BEST OF SMSS 1-28-2023

It's the Kohs Brothers show! Coach chats with Mercy HS Girls Basketball head coach Tim Kohs. Then he talks to Xavier HS Boys Basketball Head Coach Michael Kohs!

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
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three two three nine, five oneseven one. That's Flanagan Associates, North
Haven. Joining me now after thatMercy Mercy Mercy, I started saying that
years ago is the girls basketball coachat Mercy and it also happens to be
the athletic director. So see ifyou ever had a fire you'd have to

(02:14):
fire himself. But I don't knowif you know what I'm saying. It's
Timmy, Timmy, coach. I'dlike to call you in, coach,
and you have to turn around theother all right, what do you want?
I got to talk to you.All right, we'll come in and
sit down at the hell of aconversation. I hope it is. Good
morning, coach. Thank thanks forhaving me out. Oh that's all right.
Um So, Mercy's ten and two, right, yeah, ten and

(02:38):
two and you I didn't really andI had forgotten and I usually don't have
coaches on. I know you gota game today, you get this afternoon,
but you have the rematch with alot of rematch games this week.
We've been doing a lot of rematchgames Norwich Free Academy at your gym at
what three o'clock, three o'clock,and then Career Monday, and then you've

(03:00):
got the rematch with Sacred Art Academyon Wednesday night. And I will let
you know here and now that willbe there Henry and I sitting on the
stage watching this one unfold. Mercy. We did the hand in Sacred Od
Academy rematch last night. It wasjust a wild, great game we got
to it was unbelievable and Mercy SacredArt Academy on Wednesday night. What do

(03:23):
you think? What is your overallpicture of the SEC this year? Timmy,
You're pretty You're pretty good at this. Well. I think the league,
I really think I've been in itsince the beginning, it's been a
very competitive conference in all sports,but especially girls basketball. You look at
the number of state championships won byour conference, and I don't go to
and count them, but I thinkI'm pretty confident we have more than any

(03:45):
of the league since the beginning ofthe SEC, and I think it's by
a pretty good number. So Ithink it's really been historically a very good
league. And you know, thisyear it's really really super competitive, especially
at the top. I mean,I think we've always had good teams.
Really unusual even as long as I'vebeen doing it to see as many SEC
teams up. And we've had fourteams in the top five for the bulk
of the year, which is really, you know, really hard to do.

(04:10):
And especially what I like about itis, you know, we beat
Sacred Heart and beat us Hams,beaten teams, but people recognize the strength
of the league, and you know, you lose to a really good team,
you shouldn't be falling out of thepoll, which sometimes in the past
would happen. But people got tolook at who you're playing, you know.
So Sacred Heart lost to Hamden lastnight and that's a great game.
That was a great game. Um, all right, and you're right,

(04:32):
but to four of the top fivein the top ten the state polls.
I'll tell you what that's saying.Something, Uh, do you agree with
the way And you're an athletic director, so you go to these meetings and
as you're talking as a coach andas an a d I know, but
do you agree with the way theleague does their scheduling? Secum? Yeah,

(04:57):
you know what. I was oneof the I was of the maybe
the only a couple of people thatactually voted against the current system. Not
not really the current system. Ijust liked the old divisional alignment where we
played Sacred Heart every year, butyou knew you're at least your division alignment.
I thought that was good for scheduling. Besides that we did have the
same schedule, meaning if you werethe best team in your division, you

(05:19):
played the other best teams in theother three divisions, but the divisions were
stacked, you know, you werein the same when we went to this,
you know, round Robin. Iliked the concept of it. I
love playing competitive games. I tryto play the best teams I can out
of league and play Holy Cross withthe New Hampshire player and then let's play
NFA. So I'm trying to playgood games. I just thought we lost

(05:40):
a little, you know, theriot like Sacred Heart we didn't play for
the first time in a long timetwo years ago, and that never would
have happened in the old system.But in retro, you know, I
love these big games. I meanthe fact that I get to play Sacred
Heart, get to play Ham didn'tget to play hand when we're all good
and obviously we should all be terriblea year from now based on graduation stuff
like that, because it is itis, you know, it's based on

