Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
You have to love the laugh. Welcome back to Eve
Sports Radio. It is May the twenty first, twenty twenty five.
How quickly Derby has passed. Welcome back to the show.
Of course, hump Day is Wednesday, as everyone knows if
you have a regular job. I haven't had a regular
job in a long, long time, so most of the
days are all the same. Sometimes Thursday is my vacation day.
(00:23):
Sometimes it's Sunday.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
You just never know.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
But for people that do work Monday through Friday, it
is hump day. You're almost pass halfway there. But you
got to work today. Give your employers, give them a
little work today. Make them say, God, Lee, what a
great day. My employees were just so good. Give them
a great day's work.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Now.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
You know, we got my younger son on another line.
Let's bring him on, Shannon, And how are you.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
I'm doing great this morning. I'm still trying to figure
out what you over. You're talking about saying good morning
to our service workers. You're talking about the people right
now that are doing the lawn outside of our us.
As Blad would say, you know, yeah, a palace.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Yeah, bland It's crazy. Everyone understands that Blanding is crazy. No,
we're just talking about people in general that work, and
we all work. Punch the clock anyway, phone numbers five zero, two,
five seven, one, seventy nine hundred, and we do have
people that punch the clock. You have to be there
at eight o'clock. You should be scurrying around getting ready
(01:25):
to leave so that you don't have to rush. Beautiful
day outside. We don't have the issues that we had yesterday.
And again, let's just think about the people that our
last Friday and Saturday was just devastating. So let's just
make sure we think about the Paduca Tillman area and
all the areas that were affected by the tornadoes. I mean, guys,
Kentucky has really been hit these last three or four years.
(01:47):
We have gotten everything. So we just want to make
sure that we keep them in our prayers.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
So here's what we have.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
I'm gonna though it to you for national news, but
I first and foremost have to I picked up you great,
gave me the p I looked at it and I
see down at the bottom. One of the nicest horse
trainers there was, Larry de Merritt died at seventy five,
and he was on the show last year, nice as
(02:15):
gentleman from the Bahamas, had worked his way up to
where he had a Kentucky Derby contender West Saratoga in
twelfth and the twenty twenty four Kentucky Derby, and he
passed from complications of the cancer that he has had
that he has been fighting from cardiac arrests.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
I just wanted to make sure I got that out.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
But now, Anthony, I'm going to throw it to you
before we bring on my one and only I call
him Big Hard. Everyone else knows him. Has Rodney McCrae,
tenyure veteran in the NBA, played in NBA Finals, which
we're going to talk about and his experiences because Anthony,
so many of the players are crying now about too
many games, not enough time, all the excuses that we're hearing.
(02:58):
I wanted to bring on a person that who has
experienced it, who has played every game of a season
six times. I mean, guys, he didn't miss I just
want you all to know you talk about a person
that was reliable. That's Ridney McCrae, without a doubt. So
we'll have him on after the seven to fifteen breaks.
So I'm throwing it to you, Anthony, let's get some
national news in before we take some calls.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Yeah, of course, obviously we got tons of We got
so many events going on in sports, it's it's ridiculous.
It's almost hard to keep up with. I know that
one of the first things we do want to get
into is obviously SEC and ACC baseball. Most conferences are
going into their postseason. But we had a couple of
losses going through the state of Kentucky. Obviously Kentucky got
up there last night in the SEC tournament first round
(03:43):
Oklahoma five to one, and our Cardinals got upset in
the first round the ACC Tournament to Pittsburgh thirteen to eleven.
They didn't make a comeback because they were down like
eight to one at one point, So I'm surprised it
was even that close.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
But I don't know.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
I remember when you and Oo had Will Smith used
to be and we were trying to go to the
super Regionals. Now we're struggling, got the first.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
Round of a SEC tournament.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
It's twenty How it's worth it. It goes in waves
of roller coasters. Because I even went to the games
we were hosting the super Regionals, and I was I
used to love going to watch and play, you know,
and it happens. Every team goes through stretches where they're
really good and players started graduating. It's almost kind of
a rebuild and restart, and you know, I think that's
one of the phases that Louisville's going through right now.
(04:26):
Even Kentucky as well in baseball, and we've seen it
in basketball too, So you know, baseball is not the
only sport we've seen it in.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Kentucky was really good baseball.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
But Atney last year, Kentucky was really good, and truly
they were Oklahoma. Oklahoma was thirty four and nineteen Anthony.
That wasn't an upset. Oklahoma was a better team. Kentucky
was twenty four, twenty nine and twenty four. Now Louisville's
was an upset. Pittsburgh that they were twenty eight and
twenty six. Louislle was thirty five and twenty one. People
expected Louisvillo to beat Pittsburgh the Oklahoma game. People expected
(04:58):
Oklahoma Kentucky had beaten them, but it wasn't expected yesterday.
But I'm gonna tell you what a show you're talking about.
The drought louis was going through a drought.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
You're right.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
I mean Will Smith, who lives down the street from
us in Martin's neighborhood. When he's here in the summer,
a KC D boy. We all know about the Dodgers
World's champion, but Anthony, gosh, coach McDonald's making a ton
of money. We did a show on it. We didn't.
Someone did put it in the paper, Anthony, so all
I was doing was reading from the paper. I didn't
(05:30):
go in research at this time. I didn't want to
be the negative person, downer Jerry.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
That was not me.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
He makes a ton of money in the staff, makes
a ton of money, Anthony. To be losing in the
first round of the ACC tournament and it's been about
a four or five year stretch, something is going to
have to give it. Louisville, hopefully they'll still get into
College World Series. Both teams were Anthony, Louisll's got to
do something this year, period, point blank. I mean, either
coach McDonald has to take a pay cut, they can't
(05:58):
afford the ating their and he made boatload of money,
or or he had to find a different venue. But
something has happened because there's just too many seasons like this.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Now Anthony to work.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Louis was just falling apart at the end, so we
had to wait and see what else we got going
on in national news.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Yeah, but obviously we did have our first round of
the NBA playoffs too. Obviously we had the Western Conference
Finals go on last night, and it was we ro out.
The first half wasn't but the second half. I woke
up and I didn't expect the score to be that bad.
The Timberwolves were up in the first half about two.
I think they were all bout two. If I was,
I'm not, No, there were about four. They're by four
in the first half, forty eight to forty four, got
(06:41):
out scored seventy to forty in the second half. Yes,
to lose, to lose by twenty six.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Jeez, Randa is the only reason they were leading at halftime.
He carried I mean carried the Timberwolves. That's the only
reason Randa was playing the lights out in the first half.
He carried them. Only reason after that, Uh, it was Well,
here's the problem I have with Anthony Edwards. You know,
he had a little sprained angle, but he came back
(07:09):
from that and he played. He played okay in the
second half, and he even said it himself. There's no
way in the Western Conference Finals he can go five
for thirteen.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Honestly, there's no way.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
He has to. He is the best player. He has
to try to create for others. He has to create tempo.
He has to force the action. That's what Minnesota needs.
Shake gild Is Alexander. I think he was three for thirteen,
two for thirteen at halftime, Anthony, but the kid continued
to push, got me and to be in ten for
twenty seven over four from the three eleven for fourteen.
