December 19, 2025 • 8 mins
a look back at the last few games, including the Big East opener Tuesday Night
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Yukon Men's Basketball Coaches Show. Mike Chrispino,
Dan Hurley a little later on Solo ball will be
joining us as the Huskies come into this show riding
a seven game winning streak and winning the opener in
the Big East at home the other night against Butler.
But coach, a lot of things to talk about because
(00:22):
this season starts rolling and you had that stretch of
you know, top forty competition, six games, did well there
only lost one time. I guess let's start there. Where
do you think or what did you think you learned
about the team over the course of that grinder of
a schedule.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
We're playing neutral.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Sites at Kansas, all these places, and you know, you
had a bunch of transfers coming in, you had freshmen playing,
you had a lot of things going on. But I
know you found out some things about this club that
I think were probably made you kind of happy.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
I just think you find out that.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
You know that you got a shot with the team,
that the team, uh, you know, it's got the potential.
You know the potential quality. You know that that you
could be the potential is there to be good enough
on offense, to be good enough on defense to be
a good enough rebounding team, you know, have enough depth,
you know, and and.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
All those things. So I think, uh, you know, when
you obviously.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
There's a lot of improving the dude, there's a lot
of improving to do, you know, for I think for
most teams. But yeah, I think you just you start
to believe that your team, you know, you feel a
lot differently, you know, this December than last December.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Well, you know, it's interesting you were talking about depth.
Obviously you knew coming in you had some good players,
you had some good returning players. You had a couple
of juniors that you know, hunt around, stuck around, trying
to improve. And I think the last two games was
kind of significant for Jalen Stewart and for Jaden Ross.
Those two guys who played some minutes last year but
(01:56):
this year getting more significant time. They really impact did
these last two games. I mean, Texas is a really
good team coming in and then Butler riding high coming
into People's Bank Arena, and both of those guys Jalen Stewart,
Jade and Ross, it really had major impacts in winning
those games.
Speaker 5 (02:13):
Yeah, I mean there's an obviously there's a reason why
we believe in them. And there's a reason why you know,
we we've we valued them and and uh you know
and and uh you know, they're they're they're young men
that we're we've got, you know, just a deep connection
too from the recruiting process and uh, you know, in
in an era where where people don't stay together and
(02:36):
develop together, and it's you know, it's it's it's pretty
cool too, uh uh to have those guys with us
and and starting uh you know, to really see that
it paid dividends.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Uh, you know, dividends for both men. You know, they're
uh you know, they're only a little bit midway through
their career with us.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Uh at Yukon.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
So uh, I feel like with both those guys, the
best basketball's ahead of them. They play incredibly important positions
today in basketball, the the wing players with versatility, defensive
ability versus offensive ability, they're uh, they're they're as valuable
or almost more valuable than any other position. So uh
(03:18):
and they're great guys. I mean, they're Yukon guys, uh
through and through.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
And one thing that Jalen did in the Texas game,
and his size really is helpful at times isn't it
when you got to deal with some muscle against you. Uh,
Jalen seems to prove that he can. He can mess around.
He can he can mix it up if he has
to when teams are coming at you with with strength.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Yeah, I mean teams that have a you know, a
three four you know four three type of guys, or
if you need to switch ball screens and put.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Them on the center. You know, he's Uh.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
If you go back to last year, I think he
was uh, the job he did on Eric Dixon on
the road last year, it was was probably you know,
one of our best uh, you know, defensive performances individually.
You know, he ended up you end up getting you know,
getting good numbers, but you know a majority of those
were at the free throw line.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
But he uh, yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
He's he's flashed at potential and you know he's just
he's just such an important part at both ends of
the court.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
And and you know, listening to him after that Texas game,
I thought it was great to hear, you know, when
a teammate talks about winning first, not about what he did.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
And I think that's most of your guys are like that.
