Wednesday, May 17, Hour 2

Wednesday pod, Hour 2: BREAKING NEWS−Former Arizona player Joseph Blair is a candidate for an NBA head coaching job; Jay Parry discusses the task ahead for the Phoenix Final Four Host Committee; Callers continue to have opinions about Tommy Lloyd’s recruiting.

Episode Transcript

(00:02):
Breaking down all the excess als.It's Steve Leverra and Jagan Salmis. This
is I Am the Ball on FoxSports fourteen th Hey, welcome back to
winning the Ball here Fox Sports fourteenfiftie. I'm Steve. He's Jay got
a guy Jason with breaking news.Your music sucks. Hey, y'all,

(00:26):
you gotta turn on the button.Remember that which one per segue right there?
This one? Yeah, no,hit it. Okay, let's see
it. Well you got Trump thevolume two. We got it all right,
I should criticize, okay. UmArizona Women's Golf head coach Laura Lannello
wash Yeah. Ilanello was selected forthe h w GCA's watch List for now

(00:51):
I'm the coach of the Year.Awesome, you know again. You know
she got her team hot at theend of the year. Yeah, you
know they're going to the NC DOUBLEA. So good for them. Yeah.
She's one of our favorites. Yeah, she's been she's fun on the show.
Ye, so yeah. Nick umMcQuary has been named one of the
top of twenty five shortstops in thenation as semi finalists for Brooks Wallace Award.

(01:14):
He's a he's a little guy,and he's hit some homers out of
high corporate and I'm like, Idon't know that I could hit a golf
ball out of high corporate. Iknow's he's you know, he's been a
really good player for Arizona. Ashortstop and uh yeah one considering the top
shortstops. He's been there for awhile, right, who does he I
think he's a senior. Yeah,because he's the long hair. Everybody's kind

(01:34):
of he's been there for a longtime. I think, yeah, he's
been you know, kind of likea Hawaiian guy, right, yeah,
yeah. Um, League source confirmsWizard assant coach Um Joseph Blair any of
you for the Bucks head coach position. Um Blair has been with the Sixers,
Timberwolves and Wizards for the past afew seasons. Um. He actually
played college bought here at Arizona andpro ball in Europe. So Jay,

(01:57):
so I covered him for all thoseyears. Rusta soul Judith was his number
one fan. Everywhere whoever he went, Judith was there. He's probably and
I'm just off the top of myhead, one of the guys who've come
come the furthest in my time,in my time because Let's remember he was
a heck of a player. Ithink he even holds the record for a

(02:19):
field goal percentage for in a yearcareer whatever. But at the end of
his career he was academically ineligible everhe had, he got suspended, blah
blah, didn't finish his year.He's come from this, from that to
this where he's there and he's alreadyin the NBA for a long time now,
drafted in the second round, didn'tget to play because of politics or

(02:39):
whatever. Had a great career.Um. But I was with somebody,
uh, somebody who's in the NBA. I won't say who because I don't
want to embarrass him, about threeyears ago, and he said, I
said, what about Joseph player.He says, he's gonna be somebody he's
got he knows he's got it.And I think if you, if you
talk to people who know Joseph,he's got that voice, he's got that

(03:01):
presence, the president. That's theimportant, the presidence, and he knows
he knows what to say at theright time. He it's it's BS,
but it's not BS. You knowwhat I'm saying. No, And he
has it, and I'm thinking Joseph. He says, yeah, watch and
now I'm watching. Yeah, Wellyou look at you look at a guy
like Joseph and look in in aposition like that. Appearance doesn't matter.

(03:24):
Yeah you're not. Only do youhave to know what you're doing. You
have to look like you know whatthis is your dress? But you do.
But I mean, you look ata guy like Steve Kerr. You
know, he walks in the room, he's you know, he's sixty three
or six whatever, all right,but he's otherwise an unassuming guy. But

(03:44):
yet you see him walking the sidelines. You see his mannerisms, you know,
to put the microphone on him ina huddle. He looks and acts
like a coach. Yeah, andthen you see other guys you go,
what the hell is that guy doingcoaching? And those are the guys that
get fired, You jump from jobja but somehow they keep getting employed.
But you know, a guy likea guy like Joseph Blair. You can

(04:06):
picture Joseph walking up and down thesideline. Yeah, he's imposing, he's
big, he's six foot ten whatever, dresses you know. Well, yeah,
we know he's only been on theshow once. Since I've been been
here. You know, and justa conversation with him, You're like,
how can you not be impressed bythis? But right, no, no,
I know there's other things I'd liketo say. But he was on
the show a few times with mebefore you came on the day of the

(04:28):
place. Uh, he won thetitle in the D League when he was
with the Viper in the back then. I think it was the D he
want with the Vipers. Very justknows how to handle people, right,
and and and who's the number oneguy with that? Steve Kerr right handling?
Everyone says, uh did we?We talked about this maybe two weeks

(04:49):
ago with what's his name Jackson Jacksonwho had the team before, who had
a bunch of good players. Right, Okay, you're the coach, but
if you don't know how to handlea team, what's the point? Yeah,
well that was the conversation. Shesaid, Well, Steve Kurs winning
with all of Mark Jackson's guys,Well, because Mark Jackson didn't win with
those guys. We just see ithere, right, you have all the

(05:09):
talent, but you can't do anywith it. What's the point? Yeah,
exactly, No, I hear you. And uh, you know,
you just get the sense from Josephand I don't. That's the only time
I've ever talked Okay, the timewe had him on the show, all
those years that he was here,I never really talked him. But um,
you know, you talk to himand you you sense that hit.
This is a guy who's been verybusy learning the ropes, knowing the ropes,

(05:32):
just biding his time, you know, working on you know, on
NBA staffs. He did the GLeague thing, um and just really kind
of he did this almost been verypatient and he did the thing with Sean
for a year. I mean,he's still a relatively young man, you
know. So you know, goodluck to him. Good luck to him.
If he doesn't get this job,he will eventually bring through. Well.

