Hour 2- September 17, Evan Nelson, Mabil Mawut

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Steve Rivera.

Speaker 2 (00:01):
He's got his eye on the ball on Tucson Sports
Station yet Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

Speaker 1 (00:09):
Hey, welcome back to you ring the ball here on
Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Seve Rivera, and today with
me is my guy Blake, And we got Kobe at
the phone line. So we're waiting for mister Nelson here,
Evan Nelson, and he's second now to call us in
for about ten minutes or so. So no mo, no mo.
It ran late over there. It ran behind with the creebus.

(00:30):
So we're good.

Speaker 3 (00:31):
Are we good?

Speaker 1 (00:32):
Hello? Is this Evan?

Speaker 4 (00:34):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (00:35):
Hey, Hey, how are you good? To hear your voice?

Speaker 3 (00:38):
I'm good? Are you good?

Speaker 1 (00:39):
Good?

Speaker 3 (00:39):
Good?

Speaker 1 (00:39):
Hey, welcome back to Tucson. Let me ask you this.
You left Tucson, God, I was seeing almost five years ago,
six years ago, having been a championship a player for
South Point. How much did you miss home? And maybe
the food or whatever?

Speaker 3 (00:57):
Yeah, I've just sowing a lot, like you said, left
a champion, miss mom's cooking, miss my sisters with my family,
the mountains, the Mexican food, but not being back and
having that all again. Hopefully I'm coming back and returning
as a champion.

Speaker 5 (01:15):
H Yeah, Evan, it would have been way funnier if
you would have said I didn't at all. I don't
miss I don't even really I'm not I I don't
even like it when I'm here. Maybe maybe next time
I try to play that I would see that how
that works? No, hey, man, I mean what a journey
South Point to Harvard to back to Tucson living the
dream I was a professionally athlete. I never got the
chance to come back to Tucson. What was that feeling

(01:36):
like when you had the offer and you knew that
there was a possibility take us through kind of those steps,
because I think we're all pretty excited to have you back.

Speaker 3 (01:46):
Yeah, I mean it's a dream, dream scenario.

Speaker 4 (01:51):
Uh, being a kid coming to games.

Speaker 3 (01:52):
And McHale, watching Wildcat basketball.

Speaker 4 (01:55):
And even supporting in my time while I was.

Speaker 3 (01:57):
At Harvard closely following these guys have an opportunity to
come and be a part of the program, is man.
I mean felt like I'd accomplish almost everything I wanted.
But right away Coach Tommy Lloyd let me know that, Hey,
this isn't a victory lab like got work to do,
which I loved so.

Speaker 1 (02:17):
Yeah, hey, and just real quick.

Speaker 5 (02:20):
So the audience also knows this because not only did
you go to Ivy League school, you went to Harvard
and you graduated, you know, as a that's a true
student athlete. What was your average day like when you
were at Harvard from a practice schedule and from a
class schedule, and then from a study schedule.

Speaker 3 (02:37):
Yeah, so I mean it be wake up probably maybe
seven on a day that I probably six forty five,
and then try to get.

Speaker 4 (02:48):
To gym x seven to get some.

Speaker 3 (02:51):
Extra work in be a class by nine, typically looking
at like two to three classes a day, practice from
say three or three point.

Speaker 4 (03:03):
Thirty to maybe like five, and then.

Speaker 3 (03:07):
Practicing lyft three thirty five thirty and then dinner and
then homework. So it was a really packed day, but
it taught me time management, which I am very appreciated about.

Speaker 1 (03:19):
Your parents are just gonna say that before the question
from Blake. But your parents must be very proud of
you a son going to Harvard, right and then coming
back home and playing for his hometown cats.

Speaker 3 (03:28):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (03:28):
And I'm sure you're pretty proud of yourself too. What
did you get your degree in? In addition to your
parents being proud of you.

Speaker 3 (03:35):
Yeah, I got my degree in sociology.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
And again, Harvard did you well? First off, can you
explain what that is to Steve? Though I can't even
sell Harvard, I can't. I'm just joking. What do you
hope to do beyond basketball?

Speaker 3 (03:53):
Yeah? I want to see how long I can play
for and then I think basketball has been so good
to me that, uh, I started to think about what
I wanted to do after. I really didn't see myself leaving.
So I hope to coach after. You know, I really
love the relationship aspect and helping people, you know, being

(04:15):
what the game can do for people. So whether that
I mean for me that was you know, getting a
getting an education, coming back home all the other places
has taken me. So I want to help people have
the same opportunities that I have had through basketball.

Speaker 1 (04:26):
Where do you fit in with this team? Because obviously
we all know it's talented and you can play, So
how does that work?

Speaker 3 (04:35):
Yeah? Where I fit in? Man? I mean we'll only see,
but just coming in a guy who can make shots,
a guy who's gonna play very hard, leave it all
on the floor every time I step out there be
very encouraging, bring experience to the floor. You know, we've
got some good returners, but we've also got some pretty
young guys who've never played a college game before. And

(04:56):
it's definitely a different style and h pace of basketball
that from high school. So yeah, being experienced, bring toughness, leadership, man,
I just yeah, all that stuff I'm hoping to bring,
and I'm really excited to hopefully contribute to the scene.

Speaker 1 (05:17):
Back to the day when Reggie and all those guys
were playing there. It's kind of getting where you fit in.
Probably the same for you, but you're a hometown guy.
You probably followed the Cats for since you were a
little little kid. Who were some of your favorite players
to follow as far back as you can remember?

Speaker 3 (05:33):
Yeah, then, I mean I love Derek Williams, one of
my favorite players of all time Wildcats.

Speaker 4 (05:43):
Not sure how Phil Adams, as.

