ALL BALL: CBB Superfan Aaron Margelofsky on Marathon College Hoops Road Trip

Coach Gottlieb is joined by college hoops superfan Aaron Margelofsky, who has embarked on an epic ongoing  road trip to watch games all over the country at some of college basketball’s must-see locations, his favorite arenas so far, where he’s headed next, and his bucket list spots to hit before he’s done.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
Hey, it's Doug Gottlieb.

Speaker 2 (00:08):
Welcome in.

Speaker 1 (00:08):
This is all Ball A really good response from last
night's a kind of emergency pod with Joel Klatt. People
ask all the time about this life, if you will, right,
So my day today and this is on a Tuesday,
when we play tomorrow on a Wednesday, this was legitimately

(00:31):
my day. I didn't I didn't sleep great, and so
I was up at five am watching film until six
thirty am, and then I went downstairs one of my
assistant coaches, Andy Ground, who's actually was my high school coach.
He lives with me, so we talked some strategies, some

(00:52):
practice stuff from about six thirty to seven fifteen. I
then had popped into the office and I had to
sign some holiday cards for our biggest donors, and then
we went and had breakfast with my athletic director, Josh Moon,

(01:14):
and Kayla Carr Carrius who's our women's coach, with one
of our donors, Alisa Dollon, who's just the sweetheart of
a lady, and she was telling stories. She's a hoot.
So that was literally from eight thirty to nine, and
you know, it takes fifteen minutes to get to our
house was eight forty five breakfast, but I was there
at eight thirty and everybody know I was on Lombardi time,

(01:39):
So from eight thirty till nine nine I was there.
Then I had a race back. I had practice already
planned out, and we started film at ten o'clock. I
walked in at nine fifty two. I think film started
at ten. We were all We did film for twenty minutes,
then we practiced from ten to twenty to noon, then

(02:02):
metics the staff from noon to twelve thirty, then prepped
from my radio show from twelve thirty to one, then
from one to four did my radio show and that pod,
and then at four o'clock I had a couple other
I had phone calls with the donor. I had a
meeting with a player. I went down to our practice

(02:23):
gym because every player had to make one hundred threes
and make a hundred free throws, and I wanted to
go and talk with some of the guys that were
in there. Then I came back and we had two
recruits who were coming to campus. Their flights were delayed,
so they landed. I took pictures with them, then we
had meetings with them. We watched film with them, then

(02:45):
we went to dinner with them. Then I came home,
we recorded this pod. That's a full excuse my language,
that's a full fucking day right there, right and oh yeah,
by So now I'm home and I'm gonna watch some
more Santa Barbara film. Get ready for our game tomorrow
against really talented out shows and we don't know if
their point guard, Mira Little is going to play, so

(03:08):
we got to like kind of prepare a couple of
different game plans. He's really really they're very talented, they're
a good team, and he didn't play in their lost
to Utah Valley, so there are numbers. I think they're
one forty five in the Ken Palm, but they're better
than that. They're probably top seventy five when they're healthy. Anyway,

(03:28):
so we got a heck of a game tomorrow and
that's my day. But because of the response to the
emergency pod, and because as Aeron Margrelovski, I've started following
this kid on Twitter and he's like this huge college
basketball fan, going a game after game after game after game,
and he's got wisconsintized and he's a GB fan. I

(03:50):
was like, we got to throw this guy on. So
without further ado, you can fall him on social media.
Aeron Margholovski, who is. He's not a world traveler, but
he's a national traveler, watching as many college basketball games
as any human being I've ever heard of. Okay, So, Aaron,
I've been following you on social media and I love it.

(04:12):
We'll get to the text from your mom tonight. That's
freaking cool as well. But tell me about your background.
Where does your love for hoops come from?

Speaker 3 (04:21):
Yeah, so.

Speaker 4 (04:23):
Basically I always played when I was a little kid,
and we'll actually kind of reference back to Green Bay
when I was little growing up, my grandpa would always
take us to the Wisconsin Green Bay games, so we
would always go sit with him at the Rest Center.
That was way back in the days with like Keifer
Sykes Alec Brown. So that was kind of where it
was like that was the highest level basketball we really

(04:44):
got to see. We didn't really go down to Milwaukee
to see the NBA or go to Madison to see
Wisconsin Badgers.

Speaker 3 (04:50):
So that was kind of always like those were the
stars for us. And yeah, we're.

Speaker 4 (04:56):
Able to play kind of all through my youth. That
wasn't very good, but stuck it out long enough to
make varsity. So I consider that an accomplishment.

Speaker 2 (05:05):
Yeah, when high school went high school.

Speaker 3 (05:07):
It's Bondul High School.

Speaker 4 (05:08):
It's about a twenty five minute drive outside outside of
Green Bed, Okay.

Speaker 2 (05:13):
So played Varsiti there.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
Then what did you do for college? So?

Speaker 4 (05:16):
For college, I went down to I was at Butler
University down in Indianapolis. Again, it was kind of basketball influence.
They were always, you know, a cool, cool basketball program
there those Final Four runs when I was a kid,
and I went out and saw the school and loved it,
and I was like, this is this would be great,
Like I'll go there and get to go to ankle
Field House for your games. Like it was kind of
the kind of the perfect fit for me. So yeah,

(05:37):
I ended up moving down there to Indiana. That's where
I still reside.

Speaker 1 (05:42):
So what what is school like when you're in Indy
and you're a basketball fan?

Speaker 2 (05:49):
Like?

Speaker 1 (05:49):
What did you only go to Butler games? Did you
go to pas s IU Purdue High school games?

Speaker 2 (05:55):
Like? What was it? What was that experience like for you?

Speaker 3 (05:57):
Yeah?

Speaker 4 (05:58):
So when I was in college, I unfortunate didn't have
a car, so I was pretty limited where I could go.
So for me, it was pretty much all Butler games
when I was When I was in college, I didn't
get to go to I'd go to the occasional Pacers
game with a friend, but uh yeah, that was kind
of an after college when I all of a sudden,
I was like, a simply Haul is like an hour
down the road, Like, why have I never been there before?

(06:18):
Macrine is an hour down the road? Why have I never?
Like what am I doing? I should get there? Like
those are awesome, awesome venues.

Speaker 3 (06:24):
And that was kind of.

Speaker 4 (06:26):
Where the whole thing started, was like these spots are
really cool and close and might as well aboard I'm
looking for stuff to do?

Speaker 3 (06:34):
Why not go there? And yeah, just kind of snowballed
into into what it is now.

Speaker 1 (06:39):
Okay, so what year was this that you first started
kind of exploring out?

Speaker 4 (06:43):
Yeah, so it was it was back in the twenty
twenty three twenty twenty four season, So I was like
my first first year out of college, and I was
kind of going through the typical like you know, what
am I doing with my life? It just started working
all this kind of stuff. So I was kind of like, hey,
like yeah, I started with Assembly Hall and Mackie, uh
went over to Dayton, Cincinnati, spots like that that were

(07:06):
pretty close. And then yeah, last year I kind of
took it a step further. I was based up in
Fort Wayne, and I would kind of branch out to
a lot of the Michigan schools, the Ohio schools. Even
made it up to Mercyhurst University in Pennsylvania. That was
kind of my big trip last year. And then yeah,
it kind of evolved into this this year where we've

(07:26):
kind of been all over the place.

Speaker 2 (07:28):
So so what do you do for an actual living?

Speaker 4 (07:31):
So I work actually in uh in Carnmeal, which is
a suburb of Indianapolis. I have a pretty pretty standard
office job, but I'm I'm only in the office like
certain days out of the week, so I I've kind
of been using the days that I'm not there, along
with you know, PTO and stuff like that to to
branch out. But but yeah, I pretty much have you know,

(07:51):
a normal, normal job.

Speaker 3 (07:53):
Normal life.

Speaker 4 (07:54):
What what what is I'm a I'm a financial systems
and it's the title. So it's, uh, it's pretty boring
excel work, not not super not super interesting.

Speaker 3 (08:09):
I wouldn't say it, but it uh, you know, listen.

Speaker 2 (08:12):
I I wouldn't ship on your job.

Speaker 1 (08:14):
They might one of your people you work for might
be listening to this podcast.

Speaker 2 (08:17):
You know, it's the best. It's amazing. I love it.

Speaker 3 (08:22):
I do really like the people I work with, and
I like I like, I like our pot.

Speaker 2 (08:26):
But there you go, there you go. Now we're now
we're doing better.

Speaker 1 (08:30):
Okay, So uh, I want to get to the places
you've gone in a minute.

Speaker 2 (08:39):
But let's start with this kind of schedule.

Speaker 1 (08:42):
So when did you come up with the idea of, Hey,
this year, I'm just gonna go out and see ball
games all over Yeah.