(05:54):
Before we move on to another partof this is the word is also
out that Calvin Sampson as a asthe interviewed for that job. He's,
uh, you know, I like, I've talked to Calvin more times than
I talked to Joseph Blair, ButI like Calvin, Um, is he
a good college coach? Is he? Is he a better college coach?
And he'd be an NBA coach.He did go to the NBA as an

(06:16):
assistant for a while when he gotin trouble with the NC double A.
But you know, Calvin said,and he's sixty eight years old, so
he's he's got miles. So we'llsee what happens. But it'd be interesting
to see if he I mean,the Bucks are a good franchise, a
really good team, Joseph Blair wouldnot be stepping into a building situation.
They would be They would be expectedto be good right away, part of

(06:38):
part of coaching at that level,at any level. I think that Kingsbury's
would this is what he'd write ittoo in Phoenix. If you don't have
a presence in the room, andif you don't demand, demand, or
get the respect from the players,your toast, your toast. And he
came from college directly to the pro. He almost fell into the job,
right right, He didn't really youknow what I'm saying? Yeah? Uh,

(07:00):
And how are you gonna be respectedthat way? Well again, let's
let's you know, let's go tothe Dion Sanders example. Why why is
Deon Sanders getting all the attention thatthat he's getting for what he's doing in
Colorado months before they've even played agame, Because he has a presidence president
and he's got who he's got hiscachet, right right, exactly, all
right. The Arizona men's golf team, uh ended up finishing in eighth place

(07:26):
in the Morgan Hill Regional Tournament.Um, they tied it for eighth place.
Um. The top five teams willbe advancing for the championship game.
So that would have been that wouldhave been my question. Did they qualify?
So alright, next run? Iguess yeah, yeah, you know,
I think, you know, JimAnderson's gotten his team to or program
to a point where they expect to, you know, at least get to
the nc you know, get tothe national tournament every year. But you

(07:49):
know, they just didn't do Theygot off to a bad start and ultimately
they finished the fourteen strokes out ofqualifying. Mississippi State, Brigham Young,
Florida State, Baylor, and Pepperdine. Well if i'd out of their region,
um and as as uh as umwhat's your name? You as?

(08:11):
Jason said, they they they finishedin eighth place, so they didn't get
there, but you know, Ithink they're still probably happy with their season.
Yeah. Um. The Arizona Coyotesplanned to build a new arena in
Tempe UM as a part of thetwo point one billion entertainment district. UM.
This was rejected by voters UM yesterday, UM the team plans on the

(08:33):
team said, if you its futurewill be evaluated by our owners in the
National Hockey League in the coming weeks. A lot of up said people up
in Phoenix on the sports side,you know, if you saw writers and
and people who we follow on socialmedia. You know, but you know
what, UM, you put itup for a vote, you lose,

(08:54):
You take your lumps with it,you know, And that's the way it
is. That's you know, themajority of the people in temped didn't want
it, so they don't get it. It'll be interesting to see what,
uh, you know, what theNHL does, what the Coyotes do.
UM. If you know, there'sa lot of there's a lot of been
a lot of discussion today that theCoyotes will will not only leave, but
they'll have to leave Arizona. Wellbecause they don't have an arena. The

(09:16):
plane they're not going to take themback at the Footprint Center. That that
that was a relationship that didn't workvery well UM, and they ended up
going to the Hilo River Arena wayout there in uh in Glendale, and
now they don't have a place.They're playing in that little arena that a
hockey plays in. That's not aplace where an NHL team ought to be

(09:37):
playing. So it'll be interesting tosee what happens. The NBA Draft order
was announced yesterday. The top fiveteams that will be drafting. What are
the Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets,um Poland Trailblazers, Charlotte Hornet's and San
Antonio Spurs The number one pick.So obviously we all, I think know
who the number one pick will be. Victor one biama U. How do

(10:00):
you guys think? O? Therefourteen? Well, let's go to Victor
for a minute, okay, becauseyou know they're they're I mean, they're
annointing this guy as even a betterprospect than Lebron Ja Lebron, Michael,
you know all those guys. I'mlike, wait a minute, wait a
minute. The guy is with sevenfive seven four seven five yea like one

(10:20):
hundred and fifty pounds. Yeah,okay, we saw what happened to Jeth
Holme Grin right, you didn't evenget to play in this whole scene,
right, you know, there's aphysical toll your body takes when you get
into the NBA. And I'm sorry, it's kind of like the Bryce Young
thing and the Kyler Murray thing.How I get that Victor weimbon Yama can
do things as a seven four sevenfive player that other seven footers can't do.