Speaker 3 (05:44):
We were kind of rivals in high school. But Mike
Bibbie is a guy who's obviously really good, and I
think we have similar statures. Smaller guards, but he can
really shoot the ball. I watched some of his film
and I liked what he was doing here, and obviously
he's on some very successful Wildcat teams. And then Kyle Fogg,

(06:05):
who is I pick twenty one, And I remember coming
to Sean mill camps as a kid and just him
just taking me under his wing. And even since I've
arrived back in Tucson, he's he's taking me out to
e I see him in the gym, so he's really
still like a mentor for me. So I really appreciate

(06:25):
him and I love him in his game.

Speaker 5 (06:28):
When you came back and were able to step on
the court with all the new guys for the first time,
what are some of the players that just stood out
immediately to you. I know this group is special, the
recruiting class and you coming in is very special, but like,
who the first time seeing them play, were you like,
oh wow, crap.

Speaker 3 (06:47):
Yeah, like you said, our entire team is just so talented. Man,
I'm in the weight room with these guys and I'm like,
these guys are all super humans. But my first workout
whereas with Jay Brawn and Brady Berg's and I'm wow,
oh man, I'm in for a long day. But uh,
I mean, and these guys got like twenty thirty pounds

(07:08):
on me when I first got here, so they were
pushing me around and beating me up. But those two,
I mean seeing Coha, seeing Tobey in the weight room,
and even Dwayne and when Deli.

Speaker 4 (07:20):
First got here, his ability to put the ball in
the rim.

Speaker 3 (07:24):
All these guys man are just like, wow, fast, super athletic.
I'm at the gym physical, So that was that was
a pretty cool experience to be play against these guys.

Speaker 1 (07:35):
So I'll be given that you maybe have aspirations of
being a coach when you're on the sidelines and you'll
be looking at the games a time or two, do
you kind of do some of some of that analyzing
and kind of what would I be doing or whatever?

Speaker 3 (07:50):
Oh yeah, I think I think definitely, And I think
part of being a point guard is well and especially
with my place, I was kind of trying to be
that floor in general. So so yeah, when I'm definitely
not in or when I have even free time, I'm
watching film of us our practices, watching other teams in
the Big twelve, and then trying to just take close

(08:13):
notes with coach Lloyd and all the other assistants and
build a good relationship with these guys because the whereas
as at Harvard, I.

Speaker 4 (08:23):
Got a you know, good normal school education.

Speaker 3 (08:27):
Here's here's a I mean high league level basketball education,
not higher. This is the highest level of basketball that
I think is outside of professionals.

Speaker 5 (08:37):
So Evan Steve's a huge goodwill hunting fan, so he
wants to know, what's the most Boston thing you did
when you were going to.

Speaker 4 (08:45):
Harvard Man the most Boston thing?

Speaker 3 (08:50):
Yeah, possibly go to Marathon. I mean I've had I've
had a couple of times. I love going to Fenway, say,
Saint Patrick's Day parade is always fun, taking the tea.
But I think there was a day. There was a
day when the US Open was here over the summer.

(09:11):
It was in Boston Brooklane Country Club. So it went
to that during the day and then caught a Red
Sox game at night, was showing some friends around from Tucson,
uh And we did all that in the day, and
I don't think that I there.

Speaker 4 (09:25):
Probably wasn't a better day for me to be at
those two sporting events.

Speaker 1 (09:28):
That's a that's a pretty good Boston day.

Speaker 4 (09:29):
I don't know Celtics here, even though I don't like Celtics, but.

Speaker 3 (09:33):
Garden pretty cool.

Speaker 1 (09:35):
I've written a few books about the program. You know,
through the years, but when you're at the do me
a favorite. When you're at the podium during a press
conference during the season, don't use any big fancy words
because I have to google them, so I don't need
know Harvard words, no fence, no habit, no habit words.
That's what you just said to so you know, leave
us little guys, Leave us little guys alone.

Speaker 5 (09:57):
Steve is going to be in the back screaming at you.
Think you're better than me e time you use a
big word, Evan, So just be careful.

Speaker 3 (10:02):
Yes, yes, all right, all right, I'll turn it down.

Speaker 1 (10:05):
Thank you, Thank you, Evan. Appreciate your time. Good luck
this year. We'll see you a lot during the season.

Speaker 3 (10:10):
Yeah, I appreciate you guys.

Speaker 1 (10:11):
Thank you to take care. Yes, that was one one
that was good. Uh good will hunting. What do you
know like I've seen it? Yeah, you've seen it. You
don't like it. I'm not like that. I don't know
what that is.

Speaker 3 (10:24):
It.

Speaker 1 (10:26):
Yeah, those two guys, three guys actually Robert Williams. Yeah,
I mean there's more than three guys, but you know
what I'm saying. Written by Ben and Matt Anyway, Who's
who's the woman was a writer many many mini driver. Yeah,
an Irish queen, our princess. At that point, your references
are cool, kind of cool, you know, you know you

(10:47):
tell me that nobody else does. I need to go
on Jeopardy US. Just text me words that begin with
fru beginning. Everyone will get you to win. I just
want to be I mean, like, you know, going to
big you know, going to Big ten, going to an
Ivy League school such as Harvard and just getting an
education in four years is incredibly difficult, right, and then

(11:11):
you put on top of it playing basketball in the grind.
I mean then people go, why didn't you work when
you went to a couple because you have twelve hour
Like people don't realize the mountain that's on their plate.
So for him to do that, graduate and then come here,
I mean, like you said, his parents have to be
just his whole family has to be ecstatic. And you
get your degree Harvard really? Yes? Yes me? I'm like, yes,

(11:35):
I got my degree. I don't want to say where from. Yeah,
that's delor Bio. You know it's arizonaal he's a Harvard guy.
Oh yeah, I don't I told you this. I don't
get uncomfortable with many people like being in the same room,
but people that are just beyond smart. I and that's
like the most uncomfortable situation. No, that's when you say, hey,
how about them something, Yeah, how about them?

Speaker 5 (11:54):
And then they just want to talk. They just want
to talk about normal stuff. They don't want to talk
about physiology or anything.