Speaker 4 (08:48):
So part of it was influenced by the fact the
last few years my girlfriend's been living in Indeed, so
I didn't do too many road trips because I was like,
you don't want to spend time with her, of course,
And well the year she she's doing a ballet contract
up in Massachusetts, so she's been up there, and I
was kind of like, well, you know, I kind of

(09:08):
gotta I won't be able to spend all my time
up there, so I kind of got to pick my
spots and and then I was like, you know, I
should try to see like the last ones I haven't
seen in the Midwest, and that kind of just evolved
into into all of this. So and I did make it.
I've made some trips up there to see her as well.
I've made sure to pair them with basketball. But that
was kind of the basis for uh this year was like, yeah,

(09:31):
let's go, let's go, let's go everywhere, let's see, uh,
let's see what we can find.

Speaker 2 (09:36):
So and and did she play basketball?

Speaker 4 (09:39):
No, she did not she uh she I don't know
that she did any sports. She she just did ballet.
So I've I've don't worry. I've exposed her to plenty
uh to plenty of basketball. We uh we took her
to a Green Bay Green Bay campbell last year. She
got to come see that.

Speaker 1 (09:54):
So she had to go, oh, we were so bad
in the first half too.

Speaker 2 (09:58):
Good game became a good game as I can have.

Speaker 3 (10:00):
Yeah, yeah, who's that kid from Wisconsin?

Speaker 2 (10:04):
Yeah Jason uh snia.

Speaker 3 (10:08):
Yeah that was it. He uh he kind of.

Speaker 2 (10:10):
Broke his he broke his leg later.

Speaker 3 (10:12):
Yeah, right after that, I know, I was like.

Speaker 2 (10:15):
This is it.

Speaker 1 (10:16):
It's an interesting thing. So, you know, we we we.

Speaker 5 (10:20):
Had one of those years.

Speaker 1 (10:21):
Obviously last year is tough, but it was like it
seemed like every game there was somebody like Jason where
where was a kid from Wisconsin that GB didn't recruit?
And they hit a fucking three and turn and stare
at me like.

Speaker 2 (10:36):
Hey, dude, I didn't funk. I wasn't here.

Speaker 1 (10:38):
Yeah you know, sorry, Like you know I would have
recruited you, but you weren't available when I got the
job anyway, school, But that was Yeah. So you know
Campbell was last year. They were the hottest team in
the c A A and then he had a bad

(11:00):
leg fracture. I think, Yeah, their season fell apart, they
fired the coach, and now we played Campbell next week.

Speaker 2 (11:07):
There.

Speaker 4 (11:08):
Yeah, I tried to fit that one in, but I
kind of was like, I'm gonna go spend time with
my family at home for Christmas.

Speaker 1 (11:14):
That's a good Like, listen, I love it, you love
who and I love it to grow up watching GB basketball,
But always creak on the twenty third December or your family.

Speaker 2 (11:27):
I'd probably pick your family.

Speaker 3 (11:28):
Yeah, I probably picked a family on that one.

Speaker 4 (11:29):
So so yeah, we'll we'll have to find another day
to slide in the Green Bay Road game.

Speaker 2 (11:35):
Okay, Assembly Hall, give me your thoughts.

Speaker 3 (11:39):
I personally, I love it.

Speaker 4 (11:41):
There's really no arena I've been too that's like it
with just how steep the seating is and it like
it just feels like the roof is like right on
top of you. They obviously since I've been going there, like,
they haven't had the best season, so the crowd has
been a little I don't know what the right word
would be, maybe like rowdy and kind of frustrated.

Speaker 3 (12:01):
So you know, on that aspect, it's been a little shaky.

Speaker 4 (12:05):
But the actual venue itself is incredible and the history there,
like the fact you had like Bob Knight, the national
titles they had there. They have a great museum of
all the different stuff. So I really love that one.
It's it's probably my top three.

Speaker 1 (12:19):
I'd say, Okay, did you sit in the I don't
know where'd you say, because the second deck is so
far back there. Yeah, the court level I think is
really good. Where'd you sit?

Speaker 4 (12:29):
Yeah, So it's actually I've I've sat in both spots,
so I've I've sat down low before. It was really cool.
I've also I took my brothers last year and we
sat up top. That was a little it's high. It's
very uh you feel like you're looking down straight down
at the floor. It's definitely a little bit of an
obstructed view, but uh, you know it's still cool, like

(12:52):
the entire time you're just sitting there like I'm in
as simply haul like how cool is this?

Speaker 2 (12:56):
You know?

Speaker 3 (12:56):
So I really uh, I didn't really enjoy that one Mackie.

Speaker 4 (13:02):
See, I would put Mackie above Assembly Hall in my
in my rankings, and it's clearly because every game I've
ever gone to the crowd there is just phenomenal. Like
I I was just there a couple of weeks ago
they played Acron. It was like a Sunday night. You know,
at most places, Sunday night, a mid major school coming in,

(13:23):
like you're not gonna fill the building, and like Mackie
is the same for that that it is for an
Alabama game or an IU game or a Michigan State game.

Speaker 3 (13:30):
Like they don't they don't take a night off there.

Speaker 1 (13:33):
Uh.

Speaker 4 (13:33):
And the arena itself is pretty standard, but just like
how loud it gets and there are student sections, phenomenal,
all the different traditions they had, Like I, I absolutely
love it there. It's it's top of the line that
that's definitely the like if you've never been there, like
you have to go to Mackie and and again it's great,
you don't have to you don't have to pick like, oh,
I need to be there when they're you know, host

(13:53):
in Michigan and it's a top ten matchup. But you
can go and they're playing Mississippi Valley State and you're
gonna get a great crowd.

Speaker 2 (13:59):
So how do you get your tickets?

Speaker 4 (14:04):
So pretty typically I just wait till the day of
and I I'll usually just grab like the cheapest seat
wherever I'm at discipent. I've had some people reach out
and offer me tickets, which has been great, But yeah,
so usually I just.

Speaker 3 (14:17):
I just kind of show up with no plan and
go from there.

Speaker 5 (14:20):
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Speaker 1 (14:33):
Okay, so let's get to your tour. This year, Game
one was where so one.

Speaker 4 (14:39):
Me and a buddy and my friend Owen, we went
down to that. It was the Field of sixty eight
tip off. It was down in South Carolina, so we
went to those were the first three. So it was
actually the first game of the season.

Speaker 3 (14:48):
Was really cool.

Speaker 4 (14:49):
It was at eight am, got up. It was such
a cool environment. I had a really great time at it.
And yeah, so that was where we That was where
I started kind of my road trip was from there.

Speaker 2 (15:03):
But how did you get down to South Carolina? You
gotta work?

Speaker 4 (15:11):
Yeah, so I actually, thankfully, I do have some PTO
that I've saved up over the course of the year,
so I was able to.

Speaker 3 (15:21):
We drove down at the weekend.

Speaker 4 (15:23):
We actually stopped and saw like a college hockey game,
in a college football game, and and actually a college
volleyball game as well. And yeah, then the next week
I had to hop on and do some stuff for work,
being as it was like a start of our month
and we had we were busy with.

Speaker 3 (15:39):
But I just took some PTO didn't have to go
to Indie that week.

Speaker 4 (15:42):
And that's kind of how structured sometimes, like if I
get a chance, I'll just take PTO for a stretch
and I'll then I won't be an Indian and then
I'll come back and spend a longer stretch in Indian
and kind of be in our office more and and everything.

Speaker 1 (15:55):
So okay, So Field of sixty eight though was played
where in South wasn't it was?

Speaker 2 (16:02):
Where was it?

Speaker 4 (16:03):
It was in rock Hill, South Carolina, which is where
Winthrop University is. But it was like at the they
had like a it was a brand new I think
it was primarily used for AU they said, like Darren
Peterson and Boozer played there last year, so it was
primarily like an AU venue. But it was just a
nice little arena. It wasn't too far from Winthrop's campus
and and yeah, it was just outside of Charlotte.

Speaker 1 (16:24):
I think was where the where the city was, so
then where too, So it's gonna.

Speaker 4 (16:30):
Be a long list, uh we uh we. Then the
next day we went to Dukin, Texas for in Charlotte.
So me and my to dad we took that one
off and that's where he left me actually, so I
was I was solo for the rest of this I uh.

Speaker 3 (16:44):
From there, I went to Athens to.

Speaker 2 (16:46):
See Ye hold on Hold one. So that's Charlotte's NBA arena, right, Yeah?

Speaker 3 (16:51):
Yeah, how was that? It was cool? I really liked it.

Speaker 4 (16:55):
They had They had a really cool wall of all
the different universities and schools in Charlotte. It was the
Dicky V Classics, so they had him there. They did
a whole bunch of tributes and everything was awesome, And yeah,
I really really had a good time with that one.

Speaker 3 (17:08):
The cooleste dude too. Anytime you can see Duke.

Speaker 1 (17:11):
What did you think of Carlos Carlosh, what'd you think
of a Boozer?

Speaker 4 (17:16):
I did like Boozer. I was a little I felt
like the whistle might have been a little generous in
the second half on that one. But I did think
he was a good player. So I was getting some
flashbacks from the twenty fifteen National Championship with Duken Wisconsin
in the second half there. But I did think he's
a good player and I'm excited to see what he
can do this year.