(10:46):
But what's it? What's the physicaltold that it's going to be exacted
from him when he starts out there, when he's out there banging around with
yok Yeah, that's because what thehell's gonna happen? Even guys like Yannis
when you came into the league,he was really really good on both sides
of the ball, but he hadto you know, bulk up to really
be able to become one of thebest players in the league. We saw

(11:07):
up in the chat this past season, Kevin Durrant even had to get a
little bit bigger, right, Like, you know, he's very talented and
both sides of the ball, butthat physicality aspect of the game is still
going to a big portion of howhe actually performed in the league. My
forms are as big as his,can I don't disagree with you, Jay,
Let me go to the other sideof the poll, you have DeAndre
Aden, who's built like a Greekgoddess, who can't do any of that

(11:30):
either. But he doesn't have Yeah, I mean yeah, but he's not
he's not he's not losing his youknow, he's he's playing. He's not
getting hurt and getting his ass kickedphysically. By that, I mean,
you know, getting hurt and stufflike that. He's just not any good,
right, you know, Or Ishouldn't say that he doesn't have it.
He's just not as good as youwould expect him to be with the

(11:52):
body and stuff that. My pointto that is the body really doesn't If
you can play, you can play. Um. I mean, I mean
I haven't seen much of it exceptfor high Yeah. No one puts bad
plays on your head, so you'regonna see the nice thing. Yeah,
So I'm excited. I think thatChet will have a nice career. We
saw Bradley, remember brad brad See, he had a nice career. Wasn't
great, wasn't bad great, buthe was he had a lot more than

(12:16):
a cup of coffee seven eight yearsUm. Right. I think the hype,
like you said, the hype behindhim is I think it's too much
like the standards he's being said towithout even playing one second in the NBA.
Is I think is going to youknow, kind of you know,
hurt his career in the long term, I believe. So, yeah,
we'll see, we'll see. Idon't I don't, I don't agree.
I don't agree with Jay's philosophy.Yeah, okay, but I get it.

(12:41):
I get what he's saying, right, Okay. Um, the Blazers
actually intended trade the number one threeoverall pick in the draft to try and
build a championship team around Damian Lillard. So that again, the Blazers intended
trade throughout number three pick you tryand build it to get a bunch of
players, of players, they don'twant Damian Lillard to leave, right,
So they're gonna try this again.Who else do they? I mean,

(13:03):
they have have a couple of goodplayers, but no one that's like,
you know, going would really helpedthem. I think that's what they're drafting,
right exactly. Yeah, So we'llsee. I mean, they're just
trying to appease Dame. Basically,they don't want them to, you know,
request for trade and leave. Sothe mind hurt when C. J.
McColeman to give it their head hada dodge. Yeah, they had

(13:24):
the chances to, um, youknow, win a championship. They just
you know, came up short afortune that one year against the Warriors where
um, I think Kevin Duran washurt and it was just Dame c J
versus claiming occurred and you know theycame up short. They got they got
swept. So yeah, yeah,we'll see. Um. The Champions League
league is finally said for June tenth. It's going to be between Man City

(13:48):
and inter Milan. Um. Yeah, yes, think about that soccer.
They don't okay, Yeah we hadthe soccer last time. Yeah, okay,
um, so it we really are. Some Phoenix Suns news, Chris
Paul is expected to open up nextseason as the starting point guard for the
team. According to Chris What's What'stoday May to May seventeenth. Yeah,

(14:15):
that's what he says on May seventeenth. Yeah, Chris Paul, Okay,
yeah, we'll see. Um doyou guys want him to come back as
the starting point guard or do youguys feel like I look, I don't
really care, but I but Ithink that on the state, I believe
they need to move on. Okay, I really do what we what did
we say all year? All year? At least maybe the last three months.

(14:37):
Phoenix is gonna do well. Ifif and I said if, I
hate that word, if if ChrisPaul stays healthy, and if what's his
name stays stays healthy? Ken ifdidn't if didn't work out right? Yeah?
If and that's if this if this, if you have to used the

(15:00):
word if, Yeah, you're doneexactly and he got hurt and once again,
so I think it would be bestfor them to move on. But
we'll see what they do. UmJames Harden plans to decline his player option
and for this off season and seea four year deal with the six Ers
or some other team if you knowthey're willing to pay him that. So
would you guys think you I knowwe talked about it earlier in the show

(15:22):
by him possibly going to Houston,But do you guys think a team will
be willing willing to give him along term contract? Well, somebody will.
How old is he? Oh,I'm not sure he's gonna be about
thirty eight or two. Somebody'll giveit to him. But you know what,
I wouldn't pay James hardy, Hey, we better go. You don't
want it because we're gonna get you. Were running out of time. Yeah,
so let's go. She'll be callingin a couple of minutes, so

(15:43):
we'll have her talk about a lotof things about what it takes to put
on a final four. Yeah right, and she's she's in the middle of
it, so all right, let'stake that break. We'll better fact.
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I mean, I heart radio wife. This is I Am the Ball with
Steve Rivera and Jay Gonzalez on FoxSports fourteen fifty. Hey, welcome back
to O the Ball here on FoxSports fourteen fifty. I'm Steve Rivera.
He's Jacon's Austen on the phony ofJay Perry, President and CEO of the
Phoenix NCWA Men's Final Four Posts Committee. Jay, how are you doing?