I mean, I think you built that into this crew
with their DNA. It's got to be gratifying for you
to hear that, right, I mean, that's what you want
from your players. And then when they come on afterwards
and tell the rest of the world, well, this is
what matters to me winning for my teammates.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Uh, that's just a great thing to hear.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
Yeah, I mean, just with Jalen, it's like getting you know,
I think that the person that you know, I ended
up talking to a lot during Jalen's recruitment was his grandfather, Robert,
who you know, you know, he's a really good man,
and I played a pivotal role in Jalen's uh you know,
development as a man and his uh you know, is
(05:09):
his character, his moral code, uh, you know, his his
his his heart for others.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Eventually, I think, you know, Jalen is going to you know,
become the player, you know, the marquee player, the the
the leading player on the team that that's coming for him.
Uh you know, uh, you know, before his career is
over here in college with us. But you know, i'd say,
right now, you know, if you're the you know, he's
going to play starter minutes. You know, he's uh, you know,
(05:39):
he's one of our most impactful players. And if he
keeps moving on the trajectories moving on, Uh, you know,
he's going to have a chance to to be a
championship player again here and have a chance to play
in the NBA.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah, he's averaging about twenty three minutes a game Jalen
Stewart junior forward about seven points for rebounds and think
about him. To coach, he seems to get him at
the right time, you know what I mean. He seems
to be one of those guys that comes up with
a play when you really need it.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Maybe he takes the charge. I don't know, he does stuff.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Yeah, he gets us off too in games.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
I think, you know, the the benefit of him starting
was you get us, uh, you know, get us off
the fast starts, you know, But I do there's a
you know, there's a next level from a cardio standpoint
that we got to get Jay stew too, because he did.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
You know, we tend to kind of get fatigued.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
In games and run out of a little bit of
gas in the second half. So being able to bring
him in off the bench, uh, you know where he
could play in in in three four minute spurts, uh
to the max, you know, sit for you know, sit
for two minutes, get back in there.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
I think, allow him to be you know, his most efficient.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
That's Jalen Stewart and Jade Ross who helped you get
to eleven and one beating Butler.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Uh, I'll tell you what.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
We we know he's a good defender, we know he
can fly, and we know, oh he's skies above the rim.
But when he does these things, I mean the splash
plays fifteen ninety five are in that building other night,
and that got things going, I felt.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Like yeah, I mean, uh, you know you could see it.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
And that's what we've seen privately for you know, for
a couple of years with Jay Ross. I mean, unquestionably,
the talent is there. I think it's all about just
confidence and opportunity, you know, and I think, uh yeah,
we're going to keep giving him the opportunity to keep
keep growing, keep developing.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
But you see it. I mean it's uh three and
D potential athletic ability.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
The guy could pass. He's smart. Uh you know, he's
tougher than you think. You know this guy, uh, you
know there's another guy that again he's you know he's
got a chance to be an NBA player, and he's
a little bit halfway through his career here.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Yeah, and for guys like me that watched every game,
whether it's pro or college.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
You can see it. He's he's got that athleticism.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
He had those three dunks the other night that were
you know, straight out of the NBA. I mean you
see that fifteen times a game in an NBA game.
But you're right, you've got to be in position to
make those kind of plays. And I don't know, how
do you rate the smartness of a player just by
what he can do in games or do you see
it in practice? How do you rate that kind of stuff?
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Yeah, you see it.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
I mean he's got that athletic pop and you know,
just he's a very intelligent guy.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
And yeah, he's a really good communicator and he can
you know, he.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
Can problem solve out on the court, and he can
identify things he's seen on film and he doesn't make
the same mistake twice, and you know, he knows what
we're doing for multiple positions.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
All Right, that's Dan Hurley, Mike Chris Bano back after
a quick time out, we'll get into what happened on
the opener of the Big East as Yukon took on
Butler just a couple of days ago. Back with more
of the Yukon Men's Basketball Coaches Show on Liarfield,
Welcome to the Yukon Men's Basketball Coaches Show. Mike Chrispino,
Dan Hurley a little later on Solo ball will be
joining us as the Huskies come into this show riding
a seven game winning streak and winning the opener in
the Big East at home the other night against Butler.