Speaker 2 (17:37):
Okay, so where'd you go from Charlotte?

Speaker 4 (17:39):
So next up was down and I went to Georgia.
So they played Maryland Eastern Shore. The arena was cool.
I loved you, like, the campus was beautiful. I got
to walk around there, check out the football stadium all that.
It was a beautiful spot. But but yeah, as for
the game, they Maryland Eastern Shore had more turnovers some points,

(18:00):
which is usually in a basketball game is not pretty good.
So venue was cool, A game not so much.

Speaker 1 (18:08):
Where was next next?

Speaker 4 (18:11):
I drove all the way down to South Alabama because
me and my brother stopped there the summer and we
just walked around, checked out the arena and I was like, well,
I've been there.

Speaker 3 (18:21):
I got to get to a game there. So that
was the next step.

Speaker 2 (18:24):
So who did they play?

Speaker 4 (18:27):
They played Alcorn State. It was actually a really good game.
I think, uh South Alabama won. You know, they had
a nice defensive stop in the last few seconds, but
it was a it was a good contest.

Speaker 3 (18:39):
I was kind of not.

Speaker 4 (18:41):
Sure some of those, like early early season five games
can be kind of blood, but no, it was a it.

Speaker 3 (18:47):
Was a good game.

Speaker 2 (18:48):
It's a big like roundhouse, isn't it.

Speaker 3 (18:51):
Yeah, it was a pretty pretty good sized arena.

Speaker 4 (18:54):
It wasn't super full, and being like it was a
I think at the time it was a Thursday night
and like the weather was actually nice.

Speaker 3 (18:59):
Outside, so there was not a ton of a ton
of demand for that one. But I had agree time headed.

Speaker 1 (19:03):
So now when you go, do you always like buy popcorn?
Do you never buy anything?

Speaker 2 (19:09):
Like? Do you do the same thing every night? Which I.

Speaker 4 (19:13):
In the because this is all kind of a self
funded operation. I gen generally try to uh like I'll
get I'll pick up you know, fast food or something
before the game, or you know, I'll just have like
a protein shake when I walk in. But every once
in a while, if they have like a cool little
like souvenir cup, you know, sometimes I'll fall for that.

Speaker 3 (19:34):
And end up going with one of those.

Speaker 1 (19:36):
So so you're at USA, yep, but somewhere too.

Speaker 3 (19:45):
So after that, I went to Ole Miss.

Speaker 4 (19:47):
Uh they were playing Louisiana Monroe, and uh Ole Miss
has a very very nice, brand new facility. Yeah it was, uh,
it was pretty. It was pretty incredible.

Speaker 2 (19:58):
I was.

Speaker 3 (19:58):
I was impressed with that one.

Speaker 4 (20:00):
And they had again game wasn't a ton to write
help about, but it was a it was a beautiful,
beautiful spot there. Everything brand new, modern, like every possible
amenity you could think of was they had not.

Speaker 1 (20:13):
There, dude, and and you like it, like how did it?
Because it's one of those new SEC places where it's
not huge, right, it's only I want to say, like
nine or ten thousand, but like perfect.

Speaker 4 (20:26):
Yeah, yeah, it's uh, it's got a lot of the
seatings kind of along the sidelines, and it's very much
like the upper levels are kind of built to feel
like they're towering over the floor.

Speaker 3 (20:36):
And yeah, I thought, again it's hard.

Speaker 4 (20:38):
It's kind of hard to judge because it wasn't super
full like it would be for ANTCC game. But I
thought it was a really like nice spot to watch
a game. They have a they had a really good
student section for that as well. I was there in
the pre they had a football game the next day.
That was the pre uh Lane Kiffin when Lane Kiffin
was still there, So there's a little bit more let's say,

(20:58):
like excitement around the around the school then. But no,
it was a really really good time and met lots
of great people down there too.

Speaker 1 (21:07):
So okay, then then then we're so you you're Alabama, Mississippi,
South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi.

Speaker 3 (21:14):
Then where yep? So the next day I went up
to Memphis.

Speaker 4 (21:18):
I was Memphis versus San Francisco and that's at the
Arena in downtown Memphis. It's the home of the Grizzlies
as well, which I will say, their fan base is
really really passionate, like they were locked into the game
from the tip. They were very, very very passionate, but again,

(21:39):
like it's just an MBA arena.

Speaker 3 (21:40):
It's massive.

Speaker 4 (21:41):
It's really tough for a program even as good as
Memphis to fill.

Speaker 3 (21:45):
So I did really enjoy that one.

Speaker 4 (21:47):
But yeah, that was one where it's like, wow, this
is a huge space for just not a lot of people.
But it was overall a very good game and and
San Francisco is a fun watch too.

Speaker 1 (21:55):
So okay, So when you're when you're not now you're
in the South, yep, when you're traveling around and drawn,
you know you're kind of on a beer budget, right yep?
Where are you eating? Where are you stopping? What are
you what are you doing? Like where you're staying? What
is this adventure like in terms of hotels as well?

Speaker 4 (22:12):
So, uh, I will generally try when I'm driving, especially
if I've got like a lawn travel day, because I'll
usually get up and find like a coffeehouse to work
at if I'm if I'm working remote for the day,
So I'll generally try to cover a lot of ground
at night. And what that usually means is I'll just
find some rest area and I've got a nice little

(22:33):
setup in my trusty Red Prius that's outside and I'll uh,
I'll just kind of camp over for the night, and
then it gives me yeah, and then uh, it's not glamorous.
It's not glamorous by any stretch. But I kind of
thought like, hey, like I can either do a couple
of days and and stay in a hotel, or like, hey,
I can do a whole really long, ridiculous road trip

(22:54):
and we can make it work out of the prius.

Speaker 1 (22:56):
So okay, but you're talking to me now from a hotel,
so you you violent on some level?

Speaker 3 (23:01):
I am?

Speaker 2 (23:01):
I am.

Speaker 3 (23:01):
I did.

Speaker 4 (23:02):
I have on occasion been like I kind of do
need like a bed tonight, and today was one of
those nights, so I I did.

Speaker 3 (23:10):
I'm in uh, I.

Speaker 4 (23:11):
Mean Greenwood, Mississippi right now. So I ended up just
making the stop after after tonight's game.

Speaker 1 (23:16):
So okay, we'll get to Greenwood in a second.

Speaker 3 (23:19):
All right, So we got a lot of games to cover.

Speaker 1 (23:21):
Here, yeah, I know, after Memphis anyway.

Speaker 4 (23:25):
Uh So after Memphis, this was one of my really
long haul ones. Anthony Roy last year was at Green Bay,
so I decided I wanted to go.

Speaker 3 (23:35):
Out to see him play because he's at Oklahoma State now.

Speaker 4 (23:38):
So I was like let's do it. Let's make the
trip to Oklahoma State. It was Oklahoma State, Texas, A
and M. It was a great game, and yeah, Oklahoma
State smoked him. It was awesome and the arena was
phenomenal and people were great. But Roy was hurt so
he didn't play, which was too bad. But everything else
was great. I I had such a good time and

(23:59):
still Water, the the venue is great.

Speaker 3 (24:01):
There's so much.

Speaker 4 (24:01):
I didn't realize there was such a wrestling school. I
maybe should have been more tapped in on that, but
I I just had no idea.

Speaker 1 (24:07):
But yeah, it was wrestling Hall of Fames right there.

Speaker 3 (24:10):
Yeah, yeah, that was the other thing.

Speaker 4 (24:11):
I was like, I knew were the baseball and the
basketball and the football, but not wrestling. So but now
it was a It was a really really fun game.
Their student sections phenomenal. D Like, it was just it
was so much fun. And then yeah they smoked them,
so it was a nice little win.

Speaker 1 (24:28):
Yeah. Okay, so after Stillwater, then wear too.

Speaker 4 (24:32):
So after still Water, this is when I kind of started.
That was my furthest West stop. So I started trekking
back and I went to SIU Edwardsville. Sure did they
even I gotta They played Indiana State. So my brothers
drove down from Wisconsin and we met up at that one.

Speaker 3 (24:49):
Got to go too together.

Speaker 4 (24:51):
And they have a pretty like it's a pretty small
it feels kind of almost like a big high school gym,
but they had a really good student section.

Speaker 3 (24:57):
They had a really uh they have a lot of hype.

Speaker 4 (24:59):
Last year they made uh I think last year they
made the tournament for the first time, and uh so, yeah,
everybody was really excited, like that was probably one of
the most full gyms I've seen all year at this point.

Speaker 3 (25:09):
So and uh yeah, it was really fun. They lost unfortunately, Indies.

Speaker 4 (25:14):
It kind of kind of shot really well that day,
but uh yeah, it was a it was a cool
little stop.

Speaker 3 (25:19):
And I got to see what my brother so's that's
a good time to you.

Speaker 1 (25:21):
What's your brother do for the me?

Speaker 4 (25:23):
My brother is actually a well he's an Amazon driver
to make money, but he's actually a high school basketball coach.
So where at Bondable he is the uh he is
the C team coach.

