people that I just like, oh my gosh, yes,
you know, Gilbert Arenas and Jason Terry. My one year
with Jason Terry, you know, ninety eight ninety nine. The
shot making that he had that particular year was unbelievable.

(09:11):
I mean it was just these these You run a play, okay,
you run that same play with ninety nine other people, No,
they don't make the shot, yeah, okay. And Gilbert would
do some stuff in transition that was just his ball
handling skill right hand, left hand was so incredible. And
I've never seen anybody in transition come right right to

(09:34):
you not try to angle you. He come right at
you right hand, left hand and then commit so late,
and all of a sudden, You're like what happened? And
then he dunks on you. That was used to sit
there down on the bench. I go to Rodney and
go shake your head or say that's great coaching.

Speaker 2 (09:51):
Man.

Speaker 3 (09:51):
I mean those two guys for their there was Gilbert
sophomore year and Jason junior year.

Speaker 4 (10:00):
Those two seasons of watching those kids.

Speaker 3 (10:03):
From a performance perspectives, those are two the ones that
stick out.

Speaker 2 (10:06):
And truthfully, you win the national title. Had Gilbert nutget
gotten hurt.

Speaker 3 (10:11):
Well, you never know that, right because the other pieces
of Luke Wall was playing with broken thumb, you know,
and and so you don't know, but you know that
that game is going down to the wire.

Speaker 2 (10:21):
Yeah, you know it's going down to the wire. And
you know, maybe get a collar too. I'm sorry, maybe
you get a collar to collar. Yeah, that one's so
funny to me. You know, last year I'm watching on TV.

Speaker 3 (10:36):
You know, Seambi Shambi and uh and Jason Williams are
here in two tons for the Baylor game and they
put that little section segment of the game. I don't
know if you watch it on TV, but they put
up a picture of Jason Williams on top of you know,
Jason on Jason and his feet are off the ground
and Seami goes now for the watching public, in America,
just so you know, this was not called the foul,

(10:59):
you know, and Jasons again, he says, listen, I know
how the folks in Arizona that still bothers him. And
I got our jut RJ's out there somewhere and he's
giving me the business, he says. But I didn't have
a whistle and never said I didn't vowl.

Speaker 2 (11:13):
Right right. He admitted it was a fun, but it
wasn't called so it wasn't a fun again.

Speaker 3 (11:17):
And I'd never been usually the Final Four crowds of
corporate crowds.

Speaker 4 (11:20):
Yeah, okay.

Speaker 3 (11:21):
So when we beat Michigan State for Game one, Maryland's
against du So, Maryland's up by twenty two days.

Speaker 2 (11:29):
That's where Arizona lost the title.

Speaker 3 (11:30):
Okay, Well, that being said, Maryland's up by twenty two yes,
I remember, and then all of a sudden, the fouls
come and now Maryland's in foul trouble. I'd never heard
a crowd at a Final four corporate crowd turn on
one team. Yeah okay, And the same wasn't our game.
I mean, everybody else but the Duke fans were cheering

(11:51):
for the other team. I mean for the other team,
except the Duke fans. I'd never seen that in the
final four. It's usually a partisan crowd. Every he collapsed
for both teams.

Speaker 2 (12:00):
It's so funny you say that because you remember, well
I do too. You played You played Michigan State in
the Semis and Maryland played Duke, and I'm thinking Duke
Maryland had him by double digits easily, and I'm thinking
there's a chance you could win it again. I mean,
you're gonna beat Maryland, and then they roared back and
they won. I'm thinking that's where that's where it all ended.

Speaker 3 (12:20):
Well, it's just you know again, the one thing you
know is one thing you've seen. So many crazy things
happened as a coach. You never know, you never know.
But the bottom line is that that Duke Arizona game,
if you know they call that foul, you know, now
he's not playing for eight minutes.

Speaker 2 (12:35):
He's got three fouls.