(19:56):
I am fantastic and ready to getto this Men's Final Four party started.
You have about ten months I thinkis it going to be crazy? Are
you okay? And contemporating it asyou go along? How far along are
you we? You know, we'vebeen planning for several months after getting the
bid back in twenty eighteen. Butas you said, we've got about three

(20:21):
hundred and twenty five days to go, and so we are pacing well.
But it will it will definitely getto be a fever pitch the closer we
get. Yeah, well, we'retalking to off air. You've you've been
You've done this for two super Bowlsdown in uh or up in Phoenix or
in Glendale. Are there similarities toall of this in terms of the magnitude

(20:44):
of the event? The super Bowlobviously big deal, Final Four huge deal.
When when you compare the two events, where are they similar and where
are they very different? There area lot of similarities because the reason Arizona
to host major events like a superBowl and a Men's Final four and then
a women's Final four coming up intwenty twenty six is because they do create

(21:08):
so much economic impact and community impactthroughout the state and really to put us
on the map, you know,in terms of right there's global exposure and
put us on the map as aworld class destination. So those are the
same. Some of the differences areas you know, the Men's Final Four

(21:30):
is four teams and two competition dates, you know, a Saturday and a
Monday next April sixth and eight,and so it does have a different flavor
at the collegiate level, and soit's kind of fun to embrace that as
we get a little bit closer.So how do you know, having been
to the two Super Bowls and nowthis, how do you know if you've

(21:52):
done a good job? And Iknow that's kind of a weird question,
but less complaints, a lot ofpraise. How do you know what you
did? But that's exactly it.So as you know, people are not
afraid to give feedback, and soI'm to show actually, you know,
you know what I'm talking about.So we get a lot of qualitative feedback

(22:15):
you know, before the event,during the planning stage in the case of
Super Bowl, from the NFL orin the case of the Men's Final Four
from the NC Double A, andthen after the fact, you know,
really coming out of Super Bowl,there was just such high praise for how
the state operated, how all theevents went, how public safety was handled.

(22:37):
We really just from start to finishthere was so much positive feedback.
That's kind of part one, andthen part two is we do a lot
of measurement. You know, wecreate and have an economic impact study.
We measure, you know, inthe number of CEOs that came to Arizona
and are they going to bring theirbusiness here? So there's a lot of
metrics that go into it as well. And it was a it was a

(22:57):
record breaking super Bowl and worked seethe same for the Men's Final Four.
Okay, so back when you didthe first super Bowl that was twenty fifteen,
you said, yeah, the firstone. When you stepped into that
job, at what point or wasthere a point where you thought, Holy
Kyle, this is way bigger thanI can get my arms around. How

(23:18):
do you manage that thought process foryou to not get overwhelmed by what has
to be done to put on,say a super Bowl. We're a final
four? Sure? A great question. And it's so funny because when it
hit me is when I was doinga sight visit in twenty thirteen to the
Super Bowl in New Orleans, andI saw all of the ancillary events that

(23:42):
were taking place, and then wewent into the stadium and the game was
happening, and you know, midwaythrough the lights went out. Oh I
remember that. Yeah, and soI am thinking to myself, we have
to keep the lights on too,something that had never occurred to me.

(24:03):
So that definitely spent a message rightof how you need to have your backup
in your contingencies. And so fromthere, I mean the beauty of it
was the chairman of the board isthe president of Salt River Project, which
is an our company. So itall worked out when we got to Arizona
in twenty fifteen. But then fromthere, you just take this enormous project

(24:25):
plan and you just approach it infite size pieces, right day by day,
month by month. And what ittakes is all the support from around
Arizona. You know, whether it'selected officials, it's business leaders, it's
tribal leaders, it's media. Imean, it's it's a team effort to
host one of these major events.So don't hang up the phone on just

(24:45):
give me a leeway on this question. So did you did you participate or
help out in seventeen with the finalfour there? And I go this question
for this reason, Glendale has grownso much since then it has that great
area with the casino now a lotof things to do. In seventeen,
the final four was separated, itwould there downtown or there places where in

(25:10):
Orleans like you were San Antonio,it's all in one place. Is there
a chance to do that maybe inone place in Phoenix or in Glendale.
What we love about these major events, and I'm not going to hang up
on you, sow, what welove is that Arizona has so many great
communities and they each have a differentpersonality, right whether it's Tucson, or

(25:36):
its Phoenix, or it's Gustal orit's Glendale. And so what we love
is really introducing our visitors as wellas our locals to all those different communities.
And so while it may feel likethey're separated, it does allow us
to really move people around and letthem experience the entire state, you know,
before the event and after the event, and the Grand Canyon and the

(25:57):
Catalina Mountains, whatever it is.I mean, we love showcasing all of
that with these major events. Soso when you've got as you mentioned,
you've got four teams coming in,they'll be here for you know, close
to a week. Um, wheredoes is there like a line drawn between
what you as the host committee doesin preparation for all of this and then

(26:21):
what's firmly in the hands of theNC Double A and what they do and
how they run or who runs theactual show. I'll just say I worked.
I worked at the Final four.I work at NC Double A tournaments
all the time as a volunteers,and I'll be up for this when Doug
Tamara is a good friend of mine. But I see the operation behind the
scenes and how put together it is, right, it's it's well organized,

(26:45):
and but there's there's a There hasto be a point where what the host
committee does and all the work itdoes in terms of you know, events
and stuff like that, and thenwhat the NC Double A does to actually
do the games. Is there aline? There is there? Just you
guys work together on all of it. You know what we work together on
all of it. I mean it'shighly integrated between the host Committee, the

(27:08):
NCAA and then the host university isArizona State, right, And we'll come
back to the universities in a minute. And so we have been, as
they said, planning for months.We have monthly meetings with the ncuble A,
they come to town and we youknow, go through the project plan,
if you will, and the timelines, and we do divide and conquer,

(27:32):
right because ultimately the NCAA and ArizonaState, I mean, they run
the game operations the day of thegame on the court, right, they
are experts at that, right.The host committee doesn't need to be involved
in that, okay. But frankly, everything else leading up to it,
whether it's the fan fest at thePhoenix Convention Center, or it's how do

(27:52):
we bring in the visiting teams,you know, the airport logistics, the
buses, I mean, all thosethings we worked together on. Got it,
got it? Okay? All right? So you were down in Tucson
to speak to a group. Soif you're going to highlight the rest of
the state, I'm sure Tucson isgoing to be highlighted as well, exactly.