Speaker 1 (11:58):
Did you listen to our show? Was it last week
with Richard the professor at U of A numbers? Oh,
it was fantastic, he was, I'll go on listen to it.
It was fantastic just because of his his knowledge and numbers,
and he teaches kids numbers in sports, how it relates
to it, you know, batting averages and angles like a
moneyball situation, and that's what he referenced to. I'm thinking,

(12:21):
if I would to go back to school, that's exactly
what I want to do, Not be an agent, not
be this what I'm doing now. But yes, yes, and
it's not so much well I and he talked to Francona.
I said, did you tell these guys? He says, yeah,
Tito listens and knocks numbers, but no he doesn't use
them because he's I think he tries.

Speaker 5 (12:39):
It's yeah, and I think Tito. I mean, Tito's an
old school guy, but he likes to have that information. Yeah,
because I told you, Tito for a long time, would
you know game prepare with his pictures on who was
behind the plate. That's how you knew where there's all
the rep Yeah you were. Yeah, so from a pitching standpoint,
you were able to now this guy like, this guy
gives you six inches off an outside zone, right, so

(13:00):
pitchers can utilize that. So it's it's mentality, there's I mean,
then you get guys like Kevin Cash who's mostly analytics, right,
and then you look at what happened with him and
the Dodgers and Blake Snell, and he takes Blake Snell
out and instead of just trust, like if I'm Blake Snell,
I'm like, you're gonna kill me before you get this
ball out of mid. But it's it's got to be
a mix of both. No, right, how did you do it?
We didn't have the analytics like they do. I mean

(13:21):
we were kind of the last Like we started getting
like pomp pilots and we'd keep ten day and twenty
day charts, which was helpful. And then you had heat
zones for hitters, but then you know, it's one of
those things. Like for me, I had a I stopped
throwing my slider my first two years with the Mets,
and then I was like, I'm screw it because there
was guys that I faced that hit it up or no, no, no,

(13:43):
that I would go like twelve pitches with and then
they would, you know, ground out the first base and
I couldn't get them out and I'd throw it. At
that time, I had a plus plus change up, I
had a plus plus curveball, my fastball was like ninety
ninety three and I but guys would just fight. I
remember this guy Diaz for the Blue Jays who played
in the Big for a couple of years, but no
matter what, I just hit him like I just was like,
I'm not gonna go through this. I'm just gonna hit you.

(14:05):
I'm not gonna walk you, because I don't walk guys.
I'm just gonna hit you. And so I started throwing
a slider again. So it was like that developmental pitch
that I didn't trust in a lot of situations, but
I would throw it to show. So that's kind of
like if a heat zone said this guy can't hit
a slider. Well, slider is my fourth best pitch, right,
so I'm probably not gonna throw it in certain counts
because of that. But he could hit mine. You can

(14:28):
hit my He might not be, but he's gonna hit
my little submit mixer. No, no, that's cool.

Speaker 1 (14:34):
I would probably use both too, But uh, I'm old
school like ConA who just you know, Gute, this is
the situation. And if your stuff is better than my stuff,
well good for you. And I want to get beat
with my best stuff, like if you're gonna if you're gonna,
you know, if you're gonna bry away. By the way,
did you watch the fight this weekend with Canilo? And
I watched the highlights. I'm gonna go back to me.
There weren't very many highlights because Canilo didn't. Did you

(14:56):
see it? It wasn't a good fight. No, no, no,
did you you watch the whole night? Did you watch
the previous the two fights before the big fight Martinez?

Speaker 5 (15:06):
Was that good? All right, I'll go back and watch that.
I love boxing. It was a twelve round fight where
they fought. We were we were at an event on it,
so I couldn't. We were at a wedding so I
couldn't watch it. But how was that fight? No, No,
there's good because there was no fights. But I was
ready to go cousin. Yeah, no, drum cousins. Let's just
say Sunday morning was a little rough, but then I
had a whole day of activities on Sunday TUESDA that

(15:27):
was a fight.

Speaker 3 (15:27):
Gidding up?

Speaker 1 (15:28):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Okay, let's take a break. We're not
gonna get anybody else, I don't think. Well, maybe they'll
throw something at us, but just take a break and
come back. Can we talk about the Crawford fight on
the when we come back?

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Streamy Live on the iHeartRadio AIP. This is I on
the Ball with Steve Rivera on Fox Sports fourteen fifty.

Speaker 1 (20:04):
Hey, welcome back to Line the Ball Harrow Fox Sports
fourteen fifty Steve Roberta. I'm here with Fanboy like Eager.
I love that you called me fanboy and new Yorker Kobe. Yeah,
you can't. You can't call him that. I'm sorry, guy
doesn't know who you can't call him or con st title. Yeah,
you're a country boy.

Speaker 5 (20:22):
Now I thought you were. I thought, why is he
a country boy because for like Benson, I don't know. Well, yeah,
you want to know where the go to Greenley County
like dunk in that area. Those are real cowboys like
you go out there, you get your butt beat pretty quickly.
Those are guys rodeos and all that stuff. So uh no,
But you said something earlier that made me think because

(20:43):
you were saying, like Gary, they said they had to
get in where they fit in, and I thought you
were making a reference to Too Short. But that was
during that era. That's probably where they got that. It
was a big album. Okay, too Shorts, get in where
you fit in? Blow the Whistle, that's John Little, that's
Little John era, Too Short music, you know, not Bay Area.

Speaker 1 (20:59):
That's really Get a surprise guest here, mo Bill Moot. Yeah,
we'll be calling in, I guess for the next segment
if we can get him on. We're waiting for his call,
so that would be great. Is here, Hello, you're on
the aar andine on the ball. Is this my woot?

Speaker 3 (21:13):
Hello?

Speaker 1 (21:14):
Hey mo Will, thanks for talking to us. Hey we
just had Nelson and you speak three languages. You're a
smart guy, so we're not smart here, so being kind
to us please?

Speaker 4 (21:26):
Yeah, I got you.

Speaker 1 (21:27):
How how has your time in Tucson been?