Speaker 4 (12:36):
Who knows what happens, you know, to halftime.

Speaker 2 (12:39):
But so let me say this too, So you coach
that the team that we talked about, my my best
team I think here on campus. Uh. You have personalities
like RJ. You have personnelits like Gilbert, you have personnelities
like Jeane, holy crap, good luck.

Speaker 3 (12:56):
Well we went, we went through some went. We had
a little window over Christmas and.

Speaker 2 (13:02):
Then Bobby and then Bobby passes, and then Bobby passes. Yeah,
Coach Ross takes over and oh man, you don't know
which way it's going to go.

Speaker 3 (13:11):
Well, I mean, and again there there had been some
frustration building within the team and we were still you know,
fairly young team and some stuff. But you know, we
we ended up having you know, one very successful meet
player meeting in January. They kind of got some things
right now. It was not yet, it was not back yet. Yeah,

(13:32):
and it got things back on the right track. And
then coach came back and you know, again I want
to say we finished off the season there maybe twenty
and three. It was like, yeah, it was, it was
but again it was you know, teams go through, teams
go through the ups and downs, and you know the
one thing that coach you know, we weren't flying commercial. Okay,

(13:56):
we finished. We finished the last finals on a Friday,
the second Friday of December, and then we borded a
play in Chicago to play Illinois.

Speaker 2 (14:04):
Yeah.

Speaker 4 (14:04):
I remember, you know, like at eleven in the morning.

Speaker 3 (14:06):
Yeah, I mean, like always Smokes just said you talk
about having dead legs, you know, and you know, fortunately
we were able to play Illinois another time when it
mattered and R right.

Speaker 2 (14:16):
Well, what about the Yukon game? Last last question, because
Louke that was the first game did not play and
you just got a bad call with Richie about sales
and the and the gold call.

Speaker 3 (14:27):
But it was also it was also a game in which,
you know, Richard went through a little bit of a slump.
Richard didn't score in that game. No, it was a
Purdue game the week before, coming out of Maui. Richard
didn't score. One week later, we go to Yukon and
he gets two breakaways because he only had four points,
you know. And so just guys, the sophomore in college, Yeah,
you're going through some ups and downs and you're playing

(14:47):
good teams.

Speaker 2 (14:48):
Yeah, and so but again they righted the ship in March. Yeah,
I'm sure, but perfect timing. Luke comes back and you
guys roll to what you guys rolled to. Okay, we're
gonna come back with the Scott, I promise you after.

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Speaker 1 (19:11):
This is I on the Ball on Fox Sports fourteenth fifty.
I want to take part in the show called out
Steve now went five to two oh four one six
seventy four.

Speaker 2 (19:23):
Hey, welcome back to my I on the Ball here
on Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera. In with
me today. Is Jay John Now on the phone. We
have former you of a assistant coach, coach everywhere that
I know, Rice everywhere else, Coach Scott Thompson.

Speaker 11 (19:36):
How are you doing, Scott Hi Stee, how are you doing?

Speaker 2 (19:40):
We're doing fine. I didn't know this, but so this
young man goes into your office and talks to you
and says, got anything for me? Back in what eighty three?

Speaker 4 (19:51):
Eighty three?

Speaker 12 (19:53):
What's that when when John?

Speaker 2 (19:56):
Yeah, when Jay John was looking for a job, we
came to talk to you.

Speaker 12 (20:03):
Yeah. Jay and I've known each other a long time
and actually been in the same business for a long time.
And that's fine. That's great because I relate to him,
and it's great to have Jay who's grown up here
in Tucson and was out there and was a very
very good coach at many places and had a lot

(20:26):
of impact. So it's just as Jay and I have
talked at such different college basketball has changed so much since.

Speaker 2 (20:33):
I was Yeah, right, Todd Walsh just told me the
same story with him back in eighty three when he
was a student manager and he needed a job coming
from I guess New York or somewhere, and he went
into your office and he says, I need a job.
I need to be a manager, and you gave him job,
and he thinks the world of you.