Speaker 1 (25:38):
They have a team.

Speaker 3 (25:40):
Yes, we have a seat team.

Speaker 4 (25:41):
I know we're pretty small, but uh yeah, he said
they got he said they lost by forty tonight so
unfortunately he might have to work on his coaching skills.

Speaker 1 (25:48):
But it's probably it's probably not his nose, probably Jimmy's
and Joe's.

Speaker 3 (25:56):
Yeah, yeah, it's uh, the varsity is good. We got
a good SEA this year, but yeah, they.

Speaker 1 (26:02):
It is the Does the team play against other SEA teams?

Speaker 4 (26:08):
Yes, typically or if it's like a bigger school there. Uh,
I know they puted like Bayport's like fourth team. I
don't even know what they call that, but somewhere in
that somewhere in that level.

Speaker 1 (26:20):
Okay, from Edwardsville then where too?

Speaker 4 (26:22):
Yes, so from Edwardsville we went up to Champagne together.
That was Illinois Texas Tech. Because I think that's another
like really cool State Farm Center, Like they always packed
that place.

Speaker 3 (26:33):
Yeah, they gets so loud in there.

Speaker 4 (26:35):
And I had been to that one before, but never
with the student section there, and that was just like
a whole nother wrinkle at that really makes it like
such a fun environment. And that was probably like Jason
Topping had a huge game, but that was really the
uh I can't remember goes to Stakovich's breakout game when
he was just going crazy.

Speaker 3 (26:53):
So that was a super fun one.

Speaker 1 (26:55):
All right, did your brother stay with you for the
next game.

Speaker 4 (26:59):
No, so he actually and and this is kind of
where my my travel gets a little ridiculous. So I
was in Champagne and the next night I went to Bradley,
which is in Peoria, which logical conclusion would be.

Speaker 3 (27:09):
Just go for the hour.

Speaker 1 (27:11):
How far is that? Uh?

Speaker 4 (27:13):
I believe it's like an hour and a half something
like that, But I in keeping in line with I
am in India at times. I did drive back after
the Illinois game, so I worked the next day in
Indy and then when I got done with work, I
drove to Peoria watched it. It was a Bradley ut
Martin game. Yeah, it was a good game, you Tam.

(27:34):
Martin is a They're a really fun team. I kind
of wasn't familiar with them at all, but I they're
a good team, and I know they've upset a few
teams already this year, but yeah, they they I was
kind of going in like, Okay, Bradley will probably win
this by a bunch, and U team Martin really was
like kind of the better team all game. So it
was a It was definitely a a fun watch.

Speaker 1 (27:56):
Former former Green Bay head coach Brian Mortal Yeah. Yeah,
and Edwardsville's coached by former Green Bay assistant Brian Brooni.

Speaker 3 (28:05):
Yep, yep, we bought the green Bay Connections there.

Speaker 1 (28:09):
I beat them last year.

Speaker 4 (28:10):
Yes, that was one of the that was it was
s A U I and uh in Western Illini, I
think right away, right.

Speaker 1 (28:16):
Sure, yeah, okay, So after after Peoria, then.

Speaker 4 (28:22):
Where after Purity, I finally had like a rest day
where it's still like a normal day in Indy. But
after that I went down to I did a football
game in Louisville, and then I went to uh Cimo
Southeast Missouri State, which is in Cape Gerardo, Missouri, which
is a hike. I everyone's in a while with these,
I'll be like, I'm just gonna see you know.

Speaker 3 (28:44):
It's like, oh, I'll just go there. I'm not gonna
look at the drive time. It was far.

Speaker 4 (28:46):
It was it was like a six hour drive from
from Indy, so a bit of a hike down there.

Speaker 1 (28:50):
But it is amazing how many things are within like
a five.

Speaker 3 (28:54):
Hour Yes, it's like you could literally.

Speaker 1 (28:58):
Hit probably I don't know, fifty schools within five hours.

Speaker 3 (29:02):
Yeah, yeah, there's so many.

Speaker 4 (29:04):
I haven't even gotten to the ball, Like I've been
kind of systematically like Okay, i'll get this one next,
and there's still like I've still have been to Marshall.
Marshall's like three and a half hours and I just can't.
I haven't found a date that works.

Speaker 1 (29:17):
Okay, so you go down where I'm sorry, Southeast.

Speaker 3 (29:22):
Yeah, they're played Saint Thomas, which Saint Thomas is a
very good.

Speaker 1 (29:25):
Uh that is good. They kicked out of us.

Speaker 3 (29:28):
Yes.

Speaker 4 (29:30):
I don't know how to say the kid's name. I
think he's number four. It's like Minisalle something like that.
He's a really good player, like really good.

Speaker 1 (29:39):
Yeah, mart Markette High School.

Speaker 3 (29:41):
They have a lot of Wisconsin kids and they're good.

Speaker 1 (29:45):
Which is why did you want to play? That's why
I don't want to play yet.

Speaker 3 (29:48):
But yeah, I play them.

Speaker 1 (29:51):
I got to play in the next two years.

Speaker 4 (29:53):
I know they're they're they're a good team, like they're
my I met up with a friend down there and
he was like, I think we got a good shot today.
And I was like, do you know like anything about
some towns. He's like no, And I was like, they're
pretty good, Like they're really they shoot the ball really well,
they don't turn it over there.

Speaker 1 (30:08):
Yeah, they got Nick Nick Kanowski is awesome. Yeah.

Speaker 4 (30:15):
Yeah, yeah, they have a lot of really good players
and uh and and they're also just a very cohesive
team as well.

Speaker 3 (30:22):
They they do a lot of things, right.

Speaker 1 (30:25):
Yep, Johnny's built an incredible program. Yeah, sure, they're They're
they're really good. Okay, So after after you saw that dismantling,
then what.

Speaker 4 (30:36):
Yep, So then I went up to this was another dismantling.
I went up to Saint Louis. I've always been a
big fan of Josh shirts ever since he was in
Indiana State. So uh and they're really good this year
as well, so it's like I'll go check them out.
They played Grand Canyon and I was kind of thinking
that'll be a really good game, and Saint Louis is
really good. They kind of just smoked them. There wasn't
a it wasn't really ever a doubt. They have a

(30:58):
via I know they have a Milwaukee on their team
as well. I can't remember. I'm kind of bad with
the names if you haven't figured out, but yeah, they
it was kind of the same as the first one,
like they just really smoked him.

Speaker 1 (31:09):
Yeah. Well, and and Grand Canyon, uh one of my
former assistants went there. Oh yes, yeah, Jordan m Yeah,
I was a big Connell legend. He was.

Speaker 4 (31:23):
He was like when I was in high school, Like
he was like the bast you know. It was like
Jordan McCabe man like because he was. I always loved
telling people like Tyres Halibert and Tyler Hero were seniors
in Wisconsin the same year and either one player of
the Year and like it wasn't because they didn't like
they deserved it and didn't get it. Like there was

(31:44):
another kid who was better, and it was McCabe.

Speaker 1 (31:46):
Like he was just so incredible, uh and as good
a person as his as he was player. That's okay,
So okay, So Saint Louis. How far is Saint Louis from.

Speaker 4 (31:58):
From It was about four hours, So I've I've made
some trips over there to see Uh.

Speaker 3 (32:03):
I got to baseball team, so a big Brewers guy.

Speaker 4 (32:05):
So I made a trip over there, and I think
it was like three and a half hours to see
the Brewers. So so yeah, I figured I'd make their
turn trip for basketball.

Speaker 1 (32:14):
Okay, then where next stop?

Speaker 4 (32:17):
So I was I was talking to uh to your
producer earlier. I typically do D one. I've been trying
to work in some more D two and D three.
I I haven't been good at it, but I did
get a D two game in I had never been
to the University of Indianapolis in uh in Indy, India,
so I did that. As this was on a Sunday,

(32:38):
I did that. It's like a nice little day stop.
They put Grand Valley State, which is like a top
of the line D two program, So Grand Valley State
kind of beat him. But that gym was great. It
was super old. It had like the most uncomfortable bleachers
you've ever sat on. They're like nothing about it, but.

Speaker 1 (32:54):
Like it was great. It was incredibly uncomfortable.

Speaker 3 (32:58):
Just like it.

Speaker 1 (32:59):
Go get I get it. I I absolutely get it.
I get it.

Speaker 3 (33:04):
But uh, but you got to go.

Speaker 1 (33:07):
You need to go to Northern Michigan or Michigan Tech.

Speaker 4 (33:10):
I know that's I've I've actually been looking. That's on
the possible plans. The only problem is planning to go
up there in the winter seems risky. So I kind
of got to have some.

Speaker 1 (33:21):
I mean, they really know how to handle the snow there,
right because they get so what you gotta do is
got to come through GB, Hey be my guest at
the game and then go up. It's like four hours
up to the up from from from from here.

Speaker 4 (33:36):
It's a bit of a hike, but yeah that's uh
that's it is a hike.

Speaker 3 (33:40):
Hey, you have to remember I I'm used to it.