(06:00):
the previous two years. So whatdoes that tell you going forward? But
for the most part, the teamsare that are consistently good, stay there
and you don't and you get greatgames. And now this year we happen
to all of us be at alittle bit higher level than I think in
most years. So you're getting topfive matchups it seems like every other day
in our league. And so Ithink that's good. And I also think
it allows the teams that aren't ascompetitive to play, you know, with

(06:23):
the top teams, to not haveto see them. Obviously, everybody gets
to see one team in their division, the best team, but for the
most part, you get a prettygood schedule, and and I think it
helps some of those teams rebuild andget better and try to move themselves up.
The goals should always be to beon the top line of the of
the SEC schedule, and that meansyou're a really good team and playing really
competitive games every night. Yeah,and of course, and we mentioned the

(06:46):
teams you mentioned your Hands, SacredArt Academy, obviously Mercy and Hamden.
But let's face it, She andwhat a year they're having Westaven. We
can't leave them out west Aven,She who had a had a great game
last night. They also went againsteach other, but then again, nor
Theyven's having a great year with Jessicanew Weller first year and Bob Haslson at

(07:08):
four and as I mean, it'sno there's good teams it's good. You
know, I haven't very good andI haven't got Smike does a great job
of seat and we usually play themevery year. It's the first time in
a long time we haven't played them, so I haven't seen that group of
team. I've seen West Aven onfilm, I've seen a little bit of
stuff over them, but it's youknow, we didn't get any of those
teams, you know, so wegot the top three, and I'm not

(07:30):
seeing one of those four teams youmentioned during the year. So you see
him when you're scouting other teams alittle bit, but you don't pay as
much attention. But yeah, Ithink the league is is really really good
at the top, and I thinkthe next line is really good as well.
So it's gonna be a great conferencetournament. I think our teams will
will represent the league well in thestate turns as well. You'd like to
think of him. I think Ithink it's gonna be a great SEC.

(07:51):
I mean, wow, I can'timagine. But even some of the first
round matchups are going to be great, you know what, some teams are
gonna buy. Some of the firstround matchups is gonna be fantastic. Yeah,
I agree, and then you're gonnaget You're gonna get. You know,
let's let's say the Big four thatyou know what he's talking about.
We're gonna a couple of them aregonna play each other in this quarterfinals.

(08:11):
It's not gonna be the Big Fourin the semis because you just mentioned bren
she and are having great years.We're playing each other, knocking each other
off. The seating is gonna bevery interesting and you're gonna get a great
game or two in the quarterfinals aswell as what do you think about now
that the girls Now I've gone toone five divisions though, yeah, what

(08:35):
you what, I'm not a bigfan of that. I've been on that
girls basketball committee for a long time. That was more of a it was
more of an equity issue that thegirls basketball committee didn't think we needed five
divisions. I think you know thatthere's some difference between boys and girls basketball.
Obviously, the system the boys wentto only moved up to top at
first it was twenty now I thinkat sixteen teams in Division one y,

(08:56):
so you weren't making a full fifthdivision as far as splitting the state up
in you know, by twenty percent, um, we didn't feel we needed
five divisions competitively. I think thefour divisions worked well, but but it's
an equity issue where we're, youknow, given five state champion boys teams.
You know, CIC felt it wasonly fair, and I grew with

(09:18):
that that there should be five girlschamps. I just think it waters down
the class the girls tournaments a littlebit. And and now we've gone to
thirty percent. Yea qualification that wasreally because at forty percent, with splitting
them into five divisions, you're onlystarting with you know, what is that
about thirty four or thirty five teamsin these divisions something like that, And

(09:43):
and you you know, I've alwaysbelieved that the state tournaments creates a five
game like the NCAA's the sixty fourteams, you gotta win six games to
be champion in CI or you know, tournaments that we're set up for thirty
two, you gotta win five games. There would be very few five There
would be no five game tournaments ifyou were at forty percent or fifty percent.
You know, so the thirty percent, it's trying to get more balanced,
more deeper bractets with different but umyou know, bigger numbers of schools