Speaker 12 (20:51):
Well, we from the beginning, we're trying to start the
program anew and we didn't have a manager prod. When
we decided to have a manager in each year, and
Todd was one of those years and and did a
great job for us and obviously has gone on to
have great success.

Speaker 2 (21:12):
Right.

Speaker 4 (21:13):
So so Scott, just.

Speaker 3 (21:17):
You played for coach oldsen at Iowa, right, and you
know then you ended up, you know, coaching with him,
and obviously you had a little bit of a senate
Notre Dame. But when you're at the University of Idowa.
So I'm you know, I'm a young coacher in Tucson,
and I you know, I watched Iowa in the Final
four and I thought it was you know, in nineteen
eighty and I'm like, oh, you know this this coach Okay,

(21:39):
you know, I like how they play, and so you know,
when you guys just continue to be good. But you know,
so nineteen eighty three, you know, Arizona has come off
of a four and twenty four season. You guys are
probably I think I think sweet sixteen and the head
coach comes in and says, we're moving to Tucson.

Speaker 4 (21:56):
What was what?

Speaker 2 (21:57):
Good question?

Speaker 3 (21:57):
So two parts of that at that moment, having been
in the business in you're in Iowa and you're in Iowa, lum,
what do you?

Speaker 2 (22:05):
What are you?

Speaker 11 (22:05):
And a staff thinking, well, we saw coach had lost
his martin.

Speaker 12 (22:15):
And because you know, he had a top ten final
four program in Iowa and coming to Tucson at that time,
and you're right, it was eighty three. It was a mess,
and they had won four games and they only won

(22:36):
one game in the in the Pac ten Conference and
that was a shot by Stanford that didn't go in
at the very end of the game. Otherwise they would
have been over for the conference season. And I guess
all the credit to coach Olsen. I mean, he was amazing,

(22:56):
just amazing with people and players and evaluating talent and
putting it together and bringing out the best in everyone,
which is great, which was was what great leaders do
and and that's what he did. And it didn't take

(23:17):
very long, but Jay, it was it was amazing that
when he came in and said that we did think
he'd lost his mark.

Speaker 2 (23:26):
So let me say this, when you got here in
your first practices that fall, you know, the story made
the book a few times where you had one of
your first practices and he'd come into the locker room
and have his head in his hands and saying, what
the hell did I just do?

Speaker 12 (23:44):
No, we'd be in you know, we'd be in the
locker room afterwards, and we'd be shaking our head all
the time. And then when we came out. I'll never
forget one of the first practices we had, we just
you know, it was okay, we'll take a lot a break,
but first you have to make five tree throws in
a row. That's a whole long time.

Speaker 2 (24:10):
It almost take as long as your response.

Speaker 12 (24:11):
I mean, we were there. We were there a long time.
And then when we came out for the first game
and they were only about three thousand fans there, then
again we looked at each other going, what you know,
what did we do?

Speaker 4 (24:29):
Yeah?

Speaker 12 (24:29):
And uh, so it was it was starting from scratch.

Speaker 4 (24:32):
So a couple of questions.

Speaker 3 (24:34):
Having gone through this before as an as an assistant coach,
going into places and and uh, you know, even Winston
as head coach in Oregon State.

Speaker 4 (24:44):
In terms of you you move into some place.

Speaker 3 (24:47):
You maybe you have to do a quick evalve of
you know, of your roster, and that makes some decisions
in order to turn things around pretty quick because you
had one year. In a second year it sents you
to a tournament, right, There has to be some things
go right in recruiting.

Speaker 4 (25:03):
You know.

Speaker 3 (25:04):
The one obvious one that everybody knows about is the
Steve Kerr story. And in terms of that, but what
were some of the other quick wins in recruiting that
got you that you know, got you competitive in eighty
forty five in second year?