Speaker 3 (21:31):
Now?

Speaker 4 (21:32):
My time in tu Son has been really amazing.

Speaker 3 (21:34):
It's really been exceptional. You know. I love it down here.

Speaker 4 (21:37):
Yeah, great people, great weather. Yeah I can't, I can't,
I can't even mention all, but yeah, I love it
down here for sure.

Speaker 1 (21:45):
Did you not you to this question? But did you
make a recruiting visit or did you commit? Silent seen?

Speaker 4 (21:52):
No, I med I made a visit. I'm at a visit,
but I was in April, so there was you know,
there wasn't a lot going on out here.

Speaker 3 (21:58):
But yeah I came.

Speaker 4 (21:58):
I made a left visit and then to my visit,
I committed.

Speaker 3 (22:01):
You know, to come down here.

Speaker 1 (22:02):
What were your first impressions when you got off the plane,
and I guess April is still kind of pleasant weather.
You see the mountains, you see the check Just what
were your impressions?

Speaker 4 (22:12):
Nah, honestly, I was just like it's home. You know,
because where I'm from. You know, that's like when I
stop out the plane when I'm going home, That's how
it feels. I was just like, Yo, this just feels
like home because of the weather. You know, it was
it was hot, hot and dry. Yeah. I couldn't I
couldn't ask for more. Yeah, well, yeah, I like the
scenery the mountain. The mountain scenery is now that was amazing.
Not something I you know, I want to wake up

(22:33):
every morning to see for sure.

Speaker 5 (22:35):
Before MABA, before you came to Tucson, with the international
group of players that we've had in the past and
especially with Tommy Lloyd, were there any guys that reached
out to you to talk to you about the University
of Arizona and how special it was and help persuade you
to come to the UVE.

Speaker 4 (22:52):
Honestly, I didn't. I didn't really get to I always
looked up to them, I always watched them. I always
watch that game, all those inspired.

Speaker 3 (22:59):
By what they did.

Speaker 4 (23:00):
You know, I really wanted, you know, be in their
shoes one day, But you never really got to talk
to them in that perspective. But yeah, I'm I'm pretty
sure they you know, they're excited out here. You know,
wou never come down here. We can chop it out.

Speaker 3 (23:12):
You know.

Speaker 1 (23:12):
Hey, we're all excited that you're here. Man, thank you
so much for choosing you. Yeah, another big man, another
big man in the lineup. Another question I asked, I guess, uh,
how do you think you fit in?

Speaker 4 (23:26):
Honestly, I feel we as a team, you know, I
feel like we can I can help the team, you know,
start the floor, you know, with my two point shooting ability,
and I feel I can be able to help on
the defensive outside, you know, be able to guard through
the four through to four position, and I feel, you know, it's.

Speaker 3 (23:47):
A big thing. You know.

Speaker 4 (23:48):
The playing style here is great, you know yeah, right,
can even ask for more?

Speaker 1 (23:52):
Do you go against every day? Are you playing against?

Speaker 3 (23:55):
You?

Speaker 4 (23:55):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (23:56):
How is that?

Speaker 3 (23:56):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (23:56):
I got practice, it's it's it's it's an actually I
said it's it's tough, but yeah, it's it's a really
great experience for me. You know, he's getting me ready
for whatever it's gonna call.

Speaker 1 (24:10):
You must have a few pounds on you, how much,
honey pounds?

Speaker 3 (24:14):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (24:14):
He ways, he always like two so this alum to ten? Yeah,
it's a couple of pounds.

Speaker 1 (24:20):
Yeah, let me say this. I covered the basketball team
for a long time and under Rage time and with
Sean uh the second team. This is how you guys
get better. You guys play against better guys and then
when it's your time, you'll be ready.

Speaker 4 (24:35):
Yeah, for sure, that's a goal. That's the goal. And
you know, I like it.

Speaker 3 (24:37):
I like it.

Speaker 4 (24:38):
I get to be in this kind of environment. It
kind of you know, like the more.

Speaker 3 (24:42):
Previous likes of Toby all Waker.

Speaker 4 (24:44):
I like the call kid, you know, I feel like
they're really gonna get me ready, you know, compared to Wise,
you know, comparing against these guys every day. You know,
they're the best of the best. I can I can't
even ask the.

Speaker 5 (24:53):
More what's uh, I'm gonna ask you a different question
about sports because you've you've been around you know, internationally, internationally.
I mean, it's it's unbelievable, the story, your story, How
do how you got here? What do you miss most
about home?

Speaker 4 (25:11):
Honestly? I just missed my family, man, Yeah, honest just
you know, seeing them. Yeah, that's the main thing. I
missed my mom, my dad, my siblings. Yeah, I miss
you know, I missed my community in general, in the
community I grew up in.

Speaker 5 (25:24):
Have you found a have you found any food here
that or comfort or people here that have taken you
in that kind of reminded you of home or giving
you a sense of home while you've here, while you've
been here.

Speaker 4 (25:35):
Yeah, yeah sure. My team, my team is doing a
great job of that. My team, you know, my coaching staff,
my teammates, you know, the managers down here. Everyone's family
down here, like you know, it's family Orange down here.
That's one of you know, the main things also I
consider coming down here.

Speaker 3 (25:49):
It's great people.

Speaker 4 (25:50):
They always take me in, you know, trying to make me,
you know, feel comfortable. You know, so showed me around
that your fr restaurants here.

Speaker 1 (25:58):
Yeah. Right, so you'll be like you'll be like uh
Anthony Show, eating and eating and eating it and getting
getting big. Right, just to put some weight on you
real quick. What did you realize because the game has changed,
the basketball game has changed, that you were six eleven
probably gonna grow a little bit more even that you
needed to start shooting threes or learn how to do

(26:20):
that part?

Speaker 3 (26:24):
Sorry, can you?

Speaker 1 (26:25):
Yeah? Yeah, yeah, so you're six eleven, you're you're a
guy who can shoot threes at what point in your
career do you say, Okay, the game is changing, I
have to be that three point shoot or two and
be able to stretch the floor.