(07:44):
But Anthony, his team needs him to he thirty one
is thirty one and Anthony Edwards.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
I guarantee you the next time they play.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
And he's going, He's going, that's a nasty thirty one
thirty one.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
It is. No.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
I can't agree with that and be like thirty one,
he's crust. She's twenty seven times.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
You better have thirty shit, No, I agree. But here's
the deal, Anthony.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
I agree with that, But when you are the best player, Anthony,
you have to take the responsibility.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Got me two.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Put it on the line to where at least you're
able to say, hey, he was ten for twenty seven. Anthony,
that means he put it on the line. My man
aunt Man five for thirteen. Any he didn't put on
the line, Anney, he knows he didn't.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
He didn't put it in.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
Didn't.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
But you can't put all that blame on an You
can't put all the blame on the nose. You gotta look.
You gotta look at the supporting cast. Look at the
porting cast. Outside of Randall, Jane McDaniels seven points, three
for five, Rudy Gobert three two points, one for three,
Mike Conley two for eight, seven points, nobody else scored
double figures except for Edwards and Randalls. And Edwards was
out for like an entire core because he rolled his ankle.
(08:56):
If you look at the thunder supporting cast, hol Room
is six or nine fifteen points, Jaylen Williams seb for
eighteen nineteen points, Hardenstein six freight for twelve points. They
have four. He had three other players in double figures,
and he had a bench supporting cast that had almost
probably you know, four or five people that could have
scored double figures.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
There are short five pointed two seven eight difference.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
And I hate to say it, Why did I choose
Why did I choose okay See?
Speaker 1 (09:22):
And they've got a better team now, that's all.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
I said.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Okay See in Cleveland, and I picked okay C to
win it.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
They have a better team.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
Athony top Okay, they should win it off realistic, But
I hate to say it, and I would say I
feel I can't say. I say. I feel bad for
Anthony Edwards. He technically plays the two guard for him,
but he doesn't have a real point and he's not
a point either. He has to developed into that role
or the timber Wis have to go out and get
a real one.
Speaker 4 (09:51):
Now.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
They do have Dillinghams, who was a young and upcomer.
They have Karen Shannon junior that has a chance. They
have two young guys. They have an opportunity twenty three
minutes and seven points with only one foule. He's one.
He's just too old to play that long and he's
not really a facilitator.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
He kind of had a great career, but yeah, so
he's just and he's old.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
He's done now, he said, he said he doesn't have
a lot of time less, so he was trying to
win a championship. But I don't think it's gonna happen.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Here's the deal, though, Anthony Cason Wallace, I never, and
we're gonna get to break. We got Ridney on hold.
We're gonna bring him on after the break. I never,
and we're gonna let Rodney answer all these questions. Cason
Wallace from University of Kentucky thirty three minutes and he
only shot it three times, seven assists. But what is
his reason out there? He's out there to guard ant man,
(10:42):
and he guards and man. That boy is much better
than I everets he doesn't. He just didn't play this
way in college defensively. So anyway, we're gonna get to break.
We got the one and only big Heart on the line.
Rodney m all the information to see the most unselfish
teammate would pass it to Marty Pulliam before he would
(11:05):
shoot the ball. Is the one and only Ridney McCrae.
After the break, Welcome back to Eve's Sports Radio. As
we're gonna introduce Shannon. Please bring on the one and
only Rodney McCrae to Eve Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
Big Heart, what's going on?
Speaker 4 (11:23):
Good morning, Good morning, how you doing?
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Come on, Rodney, you don't have to be the calm Rodney.
Everybody knows you can come on and say what's up, Eve.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
It's earlier in the morning down here.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Man.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Understand Rodney my youngest son. So you got to understand, Anthony.
Rodney would throw the ball into me ninety and iverson
the time he took the ball out of bounce Coach
Crumb and he'd throw it in. And if I made
a mistake, Rider, I turned it over. I just looked
back and he'd be giving me this eye, Anthony. He'd
just be staring at me, like, wait to the door
(12:03):
room tonight.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
We're gonna talk about that.
Speaker 5 (12:08):
Wait to the door, It writes in locker Room the
good old days.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
Here's what I want people to know about Rodney mccrade
before I introduce this man correctly, because we're gonna talk
about NBA players and time management, not playing. But Rodney's
first year nineteen eighty three eighty four, he played seventy
nine games. There's only eighty two regular season Anthony. His
second season, he played eighty two games out of eighty two.
(12:40):
His third season, Anthony, he played eighty two games out
of eighty two. His fourth season, Anthony, he played eighty
one games out of eighty two. His fifth season, Anthony,
he played eighty one out eighty two. I don't have
to say anymore. I really don't have to introduce Olympia
nineteen eighty. People don't even know that National champion Night
eighteen eighty played in the finals of the NBA nineteen
(13:04):
eighty six against thee Larry Bird, which we're going to
talk about, came from a phenomenal high school team, Mount Vernon.
Great parents. I mean, Anthony Rdy came up the way
you came up. His daddy didn't play. That's all their hard.
Your father didn't play, did he.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
Ridney, No, No, no, not at all. I don't all
tough lessons learned, guys.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
I don't know what happened, Rodney, But we had real parents.
Frank didn't play. Your dad did not play. I knew
your father, boy, they were the best of friends. But
because they had control of their kids, we knew we
did wrong things, Rightney, You know we did everybody's bad.
I tell people that, but we knew when we were
doing wrong. Now today I don't know if the parents
know what the kids do wrong. But that's a whole
(13:50):
different subject, right, But you got great parents. Your mother
still living? Oh, how she doing right? How's your mom doing?
Speaker 4 (13:56):
Pretty good? Pretty good? Getting up there in age a
little you know, memory losslor here and there. So she's
hanging in there.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Yeah, my mom's ninety five, lives with me, Rodney, And
you know, I understand. So Scooter and I talk about
it all the time, and everyone knows that Rodney's the
younger brother. He didn't act that way of Scooter. Rodney's
the younger brother of the great Scooter McCrae.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Rodney. We had a ball at Frankie's wedding.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Oh god, Scooter, Wilie and I you talking about acting up.
Oh my goodness. I've got to get the tape. I
know Terryll was taping it. I've got to get it
because I got.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
To post it. We brought back the eighties, Rodney.
Speaker 5 (14:37):
We brought back the eighties, brother and we had a ball.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Monica Smith, Derek's wife. We had so much fun.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Hey, I don't know if it was Frankie's wedding or
the nineteen eighty Miller Hall reunion, but we had a
great time.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
I'm telling you we.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Did.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
But anyway, rod here's the deal, and I'm gonna let
Anthony start, because a lot of people don't know about
your Olympics experience. So Anthony start, get Rodney first with
our first question.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
The other day.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Yeah, so this is this is actually the news to me.
I didn't know that you're technically a part of the Olympics,
but the one that got withdrew of the one in
nineteen eighty, if that's if I'm not wrong on the
year there you got told us about that because I
didn't even know that.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
Well, my experience with the Olympic came from gosh, they
probably the trial declined the invitation, and the real reason
I got invitation was the success that we had at
the University of Louisville, of course, of winning the national championship.