(10:07):
qualifying, etc. And yeah,you get some bad games in there,
but you'll you remember the foreign baseballteam a few years ago that got in
an eight twelve and won the statechampionship. You know there could be some
teams down there that do well.Yeah, um, yeah, I guess.
But six when six out of twenty? Yeah, I know. I

(10:28):
mean, okay, I might listen. I'll live with it. But you
know what the boys coaches A coupleof SAIDs, I mean, well,
gee, girls are always looking forequal stuff. I understand all that.
How about us doing the same thing? What do Yeah, I don't you
know that. I don't really thinkabout the boys side. Yeah, no,
it's it's agreed. But that's upto the boys basketball compan If they

(10:50):
think it's that, that's you knowthat they need that to fill their bractets
or whatever. That's up to them. I think we have we have gone
back and forwards. I'm not abig fan of lessening the standards. I
think you could make an argument youstate tournament. You know you're but you
know, it's about opportunity. Youknow, it's about opportunity, letting keeps
play and and let's face it,you could be in our league and get

(11:11):
stuck with the hardest schedu you've everseen and be a pretty good six and
fourteen team, and you're better thana fourteen sixteen and fourteen and sixteen from
some other conferences. So it's easyto say things, but but there's always
an outlier that makes you know whateveryou do makes sense or not makes sense
in certain you know, under certainconditions. Now you you said you've been
on the state girls basketball committee nowfor several years. Yeah, um,

(11:35):
yeah, back when you were doingthe back when you did the All State
Bank. Oh do I remember,Tim? Yeah? Did some of your
banquet? Still? Is? Iremember? Just merci? That's right,
Yeah, that's right. Let meask you something. How how can I
put this? How amenable? Boy? That's a Henry? Remind me not

(11:58):
to use these bigger words on Saturdaymorning? How amenable is the committee?
And your guy's been around and youtell it like it is, You give
your opinion. I love that,And most of the time I'm with you.
Are they amenable to changes? Andthose? When you bring this stuff
up, you're talking because and you'realso a coach. I mean I that

(12:20):
coaches tell me they don't want tolisten to what we say. The coaches
on the committee, some guys havebeen told they don't need their services anymore
when they bring up stuff like this, and they're just they put them off.
What about you. Are they amenableto new ideas and doing different things?
Um, you know, from myexperience, I think you guys told

(12:41):
you a great job. Yeah,no, there they I've had issues,
I've brought stuff up. I mean, I'm a pretty outspoken guy when I
think I have something to say,and I like, I've never been you
know, I think they listen.I think they put I mean, you
got to get the committee on board. You gotta get people on board.
But yeah, they're they're very accommodatingto suggestions. I mean, I think
I think the five divisions really camefrom them. But the thirty percent we

(13:05):
went to, we tried to fillthe bracket, you know, again,
to try to have five round tournamentsthat we didn't think made a lot of
sense. We went to thirty percent. You know, the CIC is looking
to the out of season coaching nowfor the first time, and it's been
looked at forever, but I thinkfor the first time with real good possibility
of change. So they. Ithink the leadership up there doing it is

(13:26):
you know, very open to changeif they if they think it's good for
high school athletics. And I thinksome of the stuff that's coming down the
road is good for high school sports. And and you know, hoping that
that it changes. I think itdefinitely will change out of season coach and
get cetera, or somethings like that. Is it this year or is it
a year down the road, Butat least you see the possibility of it
happening now where I think four orfive years ago we just talked about stuff
and you talked about it in circlesand it never went anywhere. Is that

(13:48):
one of the changes then, beingon the committee that you'd like to see
as this coaching out of season?Yeah, and that that has nothing to
do with me being on Growth Basketball. I think it's good. That's yeah.
No, I've I've pushed for that. I think it's been m I've
brought it up at our at ourcommittee level. You know, I can
go back twenty five years. I'vebeen talking about it, and I think