Speaker 4 (26:36):
Honestly, just it came with, you know, I love I
just loved it. I felt, you know, like shooting. I
don't know if it's the right thing to say, but
I feel like it's you.

Speaker 3 (26:45):
Know, it's it's easy. It's the easy way.

Speaker 4 (26:48):
Like I'm tall, you know, I can be able to
shoot over guys. So that when I when I saw
that that, you know it could be that easy for me.
I can, you know, easily get a shout up over somebody. Yeah,
you know, I'm putting my time in it. And I
was like, yeah, and you know, a lot of I
watch the game too, like Benge guys, it's a lot
like a lot of the old fashioned big men. There
was being swapped out for the dudes that can you know,

(27:09):
kind of hit the tree a little bit, you know.
So I was like, yeah, that's you know, that's the
word I would for sure want to go down to.

Speaker 1 (27:15):
And creates mismatches for the other team.

Speaker 4 (27:18):
Yes, yeah, it creates a lot of mismatches for sure.

Speaker 1 (27:20):
So so Tommy's get the whole paint open. Yeah, Tommy
is known for finding you guys, you international players, very
very well, very easily for him. What what drew you
to him?

Speaker 3 (27:32):
Honestly? Time for Tommy.

Speaker 4 (27:35):
Tommy has had a great success, you know, with a
lot of international big men if you name them, example,
Christian Coloco, Wumarbalo, when they come out here, they did great,
you know, they did great, They developed them, They look
great out there, and I feel like that just heavily
attracts you know a lot of us to come out
here because of the patients and you know and the
time it takes, you know, to instill the kill and

(27:56):
development in us.

Speaker 1 (27:58):
Yes, yes, let me ask you, my wood would talk
to my mumia, what are you studying? What do you
hope to be outside of you know, when you're older
like Gus, what do you want to be?

Speaker 4 (28:08):
Honestly, I want to do something in with finances and
finance as I feel like I'm looking into. Yeah, for sure,
be able to manage you know, very nice finance, manage
fans and all.

Speaker 6 (28:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (28:20):
Well good, Well you'll find out that people here will
love you. Uh you play basketball here, people will never
forget you when you guys do really well. I appreciate
your time, thank you, good luck.

Speaker 4 (28:36):
For thank you.

Speaker 1 (28:37):
The one thing about that I've covered this team from
our time, especially recently and Bidan Sean's time and time,
the guys are good dudes, Tommy. Tommy recruits good characters
very much. You know. The dude that really is impressive
to me is uh Toby walk Were you on the
show when we had him on and he was like,

(28:58):
he's well read in my face, he's he's in the
New York Stock Exchange his interns. That dude is very impressive.

Speaker 5 (29:07):
You're talking about somebody that's gonna be super successful in
life no matter what he does.

Speaker 1 (29:11):
That's that guy. Yeah, then you've got Nelson. Yeah, I mean,
just honestly, what a mix. Honestly, it was just some
just good dudes in this world. And let me say this,
I'm assuming you can tell me Steve your full crap
that you played with dudes some dudes, not all dudes
that were just I don't know, a little sketchy. Yeah,
plenty plenty.

Speaker 5 (29:32):
That makes sense. Yeah, I'm sure they felt that way
about me, and they're like, I don't know, this guy's good.

Speaker 1 (29:37):
You know what I'm saying, not to disparage, but you
know what I'm saying there, It's just these guys are good.

Speaker 5 (29:41):
Dudes, high character individuals, good people. Like when when Mawout
says that like it was my family, I feel like
this is my completely agree. I just wanted to tell
me which his favorite restaurant in Tucson is, because we
have a lot of we have a lot of African restaurants,
and it's always Yeah, I wouldn't look at him out
Demon's and West Africa and yeah, I'm gonna get in

(30:02):
trouble if I don't name them. Also, I'm not going
to try. Yeah one of guy just to because my
brought it up. But Ballow, we didn't talk about that.
Ballo was great center for us and the growth, similar
to Collocal when he was here. A guy that I
continue to root for and will always root for.

Speaker 1 (30:20):
So another good dude, just a good dude. I can't
tell you. In the lut Samuel were a couple of dudes.
We didn't see I, I and things and didn't last
someone like like someone questions, but eventually, you know, we
became friends. But but in the last few years, not
any like that. We're not as close to them. As
we used to be. But still you could just tell

(30:42):
you can tell that just not there's.

Speaker 5 (30:43):
No knuckleheads, like, there's no that that one guy that
could ruin the chemistry of a team.

Speaker 1 (30:47):
You don't look like it.

Speaker 5 (30:48):
And if that there is a guy, a couple or two,
if there is, that guy gets rooted out and then
you see more of a allowing leadership at that position.
That's why I think having guys like and Jaden and
Delorso and mo I mean as a leadership standpoint, I mean,
you couldn't really ask.

Speaker 1 (31:08):
That's something better people. I mean, that's who's gonna who's
gonna talk back to a waka? It will literally pop
your head off your body. But you know, when you
have that great chemistry and you don't have the BS,
how relieving is that? I mean you have how many
times have you coached years ten? Yeah, more than that,
more than let's say fifteen of the fifteen. I'm sure
not all of it's been perfect. No two or three

(31:29):
have you said I gotta figure this out? Yeah, And I've.

Speaker 5 (31:32):
Given way at times for more talented players over character players.
And it's never I wouldn't say another It just takes
a long time. To build that trust and I'm not
saying that it's not worth it. And you know, we
talk about this with you know, like Andy Lopez and
First Lopez saying you want ones and threes. It's true,
like the twos that think they're those guys like Evan.

(31:53):
You talk to Evan right now, and Evan would have
been like if they told me, I have to take
out the garbage every single day, yeah, I'm gonna do it.

Speaker 1 (31:58):
I don't care.