Speaker 4 (25:20):
So you have to be some things that went right.

Speaker 3 (25:21):
And there wasn't early signings, so you weren't stealing anybody early,
just curious.

Speaker 12 (25:27):
And there were no nil thankfully, no nil going on
at that time.

Speaker 2 (25:32):
Vegas. Yes, in Vegas, yes, but not here in Vegas.

Speaker 12 (25:35):
Yes, that's true. You know what Jay the thing that
was so interesting and Steve crube Wash, you know, he
was really unexpected. He was a zone buster. We just
needed somebody could shoot from the outside, but nobody expected

(25:57):
that and we had we got a couple of junior
college players Pete Williams and Eddie Smith, and we recruit
Anthony Cook and whatever. But we weren't I mean, they
weren't super super talented. Lout was just very good at
putting those those teams together. And then came Sean Elliott.

(26:22):
And if if with with Luke, he'll just alway. He
told me several times when I was out coaching and said,
I was just we said, he said, we were really
lucky because we got stief Kerr and Sean Elliott And
who would have predicted that those two would be as
good as they were? Right, So part of it, part

(26:43):
of it was just Luke was so good, and then
part of it was was getting those two that just
made a huge difference.

Speaker 3 (26:51):
What was the McMillan's what was what was that signing
like in the competition for for Craig uh, because he
was well, he was in the eighty four US.

Speaker 11 (27:00):
Right the first time McDonald's well and and and that's true.

Speaker 12 (27:07):
Craig had a tremendous reputation. He was a McDonald's All
American and he was I mean, it was a big get.
But but Craig wasn't, you know, super talent and super fast,
super anything like that. He was just a good, solid player.

(27:28):
And and he was. He was just really good. And
Lot was really good at with with guys like that.
And I was one of those guys at Iowa, a
guy like me that I wasn't faster, quick or great. John.
I was a good shooter and he he made me

(27:50):
into an all Big ten player and uh, and that's
kind of how he worked. But Craig, Craig was a
great get you know and whatever. But Craig was just
a solid player. And that's why too, when these players
when they get the four stars and five stars and
and whatever, you know what, you never really know until

(28:11):
you get there. And Craig again, really was super. But
Craig wasn't this all American that everybody, you know, five
stars are supposed to be. He was a guy that
came in and helped us turn the program around.

Speaker 3 (28:28):
You know, it's a it's funny one of my little
stories as I'm a freshman high school, you know, a
basketball coacher in Tucson and you know, we go to
you know, we go to play at Choya and.

Speaker 4 (28:43):
Used to be eighty two eighty three, maybe eighty one
eighty two.

Speaker 2 (28:46):
You know the freshman is.

Speaker 3 (28:49):
Going to play, Yeah, Sean, right, and so he's got
the knee race, and you know, it's one of those things,
just a freshman. And he was a gangly kid, you know,
if you if you ended up at six eight and
maybe he was six three and a half, but you know,
he just kind of played and just he's gangly freshman
trying to work into his feet, you know, and and
wod leading Troia the whole time, and you know, they

(29:09):
come back and beat us in the last you know,
ninety seconds of a game, and you know, and it's
Sean make him play after play after play, and I'm
as young coach beating my head going, oh my gosh,
if I can't you know, hold on to the lead,
I said, I got to be a better coach than that.

Speaker 4 (29:22):
But it's a great player that's going to take it over.

Speaker 3 (29:24):
And you know, we weren't used to Nobody was really
sure how good he was going to be because you
weren't really used to seeing that high level of talent.
You know, Rodney Pete was here forbidden and Rodney left,
but it was his was more of a football baseball
in basketball, certainly, Fat Lever and you know, David Vann
in the seventies vital too, but you know, Sean was
just obviously the best player that ever to come out

(29:47):
of the.

Speaker 2 (29:47):
Same And when Seawan had said to me that he
was not really recruited, he was going to go to
El Paso, yeah, you know that.