Speaker 2 (33:43):
No, I get it.

Speaker 1 (33:45):
The issue with the UP is it's like literally the
end of America. Yeah, yes, it's the end of.

Speaker 2 (33:53):
You know.

Speaker 4 (33:54):
So yeah, you're on roads and it's like there can't
possibly be anything past this.

Speaker 3 (33:58):
And then it's like, hey, here's the talent.

Speaker 1 (34:00):
Yes, yes, okay, so you go see D two you Indian,
but make sure he was you know, that's you, Indy.
It's a different school than I you Indy, which is
under you know, which is the old I E p
U I that's that's yes. When we saw us play, okay,
so then then we're after you Indy.

Speaker 4 (34:17):
Uh So I wanted to Purdue that night with my friends.
That was the actor dam and talk about game. Yeah.
Acron is a good team too.

Speaker 1 (34:24):
Yeah, they're good.

Speaker 3 (34:25):
They're gonna be They're gonna be a threat in the
MAC this year.

Speaker 1 (34:28):
Uh. I think they're the favorite and rightfully so, yeah,
we saw them in the Virgin Islands. We lost ye
in the first round. They lost to you on the championship. Uh,
they're really athletic, very well coached. John Gross does a
very good job. They're they're goo.

Speaker 4 (34:43):
Yeah, he's a he's an incredible coach. And like I
feel like they're every year they're they're good.

Speaker 3 (34:51):
And yeah. So uh then what was the stop after that?

Speaker 4 (34:54):
So then I had another like nice little break to
be in Indie, get my work done and uh be
in the office and uh. Then this was about the
time I was like, hey, like I have a girlfriend,
I should probably go see here. So I was like,
I'm gonna start making my way out to you, out
to Massachusetts. So I did make some stops along the way.

Speaker 3 (35:10):
I went to.

Speaker 4 (35:11):
Uh the first one was Ohio played uh Bethune Cookman
at uh down in Athens, Ohio. Yeah, and uh yeah,
that was a really good game. Bethune Cookman is a
very good team. I know they've given a few schools
some scars already that I don't think when they schedule it,
we're thinking like, hey, that'll be a by game, should
be easy, and.

Speaker 2 (35:32):
No people know.

Speaker 1 (35:34):
So Regis is the coach. I think he's the director. Yeah,
he is, and they do a deal where they because
he's the a d he can decide what they want
to do with their money. So they play like seven
eight guarantees it goes straight to their and I l
and I think they pay their guys as they go.

(35:55):
I don't know. It's a weird deal. But they have talent, yeah,
I know they have and does a good job. It's
just it's just hard to win those games. So yeah,
what was Ohio Us Arena like?

Speaker 4 (36:10):
So that one was very like and it's kind of
the case of a lot of a couple of the Macarins,
like ball States, very similar, but it's just kind of
like this giant bowl and the seats feel like they
go all the way up to like the top of
the roof and.

Speaker 1 (36:23):
It's like too big and old and needs to be redone.

Speaker 4 (36:26):
Yeah, and like there was a parking rant, like the
parking lots like under the arena. It's it's very uh,
it's very strange and like again, like a lot of
these schools have kind of more modern aretas. Now I
never checked what the opening date on that one was,
but it was it was definitely an old one. But uh,
it was like a cool spot to watch a game
like it kind of feels like everybody is right on
top of the court.

Speaker 3 (36:44):
And yeah, it was a great game.

Speaker 4 (36:46):
I think, uh, I think the Thune Cookman forced like
a myssterree at the buzzer was able to hold on.

Speaker 3 (36:51):
But but yeah, it was a it was a really
fun launch.

Speaker 1 (36:53):
Okay, so you're outuating with Matthew Sits and you stopping
in Athens. That where yep.

Speaker 4 (36:59):
So then that I went up to Ithaca, New York,
which is a home of Cornell University. So it was
Cornell played Colgate and that was probably the best game
I saw the year. It went to double overtime.

Speaker 2 (37:12):
That's my guy as my guy, Benny, Yeah, he's there.

Speaker 1 (37:15):
Yeah, Ben Cleedy, our former point guard starting.

Speaker 3 (37:17):
I remember.

Speaker 4 (37:19):
I remember he uh because I was at the Green
Bag game last year in Indianapolis. That was not one
of his finest games. But I do enjoy Washington as
a player. Yeah, and it's cool to see him again.
So so yeah, that was one of the best.

Speaker 1 (37:32):
So what Cornell's place like, It's very.

Speaker 4 (37:36):
Much like a it's very much like a high school gym,
Like it's got the wooden bleachers you enter in like
a little lobby type area like a high school would have,
and then you go ahead and go up the bleachers,
like it definitely feels a lot like a high school venue.
But yeah, it was a it was a what kind
of lacked for the venue was really cool for the game.

(37:56):
So went to double overtime. Cornell was able to hang
on and that was one of ones. I was driving
that night to Massachusetts and I was kind of having
a I was texting my girlfriend and she was I
was like, the games in overtime, Like, of course I've
got this long drive after and now it's an over
and I usually love overtime games because that means it's
a great game. She was like, oh, can't you just leave?
And I was like, I could, but it's an overtime,

(38:18):
as I think I gotta I think I gotta stick
it out. So and then it went to a second overtime,
and uh, yeah.

Speaker 3 (38:24):
I didn't have to make that one.

Speaker 1 (38:25):
How far.

Speaker 3 (38:29):
H it was.

Speaker 4 (38:31):
It was a little under four hours and it was
on a lot of back back roads with a lot
of deer.

Speaker 3 (38:37):
It's not not a fun drive.

Speaker 1 (38:39):
But uh, you mean, so you roll in it?

Speaker 4 (38:41):
What time I got there just before one am.

Speaker 3 (38:47):
Yeah it was I make good time, but yeah I did.

Speaker 1 (38:50):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (38:50):
I did feel a little bad on that one. I
had to. I had to make that one up to.

Speaker 1 (38:54):
Her, so she hang with her.

Speaker 4 (38:58):
So I was so basically like she's a she's a
ballet dancer, so she's typically like really busy with stuff
during the day.

Speaker 3 (39:06):
This is kind of how the whole thing started.

Speaker 4 (39:07):
Was like she was always really busy with her stuff,
and I was like, well, I'm sitting at home board August,
I go to an arena and uh so I was
there for I believe it was. I got there Thursday
and then I left again on Tuesday. But I did
fit some more games in the interim while she was
busy and stuff. So the first one I went down
it was a doubleheader. It was at the Mohegan Sun Rena, Connecticut. Yeah,

(39:29):
it was really nice and I was kind of my
brother's like, hey, we should we should plan to come
here sometime, like this could be a fun little watch
of basketball. But that was It was Boston University and
Harvard played the first game. Boston University won that one,
and then Providence beat up on Penn State in the
second game. So that was a I typically I was

(39:52):
a little conflicted, like I never know who her roofore
with the Big East Big Ten. But it was cool
all the Providence fans there, so I kinda I kind
of leaned into it.

Speaker 1 (39:59):
It's like, yeah, definitely definitely root for Providence in that situation.
Otherwise you could get shipped, you could get rough and double,
very very passionate fan base.

Speaker 4 (40:10):
Yeah, they're super I'm again, they're uh, they're very upset
about the Butler game this weekend and the officiated and
that might have accompanied it.

Speaker 3 (40:19):
So we've been.

Speaker 4 (40:23):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (40:24):
So after after Moagan's then you go back to Massachusetts.

Speaker 4 (40:26):
Yeah, back to Massachusetts and then again the next night.
It was like, she's busy. So I went down to Yukon.
It was Yukon Bryant. Yukon won by a million points.
That was at their arena in downtown Hartford.

Speaker 1 (40:40):
Yeah. I just got redone, didn't it.

Speaker 3 (40:42):
Yeah, And I forget to change the name on it
was like the Excell Center, so.

Speaker 1 (40:45):
It was I don't know what it's called now, but yeah, yeah.

Speaker 4 (40:48):
Yeah, I forgot the name already. But yep, I went
down there for that one. That was cool again too,
Like Yukon's another program so much history. I really wanted
to get to a women's game too, but like I
just like they were never they were home, but like
at weird times, and I never could make it work.
But but yeah, like they have all the banners for
women's basketball, for men's basketball. It's incredible what they've got

(41:10):
going on there. So that was really cool one to visit.

Speaker 1 (41:14):
Okay, and then and then uh, let's.

Speaker 4 (41:17):
See where did I go? Oh after that, this was
my last stop. Row went back to Massachusetts. I went
over to Holy Cross, which is I learned this they
have a national title.

Speaker 3 (41:30):
Didn't know that. I thought I was well versed in
my basketball history, but I didn't.

Speaker 4 (41:33):
I didn't know Bob Couzy. I know, everyone's like, how
did you not know that? And it's like I do
all the other ones. I just that was a gap
of my knowledge.

Speaker 1 (41:41):
So it was a little before your time.