(28:12):
I mean, Tucson is such animportant community to us. Obviously,
Wildcat Country is going strong in Tucsonand we today I was down with the
Tucson Metro Chamber, so it's over. You know, a few hundred businesses
in Tucson and they were having theirbusiness summit in Expo and so I got

(28:34):
to speak to them about major eventsand why we do them for the state
and how it really accelerates our businessgrowth and our resident growth. And obviously
it's a big giant commercial for OldWar. And we also want to make
sure that the U of A isinvolved, right U of A, GCU
n AU. We want all ofour Division one schools to be involved in

(28:59):
showcase. As I said the state. So, so, what was your
message to the business folks down here, Amy, What are you asking them
to do or what would you liketo see them do to participate in some
form or another in the Final fourand just be a big part of it.
What was your message to them?Sure, I think first and foremost,
we want fans to be involved andcome to all these ancillary events that

(29:22):
we create surrounding the games on Saturdayand Monday. So we want fandom to
be energized and excited about participating inthe men's Final four next year and then
the women's Final four and twenty six. So first and foremost fandom. We
have a lot of volunteers that comefrom around the state to work the events

(29:42):
and the games, and so we'dlove to have people volunteer. We also
get businesses involved in a number ofdifferent ways. We have one business program
that is for diversely owned businesses andthey get the opportunity to bid on contract
associated with events around Super Bowl andthe Final Four and sponsorship, and we

(30:04):
include nonprofits. So it's really amatter of, you know, figuring out
how people want to plug in.So this is not a question for me,
but one of our listeners says,how crazy is that going to be
when Arizona's at the Final four?Diction. Of course, they're very hopeful,
They're always open. Do you knowwhat we should be hopeful? I
mean, I think that it wouldbe fantastic, right, I mean Arizona

(30:29):
has one one championship with Loot atthe helm Um, so you know,
anything possible based on what we sawat the Final four in Houston, I
think so, yeah, very true. Fantastic, Yeah, very true.
Well, and I think I actuallythe last one here. I think fans
were incredibly disappointed because there's a fieldthat Arizona should have been at that Final
four and weren't. So but rightwhen you mentioned a few things, and

(30:52):
it's like I'm trying to wrap myhead around everything that has to take,
Like you just talked about things likesecurity and traffic in those kinds of things.
I mean, how again, howdo you pull all that together?
You say, you have a projectplan and are there just a lot of
people that are that take those thingsand run with them or how does that
work to get all these aspects ofrunning this type of event together? Yeah?

(31:15):
Sure, yeah, sure, it'sa great it's a great point.
And so I have a full timestaff that's now working on this at the
Host Committee. And so think ofus as really the you know, hub
of the of the wheel. Andthen there's spokes around the state and around
the valley that you know, wehave a public safety spoke, we have

(31:37):
a hotel spoke, we have amedia spoke, we have a marketing spoke,
and then we incorporate, um,you know, the subject matter experts
if you will, from around Arizona, and then that's who we tap the
NCAA into throughout the planning process.An as, So, what's the next
step, Like I said, youhave about ten months, you said,
three hundred some days left before theevent. What's the priorities now? And

(32:02):
I think Andy send me a noteabout tickets deadlines coming up? Yes,
and so we do want to makesure that our locals have an opportunity for
tickets, and so there's a ticketapplication process that ends the end of this
month, so May three first,and so we are directing everyone to go

(32:25):
to Phoenix Final four dot com andthe ticket application process and it just like
click on that and you can signup for tickets and then the NCAA does
a random drawing and so folks willknow if they're selected by early fall to
get the tickets. And you know, obviously we want to make sure that

(32:49):
as many locals get a chance atthis as possible. So it's Phoenix Final
four dot com. I think inthe past, if I'm correct, they
had to find a pay in advanceand if they didn't get it to get
refunded or is that wrong? That'sexactly right. So you pay two hundred
or fifty dollars per ticket and youcan, you know, put in for
up to four tickets and then there'sa twenty five dollar processing fee and so

(33:14):
you get fully refunded if you don'tget the tickets, minus the handling fee.
And if you do get the tickets, then you're they're yours. Didn't
you get charged? Okay, Okay, what are you looking most forward to
with this? You again, you'vedone Super Bowl, so you're not going
to be like intimidated or probably inawe. But when you do, you
know, when the final four comesaround, you know what are you look

(33:35):
looking most forward to? As asas as it's unfolding. So I love
how Arizona shines on the global stage. And so when all of our local
stakeholders come together and I mentioned youknow, many of them earlier, and
work together and just roll up thered carpet for our visitors and for our
locals, and people come to Arizonaand they just have such a great time

(33:59):
and great memories around sport and aroundyou know, the game of college basketball.
I mean, there's just nothing betterthan that, and people will remember
it forever. Like that's kind ofpart one. And then all those positive
impacts that we get to create hereon Arizona around these major events. It's
it's really meaningful, and it acceleratesthings that we wanted to do otherwise for

(34:22):
our state. Right whether it's updatingor airport or um remodeling hotels or you
know, whatever it might be.It accelerates all those business initiatives. Super
super Jay. Well, thanks forjoining us. We'll hope to talk to
you again as we get closer.This is exciting Steve and Jay. I
appreciate you having us on and welook forward to talking more about the men's

(34:45):
final four. Great, right,great to hear for you. Thank you,
Andy. Uh, take care,it's uh, it's about we got
to take a break real quick.But interesting stuff. I mean, you're
going to be cover, You're gonnabe doing it. I usually go to
it, so, um, wellthere's some nuts stories, but I just
you know, there's since we bothexperienced, let's let's just talk about that
a little bit after the rig.Okay, yeah, right, go very

(35:06):
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(38:51):
Radio Whip just surgeony I on theBall. Hey, welcome back to twenty
on the Ball, Hero Sports fourteensto the Earth. Steve Tuesday, Jason
with us today seventeen minutes. Giveus a call five two old four one
six seventy four forty. Uh youwanted to continue the conversation. We have
a couple of breaking news too,Yeah, you want to go to the
breaking news? First? Um,we didn't talk about the UA recruit.