(15:49):
So I'm thinking that they are going to invite a
couple of guys from you know, championship team, which they
did myself and Derek Smith, and I'm sure they invited
of Louisville living legend Griff, but he was, you know,
paying for the next level was the next career countae
(16:11):
of you know, playing in the NBA. So of course
when I went down there, confident, proud, happy, you know,
coming off national championship. But it was another challenge for
me to go out there and play against It had
about two hundred, you know, all the players down there,
(16:31):
and went down there and just you know, stuck to
my value to kind of, you know, play with the fundamentals,
making the right plays, doing what I knew I could
go out there, and uh it gave me opportunity to
make the team, along with a couple of guys that
I got a chance to play with later on in
(16:53):
the NBA. So it was a great experience. We would
have loved to go on to the the Olympics, but unfortunately,
deal with things going on in the world that the
President decided that we wouldn't participate. Uh So when they
talk about Olympians, I'm proud that I made the team,
(17:15):
but of course we didn't get a chance to compete.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Runney yor did play. Though you all played exhibition games.
Who did you all play against and who we called.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
It the gold medal games. We played against NBA players.
We played against a group of guys who made their
home in Los Angeles, We played in New York, we
played we played about five or six games against NBA
players and it was great experience to you know, play
(17:50):
against guys that were, you know, playing in the NBA. I'm
talking about high level guys that kept themselves in shape
and they you know it. You know, it was eye opener.
We had a pretty good team, confident guys who who
you know, believed in their themselves, and we we wind
(18:14):
up winning five our mom in games. It was I know,
we only had lost one game out about about five games.
So it was a taste of something that he thought
about it sometimes, like, hey, it's going to have to
you know, you're going to be better, get better between
now and your time when you graduate college if you
(18:35):
want to play at this level. So it was a
great experience to see that at a young age experience.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
It tell me something you stepped in.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
You always kind of set between Scooter and had in
the locker room at Old fair Grounds and you were
a little upset that you didn't get in that first.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
Game, and Scooter looked that.
Speaker 5 (18:54):
You said, what are you mad about, Rodney, And you
were like, I didn't play it.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Scooter said, you didn't expect to play.
Speaker 4 (19:01):
I tell that story all the time. Well, uh, you
know when you're playing in high school and you're and
you're you know, you're playing you don't really practice that much.
It's just be you know, Frank, so you know, you
you play the game, so not really understanding well for
(19:23):
me at that age, the preparation part of the game.
And and you know, we used to have those scrimmages
that we all look forward to after just practicing for
weeks without you know, you know, breaking up and get
a chance to just go up and down. And I
(19:44):
had a little success, and you know, the scrimmages and
I'm all excited. Seasons getting ready to start and first
game coming out. You remember, like it was yesterday we
played South Alabama. Was a nip and tuck game. You know,
co I would look down there at the bench and
I looked back down there at him. I'm like, okay,
get ready call my name, like come on, and first
(20:08):
half to him line, I was like, okay, all right,
he don't want to get a freshman a chance to play.
S second half come and the buzzer goes off, and
of course I'm happy it was a nipp and tug game.
But then the selfishness comes in, like I can't believe right,
and you know, I ain't get a chance to play,
and you know, Randy, our team manager guys taking uniform
(20:30):
off and throw them, throw it in the middle of
the room, you know, so you can collect them and
you know, wash him getting ready for the next game.
So I'm taking my shocks off in the uniform, all
mumbling in myself like you ain't really got to watch
my uniform because I ain't get a chance to say,
just you know, hang it up on the hangar, don't
even watch it. So I'm sitting there mumbling, and you
(20:52):
as good as you hear him talking to me. He's like,
what's wrong with you?
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Man?
Speaker 4 (20:57):
I can't believe. I ain't get it. Man, I did
work in them scrimmagers. I just like, really, I said, yeah, really.
She was like, he thought you was gonna get some
place time. I said, yeah, I played well in the scrimmagers.
He was like, it's not about that, It's about preparation.
How do you You don't even work hard in practice,
(21:19):
because y'all was giving me that too during practice. You know,
even the coaches coach Oh said, would be like, come on, man,
when we ran that mile, come on, keep up with me.
I bet you I could beat you. And I was like,
I bet you can too, because you wanted and you
wanted to practice or you wanted in the game, because
I wasn't getting it between the as at that time.
(21:40):
So I was like, you know, you never was. It's
just it.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
I remember, like yesterday Anthony Rodney would not want to practice.
He didn't like practicing. He didn't He wasn't an issue,
he wasn't a negative. He just didn't practice hard. Now, Anthony,
we had scrimmage games to where we would go around
the state and we would play amongst ourselves and it's
quae scrimmages and Bill Olson, Rodney and I are on
(22:08):
the second team. I had not earned a starting job
yet this my sophomore year. Bill Olson, we're doing work.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
We're killing them.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
Bill Olson looked at Darryl Wiley, Derek Scooter and said, y'all,
let no scrubs Anthony.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
He says he didn't say it, but Rodney, you know
he said it. We said scrubs.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
We looked at each other, said scrubbs, Anthony. We were
doing work, right. So Rodney doesn't get in. I earned
a starting job the last week, Anthony. I don't get
a certain job to the last week. I'm off sophomore season,
and right now I never forget it. I had sixteen
points against South Alabama. I was like, sure, maybe I
can earn this job and he'll leave me alone for
the rest of the year. But Roddy didn't get in,
(22:47):
and Scooter, his brother and Anthony tell you, we are
you serious, says you don't work hard enough for practice
to get in Rodney, we don't have that anymore.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
See, there are no more Scooters. That's his brother.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
Today brothers would be saying, hey man, this and right,
we got to get out of here. He mistreated you.
Scooter said, what's wrong with you? You don't practice hard enough.
Those days are done, Anthony. There are no more Scooters.
He was very unselfish, Anthony Riody, most unselfish superstar you
ever see.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
I scored all my points. Right.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
I appreciate you, man, because you know you made me
look good. I had great teammates. I had great teammates.
I appreciate you, Anthony. Right in and I broke all
the team's presses. Whatever was anything. We had to get
the ball up, get the ball in bounds. Coach Crumb
put it on us. And if we messed it up,
but did we hear it? I'm telling you Roddney was
(23:36):
a point center in college. Now, right before we go
to break, I want you to talk about the last
thing we're touching college. When Scooter goes down at Tennessee
and you do step in his freshman year and lead
us to a national championship.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
What was the switch, Anthony Rodney? What made you change.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
The switch when he when he got hurt in the
States kick? Then I was more worried about it. The
game of Tennessee is is he okay? Is he gonna
be all right? And you know, Coach Houston and UH,
Coach Crumb, the whole coaching staff and you guys called
me in and said, hey, he's gonna be all right.
(24:17):
Let the medical staff take care of him. We need you,
you know, get in the game. And I'm like who,
me like, yeah you because you know, we get ready
to play. We play in Tennessee at Tennessee with Reggie
Johnson all American and uh, I go in the game
and you know it's a nip and tuck game. We
(24:37):
win the game, and I'm just thinking about all the
the practice, all the fundamentals, all the things that I've
learned up to that point, and what I've learned so
far at the University of Louisville, just you know, go
out there and you know, play good defense. Know this
guy as a senior, this team is good. We are
(24:57):
on the road. But I was so confident and our
guys because I know the kind of work that we
had put in in practice, We had senior leadership, We
had you guys sophomore I thought, with the best sophomore
group really in the country, because you guys are the
number one recruiting class the year before. So you know,
(25:20):
we went out there and got that w and we
came back home and both Krunk called me in the
office and you know, talked, sent me down and said,
you know, school's going to be out for the rest
of the year. We need you to step up and
be the player that we think you could be. But
it's got to start with your practice habits. And when
(25:42):
I walked out that his office, that was the turning
point not only in my career on the start of
my career at the University of Louisville, but I carried
that that conversation with me until I retired in ninety
two ninety three, that I was going to be physically
(26:02):
in shape, whether the season was going on. I just
kept myself in good condition year round, and when I
experienced things coming more easily on the court as I
got in better shape, I was like, Wow, I can't
believe I did that. It's not you know, it's not hard,
(26:24):
it's just coming natural. And just the light switch came
on and then you know, we went on that magical run.