(14:09):
it's you know, you go out, you go out of Connecticut and go
to Rhode Island and playing a summershootout, and New Hampshire and all these
schools they're all coaching their kids andyou know, coaching their summer league teams,
and you know, um, there'sa lot of value to having connection
with your kids throughout the off seasonand be able to do stuff. And
I'm a big believer in the rules. So my kids, we follow the

(14:30):
rules. We go to summer leagueby former captain or a parent is coaching.
We go to shootouts like at othercoaches coaching, and I sit there
and watch it, you know whatI mean. So I think it puts
a disadvanta the Connecticut kids to thedisadvantage. I think the rules are there
to be followed, whether they're rightor wrong, but they haven't been followed
for the most part. And Ithink CEI recognized that and is trying to

(14:50):
give the way you said that now, No, they're not being followed.
The no, no. But thereis a rule you can coach you on
so many of your kids in thesummer. The rule. The people don't
really know the rule. But youcan coach up to three kids, but
only if you run a team.You can't work with three kids. You
can only work with if I coachAU, and I can have up to

(15:11):
three of my players on my AUteam. I can't have an AU team
and have three of them practice togetherwith three kids on each team, because
that's more than three kids in yourfacility working with you. So um yeah,
so that's that's a little you know, and it's it's I mean,
the rule is there, so youcan't make an AU team of your high
school team or a summer league teamof your high school. It has to

(15:33):
be in an organized He used theperfect example. It's an organized outside organized
team where I could coach a teamwith up to three Mercy players on it.
If I have four, either Ican't coach that team or one of
those kids can't be on it.And you know that gets you into issues
when you're trying to stuff I understand. Wow. Um, but you would

(15:56):
think right now the state of girlsbasketball in Connecticut is pretty good overall.
Um yeah, you know what Imean, that's a tough question. I
think that I think it's competitive.I think they're very good teams. I
don't think I think there's issues withyou know, freshman, we have a
freshman team for the first time ina long time and not walked down.
We had a freshman team forever andthen for the last two three four years

(16:19):
COVID obviously, but they're just weren'tthe numbers. And then you look at
I'd say ten years ago, I'mjust guessing, but seventy five percent of
the schools in the SEC had girlsbasketball to freshman and JB numbers were good.
Now I'd say there's I think there'sfive, maybe it's six freshman girls
basketball team, so many friends.That's not good, you know it.
If you want more kids playing,you want more kids in the gym,

(16:42):
you want more kids to select yourteams from. I mean, let's face
it, if you're not, youknow, cutting kids, not that anybody
wants to cut kids, but ifyou don't have a bigger number going out
for your team than you want,then you're you know, You're talent level
is not going to be the same, you know. So, so I
think that's an issue. Um,but but that's an issue in every sport.

(17:02):
Enrollments are down statewide in schools,you know, so that means there's
less kids and now we're splitting thesame out. Like at Mercy, we
have sixteen sports and we used tohave six hundred and fifty kids. Now
we have sixteen sports with four hundredand ten kids. Let's say you know,
there's a lot less kids to goaround. You know, Wow,
that's unbelievable. Oh I didn't realizeanyway, I'll tell you what. Um

(17:22):
Well, as I say, it'sgood you're on the committee. You get
a voice heard and uh, youknow from from a coach, I think
is valuable to have on there andmaybe get some ideas. And I still
think the SCC uh in there andI know how they do. You know
this guy like you were talking acrossand all that, and you know the

(17:45):
grid. I don't know if I'ma big fan of that, but because
I still I think there's matchups thatyou talked about that are not played that
should be played every year, youknow what I mean, should be played?
Well, they're here some protection inthere, like like the matchups that
have to happen every year for themost part, and what has to happen.