(39:15):
Oh yeah, I guess we shoulddo that. And then the Kleb love
thing. Right, so we gopast real quick, a couple of these
things. Um. First of all, uh again U, it was announced
on social media that uh, TommyLloyd has another another commitment from another overseas
player. His name. I don'tknow if you should even try to say

(39:36):
it? Go ahead? Did youdo with it? Um? I can't
find I posted? Hold on it'sum it's uh Polis Polius Paulius Maurus m
U R A U S K AS. Yeah, he's he's a six
foot kid six foot eight kid outof also out of Lithuania. Um so

(39:59):
another another year old guy again.You know, you see some responses to
this when he's not getting enough Americanguy, YadA, YadA, YadA.
You know, a while back hegroupist that he wasn't getting any guys,
and now that he is, andyou're still unhappy, So get the hell
out of here. Just unhappy peoplewill always be unhappy people, exactly.
And then word is out that Calebloved and Michigan point guard I'm not mission.

(40:23):
The North Carolina point guard who wentin the transfer portal committed to Michigan
is now not going to Michigan andhe's back in the port You wouldn't know
what the reason why no admissions.Oh they wouldn't let him in. So's
there's yeah, so I don't knowif he'll be allowed to get in here,
right right right? So so anyways, um so there's there's those couple

(40:46):
of things. Um, this justcame up, and we'll talk about final
fours and stuff like that. Thisjust came up though. Um. Jason
Sheer posted this answer to a questionby Dave Hekey. I don't know where
this question right, I don't knowif it's an interview he did or that

(41:07):
somebody did. But it was aquestion to Dave, and it said,
and what are your hopes for yourconference as you move into the new phase?
And he said, I'm sure tosay it because it might change tomorrow,
but we're faced with a new andever changing world in conference alignments,
adjustments will have to be made,but I know that we will land in
a very good spot, certainly thehope. And who knows, whenever you

(41:29):
print, the result may be differentthan the hope. But would like to
be with the PAC twelve and continuethe great tradition of the conference. But
if not, there will be anew landscape and a new opportunity for the
University of Arizona. I mean it'sabout hope. We've been hearing right that,
you know, and I think that'ssort of been the hope of everybody.

(41:51):
If you're not going to the PACtwelve, you better have a you
better have a plan B. Andit sounds like they might have. Let's
take this call, oh cost back? Yeah, yeah, give us a
call back. We'll we'll try we'lltry and grab it before um. Anyways,
um we're in there. Does itsay that they're going to the Big

(42:13):
twelve, doesn't Somebody who's respond said, Oh, so, I guess we're
going to the Big twelve. Thosewho are unhappy will always remain unhappy.
Those who don't listen will always notlisten. Oh my gosh, All right
again I get I get so frustratedwith the people on social media. Get
out. Let's take this. Howyou're on the air and night in the

(42:35):
ball. Yeah, this is outon Phoenix. How are you guys doing
good? All? How are you? I'm all right, I you know,
I haven't called for a while,but yeah, I've been watching,
you know, seeing from me pullingall these kids from bliss Awnia, and
I'm not sure what to think he'sdoing because I don't know if any of
them can play these big guys.You know. It's kind of a little

(42:57):
head scratching, to be honest.Yeah, So you you're not believing in
Tommy not not in his recruiting.It's it's there's there's a word that starts
was asked and ends with kay thatI'm thinking about when it comes to it
right now, because I'm just beingimpressed by, you know, so a
few of them players. Yeah,but these his strategy to get big guys.

(43:20):
That's like they're gonna sit on thebench forever. I just don't understand.
So there's gins and ends. CanI buy a vowel? Could I
do? Uh? Well? Didyou shrure to me asking did you trust
Sean when he was doing his recruiting? Oh? He I woke it.
We gotta give him the devil hisdue. Literally, his was out standing

(43:42):
most of the time. He hada lot of you know, and that's
what Tommy won with Tommy one withShawn's likes. So he's home guys,
he's getting I'm I'm not sure he'sfaster. Is he ever gonna do anything?
He's sent as a rail. Itlooks like, you know, sorry,
but he's kind of let me askyou are you? Are you not?
Uh? Are you? How canI say this? Are you not

(44:04):
aware? Because you've never seen themplay, you don't know who they are,
and you saw the other guys,So you feel more comfortable or you
Yeah, you feel more comfortable.Yeah, you know they got more you
know. It's just like, uh, I know he was after the guy
for the kid from San Dieo Statethat they didn't get who looked really good.
Would have been great, and youhave a uniform. But unfortunately didn't
get what kind of I thought you'replayers that they're They don't pan out a

(44:28):
lot, and even Tabella's who hada lot offense, at least had an
offensive game. I mean, heis a lot of parts of hit game
that we're never there. So I'mjust always skeptical. You know, some
of the guys had gone Baggy gotlike if he gets another SA bonus,
that's a different store. But Idon't know about the ones he's pulling in
right now. Yeah, well youdid you do you know for a fact