And the team we had it was just so strong
with very good players that if you were having a
good game, having a bad game and you got substitute,
it was our chance that you might not get a
chance to get back in that game. And how deep
(26:48):
we were and it just built the confidence up and
and me with our team, we had a lot of
guys that went on to play at the next level,
and it was because of the brotherhood that we pushed
each other. We could talk to each other and we
thought that you had more to give and you might
(27:11):
be going through things because it's more than just what
you do on the court. It's you know, being a
family off the court, hanging out together and just it
just brings the best s oide of you, I believe
on the court. So it all started when you know,
got there Uniersha Louisville, and uh, you know, with you
(27:31):
guys at a young age, and we just became a
family and a successful family for the three years we
played together and the four years that I was there.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Yeah, Rodney went to three final fours, you all, I
went to two and then us read Rodney, you'd have
gone to four in a row. People don't know how
good we were and how strong mentally were in Anthony
and Rodney's talking to you all about we could talk
to each other and we weren't always hugging and kissing.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
We'll tell each other, you got to pick it up,
get your game going, let's go.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
It wasn't oh, you know, we're all the coach is wrong,
and it was none of that.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
It was the truth. We used to tell each other
the truth.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
We had truthful conversations, and our team was really Rodney,
we were really, really good.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
Right, we gotta get to our first break.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
When we come back, we're gonna jump into a league
that you played in for ten years at a very
high level. And like I said, I counted Rodney's first
five seasons. Rodney yam is five games and five seasons,
and you got people crying about playing too many games,
and I'm gonna talk to.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
You about that after the break. This is EVE Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
We have the one and only, my opinion, top three
best player ever to play at University of LOUISVIO because
the multi talented five four, three two one, he could
play all five positions. Rodney McCrae will be back with
us after the break. Welcome back to EVE Sports Radio
at seven forty one. Of course, it's the twenty first
of May. We have the Rodney McCrae University of Louisville,
(28:55):
great Houston Rocket, great NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls.
There's nothing that Rodney did not accomplish in this Olympian
Everything that could be accomplished basketball wise, Rodney McCrae accomplished,
and that's Rodney.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
It's a heckler an accomplishment.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
I'm not gonna lie to you, but quick story before
I thought to you for the next ten minutes, Anthony,
I'm living in Dallas, Texas, working working five days a week,
not working too hard, but working, and I would go
almost every other weekend to Houston to either watch Houston
play during the winter or in the summertime.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
I would go and hang out with.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Roddy and we'd always it was always Anthony wrapped around
a workout we did. That was just who we were. Anthony.
It was probably nineteen eighty seven. I'd been out of
the league or a year or two, had just come
back from the Philippines, and you know, I'm still I'm
in good shape, Anthony.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
Rodney says, let's go to the track. Guys.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
I want you to know, we're talking about Houston in
the summertime. Let's go to the track. Let's exercise Rodney.
He's Rodney six seven, two thirty.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
Anthony.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
You know I'm still one eighty, in good shape. And
he beats me in a foot race. That's what I quit.
He took his Whisper CD and left and went home.
And Anny, I can pick him up, put him down.
Don't get it twisted. I could pick him up. I
never lost a race at Louisville, right, and he never
while he tried to give he never, I never lost one.
But Rodney got me. I said, I'm done. He retired me.
(30:17):
I said, that's when I knew this boy is a superstar.
Talk about preparation that you've done with your body and
these NBA player's mindsets of not wanting to play. Rightney,
you missed five games in five years, what do you think.
You're a great person to tell us what's going on?
Speaker 4 (30:33):
Well for me, And during that era, I thought that
everybody in the league goal was to play all eighty
two games. I know that that's what my goal was.
And you know, back in the early eighties and even
at the University of Loisville, we didn't have a strength
and conditioning program. You remember, we used to go to
(30:55):
the track on our own. We had the little universal
weight system that had the different stations on one machine.
So never really was in into the weightlifting that these
guys are a lot of them are pretty much all
of them are doing now with strength and conditioning coaches.
So I did just just simple push ups, did the
(31:20):
sit ups, did the dips. Didn't want to get bulky.
But I did a lot of running. I did a
lot of basketball playing just the normal things.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
But I.
Speaker 4 (31:33):
Kept true to anytime I played, whether it was back
in u of L in the summer time against the
current U of L players or you some of the
former players before us would come out there and play.
But always pride of myself on keeping the fundamentals, not
getting into bad habits because you know season you're just
(31:55):
playing for fun. You're out there just staying in condition.
You can get some pick up bad habits. So you
know you're playing against left handed, you're sending them right,
you're not letting them go based on the stuff that
we work on in training camp. So but conditioning wise,
it was just we talked about my experience as you
(32:16):
not wanting the practice to just enjoying practice really more
than the games. Because if you can you have success
running your sets, doing things in practice, when everybody in
the gym when we call to play, you know what
the player is coming in a lot of guys play play,
so you kind of you know, like I said, you
(32:38):
have success in practice, you can running and practice you
should be able to run it in the game. But physically,
I just love to work out once I got it
between the ears, and I just you know, you got
a new group of guys coming in because it's a
draft training camp and you got to go each year
for me establish yourself that I'm ready to go day one.
(33:01):
If we were called the player game or October first
or fifteen, whenever training camp started, I was I was
ready to go in game shape in game one. So
I just, you know, as always my mindset that somebody
next year is going to try to, you know, get
you the minutes or get your job. So I just,
(33:21):
you know, love to compete, love to be prepared for
the task at hand, and after experience that first year
in the league that you had no other choice because
the league was tough. That position that I played when
I came into the league, the three spot, and you
looked up at the top league scorers in the league,
it was a bunch of guys that played the three man.
(33:43):
So you really didn't have any nights off, and you couldn't,
you know, you had to be here physically fit year round.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
So yeah, that's Larry Bird. You had to match up
with Larry And how was that just playing against lay
Bird in the files?
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Right?
Speaker 4 (34:02):
It was when we when we beat the Lakers. I
remember traveling back and Coach Fitch he would always have
that seat next to him available because when they opened
up the jetway, guys forgot what seat Simon they had.
You come in, you're looking at it, You're sitting in
my seat and there's only one seat left. But coaches
(34:25):
like right now, come on back here and we need
to talk. So we were just talking basketball where we
had just accomplished, and he was like, you know, in
order for us to have a chance that I was
gonna have to do some things in this series. Of course,
(34:46):
it was gonna be a tall task. I knew it.
You knew it. Anybody didn't follow it. The basketball knew it.