Speaker 12 (29:55):
This So we had we had Sean coming door basketball
camp and he was, you know, good tenth grader and whatever,
but he wore those those knee braces knee braces, and
so I decided to take him in to our trainer
to have her take a look at it. And she

(30:17):
takes a look at his knee and she said, she,
you know what, that's not that's that's one of the
loosest knees I've ever seen. And it was kind of like,
you know, I don't know what to say, but there's
some issues he's got there. And we kind of kind

(30:38):
of took it with a green salt and and but thought, well,
let's not be too if he's got bad knees, let's
keep an eye on it. Well, the next summer, he
blew up in terms of every North Carolina, Kentucky duke.
Everybody's recruiting him. And we're saying Hey, heck with the knee,

(31:01):
we're taking him. And we took him. And what's so
funny he never had a problem with him. You've never
had a problem within me and the so far that
and the doctor said, hey, don't wear that that knee
brace anymore. Don't be dependent on that. And it's just
an interesting time and an interesting story from when he

(31:24):
was young.

Speaker 2 (31:25):
So so one of the things that my observations were
loud and everybody knows I was close to him at
the end. He was a master of putting roster together.
That's fit. This guy goes here, this guy goes here,
they're going to play well together, and they can play together.
That and then two and you probably did this or
experiences as a player. A couple of players in my

(31:47):
books have said, there's one thing about lut you don't
it's like playing for your grandfather. You don't want to
disappoint your grandfather. Did you sense that too?

Speaker 12 (31:56):
He was he was. He was so good at at
and I don't know if I've ever seen and maybe
a guy like Steve Kerr who has some of that.
He was able to bring the and he everybody played
for him didn't reach their maximum, but he was so

(32:17):
good at helping people reach what they were capable of doing,
and and he was a script I remember him in
college being a strict old school coach, but he also
was able to adjust as time went on and adjust

(32:38):
to the game, adjust to the players, just to the
three point shot. And if you talk to again, I mean,
I go up to the Warriors practice and I see
Steve doing some of the same girls that Luke was doing.
So it's he just had that ability to do that,

(33:02):
and that that's very rare. John Wooden, you know, was
that type of coach and able to keep his system
but also able to help people adjust and pick figure
out who who need some help here, and who could
play and who should be in the game and what
combinations and things like that.

Speaker 2 (33:22):
I don't know if you're close with him yet, but
we see a little of Loot and Tommy. He lets
him play. He gets on him, but he lets him play.
Goes that fast pace. I'm sure you've been to a
practice or to coach Jay John now is going to practices.
Do you guys see that too.

Speaker 3 (33:39):
There's definitely more fun to watch than than the last
couple of years with coach Miller.

Speaker 4 (33:43):
I mean, there's a freedom.

Speaker 3 (33:45):
There's a freedom and and you know that's it's that's uh,
it's fun to watch.

Speaker 4 (33:49):
It's fun to watch ball.

Speaker 1 (33:53):
No.

Speaker 12 (33:53):
I remember, I'll never forget when he first came to Iowa.
I took a shot from short corner and he yelled
at me like crazy, said, you ever take that shot again,
you'll be sitting on the bench with me. And so
there was a little bit of that fear factor, but
he was telling me what was a good shot for

(34:14):
me and what was it. Well, years later, I'll never
forget watching games and he had left the rains loose
and there were a couple I mean start them are
there were there were some games where people were taking
crazy shots and I didn't see him yell like he did,

(34:34):
so so he he changed, I mean adjusted. And going
back to Tommy, I think Tommy is is that type
of coach. I think Tommy has some old school to him,
but Tommy is not an old school coach. He's a
He's a coach that and I think you have to

(34:57):
be this way to be successful. You have to be
just an excellent teacher, the type of coach that's trying
to bring the best out of everybody. And especially now,
I'll tell you what, you can't be old school with
the way these kids are.