Speaker 5 (31:58):
I just want to be like those are the glue
guys that allow teams like this to go further than
highly talented teams because they're gonna die for each other,
They're gonna bleed for each other, and that's what you want.

Speaker 1 (32:09):
Yeah, yeah, no question. Yeah you don't have to worry
about stuff going on off the court, no, because they
take it. They take care of it in house and
not saying that they're not having fun off the court,
but they're doing it together. That's why I was asking
Delorso what they do from a bonding standpoint, Like we
played cards. There was a group of us that stayed
till two or three four in the morning sometimes playing
card and that more guys would join in.

Speaker 5 (32:29):
More guys would join in. You had guys that kind
of led that and it's important.

Speaker 1 (32:33):
Yeah. Notice, Yeah, it's just that team bonding.

Speaker 3 (32:36):
What.

Speaker 1 (32:36):
Yes, because you're there together for a long time.

Speaker 5 (32:39):
I mean yeah, and sometimes it gets sometimes it gets old, right,
So you've got to.

Speaker 1 (32:43):
Mix it up a little bit.

Speaker 6 (32:44):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (32:44):
And if you win more, you're happier more.

Speaker 5 (32:47):
Yeah, because for the most part, Yeah, I mean you're
talking about non high character guys, the guys that don't
play as much as I think they should play. I
don't think you had that problem.

Speaker 2 (32:56):
Now.

Speaker 5 (32:56):
I will say this, it's gonna be interesting because I
do think this is and I said this last year,
but I definitely think this year is Tommy's deepest team,
how he's going to how he's going to navigate, you know,
I mean, because you talked about it saying he's eight deep,
he runs eight deep.

Speaker 1 (33:14):
This team could be. This team to me is eleven yes,
and he'll he won't go eleven he will initially, Yeah,
and then it's who he trusts in February.

Speaker 5 (33:22):
But you look at teams like when you know, when
you yukon one, they were eleven deep. They were ten deep,
for sure. But if you're they ran two five.

Speaker 1 (33:29):
But if you're not that dude, if you're if you
don't give your white flowers every other day, yeah, you're
not going to give her flowers every other day unless
he's allergic and you just get her chocolate. So you
know what I'm saying. You have to be that dude.
And Tommy maybe he will, but he hasn't been that
guy where they go deep deep because he goes seven seven?

Speaker 3 (33:48):
Right? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (33:48):
Maybe?

Speaker 3 (33:49):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (33:50):
What is it is? What it is? Yeah? Get it
where you fit in? Man, that's no dangerous crew. That
was his production crew.

Speaker 5 (33:59):
So Kobe people that produce music and rap, they usually
make the beach to the Bay area is nor cal
You know, have you ever been north northern California?

Speaker 4 (34:11):
No?

Speaker 1 (34:11):
I don't think so. Maybe when I was.

Speaker 5 (34:13):
Really shorty forty the click, no rbl passing?

Speaker 1 (34:17):
Who are you your last day?

Speaker 3 (34:20):
Year?

Speaker 1 (34:21):
Why you guys, don't I don't want to talk about journey.
Let's talk about some stuff foreigner. Yeah, I mean I
talk about journey.

Speaker 5 (34:28):
I guess yeah, love her boy, love her boy, God,
I will I won't come back boy, Let's.

Speaker 3 (34:36):
Go come back? All right?

Speaker 1 (34:37):
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Speaker 2 (38:33):
This is I on the Ball with Steve Ravera on
Fox Sports fourteen fifty. Subscribe now to the podcast on
the iHeartRadio WIP just search I on the Ball.

Speaker 1 (38:46):
Hey, welcome back to I on the Ball here a
Fox Sports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve. You're blake your khobe.
You got about thirteen minutes probably if you're want to call,
please do five to two zero for one sixty. It's wild.

Speaker 5 (38:58):
I look down and I was like, oh, it's four
forty two quickick, yeah, quickly. I mean you have great
interviews like we did today. Good job getting those guys
on and not.

Speaker 1 (39:07):
Basketball specific, right, it's more about life and stuff.

Speaker 5 (39:09):
I mean, you've got guys like those. You couldn't have
asked for three better interviews for that situation. Yeah, one
guy who's been you know, an guy that from Australia,
guy from Africa, and then Evan Nelson, who's a two
son guy that went to Harvard to come back. Like
the journeys those three have been on.

Speaker 1 (39:26):
Here's the funny thing when when Nelson talked about his
favorite players and Derek Derek, to me, it was like yesterday.
I mean it was twenty twelve, is eleven, and it's
fifteen sixteen years ago, right, But you know he mentioned Bibby,
which I'm thinking Biby's like forty eight, right, Yeah, you
know what I'm saying. And he just knew of that era,

(39:47):
which is great. But who who back? When you look back,
who is your who are your dudes? Because you're in
that time, you're a Biby Agish like just really started
like Mills, Reggie Geary.

Speaker 5 (40:01):
And then I was fortunate, like my best friend growing
up had his company, his parents company had hers family's
company had season tickets. So him and I used to go,
but they were always there was two tickets. They were
never together. So it was the top. We would sit
at the highest one of the conquered steps, so we
get set next to each other. So anything that, like,

(40:22):
you know, ninety two on up. And then my dad
used to take take me to the Fiesta Bowl, so
we got to see that Michigan Michigan game and Duke
game and yeah, so I farted.

Speaker 1 (40:31):
I first parted. I first started end of the age
where you don't even realize you're doing it. Huh put
two words ago, I started that ninety one two in
that time. Sean Rooks, yeah, Sean Mills, Chris Mills, Reggie Colid, Yeah,
all these guys so tomorrow, in my opinion, the most

(40:54):
underrated player in UA in the last thirty some years,
because I don't know before that is.

Speaker 5 (41:00):
Christmas without question. Yeah, I mean that's a that's a
core memory we talk about. I remember being in the
with my grandma in Safe Way, I think it was
with my grandma and Safe Way and I saw Mills
and I went and got his autograph and I was young, right,
but that's still I can like VG hold eight, maybe
you were eighty. What year was that your tuition ninety

(41:23):
two yeah some nine wow.