For the Celtics during that time. I didn't know until
years later that they regard that team as the best
Celtic team of all time. But Larry Bird, everything you
hear about him in these thirty for thirties you see
(35:09):
clips and stuff, was all that answer, and you know,
you get the things I just can't understand. He's slow,
he can't jump, he can't do this. He's just a
ballplayer that understood the game. If he got a separation,
I don't care. If it was having a step on
you and he got that ball, you get pretty much
(35:29):
counted in. My focus was playing against him. He's gonna
make shots, he's gonna he's gonna get his you know
how we called it. He's gonna get his. But you
can't get frustrated. You just gotta do the best you
can you're not gonna get any help, especially when you
got a LaJuan having the guard, Parish, you got Ralph
having the guard, Kevin McHale, everybody, You're not gonna get
(35:52):
no help. But you know, when we played in the
finals in eighty six, the guy who hurt us was
though Walton. Bill Walton came in and you know that
was two three to two series. In order for us
to have a shot, we needed to win all three
games back here. We went down two, came back home.
(36:13):
We won the first game. The second game we made
a mistake, and when you're playing against teams like Boston,
you can't make mistakes. We made a mistake in the end,
uh where we talked about how we were gonna play
the pick and roll and we got caught. Uh. I
was part of it, myself and elidge On. We got
caught on a switch and we were both to switch
(36:37):
and we didn't and Berg got loose and hit a
hit a jumper and we lost game four. We won
game five and we were back to Boston. And you
know what happened when you when you go to Boston,
you got to play near perfect game just to even
have a chance to win. And but it was the
(36:58):
experience that you know, growing up and watching NBA. I
would say to myself, and I'm sure a lot of
other people would say, why is it always the Celtics
in the Lakers. I'd like to see somebody else in there,
you know, than these two teams. But what it took
to get to the finals three rounds? You know, you
(37:19):
got the three out of five the first year back
then it was three out of five. Then you play
the second round and then you go to the Western
Conference final and then you got the finals. And I
was like, wait oooh. I was like, you have to
be a really really good team to be able to
do this year in the year out. So it's just
(37:40):
the respect factor just hit you like a the Celtics,
the Lakers, you know, later on the Bulls, the Pistons,
these guys that win championships, multiple championships. What it takes
to get to the championship. It's grinded, it's grinding, and
you have to, you know, take care of yourself off
(38:01):
the court. You know, you have to sacrifice. So you know,
people will look at the money that's out there that
you get paid, but we put in a lot of work.
We have to. You know, we do a lot of
damage to our bodies, but we stury rewarding. We didn't
know it at the time, but look at all of us.
I mean, I got hit replacement. I need knee replacement.
(38:23):
I need my other hip replace. I just got that news,
you know, last week. So we put a strain on
our bodies. Man, we did.
Speaker 1 (38:31):
I've had both my hips and one knee. We did,
but we loved it. Anthney, go ahead, that's Rodney the
last question the other day. I need to I want
to hear his opinion on this.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (38:41):
So I'm just gonna pull some of the stats, even
from your own career. So you paid seven hundred and
sixty eight games in the ten season span. You appeared
in pretty much ninety four percent of your games throughout
your entire career. And something that we brought up is
that Aaron Gordon complained about in an interview once they
lost in their Game seven to Minnesota that they needed
or breaks in between games because they're too tired and fatigued,
(39:03):
and that the competitive scoring and the gas and scoring
would be a lot better. But I know in your area,
y'all didn't have these giant breaks in between games like
they do now two or three games in between each one.
So we're just trying to figure out what's your thought
is on that of what Aaron Gordon said his interview
just about a week ago.
Speaker 4 (39:20):
Well you know this, you know, I don't know and
working today game or what I do know is they
get a lot of time off when we travel. We
travel commercial. I played ten years, nine years we traveled commercially.
It wasn't until I got to Chicago that I experienced
(39:43):
charter and I found that out when the first road
trip I was talking to one of the guys. I
was like, Okay, where do we park at Ohio Airport?
And DJ Hosson looked at me like, come on, rob
we trust we go around the backside. We we parked
our car, they take us out to the plane. I
was like, really like yeah, man. He looked at me
(40:06):
like that what championship championship teams do, right.
Speaker 1 (40:10):
I'm like, I hate to run, Rodney, We're done. I
can't believe it, Rodney. I gotta get you back, Rodney.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
Love you.
Speaker 1 (40:18):
Most consistent brother you'll ever meet in your life is
Ridney McCrae e Sports Radio. You'll have a fantastic day.
God will, and I'll be back tomorrow. Bye bye,
You have to love the laugh. Welcome back to Eve
Sports Radio. It is May the twenty first, twenty twenty five.
How quickly Derby has passed. Welcome back to the show.
Of course, hump Day is Wednesday, as everyone knows if
you have a regular job. I haven't had a regular
job in a long, long time, so most of the
days are all the same. Sometimes Thursday is my vacation day.
(00:23):
Sometimes it's Sunday.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
You just never know.
Speaker 1 (00:25):
But for people that do work Monday through Friday, it
is hump day. You're almost pass halfway there. But you
got to work today. Give your employers, give them a
little work today. Make them say, God, Lee, what a
great day. My employees were just so good. Give them
a great day's work.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Now.
Speaker 1 (00:43):
You know, we got my younger son on another line.
Let's bring him on, Shannon, And how are you.
Speaker 3 (00:50):
I'm doing great this morning. I'm still trying to figure
out what you over. You're talking about saying good morning
to our service workers. You're talking about the people right
now that are doing the lawn outside of our us.
As Blad would say, you know, yeah, a palace.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Yeah, bland It's crazy. Everyone understands that Blanding is crazy. No,
we're just talking about people in general that work, and
we all work. Punch the clock anyway, phone numbers five zero, two,
five seven, one, seventy nine hundred, and we do have
people that punch the clock. You have to be there
at eight o'clock. You should be scurrying around getting ready
(01:25):
to leave so that you don't have to rush. Beautiful
day outside. We don't have the issues that we had yesterday.
And again, let's just think about the people that our
last Friday and Saturday was just devastating. So let's just
make sure we think about the Paduca Tillman area and
all the areas that were affected by the tornadoes. I mean, guys,
Kentucky has really been hit these last three or four years.
(01:47):
We have gotten everything. So we just want to make
sure that we keep them in our prayers.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
So here's what we have.
Speaker 1 (01:54):
I'm gonna though it to you for national news, but
I first and foremost have to I picked up you great,
gave me the p I looked at it and I
see down at the bottom. One of the nicest horse
trainers there was, Larry de Merritt died at seventy five,
and he was on the show last year, nice as
(02:15):
gentleman from the Bahamas, had worked his way up to
where he had a Kentucky Derby contender West Saratoga in
twelfth and the twenty twenty four Kentucky Derby, and he
passed from complications of the cancer that he has had
that he has been fighting from cardiac arrests.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
I just wanted to make sure I got that out.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
But now, Anthony, I'm going to throw it to you
before we bring on my one and only I call
him Big Hard. Everyone else knows him. Has Rodney McCrae,
tenyure veteran in the NBA, played in NBA Finals, which
we're going to talk about and his experiences because Anthony,
so many of the players are crying now about too
many games, not enough time, all the excuses that we're hearing.
(02:58):
I wanted to bring on a person that who has
experienced it, who has played every game of a season
six times. I mean, guys, he didn't miss I just
want you all to know you talk about a person
that was reliable. That's Ridney McCrae, without a doubt. So
we'll have him on after the seven to fifteen breaks.