Speaker 2 (35:15):
Now, well, let me ask you, well, let me ask
both of you guys, because I don't want to say
your agentes, but I know what they are. Do you, guys,
even whatever, do you miss coaching?

Speaker 3 (35:28):
I mean, you always are going to miss the relationship
with a kid because in the middle of all this
stuff going on, kids still want to get better, and
you find a way to reach them. You can, it's
just not the same longevity within your program. But nonetheless,
kids want to get better, and you know you've got to,
you know, figure out how to peel a way through
all the layers and get down to the court.

Speaker 2 (35:47):
And that was the best place you were at when
you're on the court teaching.

Speaker 4 (35:50):
I don't think there's a coach would say anything different.
Coach Thompson.

Speaker 12 (35:54):
Yeah, I you know, because people ask me and I
know so many coaches, as does Jay. And there's a
lot of coaches that are making a ton of money,
but they aren't very happy, yeah, and they aren't very
happy with the way they coaching and all everything. They

(36:18):
transfer portal and then I all these things, but they're
making huge amounts of money. And so that's the part
that's just an interesting dynamic. And you know, jay Or
and I were around and coaching when when we weren't
making all that money. But you know what that we

(36:39):
never got into the business. We never got into coaching
to be making money. We loved coaching. And so that's
where there's a lot of it's it's just a different
day right now.

Speaker 2 (36:51):
Well, you guys both were on food stamps. Come on,
you guys got paid very well, you guys, what do
you guys open your first check at this level? What
did you think?

Speaker 3 (37:00):
Come on, well, I know from when I was at
Oregon State compared to what it was, and like, you know,
it's just like this is different.

Speaker 11 (37:10):
What about Well, I was the top assistant here at
Arizona making forty thousand a yearly nineteen eighty three, nineteen
eighty three, you know.

Speaker 12 (37:24):
Yeah during that time, and again that's what you and
and I don't know, coach may have been making three
four hundred thousand, yeah yeah, and at that time maybe
maybe five hundred, but he wasn't making and and when
you know his salaries and he was having to do

(37:47):
these commercials and he'd have to do his own Nike deal.
He'd have to do his own Nike contract, and he
has to do all this other stuff. You know, it
just it it was really different.

Speaker 2 (38:05):
And h you're not answering the question. But you went
to Rice and you were next you when you catch
that first ticket Rice? What are you thinking again?

Speaker 12 (38:15):
I wasn't you know? What I was making was one hundred.

Speaker 2 (38:19):
As a head coach?

Speaker 8 (38:21):
Yeah?

Speaker 2 (38:22):
Wow, what year was that?

Speaker 12 (38:26):
No?

Speaker 11 (38:27):
And I was happy, of course you were, ye.

Speaker 12 (38:31):
But but that's but that's the you know again, how
things have changed.

Speaker 2 (38:37):
Sure, and.

Speaker 12 (38:40):
Coaches weren't. And I'll tell you what. You go back
and you go coaches, you know, Iowa coaches, Oregon State,
Ralph Miller. Uh, you go back to some of these
other coaches that and I used Ralph. But shoot, all
these coaches at that time, they weren't making.

Speaker 2 (38:59):
Much money, right.

Speaker 12 (39:01):
And so I was at Notre Dame and I remember
Diggar Phelps being, I don't know so happy he was.
He got a shoe contract for thirty thousand dollars, and
you know that was That's how it was.

Speaker 4 (39:18):
So when you bring up.

Speaker 3 (39:22):
Diggar Phelps and uh, you know, there's a I have
two questions on that now one you guys, you guys
went to the nineteen seventy eight Final four.

Speaker 4 (39:33):
And Notre Dame and so, and then as a.

Speaker 3 (39:36):
Coach later on all the other you know, all the
other final fours and stuff that you've been to.