Speaker 4 (41:44):
Yeah, just just to touch I was like, I'm pretty
good up to like the fifties. At least it was
in forty seven, so I was like, that's a little
My grandpa wasn't even alive then, but uh, but yeah,
so they played Ciena. That was a good game, seantle one,
but uh, that was a cool arena. It's right next
to their hockey their hockey rinks in the same same buildings,

(42:05):
so check that out as well.

Speaker 3 (42:06):
It was a cool little spot.

Speaker 4 (42:07):
So it's got them in the trip and then uh
then yeah, so this was where my schedule got just
my friends were kind of making fun of me, like
what are you doing? So I needed to get back
to Wisconsin for Thanksgiving. So I was like, okay, I'll
I'll drive down and I'll get a flight over to
uh Over home for the for the break. And but

(42:29):
I was like, I can fit. I can fit another
another game or two in here. So this was probably
the weirdest Giving gone to all year. It was an
Army played East Texas A and M and it was
at Fairley Dickinson's Arena.

Speaker 3 (42:41):
It was part of one of those mts.

Speaker 4 (42:42):
Where they have like the three teams, so you got
the weird, weird matchups and uh yeah. That was when
I was looking at tickets and I was like, it's
someone like thirty bucks to sit courtside. And I was like,
all right, we're gonna do that. That sounds fun. And
so yeah, I went and said sat courtside at the
Fairley Dickinson Arena to watch two teams that didn't play there,
and uh, it was awesome. Like again, you've you've been

(43:05):
around basketball a little bit more than MESU, but just
to see like those aren't considered like the top tier
D one, but like how strong and fast like the
players are when you're that close to it's ridiculous, Like
sure you could never like imagine that. That's how good
even like low level D one players are. It was

(43:27):
just incredible. So and uh, I have a lot of
friends that are perdue fans, so I made sure to
take plenty of pictures of like the banners from twenty
twenty three and and all the accompanying stuff. So I
made sure to kind of make sure I got my
shots in on them.

Speaker 1 (43:45):
I got I gotta share a story with you. So
this is, yes, this party.

Speaker 3 (43:49):
It's very cute.

Speaker 1 (43:51):
One of my dogs. So I don't have the volume
of stops that you have. But last year my son
turned sixteen. He lives in Oklahoma, his mom. So I
bought a car here and I drove it down. Uh
it's like an old four runner. I drove it down
to and I rented a car to drive back, and

(44:15):
I was I stopped it at Hutchison, Kansas at the
JUCO National Championship. So but I had two of my
dogs with me, so I stopped outside of hutch In
hutch at the dog park in Hudginson, Kansas and let
them run for like forty five minutes or an hour.

(44:36):
Yeah well no, yeah, they had that long car ride,
but it had been like four hours. But then they
were going to be in the car while I was
watching a couple of JUCO games. So I'd come out
like at halftime, let him out, and then go back
into the game whatever. So that's my that's that's my
and I did, Uh, I've done the car, slept in

(44:58):
the car before, Yeah, I sign should I actually kind
of dig that. My issue with it is, uh, my
issue is always when if it's cold, what do I do?
And yeah, hot, what do I do?

Speaker 4 (45:13):
So that's where I think we're going to work around.
It's a it is a hybrid, so it doesn't use
too much gas. If I just like let it run
over night, lock the doors.

Speaker 3 (45:22):
So thankfully, that's how I've been getting past that. I
tried one night.

Speaker 4 (45:25):
I was like, I've always seen the stories in like
Scandinavian countries they'll let their like little kids sleep outside
just to the cold.

Speaker 3 (45:32):
And I was like, oh, maybe that'll help you sleep better.
It didn't.

Speaker 4 (45:34):
And uh and yes, so I've thankfully been doing that.
This would be a much worse, much worse run if
I was, if I was doing.

Speaker 1 (45:42):
It with the sleeping bag. You have blankets, what do
you do?

Speaker 4 (45:44):
I have plenty of blankets, yet I have plenty of pillows.
My car looks like a bomb went off right now.
It's not good.

Speaker 1 (45:50):
How many miles in the car.

Speaker 3 (45:53):
This year? I think I've probably put somewhere between ten
and fifteen thousand miles.

Speaker 1 (45:58):
It's not bad. I would have thought a bit more.

Speaker 4 (46:01):
Yeah, it's uh, it hasn't been too bad, but it's
still a lot for uh, for like a two month
stretch in the winter.

Speaker 1 (46:07):
But yeah, but yeah, okay, so we're fairly fairly ridiculous.
I know what that, I know what that. I know
what that gym looks like with the weird kind of
shapes on the Yeah, the.

Speaker 4 (46:18):
Weird sil and yeah, yeah it's the track around its
super strange.

Speaker 3 (46:22):
But yeah, yep.

Speaker 4 (46:23):
So uh then this was I drove down. I was
actually gonna go to Villanova, but I severely underestimated how
much traffic there is it about because the game got
done at four o'clock. Severely underestimated how much traffic there
is in the Greater New Jersey h area when it's
four o'clock on a weekday. So I ended up pivoting.
I went down to Ryder, which is in just outside.

Speaker 3 (46:46):
Of Trenton, New Jersey. I saw a Rider play copp
And State, which there. Yeah, it was their gyms very small,
like IM saying it's.

Speaker 4 (46:57):
A high school gym. Isn't even really like most high
school gyms are big than their gym is. But it
was still like again super cool. You see like Division
one basketball and bat.

Speaker 1 (47:07):
Was that the game they won because they've only won
one game?

Speaker 3 (47:09):
Was that one cop And State won?

Speaker 2 (47:11):
Uh?

Speaker 3 (47:11):
They were it was their first.

Speaker 4 (47:14):
Uh it was Compon State's first like non con win
and like against a D one school in like thirty
five games or it was something ridiculous going back in years.
So yeah, that was cool to see. That was kind
of saying like, hey, I want to know what Coppin State.
I gotta go more Coppon State games. But we'll get
to that later. It didn't work out.

Speaker 3 (47:29):
For them, but.

Speaker 1 (47:31):
Okay they were too.

Speaker 4 (47:33):
So this was where I drove to Philly Airport again,
did the whole sleep in the car, got the early
morning flight back to back to Appleton so that I
could be home for Christmas or not Christmas Thanksgiving, did
that and uh so.

Speaker 3 (47:49):
It's home for Thanksgiving. Got to watch Packer win.

Speaker 4 (47:52):
That was all good, and then uh I flew out
Friday morning back to Philly, picked up my car again,
and I did another MTE at the Palusterra in Philly.
So it was Hofster played LaSalle and then Merrimack played Penn.
But that was when I just like, the plus are
so cool. Yeah, there's supper history in there. I just

(48:13):
couldn't stop smiling the whole time. I was just like
sitting there looking around, like I can't believe him in
the Pluster, Like how fun is this? And it like
just when you think of all the different players and
coaches and and even like fans going back almost one
hundred years that have gotten Sea games in that arena,
Like just how incredible that is that you're like sitting
in the same seats basically, And yeah, it was a

(48:34):
great time. So and yeah, then then my next step
after that I went up to. I did another MT
This was in a This was in Easton, Pennsylvania, which
is where Lafayette is.

Speaker 3 (48:47):
So it was, uh.

Speaker 4 (48:49):
I love the if you haven't figured out yet, I
love when it's like two random schools that aren't like
it's not their home gym and you get like Lemoyne
versus Monmouths was the game that day?

Speaker 3 (49:00):
Like the other teams are home teams.

Speaker 4 (49:02):
You really only have like family and maybe like one
or two fans that have come for the game.

Speaker 3 (49:06):
Sure, and the gym is super quiet.

Speaker 4 (49:07):
Can you everything the coaches are saying, everything the players
are saying, Like it's such a cool Again, I've got,
you know, coaches in my family and like to be
able to hear all the different things, like you wouldn't
even think about that a D one basketball coach has
to and their assistants have to think about in a game,
Like I always love that, and I love the big
crowds too, but like those quiet gyms are just like

(49:29):
kind of special when you're really into basketball. So sure, yeah,
I was able to. I saw it was Lamoy Momouth
and then Lafayette played ball State so that was that
was the worst shooting game I was probably seen all
year by by ball State. I gave a Ball State
friend a little crap.

Speaker 1 (49:47):
Oh, is that the game that they had like thirty five.

Speaker 4 (49:49):
Yep, thirty seven points. I I never got any confirmation
on this, but there was a weird like it was
a super bright flashing light out of the rafters and
it only happened during the Lafayette All State game. Nobody
on the court said anything. I don't think they me noticed,
but but both teams shot really poorly that game, and
I I kind of had some thoughts like, is that
is it the light or am I just like not

(50:10):
going crazy?

Speaker 3 (50:11):
But maybe that's.

Speaker 4 (50:15):
I only I only knew about it, So that's the game.
But uh, but yeah it was. It was a rough
go for them.

Speaker 1 (50:20):
That was not their their They fay around and scored
like ninety seven the next game.