So I'm throwing it to you, Anthony, let's get some
national news in before we take some calls.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
Yeah, of course, obviously we got tons of We got
so many events going on in sports, it's it's ridiculous.
It's almost hard to keep up with. I know that
one of the first things we do want to get
into is obviously SEC and ACC baseball. Most conferences are
going into their postseason. But we had a couple of
losses going through the state of Kentucky. Obviously Kentucky got
up there last night in the SEC tournament first round
(03:43):
Oklahoma five to one, and our Cardinals got upset in
the first round the ACC Tournament to Pittsburgh thirteen to eleven.
They didn't make a comeback because they were down like
eight to one at one point, So I'm surprised it
was even that close.
Speaker 4 (03:55):
But I don't know.
Speaker 3 (03:57):
I remember when you and Oo had Will Smith used
to be and we were trying to go to the
super Regionals. Now we're struggling, got the first.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
Round of a SEC tournament.
Speaker 3 (04:04):
It's twenty How it's worth it. It goes in waves
of roller coasters. Because I even went to the games
we were hosting the super Regionals, and I was I
used to love going to watch and play, you know,
and it happens. Every team goes through stretches where they're
really good and players started graduating. It's almost kind of
a rebuild and restart, and you know, I think that's
one of the phases that Louisville's going through right now.
(04:26):
Even Kentucky as well in baseball, and we've seen it
in basketball too, So you know, baseball is not the
only sport we've seen it in.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
Kentucky was really good baseball.
Speaker 1 (04:36):
But Atney last year, Kentucky was really good, and truly
they were Oklahoma. Oklahoma was thirty four and nineteen Anthony.
That wasn't an upset. Oklahoma was a better team. Kentucky
was twenty four, twenty nine and twenty four. Now Louisville's
was an upset. Pittsburgh that they were twenty eight and
twenty six. Louislle was thirty five and twenty one. People
expected Louisvillo to beat Pittsburgh the Oklahoma game. People expected
(04:58):
Oklahoma Kentucky had beaten them, but it wasn't expected yesterday.
But I'm gonna tell you what a show you're talking about.
The drought louis was going through a drought.
Speaker 2 (05:09):
You're right.
Speaker 1 (05:09):
I mean Will Smith, who lives down the street from
us in Martin's neighborhood. When he's here in the summer,
a KC D boy. We all know about the Dodgers
World's champion, but Anthony, gosh, coach McDonald's making a ton
of money. We did a show on it. We didn't.
Someone did put it in the paper, Anthony, so all
I was doing was reading from the paper. I didn't
(05:30):
go in research at this time. I didn't want to
be the negative person, downer Jerry.
Speaker 4 (05:35):
That was not me.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
He makes a ton of money in the staff, makes
a ton of money, Anthony. To be losing in the
first round of the ACC tournament and it's been about
a four or five year stretch, something is going to
have to give it. Louisville, hopefully they'll still get into
College World Series. Both teams were Anthony, Louisll's got to
do something this year, period, point blank. I mean, either
coach McDonald has to take a pay cut, they can't
(05:58):
afford the ating their and he made boatload of money,
or or he had to find a different venue. But
something has happened because there's just too many seasons like this.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
Now Anthony to work.
Speaker 1 (06:13):
Louis was just falling apart at the end, so we
had to wait and see what else we got going
on in national news.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
Yeah, but obviously we did have our first round of
the NBA playoffs too. Obviously we had the Western Conference
Finals go on last night, and it was we ro out.
The first half wasn't but the second half. I woke
up and I didn't expect the score to be that bad.
The Timberwolves were up in the first half about two.
I think they were all bout two. If I was,
I'm not, No, there were about four. They're by four
in the first half, forty eight to forty four, got
(06:41):
out scored seventy to forty in the second half. Yes,
to lose, to lose by twenty six.
Speaker 1 (06:48):
Jeez, Randa is the only reason they were leading at halftime.
He carried I mean carried the Timberwolves. That's the only
reason Randa was playing the lights out in the first half.
He carried them. Only reason after that, Uh, it was Well,
here's the problem I have with Anthony Edwards. You know,
he had a little sprained angle, but he came back
(07:09):
from that and he played. He played okay in the
second half, and he even said it himself. There's no
way in the Western Conference Finals he can go five
for thirteen.
Speaker 2 (07:21):
Honestly, there's no way.
Speaker 1 (07:22):
He has to. He is the best player. He has
to try to create for others. He has to create tempo.
He has to force the action. That's what Minnesota needs.
Shake gild Is Alexander. I think he was three for thirteen,
two for thirteen at halftime, Anthony, but the kid continued
to push, got me and to be in ten for
twenty seven over four from the three eleven for fourteen.
(07:44):
But Anthony, his team needs him to he thirty one
is thirty one and Anthony Edwards.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
I guarantee you the next time they play.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
And he's going, He's going, that's a nasty thirty one
thirty one.
Speaker 4 (07:57):
It is. No.
Speaker 3 (08:00):
I can't agree with that and be like thirty one,
he's crust. She's twenty seven times.
Speaker 2 (08:05):
You better have thirty shit, No, I agree. But here's
the deal, Anthony.
Speaker 1 (08:08):
I agree with that, But when you are the best player, Anthony,
you have to take the responsibility.
Speaker 2 (08:15):
Got me two.
Speaker 1 (08:17):
Put it on the line to where at least you're
able to say, hey, he was ten for twenty seven. Anthony,
that means he put it on the line. My man
aunt Man five for thirteen. Any he didn't put on
the line, Anney, he knows he didn't.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
He didn't put it in.
Speaker 4 (08:33):
Didn't.
Speaker 3 (08:34):
But you can't put all that blame on an You
can't put all the blame on the nose. You gotta look.
You gotta look at the supporting cast. Look at the
porting cast. Outside of Randall, Jane McDaniels seven points, three
for five, Rudy Gobert three two points, one for three,
Mike Conley two for eight, seven points, nobody else scored
double figures except for Edwards and Randalls. And Edwards was
out for like an entire core because he rolled his ankle.
(08:56):
If you look at the thunder supporting cast, hol Room
is six or nine fifteen points, Jaylen Williams seb for
eighteen nineteen points, Hardenstein six freight for twelve points. They
have four. He had three other players in double figures,
and he had a bench supporting cast that had almost
probably you know, four or five people that could have
scored double figures.
Speaker 4 (09:12):
There are short five pointed two seven eight difference.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
And I hate to say it, Why did I choose
Why did I choose okay See?
Speaker 1 (09:22):
And they've got a better team now, that's all.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
I said.
Speaker 1 (09:27):
Okay See in Cleveland, and I picked okay C to
win it.
Speaker 2 (09:30):
They have a better team.
Speaker 3 (09:31):
Athony top Okay, they should win it off realistic, But
I hate to say it, and I would say I
feel I can't say. I say. I feel bad for
Anthony Edwards. He technically plays the two guard for him,
but he doesn't have a real point and he's not
a point either. He has to developed into that role
or the timber Wis have to go out and get
a real one.
Speaker 4 (09:51):
Now.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
They do have Dillinghams, who was a young and upcomer.
They have Karen Shannon junior that has a chance. They
have two young guys. They have an opportunity twenty three
minutes and seven points with only one foule. He's one.
He's just too old to play that long and he's
not really a facilitator.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
He kind of had a great career, but yeah, so
he's just and he's old.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
He's done now, he said, he said he doesn't have
a lot of time less, so he was trying to
win a championship. But I don't think it's gonna happen.