Speaker 1 (41:25):
Because because back then he was a hold your impressions
big dude or.

Speaker 5 (41:30):
Yeah, I mean I was nine, so the guy would
look like it was eight feet but he.

Speaker 1 (41:33):
Was kind of big, a in a in a thickesh
way who could shoot the lights out of it, could
do so many things.

Speaker 5 (41:38):
He was an all around player, right, and had a
great career post you a yeah you know, yeah, so
long career.

Speaker 3 (41:43):
Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker 1 (41:44):
So next time you're on, I'm gonna see if I
can get him on to come on a Wednesday. I
would fan that, yeah, and I don't do that very often.
He's one of the guys that I used to ask questions.
He looked at me like what the hell? Yeah, you know,
because he was he's a smart guy. Yeah, And I
always waited for other people to finish their questions and
then i'd step into that questions. So, I because if
you want to have the same answers, different thing have you.

Speaker 5 (42:03):
So I was just going to ask you that question
because you know we were going we go back and
forth on the questions. Uh when you have interviews, and
I appreciate you giving me a chance to ask some
questions and they're not always great questions. But do you
ever to break up the monotony of the same Like
because we're we're as athletes, we are kind of prepared
to answer the same way, like how do you break

(42:24):
how do you break that mold?

Speaker 1 (42:26):
Try to get them loose just being me and asking
stupid questions. I like to make them laugh. Yeah, kind
of loose them up because I did that right away
with the accent.

Speaker 4 (42:35):
Question.

Speaker 1 (42:35):
You know, and this is not brain this is not
brain surgery. He goes, no, you can't. Sorry, Yeah, he
didn't know what the answer. But you know what I'm
saying is what we do in sports is not brain surgery.
Don't treat it as such because we're kids. They're kids,
their kids. Maybe there's a time and place for some
of those questions and how did what did you give up?

(42:58):
How did that feel? But we're mostly storytellers at the
end of the day. Where storytellers And it's not us
telling the stories, it's you guys telling the stories. Right, Yeah,
you want you have to talk and say how they feel?

Speaker 5 (43:10):
Yeah, and you want to I mean my thing is
you want to connect, you want a connection to them, right,
I our general pop you know, General Popper, a public
isn't going to know, it's not going to have a
connection to say we played really hard tonight. Yeah, you know,
I felt like when this back door cut, the guys
are like, okay, fine, but if they go you know, emotionally,
I was connected to that piece and I understood where

(43:32):
they came from and the family aspect or maybe how
they grew up. There's a there's a there's a stronger
balance between player and character.

Speaker 3 (43:39):
Right.

Speaker 1 (43:40):
Well, this is the thing that I was able to
do back in the day. The best thing is when
you turn off the recorder or whatever you have. That's
the best stun. You don't use it, but they'll start
opening up to you later when you when you're talking
because they get used to it. The best thing that
happened to me outside of the ninety seven time is
they're going to play North Carolina. Arizona's in North Carolina.

(44:01):
Bibby was a freshman and Miles was suspended, YadA, YadA,
and I happened to sit next to Mike Bibby. She's
assignment blubblah American or whatever it was, and I'm thinking, oh,
he's never going to say a word. But then over
time because there's a long fight. We started talking. I'm
thinking Mike doesn't talk. Yeah, but he was talking to
me just about naw and asked some simple questions YadA YadA,

(44:22):
and he's and now if I text him right now,
he probably text back, because that's that's where it all begins.
You built a relationship and trust. It's a normal, dude.
I'm not here to tell whatever. Just tell your story.

Speaker 5 (44:37):
I mean, the conversations I have with you, Michael Levs
justin spears off the air are different than the conversations
I have on the air sometimes because there's more of
a friendship there, right, and you you grow that there's
a trust factor. And I know that there's some things
that I tell you off the air that you'll never
until you say that's until I say it's okay.

Speaker 1 (44:58):
It's that's why we were talking.

Speaker 5 (44:59):
About ear or giving a giving the media piece, uh
more of a buy into what's happening in our community.
And a trust is gonna work both ways, as true
way street sure, yeah, and it has to work that way. Yeah,
Because it doesn't, you're not gonna be any good at
what you do. All right, I've got to blow you
up a little bit, and I've got to blow Kobe
up a good a little bit. So the fact that
you don't know what vegamite is, don't I don't. And
you you went to Australia, that's mindful. I was busy

(45:23):
covering their peanut butter.

Speaker 1 (45:24):
To grocery store. I was working the I guess.

Speaker 5 (45:28):
That's a good point. You stayed in the Olympic village.
I ate what they fed us. Yeah, and I and
and so everybody knows. I did call my best friend
who's from Long Island.

Speaker 1 (45:36):
Uh when we went on the.

Speaker 5 (45:37):
Last break to ask about Kobe, not if I was
if I was in the right frame of mind asking Kobe,
And he goes, you shouldn't even be allowed in the
United States if you don't know who it is.

Speaker 1 (45:46):
So we've got.

Speaker 5 (45:47):
Out in good authority from a true New York or
Kobe that was gonna go study. Yeah, yeah, yeah, so
uh yeah, just to draw this back, we were were.

Speaker 1 (45:59):
Not a usual Wednesday guy though, right, So you're clear
out of this. Usually on one's out this week. I
mean I've got a good crew here. Yeah, good dudes,
good dudes. Well, so tomorrow we're having a function at Keno. Yeah,
you said, who thought of this?

Speaker 3 (46:18):
You guys?

Speaker 1 (46:19):
I mean yeah, it was just to get out of
the box. It was.

Speaker 5 (46:22):
It was my idea, which, well, let's let's say, let's
go this way. If it goes well, it was my idea.
If it goes poorly, it was Aaron Uh, Aaron's idea.