(18:06):
But schools came into this league sheanin Lymon Hall. They play every
year no matter what whether they're whetherthey line up in the grid or not,
because there are two extra games.I'm just talking about basketball ball in
most sports. There's enough. There'salways games left where foreign in Law will
play Hillhouse and Cross will play sheand in Lymon Hall. The problem is
if you don't have like a schoollike me. I think Sacred Heart is

(18:27):
you know, has been our arrivalin a lot of sports for a long
time. But yet is Mercy SacredHearts rival or is Intown hamd in their
rivals? So you get it getstricky when you know you don't line up
with Mercy or Hamden. If yourSacred Heart and you only got two games
left, which one are you goingto play? You know what I mean?
So there they've been a longer standingrivalry with Hamdon they were with Mercy,

(18:48):
you know. So that leaves uswith all right, what is our
rival? Because we came into thisleague from outside it and so there's some
tricky stuff where you're not going toget everybody to play their games. But
I think for the most part wedo a good job and then everybody has
extra games that they can go playoutside of the six. That's right.
Yeah, I mean I fought andnot fault, but I mean I ranted
about that for a while. WhenI was coaching with Jeff we had eighteen

(19:11):
games. This time, we onlycould get two outside games now, and
I thought, and I like,the sixteen now gives you four outside games.
You can go play some good competitionor play somebody out out of the
state. I think that's great.I think that's a good thing. And
I think you know, well,we get some good matchups. Anyway,
Tim, it's it's always a pleasure. I look forward Wednesday night. I

(19:36):
look forward to this Mercy Mercy MercySacred Heart Academy rematch from earlier in the
year when you beat them at yourgym, the rematch in Himpton on Wednesday
night. Look forward to it.See the Mercy Tigers take on the Sharks
of Sacred Heart Academy and uh TonyCalcagney and the whole staff. Yeah,
we appreciate looking forward to it.Definitely gonna be it. I think it's

(19:57):
gonna be good game. Then bea dandy. Yeah, let's put it
this way. The roof will bea rock in its Sacred Art Academy.
How's that you got, as Tim, Tim, I don't doubt it for
one minute. Anyway, have yourselfa great weekend. I'll see you then,
all right, thank you, thanksfor having me on why n man

(20:18):
come in number one, number one, number one side. Yeah, that's
a Michael coach. Guys, it'sthe Brothers co Show today. Timmy on
earlier from Mercy, and now MichaelCoach joins me. Here's the boys basketball

(20:40):
coach at Xavier. Good morning,Michael, Good morning coach. How you
doing today? How are you doing? Could be a little better? Great
game last night, just go alittle bit short, wrong end of it.
But yeah, I was reading aboutit. Um played he played what
the notre name, number three teamin the state, and you gave them

(21:00):
everything you had and you lost seventyone sixty two. But as I was
and watching some highlights that you wereup at the half, weren't you,
Cody, I mean the final school. I don't think it is indicative of
you know, the type of gameit was. Yeah, it was.
Yeah, we had a we hada great first half. We actually played
great. It was one of ourbetter, more well played games throughout the

(21:21):
year. But you know, I'mreally proud of our guys. We played
awesome in the first half. Butyou know, no name is Notre Dame.
You gotta play them and you gottaplay for thirty two minutes and you
know, I mean it's inside aminute, coach, and it's a one
possi game. You know, it'stwo point game. With fifty seconds ago,
the game turns into nine because yougot to you know, fole a
couple of times. Yea, theymake their follows shot. So but it

(21:41):
was a great competitive game and ina really great environment in our school.
The gym was packed, it wasloud, just a fun high school atmosphere.
That's that's that's what you like tillI go for things like that.
Uh. Now, of course yougot Cheshire, Chesshire coming up this week
along with Ammony, and then yougot the governor well across a gain and

(22:02):
I saw that first meeting between thetwo teams. That was a little wild
game at the cross gym. Youget them back at your place next time.
Um, you got a good rnine and four. You're right,
nine and four, pretty darn goodto me. What do you think of
I mean, assess your team sofar after thirteen games in terms of what
you thought and how's it going?You know what, when you when you