But coach, a lot of things to talk about because
(00:22):
this season starts rolling and you had that stretch of
you know, top forty competition, six games, did well there
only lost one time. I guess let's start there. Where
do you think or what did you think you learned
about the team over the course of that grinder of
a schedule.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
We're playing neutral.
Speaker 1 (00:42):
Sites at Kansas, all these places, and you know, you
had a bunch of transfers coming in, you had freshmen playing,
you had a lot of things going on. But I
know you found out some things about this club that
I think were probably made you kind of happy.
Speaker 3 (00:57):
I just think you find out that.
Speaker 4 (01:00):
You know that you got a shot with the team,
that the team, uh, you know, it's got the potential.
You know the potential quality. You know that that you
could be the potential is there to be good enough
on offense, to be good enough on defense to be
a good enough rebounding team, you know, have enough depth,
you know, and and.
Speaker 3 (01:17):
All those things. So I think, uh, you know, when
you obviously.
Speaker 4 (01:21):
There's a lot of improving the dude, there's a lot
of improving to do, you know, for I think for
most teams. But yeah, I think you just you start
to believe that your team, you know, you feel a
lot differently, you know, this December than last December.
Speaker 1 (01:35):
Well, you know, it's interesting you were talking about depth.
Obviously you knew coming in you had some good players,
you had some good returning players. You had a couple
of juniors that you know, hunt around, stuck around, trying
to improve. And I think the last two games was
kind of significant for Jalen Stewart and for Jaden Ross.
Those two guys who played some minutes last year but
(01:56):
this year getting more significant time. They really impact did
these last two games. I mean, Texas is a really
good team coming in and then Butler riding high coming
into People's Bank Arena, and both of those guys Jalen Stewart,
Jade and Ross, it really had major impacts in winning
those games.
Speaker 5 (02:13):
Yeah, I mean there's an obviously there's a reason why
we believe in them. And there's a reason why you know,
we we've we valued them and and uh you know
and and uh you know, they're they're they're young men
that we're we've got, you know, just a deep connection
too from the recruiting process and uh, you know, in
in an era where where people don't stay together and
(02:36):
develop together, and it's you know, it's it's it's pretty
cool too, uh uh to have those guys with us
and and starting uh you know, to really see that
it paid dividends.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Uh, you know, dividends for both men. You know, they're
uh you know, they're only a little bit midway through
their career with us.
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Uh at Yukon.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
So uh, I feel like with both those guys, the
best basketball's ahead of them. They play incredibly important positions
today in basketball, the the wing players with versatility, defensive
ability versus offensive ability, they're uh, they're they're as valuable
or almost more valuable than any other position. So uh
(03:18):
and they're great guys. I mean, they're Yukon guys, uh
through and through.
Speaker 1 (03:23):
And one thing that Jalen did in the Texas game,
and his size really is helpful at times isn't it
when you got to deal with some muscle against you. Uh,
Jalen seems to prove that he can. He can mess around.
He can he can mix it up if he has
to when teams are coming at you with with strength.
Speaker 4 (03:42):
Yeah, I mean teams that have a you know, a
three four you know four three type of guys, or
if you need to switch ball screens and put.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
Them on the center. You know, he's Uh.
Speaker 4 (03:51):
If you go back to last year, I think he
was uh, the job he did on Eric Dixon on
the road last year, it was was probably you know,
one of our best uh, you know, defensive performances individually.
You know, he ended up you end up getting you know,
getting good numbers, but you know a majority of those
were at the free throw line.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
But he uh, yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:11):
He's he's flashed at potential and you know he's just
he's just such an important part at both ends of
the court.
Speaker 1 (04:18):
And and you know, listening to him after that Texas game,
I thought it was great to hear, you know, when
a teammate talks about winning first, not about what he did.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Uh.
Speaker 1 (04:28):
And I think that's most of your guys are like that.