Speaker 4 (50:24):
Well yeah, and that kind of went back into my
little conspiracy theory, was like, see they can shoot. I
I thought something might have been wrong, but uh, but
yeah they uh they picked up a nice one. I
think that was against Lamoine too, who was like the
two and o team going in the end of that day.
So so yeah, that was a nice little nice little
stop and then uh again, I worked my way back

(50:45):
up to Massachusetts. Uh so I stopped at Fairfield was
my last stop perform and back up there. I saw
Fairfield back the day play Green Bay. I was back
and we had when we had Alec Brown and Keeper Sykes.
I remember making my mom go because Fairfield had a
cool deer logo and I was like, I want to

(51:06):
see them play. They never come to the Midwest, so
I was like, all right, time to go see them.
So so them point New Hampshire. They have a they
have a conic kid as well that Hampshire does, so
I was able to check out that one and and yeah,
Fairfield was able to pull it with it. They got
a nice brand new arena up there that was really
cool and everything.

Speaker 1 (51:25):
So that's a redown one right in their campus. It's
really cool.

Speaker 4 (51:29):
Yeah, it was really nice. I had somebody from Fairfield
showed me around it. Really it was awesome. I had
a really good time there and then where so this
is where I actually took like a little bit of
a break. I went back to Massachusetts and then I
did have to We had like a little work thing,
so I had to fly back to Indy I did
work in a Butler game. It was Butler Eastern Michigan

(51:51):
at at Hanklefield House. Those are always like Hinkle's so cool.
There's just like so much history there. Uh they had
those incredible final four runs a few years ago.

Speaker 1 (52:03):
Yeah, I think when they redid it, I think they
made it better. I really do. It's amazing.

Speaker 4 (52:08):
And uh that's always been kind of the thing, like
they They've done so many things to you like preserve
the history but also make it like a nice place
to watch basketball. So like, anytime I get to back there,
it's just special. So many good memories from school, going
with my buddies and sitting in the student section and
everything like that. So well, those days are a little

(52:28):
past me. Uh, I still love going back and geting
to see everybody.

Speaker 3 (52:31):
So and then yes I did.

Speaker 1 (52:38):
That was h.

Speaker 3 (52:41):
That was a little later. What was my next stop
after this?

Speaker 5 (52:43):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (52:43):
Then know what it was? It was a So I
went back. I had a nice little weekend with my girlfriend.

Speaker 4 (52:51):
She had her had her ballet shows, so I got
to go see the nut Cracker.

Speaker 3 (52:55):
I watched her perform.

Speaker 4 (52:56):
U took a nice little weekend off for basketball, and yeah,
then I left Massachusetts. I went back down to New
York because her sister goes to Clemson, so in turn,
her dad has become a big Clemson fan. So we
went to the Jimmy d Classic at at Madison Square
Garden and that was my first time there. It was

(53:19):
so cool, like another one, and it's like, I can't
believe I'm in Madison Square Garden right now. And we
may have gotten really cocky when Clemson went up like
twenty points in the.

Speaker 3 (53:28):
First half and then watch them lose on a buzzer
beater that kind of stunned us. But other than that,
it was really fun.

Speaker 1 (53:35):
So yeah, and then a different experience for you because
you're not used to cheering for any money.

Speaker 4 (53:41):
No, no, usually I'll usually I'll try to like I'll
throw in some class for the home team stuff like that.
But uh, but yeah, and typically I'm pretty much like
I'm just there to watch basketball, check out who's good,
who's playing well, everything like that. So uh but yeah,
that was the uh. I stayed with him, and then uh,
then I flew back to Indians. We had another work

(54:02):
thing and so that was the whole We had a
work thing. But I also was like green Bay's playing
in Indianapolis. I gotta go to like, I gotta make
sure I'm in India around this time. So yeah, me
and my me and my roommates went down for the
Green Bay I You Indie game at at the Jungle,
which we won, which I was very excited about.

Speaker 1 (54:21):
I was.

Speaker 4 (54:22):
I was sitting right behind the Green mid bench. I
was very hyped up about it.

Speaker 1 (54:27):
I'm sorry if you learned the new words.

Speaker 4 (54:30):
My friends thought it was very very funny, but again
it was it was.

Speaker 3 (54:35):
It was a good get.

Speaker 4 (54:36):
We we started with the press a little bit at
the start and some of the shots were falling, but
like we were able to pull away. Preston Rudinger is
such a good player. It was a really good second half.
We also got like c J. O'Hara and Lebron Thomas
both had been games as well, so it was nice

(54:57):
to nice to see a victory because I was last
year we we had a bad second half of loss
and stuff.

Speaker 1 (55:05):
I was there, Yeah, that was that was there too. Oh,
I was, I was there too. That was the going.
What was Radford like? Because we were gonna play Radford
and then the game kind of fell through.

Speaker 3 (55:15):
So Radford's was.

Speaker 4 (55:18):
It was a very cool little it's like a big
indoor track type facility. They got the bleachers set up on.
That was another game that was against cop and State,
but they yeah, they hit a nice little setup. It
was a Sunday afternoon. There was like hardly anybody there,
but it was a pretty cool like spot to watch
a game. Uh, they had a guy score fifty three points.

Speaker 1 (55:40):
I think that was the game you're at.

Speaker 3 (55:42):
Yeah, he he just went nuclear.

Speaker 4 (55:44):
It was crazy. I've never seen anything like it. But yeah,
that was a that was a cool one. And Radford's
and like Bradford's kind of in the middle of nowhere,
so that was kind of another one. Like it was like, hey,
I gotta I'm going through there. They got a game,
like I gotta go see it, and it was cool
because the end up seeing a guy I think it
was the Big South record in points. It's like I
can always say I saw the guys that the Big

(56:06):
South Conference record and points scored when I was, you know,
a dumb twenty some year old and hanging out in Virginia.
So yeah, that was very very cool.

Speaker 1 (56:17):
What's the game you're most looking forward to coming up?

Speaker 3 (56:20):
Most looking forward to?

Speaker 4 (56:23):
So I would say last year, the the NIT finals
are always a Hinkle, or they have been the last
few years, and Chantanooga won. They were a really good
team last year. They lost their conference tournament and ended
up making the n T and they have like an
incredible stretch of games. They want to getst a lot
of bigger schools to make the n T finals, and

(56:46):
they end up winning the NIT at Hinkle. And I
was really stunned by like how much their fan base
showed up Channa Nuga is not exactly it's within the
five hours, I think, but it's not like super close.
They showed up a ridiculous amount of hink All. That
was probably the reason they won. They had such a
good fan base. And I actually did a different podcast

(57:07):
after that and I said, like, hey, like I was
so impressed with how good Chantity the fans were at
the n and they stitched it over like a little
video and montage from the n T and invited me
down for games. So I'm gonna go down there in
a few weeks after after the winter break, and I
think they played Furman. It's on national television, so I'm
gonna check that one out. And I'm really excited for it,

(57:28):
so it should be it should be a good game.

Speaker 1 (57:31):
Okay, I have three questions for it. Yes, first one
is when are you coming back to Green Bay.

Speaker 2 (57:38):
For a game.

Speaker 3 (57:39):
I have to figure that out because I have a
couple of trips home plan. But you guys are always
like at Robert Morris or other stuff.

Speaker 4 (57:47):
So I'm currently in the process of working that in.
I'm thinking maybe maybe when you guys play Milwaukee. I
gotta look at the schedule a little closer.

Speaker 1 (57:56):
January fifth, Yeah.

Speaker 4 (57:57):
January fifth, But it's definitely the list or the very weird,
weird Monday game.

Speaker 1 (58:02):
I don't really know that it's.

Speaker 3 (58:04):
Because there's nothing else. There's like no other games that.

Speaker 4 (58:07):
Day, so you guys, there are a few there, like
mostly again like the Swax Schools and I think the
Ivy League play by that night.

Speaker 3 (58:15):
But yeah, you guys will be front and center.

Speaker 1 (58:17):
So and then what what's your what's your next game
that you're you're playing on going to?

Speaker 4 (58:25):
Next game is Middle Tennessee State Tennessa State tomorrow up
in Murphy's Borough, Tennessee. So I know those are two
usually pretty good teams out of Conference USA. So yeah,
we'll be driving up there. Got a little half day
from tomorrow, so finshed up my shift in the morning
and then use my uh my precious, precious time off
driving up to Tennessee.

Speaker 1 (58:46):
Would you like help getting tickets?

Speaker 4 (58:49):
I mean, if you have any, I won't turn it down.
But again, if it's if it's too much of an obligation,
like don't feel don't feel any pressure.

Speaker 3 (58:57):
But it's always.

Speaker 1 (58:58):
Appreciated as out here's that works. I mean, I'd love
to tell you that it's it's a I mean, I'll
either do it, or I'll have my my director of
ops Kaine the captain do it, or just all I
gotta do is textra call the the opposing the coaches
of those games and they'll leave you some tickets.

Speaker 3 (59:17):
Yeah, that'd be awesome if you, if, if, if you
got the time for it. But uh, but again I
don't wanna. I don't want to stick. I don't want
to stick too much on you guys.