Speaker 4 (39:41):
What was what was a Final four like in nineteen
seventy eight? I mean, was was the pomp and circumstance?

Speaker 3 (39:48):
I mean maybe it's like, no way it's gonna be
as big, but I'm just curious or was it just
another vend or did it feel like something really special?

Speaker 12 (39:58):
Huh, that's a that's a great question. The TV thing
is what made it so big? And the how can
I say the the big dance and the field was
sixty four because there wasn't thirty two teams? Yeah, and

(40:20):
and all of that March madness was not there yet
it was getting there.

Speaker 2 (40:29):
Well. A year later, a year later with Burden and Measure,
everything changed in.

Speaker 12 (40:34):
Yeah, well we we got beat by Magic to go
by Michigan State. We had to play them to go
to the final four. And yeah, and Magic was was
pretty good.

Speaker 4 (40:48):
Pretty good.

Speaker 3 (40:49):
So you worked for coach Olson as an assistant. You
worked for coach Tigard Phelps as an assistant. How would
you compare the two men in the coaching styles and
in those things obviously the coach hosts maybe a little longer.
I'm just curious both both legends.

Speaker 12 (41:05):
I you know, Digger Phelps was a pure Eastern coach
out of New York City, had coached at ten, had
gone to Writer College in New Jersey. And Louke, even
though he's from North Dakota, was much more of a
John Wooden type coach. And so they were just total

(41:28):
opposite and they were unique. They were successful and uh
bigger never won a national championship. But it was you
know again, and it's a great question, and I was
really fortunate because I learned a lot from both.

Speaker 2 (41:46):
Yeah. Well, I was telling John Jay here now that
you work for looton you worked for Mike Montgomery. Come on,
come on, who two better ones in the West Coast
at that time?

Speaker 12 (41:54):
You're right, you know, you're I mean, that's that's a
that's so. But and my question to you, to you guys,
so Loot and Mike Montgomery, how would they have adjusted
to this the college sports right now?

Speaker 2 (42:14):
I asked that if the guys the ex guys and
then I don't some say yes, good and some saying
there's no way. I don't think he would have said.
I don't think he would have said sorry, I'm out.

Speaker 3 (42:26):
Yeah, yeah, it's I don't know that it's such an
abrupt change because those are such programmed men that, uh,
you know, to what, to what willingness would you have
to change to change who you are? Because you know
that both were not you know, they both weren't screamers.
Neither they weren't screamers, but you had confidence that what

(42:48):
they were the coaches were telling you to do is
going to help you be better. And so you know,
from that standpoint, you you took because neither one of them,
you know, they didn't maybe that raisor rais or voice
or you know, like you say, you know an Eastern coaches,
I imagine being a little bit more demaster than those two guys.
But again, you also knew that that there were consequences

(43:09):
for poor play. Yeah, and so, but again you always
thought that those two coaches put you in a good.

Speaker 2 (43:14):
Let me, I gotta go with this because we're way over.
But I would have say this to both of you guys,
if you're paying Lute eight million, he'll figure out a way.

Speaker 12 (43:24):
That's a great point. That but but you know what,
there's a whole lot of Vettor coaches that have left
bat on the table, no question, no question and retired.

Speaker 1 (43:35):
Uh.

Speaker 12 (43:36):
And that's a and just going out the door here too.
It's going to be an interesting season in college basketball,
just like football. These coaches are held to a high
standard now. And if you get you know, you lose,
or you're not doing as well as you should, or
you get on a losing streak. It's going to be

(43:58):
interesting how it all.

Speaker 2 (44:00):
Work, right, Scott. Always good to talk to you.

Speaker 11 (44:03):
Thank you, You're welcome, Steve Jay, thank you.

Speaker 2 (44:07):
I appreciate you. Thank you. If you're an Arizona Man's
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(44:28):
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(48:00):
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Speaker 1 (48:06):
Streamy live on the Ihearts Radio. While this is Eye
on the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

Speaker 2 (48:16):
Hey, welcome back to I'm About Here on Fox Sports
fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera in today with me is
Jay John. Thanks for coming on, John Jay.