I mean, I think you built that into this crew
with their DNA. It's got to be gratifying for you
to hear that, right, I mean, that's what you want
from your players. And then when they come on afterwards
and tell the rest of the world, well, this is
what matters to me winning for my teammates.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Uh, that's just a great thing to hear.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
Yeah, I mean, just with Jalen, it's like getting you know,
I think that the person that you know, I ended
up talking to a lot during Jalen's recruitment was his grandfather, Robert,
who you know, you know, he's a really good man,
and I played a pivotal role in Jalen's uh you know,
development as a man and his uh you know, is
(05:09):
his character, his moral code, uh, you know, his his
his his heart for others.
Speaker 3 (05:14):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Eventually, I think, you know, Jalen is going to you know,
become the player, you know, the marquee player, the the
the leading player on the team that that's coming for him.
Uh you know, uh, you know, before his career is
over here in college with us. But you know, i'd say,
right now, you know, if you're the you know, he's
going to play starter minutes. You know, he's uh, you know,
(05:39):
he's one of our most impactful players. And if he
keeps moving on the trajectories moving on, Uh, you know,
he's going to have a chance to to be a
championship player again here and have a chance to play
in the NBA.
Speaker 1 (05:50):
Yeah, he's averaging about twenty three minutes a game Jalen
Stewart junior forward about seven points for rebounds and think
about him. To coach, he seems to get him at
the right time, you know what I mean. He seems
to be one of those guys that comes up with
a play when you really need it.
Speaker 2 (06:05):
Maybe he takes the charge. I don't know, he does stuff.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Yeah, he gets us off too in games.
Speaker 4 (06:09):
I think, you know, the the benefit of him starting
was you get us, uh, you know, get us off
the fast starts, you know, But I do there's a
you know, there's a next level from a cardio standpoint
that we got to get Jay stew too, because he did.
Speaker 3 (06:27):
You know, we tend to kind of get fatigued.
Speaker 4 (06:28):
In games and run out of a little bit of
gas in the second half. So being able to bring
him in off the bench, uh, you know where he
could play in in in three four minute spurts, uh
to the max, you know, sit for you know, sit
for two minutes, get back in there.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
I think, allow him to be you know, his most efficient.
Speaker 1 (06:49):
That's Jalen Stewart and Jade Ross who helped you get
to eleven and one beating Butler.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Uh, I'll tell you what.
Speaker 1 (06:56):
We we know he's a good defender, we know he
can fly, and we know, oh he's skies above the rim.
But when he does these things, I mean the splash
plays fifteen ninety five are in that building other night,
and that got things going, I felt.
Speaker 3 (07:11):
Like yeah, I mean, uh, you know you could see it.
Speaker 4 (07:14):
And that's what we've seen privately for you know, for
a couple of years with Jay Ross. I mean, unquestionably,
the talent is there. I think it's all about just
confidence and opportunity, you know, and I think, uh yeah,
we're going to keep giving him the opportunity to keep
keep growing, keep developing.
Speaker 3 (07:34):
But you see it. I mean it's uh three and
D potential athletic ability.
Speaker 4 (07:40):
The guy could pass. He's smart. Uh you know, he's
tougher than you think. You know this guy, uh, you
know there's another guy that again he's you know he's
got a chance to be an NBA player, and he's
a little bit halfway through his career here.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Yeah, and for guys like me that watched every game,
whether it's pro or college.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
You can see it. He's he's got that athleticism.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
He had those three dunks the other night that were
you know, straight out of the NBA. I mean you
see that fifteen times a game in an NBA game.
But you're right, you've got to be in position to
make those kind of plays. And I don't know, how
do you rate the smartness of a player just by
what he can do in games or do you see
it in practice? How do you rate that kind of stuff?
Speaker 3 (08:21):
Yeah, you see it.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
I mean he's got that athletic pop and you know,
just he's a very intelligent guy.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
And yeah, he's a really good communicator and he can
you know, he.
Speaker 4 (08:31):
Can problem solve out on the court, and he can
identify things he's seen on film and he doesn't make
the same mistake twice, and you know, he knows what
we're doing for multiple positions.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
All Right, that's Dan Hurley, Mike Chris Bano back after
a quick time out, we'll get into what happened on
the opener of the Big East as Yukon took on
Butler just a couple of days ago. Back with more
of the Yukon Men's Basketball Coaches Show on Liarfield,
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