Speaker 6 (46:31):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (46:32):
No, no, it's it's a good idea at least a
way to get the media to know who's coming in?
Is my guy coming in from Phoenix? I don't know
the same guy we had on the show?

Speaker 5 (46:43):
We no, I I no, I don't think he is.
Donna's bringing two people with her, so he might. He
might be one of them. Okay, and it's tough for
them to get what's the premise?

Speaker 3 (46:53):
What?

Speaker 1 (46:53):
What? What do you hope to get from this?

Speaker 5 (46:55):
I think I better understand because because it is a
fall league, right, so we as a general public don't
we're not following it, right we you know, true baseball
fans have an understanding what it is. But we want
just a casual fan to know that. This is why
this is so important.

Speaker 3 (47:10):
Right.

Speaker 5 (47:10):
It's all thirty teams participating in this, right, they send
their highest prospects. You have two of the five, two
of the top five prospects in all of baseball playing
in these games. We don't when we were talking about this,
when's the last time, Yeah, you had major League baseball
here was twenty eleven, right, we lost spring training? Then
you and minor league left, Triple A left in twenty thirteen.

(47:31):
We're gonna have major league baseball back twice this year
with the World Baseball Classic and the Arizona Fall League.

Speaker 1 (47:36):
In your heart of hearts, and this is going to
be a question that you may or may not want
to answer in your heart of hearts. Twenty twenty five,
twenty twenty seven, do you think that Arizona Tucson two
soon Arizona Southern Arizona would would make a spring training
successful here and or a minor league team here. We're

(47:56):
gonna find out. I it's a good question.

Speaker 5 (48:00):
We're gonna find out what with the Tucson baseball team from
minor league standpoint right, it's a shorter season, it's the
best time of year. You know, you've got October to December.

Speaker 1 (48:08):
What would it look like to make it happen then
to get a triple eighteen? No, no, no, no, just okay,
if you saw what if you saw X that was
that would give you the appetist to think, Okay, this
is possible.

Speaker 3 (48:19):
Down the road.

Speaker 5 (48:21):
Yeah, I mean, you know, lease agreements come up in
a couple of years. Expansion has been talked about. From
Major League Baseball standpoint. It's gonna take a it's going
to take three to four teams to have a full
like if you want spring training back in southern Arizona
or Tucson. And I say Southern Arizona because it's probably
gonna be by by counties, meaning that it's probably gonna
be a participant of two counties. You need at least

(48:44):
the very least three teams, which means you're gonna have
to build a new facility.

Speaker 1 (48:47):
Okay, but what would make it successful five thousand and
four thousand three people in per game?

Speaker 5 (48:52):
Yeah, because that's the you have to have some you're
gonna average, I mean, to make it successful, like to
where it was a no brainer fifty five hundred it
do it as you have a listen, I am, we've
talked about it. One point five million in the county.
I know, I know you're shaking head service to costa
Grande no Gallas Sonora, You've got two million people all

(49:14):
within an hour reach, right, It's it's a dual asking
for fifty five hundred fans a game in a short
time frame. I'm not saying a full trip. You're talking
about a spring training schedule or a winter ball schedule,
which we are going to find out, right, So thirty four,
let's say thirty four games, that's doable.

Speaker 1 (49:31):
I don't disagree with you one bit. It would be
disappointing if it wasn't doable or achieved.

Speaker 6 (49:38):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (49:38):
Well, I mean, I'm just trying to say, yeah, it's
it's gonna take about saying listen, and it's not a
blame factor. I don't want to point the finger and
hold a handout. That's not how we want to operate
as a society. I don't think it gets you anywhere.
I don't want to. I don't want to ask you
for something and then blame somebody else and and blame

(50:00):
somebody else where. It's a it's going to be a
learning lesson over the next couple of months. We've got
big events happening that we haven't had in a long time.
It's but it's going to take figure out why we
haven't supported at the level in the past, right, And
that's the question.

Speaker 1 (50:16):
You've answer your question, or that question could be delivered
to Desiree. It could be delivered to Dave he Key.
Could you know at one point Hoffman with the road Runners,
you're telling you one point five? That mean that means
nothing to me. I've seen the one point five if
it's not happening over the last ten twenty years. Yeah,
because okay, you throw that number out there. Yeah, but okay,
what does that mean? Well, you have the population that

(50:38):
doesn't care.

Speaker 5 (50:39):
Who's doing a Let me ask you this question. Who's
doing a really good job of connecting Let's say the
south Side and foothills? Good questions, who's connecting? Who's connecting
or Valley and Vail and Sarrita.

Speaker 1 (50:50):
Like I call somebody to ask because I don't know.
But you can't ask people to show up but they
don't feel like they're totally totally right, And then you
can't expect people to show up when they don't know.
They don't know. Well, it's funny because you know we
have I'll give this to you now. We have a
loop to loop thing with tour this weekend. You know, yeah,
cyclist bub Ball and an expansion of that and TJ
done phenomenally. A couple of people came in today and said,

(51:12):
did you know? I said no, no, we didn't know.
We've been kind of charge of publicizing it. So where
do they see it? Newspaper, no TV? No, where do
they see it? Social media? But nobody not everybody follows
social exactly, so people get their news all front. You
got to hit it hard on so many levels and
still they, oh, I didn't know that.

Speaker 3 (51:32):
Really?

Speaker 5 (51:33):
Yeah, I mean we uh uh. Aaron from Keno and
Brie from the two Sunday Night to they had a
meeting about creating contact lists just just so you have
you two sounds of different breed.

Speaker 1 (51:46):
We've got it.

Speaker 5 (51:46):
It's a it's a it's a grassroots yeah, gorilla marketing.
That's what brings people like you have to have twenty
different people trying to connect to twenty different groups saying
the same message. You're throwing the net out and hoping
that yeah it reaches we can do better. Yeah, okay,
you gotta go.

Speaker 1 (52:01):
Thank you, Blake. That's fun. Day to day day. Thanks everybody.
Start to you guys tomorrow