(22:26):
start the year, coaches always doing, you look at a schedule and you
try and you know kind of figureout. Okay, where are we going
to be? Wins wise? Andalways you know, the SEC is brutal.
We take a little of the scheduleand you know, we opened and
at West Haven and then we getyou know, handed at home, and
then we have Notre Dame and wegot a Christmas turn which is always competitive.
So I'm looking at that, I'mlike, holy cow. You know,

(22:48):
we may have a tough time gettingout of the gate, but we
started really well and you know wegot out to Whenever. We're five and
one one a Christmas tournament, dramaticnasional for a very good class, very
team. Um so no, I'mpleased with where we are. Yeah,
it was this week. It wasa tough week. We you know,
we ran into a buzz saw Tuesdayand now at Handon, you know,
they played very well. You know, even coach said that was their best

(23:11):
game they played all year by far. And obviously you know, a battle
last night. So um, youknow, two losses this week, but
both both great games, both competitivegames, and I'm pleased with our guys.
We're getting better. You know,I have some young guys starting to
play, getting them a little bitinvolved, and you know, I've got
a kid, Aidan Driscoll is reallyour number two score great soccer player.

(23:33):
You know, we go all theway to the state game in soccer,
so you know, he didn't geta lot of preseason and under him,
and he's just starting to play betternow in the past few weeks. So
I'm happy we were at There's thingswe certainly could do better, but we're
going to get better. We aregetting better. Yeah, you mentioned Aton
Drisco, and you're right. Uh, very very steady, solid player.

(23:53):
Liked them a lot when I sawhim that night. But you also have
a young man on your team namedAnthony Parker who was a marked man.
I hate to say it, andhe's got to learn that, but he's
a marked man on the court.Double team gets hounded all over the place.
But boy, he can play Kenny. Uh. You know, he's
gotten so much better in the pastyear, but he could flat out score.

(24:15):
I mean, he's added a lotof strength in the off season.
I think that's really help to me. Finished now inside I mean obviously handles,
boy could shoot the ball well,he's great at driving the basket,
but now we could post him upa little bit inside. So he's just
an all round offensive threatened and yes, you're absolutely right there. Team's really
keen on him now and that's whatyou know, we're talking about as a

(24:37):
team and talking about him with theantity that you're going to see pressure.
Even last night before the game,I said, you know what, you're
going to see double teams all nighttonight because I know what Notre Dame wants
to do, and that's what theydid. But into these credits, you
know, he's fighting the open guy. And then last night we had you
know, they're double teaming him,running the second guy at him and he's

(24:59):
fighting the open man. And youknow, other guys did a great job
last night hitting open shots when theyhad him. And you know, so
we got out to such a goodleague in the first half. So now
he's he's a really special player.Yes, what about the SEC this year,
Michael, Notre Dame, Robert Cross, Fairfield Prep Hellouse. We did
the hundred that we're down. Wedid the prep of the prop the Cross

(25:19):
Hellouse game the other night, whichwas an outstanding game. Hampden. When
the Hampden team we know can playshow, i mean shows up there.
They're one of the top teams.Uh Xavier, you got them, you
got hand got Gilford, you gotsome good you got some good teams in
the league. This year is apretty pretty potent SEC, wouldn't you think?

(25:41):
Yeah? I agree, So theSEC turn, I think he's gonna
be something else. I mean youjust think about it. You just mentioned
probably ten teams you know, yeahJilford, I mean law North Haven,
Ye right up. Yeah. No, the league is deep and it's obviously
with Notre Dame and Cross at thehill House, you know, the top

(26:04):
and I'll throw it Fairfield Prepper inthere. It's you know, it got
some outstanding teams in the league anda lot of balances. Yeah, that's
what I thought. Um, I'vewatched you, coach. Do you get
I'm always interested. You don't getreally animated, do you. Well you
just talk to the wild man inyour the last half hour of my Brothers.