Speaker 1 (59:25):
So what is the what's what's the one that you're
that what's your uh your white whale? What's the one
place you most want to go? You haven't been for England?

Speaker 5 (59:36):
Uh?

Speaker 4 (59:36):
We walk ntil today. It was actually Mississippi Valley State.
That was kind of if I can ever you went.

Speaker 1 (59:41):
To Missispie Valley State, Yeah, that's where I.

Speaker 3 (59:43):
Was that tonight. So uh what was that like?

Speaker 4 (59:47):
It was It was very uh well, it's in the
middle of just absolutely nowhere here in Mississippi.

Speaker 3 (59:55):
It's break times, there's not a ton of students on campus.

Speaker 4 (59:57):
But uh, like it was just super we cool, Like
I'm in the Mississippi Valley State. Like it was kind
of always one. It was like, if I can get
to that, that'd be awesome. But you look at it
on a map and you're like, when am I ever
going to be in It's an I been in Mississippi.
I don't even know how to pronounce the town. So yeah,
I kind of made their priority. I was like they
were hosting Tarleton State, which is a non CONN game.

(01:00:19):
They almost never have non con home games that are
against D one opponents, so I was like trying to
make the trip, trying to drive down so uh so yeah,
this was my uh this was kind of it up
until today and and they kind of got smoked, which
was too bad. But uh but yeah, it was a
really cool atmosphere and like you see people who are
uh they were die hard Mississippi Valley State fans, and

(01:00:40):
like it's cool to see as some of these mid majors.
My friends actually will give me some crap about how
much I care about Green Bay basketball, and I'm like, hey,
like it's this is like my team and everything, and
and like it's cool to see like other people who
could also appreciate that that it's you know, very meaningful
to what might be like kind of a throwaway program

(01:01:01):
that you only see if playing by games, if you're
only paying attention to the top levels of college basketball,
and be like, no, like all these schools that you
know might not be always in the forefront, they have
like these really passionate people behind there, behind their programs
and in their fan base, and like that was really
cool to see down here, You've ben out what's considered
like almost a mean program of of of college basketball

(01:01:21):
that still exists. So I definitely definitely enjoyed that.

Speaker 1 (01:01:26):
Aaron, Okay, so what's your what's your white Whale?

Speaker 5 (01:01:31):
Though?

Speaker 1 (01:01:31):
What's the place you're like, man, I someday I'd love
to get there.

Speaker 3 (01:01:35):
That's a good question I have.

Speaker 1 (01:01:36):
By the way, you didn't come to see us play Kansas.

Speaker 4 (01:01:41):
I that was on that was on the list. It
was on the list, and then I got roped in
with a buddy, but I did get some flag for that.
But yeah, I would say, uh, Allen field House is
definitely up there. I would also Cameron Indoors another one
I haven't got t yet that I really like to do.

(01:02:03):
I would also say a little more obscure things. Something
I really want to do one day. Maine is the
furthest like northeast school in the United States.

Speaker 3 (01:02:13):
I would love to do Maine.

Speaker 4 (01:02:14):
And I would love to somehow work in doing like
one of the San Diego programs in some kind of
close stretch of time to you know, do do each
corner of the country. So I'd say that's kind of
my like thing I want to do next. I want
to maybe maybe experience with the cross country lifestyle a
little bit.

Speaker 3 (01:02:30):
But we'll see. Uh well, we'll see if that comes
to fruition. It's on the list.

Speaker 1 (01:02:36):
It's it's it's on the list. Yeah, well, uh, this
is pretty cool. I mean you need to you need
to either record a blog or take some nose whatever.
That's just you're getting experienced stuff that's so incredible in
your twenties and see all these things.

Speaker 4 (01:02:52):
Yeah, that's kind of been my My thing is like,
it's not gonna get easy any easier to do this
as I get older. And it sounds crazy to a
lot of people, but I've had a few people to
be like, oh, that's so cool, and it's like I'm
glad somebody. Like there's been so many times in this
on this journey that I've I've just been like, man,
it's really cool that I got to got to do this,

(01:03:14):
Like I got to go to this spot or see
this thing, and like it's just been very like very rewarding,
I would say, as much as it sounds crazy, but
it's been a very like rewarding and fun journey. So yeah,
I've I've been trying to I've been trying to work
in a little better. I've been trying to do like
the little post game recap things like that to get
a little better better at the.

Speaker 3 (01:03:37):
Disseminating the information out to people.

Speaker 4 (01:03:39):
But uh, but yeah, I mostly just do because I
love basketball and I love traveling and this is a
great way.

Speaker 3 (01:03:44):
To mix the two together.

Speaker 1 (01:03:45):
So pretty cool, It's pretty cool. Well, listen, it was awesome.
I had no idea about your level of excitement and
fandom towards GB. So really so that yeah, so now
we got to get now, we got to get you
up here.

Speaker 3 (01:03:58):
Yeah, after have to I've that's uh yeah, uh. I
would definitely say I always put bother.

Speaker 4 (01:04:09):
One because their mama mater, but but after that yet
it's it's definitely Green Bay. I do really I need
to need to make a trip home at some point
and get another another game. I neither of the Rest
or a Crest Center in there, So yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:04:22):
Like the best non conference opponent in the years that
the Crest. Tomorrow, You're not here. It's amazing place.

Speaker 3 (01:04:28):
It was funny at one point.

Speaker 4 (01:04:29):
At one point, I knew it was gonna be Mississippi tonight,
and I said, how ridiculous would it be for me
to get from Mississippi to Green Bay by whatever tips tomorrow?
And I kind of looked it up and I was like,
I could do it. But it's really fun, really fun. Yeah,
So I will be watching. I'll have I usually have

(01:04:50):
the games pull.

Speaker 3 (01:04:51):
Up on my phone.

Speaker 4 (01:04:52):
I'm usually not like I try to watch the game
in front of me, obviously, but I usually keep tabs
on the score and everything.

Speaker 3 (01:04:57):
Like that.

Speaker 4 (01:04:57):
So I'll be following the one and and yeah, I
hope movie we can get a nice, nice non com
went so yeah, but looking forward to it.

Speaker 1 (01:05:06):
All right, Well, let me know when you're coming up,
let me know those games, text me of those games
in advance. Now you have my number.

Speaker 3 (01:05:11):
Awesome, Yeah, and I can.

Speaker 1 (01:05:12):
I'm sure I can always get you some get you
a ticket or two for when you go to these games.
I can only tell you on the other side. You know,
I've always been a fan and I was a player
and now being a coach, like I wish we could
clone you, you know more people like you who just
love ball want to go seetball and appreciate it for

(01:05:33):
all it is.

Speaker 3 (01:05:34):
Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 4 (01:05:35):
I always try to like get my friends to taggle
on or something because a lot of times have no idea,
like there's even a game going on, and.

Speaker 3 (01:05:42):
It's like, oh, come and watch, like it's really high
level basketball.

Speaker 4 (01:05:45):
It's you know, it's not NBA, but it's it's some
of the really really really talented players that are playing
down the road at.

Speaker 3 (01:05:53):
Gym's where like you can sit right there and see everything,
like it's.

Speaker 4 (01:05:56):
Awesome and and yeah, so I'd encourage anybody like I
don't check out your team near you, Like, don't check
out a team that's maybe a little further away than
near from you. And like it's really cool some of
the different games and players have gotten to see that,
Like just you wouldn't have got if you're sitting on
your couch and doing whatever.

Speaker 1 (01:06:17):
So and if if you saw him this year, he's
a pretty good chance you'll see him at a different
school next year. This crazy thing works, you know, Yeah,
that's how it works. Well, Aaron, listen, I'm have all
college basketball coaches. We love your passion, so I'm gonna
try and get you. Just do many of these games
as possible. Awesome, be my guest when we come up

(01:06:40):
to GB. Make sure you reach out. We'll take care
of you. And thanks so much for joining me on Allball.

Speaker 4 (01:06:45):
Yeah, thanks for having me on this was this was
really cool. So I appreciate the opportunity.

Speaker 3 (01:06:49):
It is awesome.

Speaker 1 (01:06:53):
Okay, well that was great. I just it's so funny
he talks about old school, and he's talking about like
five ten years ago, Like the old school is old
old school. Nonetheless, it's great to have like the next
generation of huge huge college basketball fans. Tomorrow, the gauchows.

(01:07:13):
I'll get a pot after that. In the meantime, though,
my thanks to Aaron for joining me and sharing with
all of us his tail. I mean, just think about
that car ride to car ride to car ride, sleeping
in your Prius, randomly popping in on your girlfriend who
lives in Massachusetts, showing up for work, and then after
we're getting in your car and going to see a game.

(01:07:35):
I mean, maybe if I was in my twenties and I, yeah,
I just got my twenties. For a long time ago,
I was playing basketball and I was working to ESPN,
So maybe that maybe he's actually living the dream. In
the meantime, I truly appreciate you joining me. I look
forward to the next time we talk. This is all
ball

Speaker 3 (01:08:01):
App