Speaker 1 (10:20):
Here's the deal, though, Anthony Cason Wallace, I never, and
we're gonna get to break. We got Ridney on hold.
We're gonna bring him on after the break. I never,
and we're gonna let Rodney answer all these questions. Cason
Wallace from University of Kentucky thirty three minutes and he
only shot it three times, seven assists. But what is
his reason out there? He's out there to guard ant man,
(10:42):
and he guards and man. That boy is much better
than I everets he doesn't. He just didn't play this
way in college defensively. So anyway, we're gonna get to break.
We got the one and only big Heart on the line.
Rodney m all the information to see the most unselfish
teammate would pass it to Marty Pulliam before he would
(11:05):
shoot the ball. Is the one and only Ridney McCrae.
After the break, Welcome back to Eve's Sports Radio. As
we're gonna introduce Shannon. Please bring on the one and
only Rodney McCrae to Eve Sports Radio.
Speaker 2 (11:21):
Big Heart, what's going on?
Speaker 4 (11:23):
Good morning, Good morning, how you doing?
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Come on, Rodney, you don't have to be the calm Rodney.
Everybody knows you can come on and say what's up, Eve.
Speaker 4 (11:35):
It's earlier in the morning down here.
Speaker 2 (11:37):
Man.
Speaker 1 (11:43):
Understand Rodney my youngest son. So you got to understand, Anthony.
Rodney would throw the ball into me ninety and iverson
the time he took the ball out of bounce Coach
Crumb and he'd throw it in. And if I made
a mistake, Rider, I turned it over. I just looked
back and he'd be giving me this eye, Anthony. He'd
just be staring at me, like, wait to the door
(12:03):
room tonight.
Speaker 4 (12:05):
We're gonna talk about that.
Speaker 5 (12:08):
Wait to the door, It writes in locker Room the
good old days.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
Here's what I want people to know about Rodney mccrade
before I introduce this man correctly, because we're gonna talk
about NBA players and time management, not playing. But Rodney's
first year nineteen eighty three eighty four, he played seventy
nine games. There's only eighty two regular season Anthony. His
second season, he played eighty two games out of eighty two.
(12:40):
His third season, Anthony, he played eighty two games out
of eighty two. His fourth season, Anthony, he played eighty
one games out of eighty two. His fifth season, Anthony,
he played eighty one out eighty two. I don't have
to say anymore. I really don't have to introduce Olympia
nineteen eighty. People don't even know that National champion Night
eighteen eighty played in the finals of the NBA nineteen
(13:04):
eighty six against thee Larry Bird, which we're going to
talk about, came from a phenomenal high school team, Mount Vernon.
Great parents. I mean, Anthony Rdy came up the way
you came up. His daddy didn't play. That's all their hard.
Your father didn't play, did he.
Speaker 4 (13:21):
Ridney, No, No, no, not at all. I don't all
tough lessons learned, guys.
Speaker 1 (13:29):
I don't know what happened, Rodney, But we had real parents.
Frank didn't play. Your dad did not play. I knew
your father, boy, they were the best of friends. But
because they had control of their kids, we knew we
did wrong things, Rightney, You know we did everybody's bad.
I tell people that, but we knew when we were
doing wrong. Now today I don't know if the parents
know what the kids do wrong. But that's a whole
(13:50):
different subject, right, But you got great parents. Your mother
still living? Oh, how she doing right? How's your mom doing?
Speaker 4 (13:56):
Pretty good? Pretty good? Getting up there in age a
little you know, memory losslor here and there. So she's
hanging in there.
Speaker 1 (14:06):
Yeah, my mom's ninety five, lives with me, Rodney, And
you know, I understand. So Scooter and I talk about
it all the time, and everyone knows that Rodney's the
younger brother. He didn't act that way of Scooter. Rodney's
the younger brother of the great Scooter McCrae.
Speaker 2 (14:23):
Rodney. We had a ball at Frankie's wedding.
Speaker 1 (14:25):
Oh god, Scooter, Wilie and I you talking about acting up.
Oh my goodness. I've got to get the tape. I
know Terryll was taping it. I've got to get it
because I got.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
To post it. We brought back the eighties, Rodney.
Speaker 5 (14:37):
We brought back the eighties, brother and we had a ball.
Speaker 2 (14:41):
Monica Smith, Derek's wife. We had so much fun.
Speaker 1 (14:45):
Hey, I don't know if it was Frankie's wedding or
the nineteen eighty Miller Hall reunion, but we had a
great time.
Speaker 4 (14:51):
I'm telling you we.
Speaker 2 (14:55):
Did.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
But anyway, rod here's the deal, and I'm gonna let
Anthony start, because a lot of people don't know about
your Olympics experience. So Anthony start, get Rodney first with
our first question.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
The other day.
Speaker 3 (15:10):
Yeah, so this is this is actually the news to me.
I didn't know that you're technically a part of the Olympics,
but the one that got withdrew of the one in
nineteen eighty, if that's if I'm not wrong on the
year there you got told us about that because I
didn't even know that.
Speaker 4 (15:24):
Well, my experience with the Olympic came from gosh, they
probably the trial declined the invitation, and the real reason
I got invitation was the success that we had at
the University of Louisville, of course, of winning the national championship.
(15:49):
So I'm thinking that they are going to invite a
couple of guys from you know, championship team, which they
did myself and Derek Smith, and I'm sure they invited
of Louisville living legend Griff, but he was, you know,
paying for the next level was the next career countae
(16:11):
of you know, playing in the NBA. So of course
when I went down there, confident, proud, happy, you know,
coming off national championship. But it was another challenge for
me to go out there and play against It had
about two hundred, you know, all the players down there,
(16:31):
and went down there and just you know, stuck to
my value to kind of, you know, play with the fundamentals,
making the right plays, doing what I knew I could
go out there, and uh it gave me opportunity to
make the team, along with a couple of guys that
I got a chance to play with later on in
(16:53):
the NBA. So it was a great experience. We would
have loved to go on to the the Olympics, but unfortunately,
deal with things going on in the world that the
President decided that we wouldn't participate. Uh So when they
talk about Olympians, I'm proud that I made the team,
(17:15):
but of course we didn't get a chance to compete.
Speaker 1 (17:19):
Runney yor did play. Though you all played exhibition games.
Who did you all play against and who we called.
Speaker 4 (17:25):
It the gold medal games. We played against NBA players.
We played against a group of guys who made their
home in Los Angeles, We played in New York, we
played we played about five or six games against NBA
players and it was great experience to you know, play
(17:50):
against guys that were, you know, playing in the NBA. I'm
talking about high level guys that kept themselves in shape
and they you know it. You know, it was eye opener.
We had a pretty good team, confident guys who who
you know, believed in their themselves, and we we wind
(18:14):
up winning five our mom in games. It was I know,
we only had lost one game out about about five games.
So it was a taste of something that he thought
about it sometimes, like, hey, it's going to have to
you know, you're going to be better, get better between
now and your time when you graduate college if you
(18:35):
want to play at this level. So it was a
great experience to see that at a young age experience.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
It tell me something you stepped in.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
You always kind of set between Scooter and had in
the locker room at Old fair Grounds and you were
a little upset that you didn't get in that first.
Speaker 2 (18:52):
Game, and Scooter looked that.