(26:25):
So, I mean people say nocompared to but see Timmy doesn't.
He doesn't rant you know, he'llyell and things like that. But I
mean you don't, you know,And I know you get up and say
things to the officials. I understandthat everybody what coach doesn't, but it
seems like you are the calmer.If that's the right word of the two

(26:48):
calls, would you agree with that? I agree with that anything. Most
people agree with that for sure.That's not to say I can't creak it
and don't creak it up, butI need no not that. No,
you you talk with you talk withTimmy after every game, just about after
every game, yeah, you know, sometimes the day later, pending on
a schedule play where Um yeah,but we usually do. I'll give him

(27:11):
a call, He'll give me acall. So yeah, we talked about
it quite a bit. You know, I don't say now this week you
could and you're moaning grown too likewhen you know I can. Yeah,
but you know what I try toOh, I try to see I mean
usually we played the same night andI try and get over there and see
Mercy play. So I was therethe other night on Thursday when they played
hand and Mercy played outstanding, youknow, really played a great game there.

(27:33):
And then he was at our gamelast night and it was the same
with the team. But my wholesavorteam was supporting there, supporting Mercy Basketball
on Thursday, and you know,Mercy was at our game last night.
So um, you know, it'sgreat to our kids do that. It
doesn't happen often because, like Isaid, most of the time we play
on the same night. But youalso started this girl's boys double hitter kind

(27:56):
of thing with certain sames. Correct. Yeah, you know what I heard
you talking about my Yeah, we'vetried to do it for for probably three
or four years now. COVID puta kind of a stop to it for
a few years. But so we'lldo a doubleheader or a xavier, which
we did a few weeks ago.We also did as our cancer benefit game,
right, and then you know,we usually go back and play a

(28:18):
doubleheader at Mercy as well as theschedule allows it. I heard you talk
about my brother with my brother alittle bit about the SEC scheduling, and
that is one of the wrinkles isthat the boys and girls you're not playing
the same schedule, so people willrealize how difficult it is. Yeah,
you get eduling number done. Numberone with the format is you know,

(28:38):
with the set divisions you have,you know, boys and girls are in
the same division, so you're playingin the same team on divisional night,
so you can you can do thingslike doubleheaders a little bit easier. With
that format. You're right, Andnow from year to year when they when
they do the division, sometimes you'renot even playing different divisions. Now you
don't even stay in the same division, you know. You know what I

(29:00):
always said, the goal of ours, as you know, one of our
first goals is to win a division. And I'll tell you every year,
I don't know what division. Imean, I gotta go back and look,
okay, because it changes every year. And I'm not saying that's a
bad thing. You know, Nomatter what, do we do it the
old format where you had the setdivisions, I mean, yeah, you
had the same team you played,maybe easier a little bit scheduling for boys

(29:22):
and girls a gibus um, butno matter what not everybody's happy with every
system you do. So this systemhas some advantages too with disadvantages. But
you can't make everybody happy, that'sthe bottom line. So you get the
schedule, you play what it is, and see where you end up.
Okay, Yeah, you seem likethat. That type of guys just said,
listen, that's what we gotta play. What are we gonna do?

(29:42):
But I think there are certain teamsand Timmy and I thought and I said
it even after you went off Imean, Mercy should play Sacred Art Academy
every year every year as you playevery year, right, Xavier Xavier,
much as you gotta play Notre Dameplay. I got played Fairfield problem.
Sorry, I mean you understand it, so do I. And that's just

(30:03):
the way, and that's a that'sa court because you know, I'm not
a quirt. But it's just theway the grid and that's just it works
out. So sometimes you light uptimes do right, you play who you
light up vertically and sometimes and horizonally, and sometimes you don't. Pristance.
We haven't and we haven't lined upwith Notre Dame. But because of what
you're talking about where you want throughcertain matchups, you know, we've been
put with Notre Dame for a fewyears and I'm fine with that. It's

(30:26):
good. Hey, I agree,we said play every year, right,
but far in that is, wehaven't played Fairfield preper We haven't lined up
with them in either direction, butwe I don't think we played them in
probably three years now because in thatextra, like you said, we said,
you're getting sixteen games if you getfor fourteen man dated games and then
you get the two extras in theleague that are built for those matchups.