Speaker 4 (48:24):
Yeah, no, thank you.

Speaker 2 (48:26):
That is good fast. Let me tell you when you
have a good show, it goes by really fast because
the good talk. Thank you for getting the coach Thompson
obviously good to talk to coach. And then we had
who do we have at first though it's been already
a while. We have Damian Almedia and that was good too. So,
you know, good stuff, good stuff. I hope you come back.

(48:46):
You're not doing anything anyway, I'll get you. Dave Silver
is retired and guess when he comes in every Tuesday. No,
it's good, like I said, you know too. You know
I left in eighty three and I was you know,
out of town for thirty eight or forty two years. Yeah,
and it's fun to be back We've got a call
real quick. Hello, you're on the airline the ball. Who's
this Hey, buddy, it's Rick.

Speaker 12 (49:05):
How you doing Rick?

Speaker 2 (49:06):
What's going on?

Speaker 4 (49:08):
Well?

Speaker 12 (49:08):
First of all, Jay, Rick.

Speaker 2 (49:11):
Rnell here, he's listening.

Speaker 4 (49:14):
Okay, yes, can you hear me?

Speaker 2 (49:18):
Yes? We can?

Speaker 4 (49:19):
Yeah?

Speaker 14 (49:20):
Oh okay. Well, I just want to say, Jay, you
did the neighborhood proud. When we were kids, we used
to play balling.

Speaker 3 (49:26):
Oh right's Oh my gosh, that's wild.

Speaker 4 (49:33):
I'm talking about.

Speaker 3 (49:35):
I will say this is I'm not sure how many
years older you were than me, but the guys in
the neighborhood whipped my butt pretty good and and made
me realize that, you know, it's just it's no matter
whatever whatever ball it is, it matters it was.

Speaker 4 (49:53):
It was a good lesson for me.

Speaker 2 (49:55):
Did you grow up in that same area, Rick, in
the north of Campbell and area.

Speaker 14 (50:00):
Yeah, right behind Camba Plaza and you could go a
rock from over the into the plaza from Jay's house.

Speaker 12 (50:07):
Don't let him fool you.

Speaker 14 (50:08):
He had a jump shot like Jerry West, and he
was hitting three porters before three pointers were part of
the U in the rules. But I also got to
talk to you real quick about baseball. If you're not
a if you're not a fan of sports, you you
would just not appreciate what a great World Series we're

(50:31):
having and how good it is for Major League Baseball,
uh nationally, internationally, it's amazing the audiences, particularly right now
in Japan, uh and and good for that audience. But
I'll tell you what this is.

Speaker 12 (50:49):
Baseball is a.

Speaker 14 (50:49):
Game of life, you know, And if you're hitting three
hundred in life professionally or personally, of course you want
to bat a thousand. But in reality, we fail a
lot more than we succeed. And I think if we
learn the lessons, if you keep going up taking your swings,
no matter what sport you play and no matter what

(51:12):
you do in your life, I think this is the
greatest thing about sports is it teaches how to overcome
failure become better. And I appreciate your show too, buddy.

Speaker 2 (51:24):
Thank great job, Thank you, thank you appreciate it. Yeah,
you almost had a tear in your rye coach the neighborhood.
They whipped me into shape.

Speaker 4 (51:33):
Man.

Speaker 2 (51:33):
I'll tell you that we had to go I mean
I suddenly we had to come back real quick. And
that was a good show. Cook, good quick two hours,
a lot of fun. We want to see you soon
come back. Well. Thanks everybody for calling, Thanks to our guests,
Thank you Rick for calling in. We'll see what happens
with the series. Tomorrow they go back to Toronto. Good end. Tomorrow,
we'll see what happens. Thanks everybody,