Speaker 5 (18:54):
You said, what are you mad about, Rodney, And you
were like, I didn't play it.
Speaker 1 (18:57):
Scooter said, you didn't expect to play.
Speaker 4 (19:01):
I tell that story all the time. Well, uh, you
know when you're playing in high school and you're and
you're you know, you're playing you don't really practice that much.
It's just be you know, Frank, so you know, you
you play the game, so not really understanding well for
(19:23):
me at that age, the preparation part of the game.
And and you know, we used to have those scrimmages
that we all look forward to after just practicing for
weeks without you know, you know, breaking up and get
a chance to just go up and down. And I
(19:44):
had a little success, and you know, the scrimmages and
I'm all excited. Seasons getting ready to start and first
game coming out. You remember, like it was yesterday we
played South Alabama. Was a nip and tuck game. You know,
co I would look down there at the bench and
I looked back down there at him. I'm like, okay,
get ready call my name, like come on, and first
(20:08):
half to him line, I was like, okay, all right,
he don't want to get a freshman a chance to play.
S second half come and the buzzer goes off, and
of course I'm happy it was a nipp and tug game.
But then the selfishness comes in, like I can't believe right,
and you know, I ain't get a chance to play,
and you know, Randy, our team manager guys taking uniform
(20:30):
off and throw them, throw it in the middle of
the room, you know, so you can collect them and
you know, wash him getting ready for the next game.
So I'm taking my shocks off in the uniform, all
mumbling in myself like you ain't really got to watch
my uniform because I ain't get a chance to say,
just you know, hang it up on the hangar, don't
even watch it. So I'm sitting there mumbling, and you
(20:52):
as good as you hear him talking to me. He's like,
what's wrong with you?
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Man?
Speaker 4 (20:57):
I can't believe. I ain't get it. Man, I did
work in them scrimmagers. I just like, really, I said, yeah, really.
She was like, he thought you was gonna get some
place time. I said, yeah, I played well in the scrimmagers.
He was like, it's not about that, It's about preparation.
How do you You don't even work hard in practice,
(21:19):
because y'all was giving me that too during practice. You know,
even the coaches coach Oh said, would be like, come on, man,
when we ran that mile, come on, keep up with me.
I bet you I could beat you. And I was like,
I bet you can too, because you wanted and you
wanted to practice or you wanted in the game, because
I wasn't getting it between the as at that time.
(21:40):
So I was like, you know, you never was. It's
just it.
Speaker 1 (21:47):
I remember, like yesterday Anthony Rodney would not want to practice.
He didn't like practicing. He didn't He wasn't an issue,
he wasn't a negative. He just didn't practice hard. Now, Anthony,
we had scrimmage games to where we would go around
the state and we would play amongst ourselves and it's
quae scrimmages and Bill Olson, Rodney and I are on
(22:08):
the second team. I had not earned a starting job
yet this my sophomore year. Bill Olson, we're doing work.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
We're killing them.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
Bill Olson looked at Darryl Wiley, Derek Scooter and said, y'all,
let no scrubs Anthony.
Speaker 2 (22:21):
He says he didn't say it, but Rodney, you know
he said it. We said scrubs.
Speaker 1 (22:27):
We looked at each other, said scrubbs, Anthony. We were
doing work, right. So Rodney doesn't get in. I earned
a starting job the last week, Anthony. I don't get
a certain job to the last week. I'm off sophomore season,
and right now I never forget it. I had sixteen
points against South Alabama. I was like, sure, maybe I
can earn this job and he'll leave me alone for
the rest of the year. But Roddy didn't get in,
(22:47):
and Scooter, his brother and Anthony tell you, we are
you serious, says you don't work hard enough for practice
to get in Rodney, we don't have that anymore.
Speaker 2 (22:55):
See, there are no more Scooters. That's his brother.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
Today brothers would be saying, hey man, this and right,
we got to get out of here. He mistreated you.
Scooter said, what's wrong with you? You don't practice hard enough.
Those days are done, Anthony. There are no more Scooters.
He was very unselfish, Anthony Riody, most unselfish superstar you
ever see.
Speaker 2 (23:15):
I scored all my points. Right.
Speaker 1 (23:16):
I appreciate you, man, because you know you made me
look good. I had great teammates. I had great teammates.
I appreciate you, Anthony. Right in and I broke all
the team's presses. Whatever was anything. We had to get
the ball up, get the ball in bounds. Coach Crumb
put it on us. And if we messed it up,
but did we hear it? I'm telling you Roddney was
(23:36):
a point center in college. Now, right before we go
to break, I want you to talk about the last
thing we're touching college. When Scooter goes down at Tennessee
and you do step in his freshman year and lead
us to a national championship.
Speaker 2 (23:52):
What was the switch, Anthony Rodney? What made you change.
Speaker 4 (23:56):
The switch when he when he got hurt in the
States kick? Then I was more worried about it. The
game of Tennessee is is he okay? Is he gonna
be all right? And you know, Coach Houston and UH,
Coach Crumb, the whole coaching staff and you guys called
me in and said, hey, he's gonna be all right.
(24:17):
Let the medical staff take care of him. We need you,
you know, get in the game. And I'm like who,
me like, yeah you because you know, we get ready
to play. We play in Tennessee at Tennessee with Reggie
Johnson all American and uh, I go in the game
and you know it's a nip and tuck game. We
(24:37):
win the game, and I'm just thinking about all the
the practice, all the fundamentals, all the things that I've
learned up to that point, and what I've learned so
far at the University of Louisville, just you know, go
out there and you know, play good defense. Know this
guy as a senior, this team is good. We are
(24:57):
on the road. But I was so confident and our
guys because I know the kind of work that we
had put in in practice, We had senior leadership, We
had you guys sophomore I thought, with the best sophomore
group really in the country, because you guys are the
number one recruiting class the year before. So you know,
(25:20):
we went out there and got that w and we
came back home and both Krunk called me in the
office and you know, talked, sent me down and said,
you know, school's going to be out for the rest
of the year. We need you to step up and
be the player that we think you could be. But
it's got to start with your practice habits. And when
(25:42):
I walked out that his office, that was the turning
point not only in my career on the start of
my career at the University of Louisville, but I carried
that that conversation with me until I retired in ninety
two ninety three, that I was going to be physically
(26:02):
in shape, whether the season was going on. I just
kept myself in good condition year round, and when I
experienced things coming more easily on the court as I
got in better shape, I was like, Wow, I can't
believe I did that. It's not you know, it's not hard,
(26:24):
it's just coming natural. And just the light switch came
on and then you know, we went on that magical run.
And the team we had it was just so strong
with very good players that if you were having a
good game, having a bad game and you got substitute,
it was our chance that you might not get a
chance to get back in that game. And how deep
(26:48):
we were and it just built the confidence up and
and me with our team, we had a lot of
guys that went on to play at the next level,
and it was because of the brotherhood that we pushed
each other. We could talk to each other and we
thought that you had more to give and you might
(27:11):
be going through things because it's more than just what
you do on the court. It's you know, being a
family off the court, hanging out together and just it
just brings the best s oide of you, I believe
on the court. So it all started when you know,
got there Uniersha Louisville, and uh, you know, with you
(27:31):
guys at a young age, and we just became a
family and a successful family for the three years we
played together and the four years that I was there.
Speaker 1 (27:41):
Yeah, