November 24, 2025 • 6 mins
Joseph Duarte Talks UH Basketball Ahead of Vegas Tournament
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
With Joseph Forte. He's at lunch in Las Vegas, getting
ready to cover you of age at the Players Era Tournament. Joseph,
what are you having, pluck?
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Well, I'm trying to have a nice, nice burger here,
but you know, some radio exac keeps calling. I know
my bad.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Hey, listen, take me through for the audience how this
tournament works for those that are unfamiliar with First of all,
the amount of great teams that are there. But they're
there for a reason. They're collecting checks. So explain the audience.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Yeah, it works. Well, it started last year there it
was eight teams. You had Houston, Alabama, Oregon, Rutgers, loaded Dame,
so it was, you know, eight teams. They went ahead
and made it eighteen this year and it's played now
in two venues over at Mandalay Bay. Houston's gonna play
at the MGM Grand Gardener Arena Arena, and every team
(00:51):
is guaranteed a one million dollar payout, which is pretty
good money for three days work. You're guarantee two games
and then well your guarantee all three. But you'll play
two opponents that you know of. They'll they'll do a uh,
they'll break down the scenarios on who advances to the
championship round, because there's there's a possibility there's multiple you know,
two and zero teams and uh yeah, you you play
(01:16):
and you get paid and the winner can get an
additional one million, and then I think it's like for
the one through four can get anywhere from one hundred
thousand to a million. And then, by the way, next
year is going to be thirty two teams and Houston
is was the first team that ever said yes to
to to this tournament and one first of it's kind,
and they sort of have a lifetime contract that if
(01:39):
they want to continue to play in this moving forward
as long as it exists, they're invited.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
And again, correct me if I'm wrong. This is strictly
money that goes to the kids. None of it goes
to the school or they.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Absolutely it's straight. It's straight to the kids. So you know,
last year, about a week after the game, maybe a
little less, the money was wired. And you know, they
do nil events here to as far as the rules
and how things are set up, and once once they
get back to campus, the money is distributed and it
(02:15):
is completely roster related and it's that this is the
way things are going. Kelvin Sampson said, it's a no brainer.
You have no choice. You have to play these now.
The invitationally costs an arm and a lag just for
the teams to travel out there, to the Islands, the Bahamas,
same thing. So this is the way teams are going.
And you mentioned the field. Half of the teams in
(02:37):
this eighteen teams are ranked in the AP Top twenty
five and they have also have a smaller fourteen women's
version of it where the Lady Longhorns of Texas are
playing in it. So this is the wave of the future,
and you know it's, to my knowledge, is only going
to get bigger the next couple of years.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Last year the Cougars had two losses out there. It
didn't affect the obviously as they went to the national
championship game. I'm assuming that Kelvin Samson kind of feels
and the kids in this exact same way. Let's get
see how good we are against the elites. Maybe it'll
pay off for us down the road.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yeah, you know, this is November and you've had Kelvin
on your show, and you know he doesn't get too
high or low on windsor losses, and the outcomes of
this week are not going to have any bearing. It
will be interesting to see Kris Sanak, Kingston Flemings, Isaiah Harwall,
all the freshman how they respond to really what's their
(03:34):
first big stage moment. But you know, they were four
and three coming out of this last year. Everybody thought
the sky was falling, and they went thirty one and
two the rest of the way. So it's pretty good.
And you know, I don't think anything bad can come
out of this other than getting their guys some much
(03:54):
needed experience for the Big twelve play that starts in
about a month.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
Two different players are projected on the Cougar roster to
be lottery selections. I know that's on a conversation piece
you're gonna have with Kelvin Sampson as more later than
the year. But it feels like to me the only
way they stick around is if the nil money comes
in big time.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Is that fair to say, well, I mean if you're
in lottery, No, I mean the nil money is not
going to be anywhere near what you'll get for starting
your NBA career. Where it affects people is take, for instance,
someone like Jojo Tugler right now, he's probably a second
round pick. He can come back. People project that he'll
(04:36):
eventually go, maybe go after this season. But why if
you can make more money in college right now? And
that's that's the way this thing works, you know, Kingston Flemings,
Chris Sanak. If there are lottery picks, Kelvin will be
the first one to tell them you've got to go.
But it's interesting you bring this up matter because I
was looking at a big mock board for this the
(04:59):
twenty twenty sixteen draft. I think the top twelve, maybe thirteen,
all but one or freshman. I mean, this is an
unreal year for freshman talent, and the big twelve has
quite a bit of it. With Darren Peterson from Kansas
Chat I can't say his name from BYU, AJ from
BYU and then he got to to Houston kids. Yeah,
(05:21):
so's it's a loaded class from a freshman perspective, and
there'll be some decisions that need to be made.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Last question, any rumors, I know I saw an Animal
Bowl representative of the game on Saturday for the Cougar
football squad. Any gut feeling on where they could be
playing bowling?
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Wise, I think it's two. I think it's two bowls
right now, Alimo Bowl or Texas Bowl. I would probably
at this point lean a little bit more toward the
excuse me, the Texas Bowl. But you know, the Alamo
Bowl folks were impressed. They liked the idea of having
a school like Houston that's not far away, that would
(05:58):
be able to get fans to travel. So I asked
Willie this morning on the conference goal. Not a lot
of movement yet on that. He expects maybe a few
days before that December seventh announcement. Is winning, we'll know
for sure. But the fact that we're talking about a bowl, uh,
it's a good step in the right direction for them.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
All right, look forward to reading your stuff.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Friend.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Thank you for the time, and thank you sure for
that lunch and jear Vegas
With Joseph Forte. He's at lunch in Las Vegas, getting
ready to cover you of age at the Players Era Tournament. Joseph,
what are you having, pluck?
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Well, I'm trying to have a nice, nice burger here,
but you know, some radio exac keeps calling. I know
my bad.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Hey, listen, take me through for the audience how this
tournament works for those that are unfamiliar with First of all,
the amount of great teams that are there. But they're
there for a reason. They're collecting checks. So explain the audience.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Yeah, it works. Well, it started last year there it
was eight teams. You had Houston, Alabama, Oregon, Rutgers, loaded Dame,
so it was, you know, eight teams. They went ahead
and made it eighteen this year and it's played now
in two venues over at Mandalay Bay. Houston's gonna play
at the MGM Grand Gardener Arena Arena, and every team
(00:51):
is guaranteed a one million dollar payout, which is pretty
good money for three days work. You're guarantee two games
and then well your guarantee all three. But you'll play
two opponents that you know of. They'll they'll do a uh,
they'll break down the scenarios on who advances to the
championship round, because there's there's a possibility there's multiple you know,
two and zero teams and uh yeah, you you play
(01:16):
and you get paid and the winner can get an
additional one million, and then I think it's like for
the one through four can get anywhere from one hundred
thousand to a million. And then, by the way, next
year is going to be thirty two teams and Houston
is was the first team that ever said yes to
to to this tournament and one first of it's kind,
and they sort of have a lifetime contract that if
(01:39):
they want to continue to play in this moving forward
as long as it exists, they're invited.
Speaker 1 (01:44):
And again, correct me if I'm wrong. This is strictly
money that goes to the kids. None of it goes
to the school or they.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Absolutely it's straight. It's straight to the kids. So you know,
last year, about a week after the game, maybe a
little less, the money was wired. And you know, they
do nil events here to as far as the rules
and how things are set up, and once once they
get back to campus, the money is distributed and it
(02:15):
is completely roster related and it's that this is the
way things are going. Kelvin Sampson said, it's a no brainer.
You have no choice. You have to play these now.
The invitationally costs an arm and a lag just for
the teams to travel out there, to the Islands, the Bahamas,
same thing. So this is the way teams are going.
And you mentioned the field. Half of the teams in
(02:37):
this eighteen teams are ranked in the AP Top twenty
five and they have also have a smaller fourteen women's
version of it where the Lady Longhorns of Texas are
playing in it. So this is the wave of the future,
and you know it's, to my knowledge, is only going
to get bigger the next couple of years.
Speaker 1 (02:57):
Last year the Cougars had two losses out there. It
didn't affect the obviously as they went to the national
championship game. I'm assuming that Kelvin Samson kind of feels
and the kids in this exact same way. Let's get
see how good we are against the elites. Maybe it'll
pay off for us down the road.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
Yeah, you know, this is November and you've had Kelvin
on your show, and you know he doesn't get too
high or low on windsor losses, and the outcomes of
this week are not going to have any bearing. It
will be interesting to see Kris Sanak, Kingston Flemings, Isaiah Harwall,
all the freshman how they respond to really what's their
(03:34):
first big stage moment. But you know, they were four
and three coming out of this last year. Everybody thought
the sky was falling, and they went thirty one and
two the rest of the way. So it's pretty good.
And you know, I don't think anything bad can come
out of this other than getting their guys some much
(03:54):
needed experience for the Big twelve play that starts in
about a month.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
Two different players are projected on the Cougar roster to
be lottery selections. I know that's on a conversation piece
you're gonna have with Kelvin Sampson as more later than
the year. But it feels like to me the only
way they stick around is if the nil money comes
in big time.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
Is that fair to say, well, I mean if you're
in lottery, No, I mean the nil money is not
going to be anywhere near what you'll get for starting
your NBA career. Where it affects people is take, for instance,
someone like Jojo Tugler right now, he's probably a second
round pick. He can come back. People project that he'll
(04:36):
eventually go, maybe go after this season. But why if
you can make more money in college right now? And
that's that's the way this thing works, you know, Kingston Flemings,
Chris Sanak. If there are lottery picks, Kelvin will be
the first one to tell them you've got to go.
But it's interesting you bring this up matter because I
was looking at a big mock board for this the
(04:59):
twenty twenty sixteen draft. I think the top twelve, maybe thirteen,
all but one or freshman. I mean, this is an
unreal year for freshman talent, and the big twelve has
quite a bit of it. With Darren Peterson from Kansas
Chat I can't say his name from BYU, AJ from
BYU and then he got to to Houston kids. Yeah,
(05:21):
so's it's a loaded class from a freshman perspective, and
there'll be some decisions that need to be made.
Speaker 1 (05:28):
Last question, any rumors, I know I saw an Animal
Bowl representative of the game on Saturday for the Cougar
football squad. Any gut feeling on where they could be
playing bowling?
Speaker 2 (05:38):
Wise, I think it's two. I think it's two bowls
right now, Alimo Bowl or Texas Bowl. I would probably
at this point lean a little bit more toward the
excuse me, the Texas Bowl. But you know, the Alamo
Bowl folks were impressed. They liked the idea of having
a school like Houston that's not far away, that would
(05:58):
be able to get fans to travel. So I asked
Willie this morning on the conference goal. Not a lot
of movement yet on that. He expects maybe a few
days before that December seventh announcement. Is winning, we'll know
for sure. But the fact that we're talking about a bowl, uh,
it's a good step in the right direction for them.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
All right, look forward to reading your stuff.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
Friend.
Speaker 1 (06:18):
Thank you for the time, and thank you sure for
that lunch and jear Vegas
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