(44:49):
the San Diego Kid is not coming. I didn't see that. I thought
he was announcing that we heard onSaturday. Oh I thought I saw somebody
because I thought because they got this, they keeping these I hear, like,
I thought these are the consolation Crocdidn't get this kid. I didn't.
I haven't seen that a sort something. You know, you read Twitter,
and sometimes you don't know what's thetruth and what's the uh you know

(45:14):
what's not not true? San DiegoKid comes in Saturday, or we'll make
it Saturday. So oh god,they need him, Oh they need him
so bad. So we'll see whathappens. I don't. I don't um
I understand what you're saying. Becauseyou haven't seen these guys. You don't
know how good they are, whetherthey're skinny or fat or whatever, or

(45:34):
fast or slower. Well, we'llsee when we see. But I you
don't know the unknown, you don'tknow what. You don't know, so
pretty much that's true. It's justyou know the first the results, like
I said, because Vaster came inso hyped up and then he I mean
he did, he did it,looked like he did it. He's the
project, you know, maybe,and that's what project not good, and

(45:58):
he is. I think he's gonnabe fantastic. I think all these so
called projects that you you labeled aregoing to be fine down the road.
I know we're into immediate satisfaction,and I'm not here to alibi coach Tommy
Lloyd, but I think that you'llbe okay with what he has. What
okay means I do not know?Right Well, that makes him feel better.
I appreciate that. I think hekind of was hurt by coming in

(46:21):
with so much talent and winning somuch, and now he's kind of it's
like if he doesn't have that.Everyone's gonna say, you know, he's
he couldn't he's kind a little bithow fun it's a double or to win
that much in initial how I usedto be a car salesman. One day,
one month, I sold seven cars. He told me send sel ten.
The next they said self fifteen.The next I got out of the

(46:42):
business. You understand what I'm saying. Well, I might have to read
your blu Please do you put outanother. I'm looking forward to thank you
all. Thanks for the call.Appreciate you listening. You know, if
he's not how it is, that'swhere we are, you know, because
you got you got guy like alwho liked Sean Miller's recruiting. And I

(47:05):
didn't want to you know, I'mhappy that he called, but I wanted
to say, so did you likewhen these guys would come in here for
a year and leave didn't show andyeah, and so you know, I
mean, it's a matter of what, you know, what matters to you.
You don't want to piss off theguests. I didn't want to piss
off the guests. I really didn't. I have some apply for you.
I know you're I know you're wondering. You know what happened to me,
But you know, what do youdo? But you know it's well,

(47:31):
we don't know though, right,I don't know. But we think Henry
Weiser is going to be good.I think but he certainly he showed flashes
of it last year. But youknow he didn't play because he wasn't doing
what Tommy needed him to do tobe able to play, you know.
And and it was the same situewith the Dama ball. Who's now gone?
All right, high, you're onthe air and on the ball.
How's it going today? What's up? Ryan? Well? Just calling about

(47:54):
you know, the recruiting thing.Um, you know. The one thing
and I've said past is one goodthing about the European players. Okay,
they don't have the ego like theAmerican players. And everybody complains if you
get why aren't we getting five starplayers? And one of the problems you
get the five star players they're gonein the year. Yeah. One good

(48:15):
thing about the European players. Mostof them stay two three years and you're
able to develop them right right,And then you know, and it's also
everybody says, well, Sean Millerhad all these guys, Well, Sean
Miller didn't win with these guys.Exactly. You're gonna write the tale of
my book, my next exactly.That's what we've been talking about. How

(48:35):
are you gonna make these people happy? You? You? You set the
example perfectly. You get you getgood talent to jump the ship, you
get them. I'm gonna stay herelonger you cry about it. I mean,
at some point there's a medium here. Yeah, making everybody happy thing
too. I was reading today aboutthat kid who went from Michigan to Kansas.
Yeah. Well, he's the firstperson I've seen admit that he went

(48:59):
for the n i OL money.Yeah, yeah, yeah, and he
did, and you know he didyou know, Yeah, that's kind of
that underground thing. Yeah. Well, you know. And also to the
kid who went from Carolina to Michiganwho didn't qualify grade wise, you know,
um, well that's not so,that's not surprising that he got to
play with Carolina and not have togo to school. They are pretty good

(49:21):
about giving away freeze free diplomas,sen letters to our coloradoe to us.
He's not lying. No, he'snot lying. He does evidence. He's
not lying. You're not lying,right? Well, no, I mean
when what's her name? When theygot in trouble, that guy said,
I got a degree. I didn'teven know how to read after four years
exactly all right, right, butyou know, and they said, well

(49:42):
it's available to every student. Idon't think that was, but it was,
yeah, exactly. Okay, Hey, Bran, thanks the whole bunch.
Man, appreciate it. You gotabout six minutes. All good points.
I mean, and they'll make somegood points too. And look,
the knock on the European guys,and particularly the guys that that you know
that uh Tommy Lawrders brought in isthat they're not tough enough. You know

(50:04):
what they're saying, Well, yougot it, you know, because they're
they're more finesse kind of players.But you know they you know, they
had they played with the beauty ofthe game. Wait a second, So
Sean brought in guys who were toughenough to well, you're right, you're
right, I don't remember. Maybeprepare them. Okay, we had five
to ten years, twelve years.We've got one guy, Solomon Hill is
tough guy. That was That wasthat was that was when you were a

(50:28):
young son. That was a Seanthat was a lout time of type of
sean thing. Yeah, okay,so but he was a finesse guy too.
He was a smart guy played inthe league. You know what I'm
saying, right, Arizona's got ahistory of not correct be tough enough.
This is just not a one coachthere. I mean, you know,
when you think about the remember theLout's first couple of tournament teams that got

(50:49):
blasted by by Charles Barkley and right, and just beat the hell out of
them physically. And I've said historicallythey're not They're not a tough group.
They're basketball playing. Yeah, exactly. All right. Hey, so going
back to you know, the finalfour stuff, I think you know you've
been behind the scenes of a millionof them because you've covered up however many
you know, four or five hundredof them right now, and uh,

(51:12):
you know, and I've worked afew, worked the NC double A ternams
and stuff. I don't I don'tknow that anybody realizes how much work,
how much working well without questions,and how much work it entails. And
it was funny because I've worked anumber of regionals, first and second rounds,
but I had not worked a finalfour until the last one. In
Phoenix, and the step up inthe amount of stuff that has to be

(51:36):
done and that they have to takecare of, and then the the staff
that they bring to do those things. People would be shocked as to what
it takes you put on a Finalfour. That's why I asked the question,
you know, where's the dividing linebetween what a host committee does?
You know what the NC double Adoes. She mentioned the host schools that

(51:57):
you know, Arizona State is thewhole school. I mentioned Doug Tamara who's
their sports information director. He's incharge of the media operation. And I
remember UM at one of at oneof the previous UH it used to be
that you had to host a regionalthe year before you host the Final four,
sort of as a dry run.And the regional that that they hosted

(52:20):
at the Cardinal Stadium the year beforeUH seventeen the Final four. Mark Brand
who was he was the sports informationguy. The notebook he had to carry
for just the media operation, itwas literally six inches there and he was
hauling that thing around. I feltlike, dude, you need a backpack

(52:40):
or a cart when you think aboutwhen you think about that, it was
just that piece of it and nowhow you know you have to with the
way the magnitude of the event.Now you know there's seventy thousand people you
know at these uh the Final four, Now it's a twenty five or thirty

(53:02):
thousand. No, that's like there'snot a wedding anymore or birthday party.
So the one thing the question Itried to be nice with and kind of
funny with was the was the locationright? And you've been to? Well,
you went to this. I've beento eighteen of them, and the
one in New York was horrible becausethe game was played in New Jersey.
We had to get in the bus. People in New York didn't give a
crap about the final four. Weuh. Places where you have to go

(53:25):
centralize San Antonio, New Orleans,the one in Charlotte, the one in
the Indie all place, one bigparty, the one in Phoenix people.
The one complaint I heard was downtownthey had the fan fast by all the
concerts. And then in Glendale theyget in your car and then have you
taken that trip to get across town? Yeah, it ain't. It ain't

(53:49):
easy. It's like an hour toget across town. So you can enjoy
walk around and see this thing.Can That's that's my only That's why I
asked the question. Well, likelike I think I said before, you
know, I work in that fourI drove home after the after after each
day. Sure, I just wenthome because it was going to take me
as long to get to hotel inthe middle of Phoenix exactly. I just
you know, high tailed it outof there. And and and to this

(54:12):
day, I kind of feel likewe missed a lot of of the event
because we came home and we're notyou know, we're not part of it.
And what we're gonna do it differentlythis year. Um, but uh,
you know, I'm looking forward toit. But that that that's a
tough that's a tough deal, uh, you know, for it to be
as separated as it is. Andher answer was a good one. They
want to kind of share the wealthand everything going around. But for the

(54:34):
fans, the fact that well,the fact of the matter is they don't
have the facilities out in Glendale.True, that's they need to have to
be able to do all this stuff. True, but have you been out
there? But the state it's plentyof room, and the new casino and
just the sin so so many thingsgoing on out there, you think,
But I get it. I getit. The thing about the travel,

(54:54):
like you said, it just asas long as it takes you to get
from downtown to two, it's almostan amount of time it takes you downtown
to get to Glendale because of thetraffic. Yeah, no doubt so.
So it's a great event. Oh, it's a fantastic event. Yeah,
being fans all over the from allover. Yeah, wouldn't it be cool
that Arizona plan event. And wethought we thought that was going to happen,

(55:16):
and was it twenty seventeen seventeen,we thought that was gonna happen.
I remember being I was angry,you know, because I worked the regional
in San Jose when it was lostto Xavier. I'm literally on the court,
yeah, and I I wanted Iwanted to go beat up Alonzo Trier
on the court right there. Waita sec. Okay, they get by
the game, They're not getting there. In the end, they were not

(55:38):
going to beat Gunzagging right and tothe to l to the point that we
kind of wanted to make with allthat Gunzaga team was a bunch of twenty
four year olds a bunch of men, a bunch of men that we're gonna
beat the hell out of Larry markingIn and Alonzo Trier and Raley Alkins.

(55:59):
We're all to twelve year olds,right, you know what? That's high
sort of um? What's the rightword? Came to Griffs with the fact
that they didn't get there was thata I don't know if they would have
beaten Gonzaga day, Yeah, itwould have been a heck of a game,
but who knows. A good showtoday, good show today, fun.
Thank you Jay Perry for joining us. And John Pronan, let's go
buy a piece of his team.He would like a horse, right like

(56:22):
the horse? Okay, tomorrow,back tomorrow. Dave hk will be be
joining us tomorrow, and I thinkI think we've got John Wilmer so we
can talk some Pack twelve stuff.Be sure to come back tomorrow