(30:48):
Well, we're getting Notre Dame forthose two, so we haven't lined up
with prep there before. We haven'tplayed Prepp in a few years. So
yeah, I mean it granted youcould, you could schedule you get those
extra four excuse some flexibility with scheduling, but you know, hey, we
got a Christmas tournament that's still intoSome teams want to play some other people
out of state or out of conference, so you know, scheduling is certainly

(31:08):
not easy. If you know,you're right about that, if that was
a concern. Every coach is concernedabout all the things, but if there
was one bigger concern on the Xavierteam, and I loved what I saw.
What would be the concern for MichaelCoh's on a Xavier team with it's
on the offensive side, defensive side, what kind of things if they really

(31:32):
need tweaking and need improvement. Oh, we just got to make sure that
other guys are getting involved. Imean, we know Entity's going to get
double teamed and swarm defensively, soyou know, are the guys need to
be a little bit more consistent,you know going forward? And like I
said earlier, we're getting there.Other guys are getting are certainly improven.

(31:52):
We got a great game last nightfrom our point guard Matt Beleivance's usually not
a score, but he stepped up. Me and a couple of big shots,
had a couple of great play.You know, he ends up with
thirteen points. And that's the kindof thing that we need from our other
guys going forward. I think weare very good defensively and always one of
our keys is you know, rebounding, and I think we do a really
good job in both of those areas. And if you if you rebound with

(32:15):
basketball and play a good defense,you can have a shot to win a
lot of games. You will.You're absolutely right. Uh, And people
don't realize you watch the game lastnight. One of the biggest players of
the game. I did the HamptonSacred On Academy game last night, the
girls game. One of the biggestplayers in the game last night was not
the basket put in. It wasHampton missing a one on one or fall

(32:38):
shot, and they got the offensiverebound. When you get that offensive rebound,
now they forced Sacred Art to fallagain. They made him bum.
There's your ball game and they winthe game. But those are the key
plays. Those are the key andthose aren't the things that show up for
the box floor. But you're ahundred start right. Those are the plays

(32:58):
that that make the difference getting thatkey rebound, getting a key stop.
You know, you gotta do thoselittle things. You gotta dive on the
floor, do allose little things tobe especially to win a big competitive game
against a good team. Now you'reyou're practicing. You just say you're practicing
in a few months, so youactually now, I gave him this morning
off. I like Goldie, wehad we were going on in our gym,

(33:21):
but after last night it was suchan intense competitive game, you know,
to bring him back in and getin here early this morning. So
I said, you know it wasin a rare occurrence, I gave him
the day off today. But youknow, I'm proud of our guys for
the after they gave last night.Okay, you know it worked so extremely
hard. So so now we're gonnahold off and we'll go tomorrow. And
said, oh cattle, after youdrove me crazy saying you've been there me

(33:45):
nuts. And of course last week, folks, I won't even tell this.
He was supposed to be on lastweek. Well you at me.
I was supposed to be on twoweeks ago after you preempted me for al
Carbone. Well enough set hey,Mike enough said right there. Huh,
I'm saying there you go, right, And I had booked him already.
Had to come back and say,Mike the next week. Now I booked

(34:06):
him the next week. I hada text from Mike. You're the end
the week coach, come out ofyou off. But I'm basically dying.
Yeah, yeah, that's going on. He come coming out, you know,
I know you do. You're agreat guy. My son, my
son loves you, and he doesn'tmiss playing you either. He just told

(34:28):
me to tell you that there's afast first two because we had played a
number of years, no years.Hey, he's got a very good team.
Alright. So anyway, listen,I look forward to the line.
You just might. I'll look forwardto see you. I know the SEC
tournaments coming up, You're in therealready, and I look forward to.
I think the SEC Boys and Girlsteams tournaments are going to be outstanding this

(34:52):
year. I really yeah, Ithink you'll be I agree both of them.
Mike, have yourself a great weekend. Rest up, and i'll see
you own all right, Coach,thanks for having me.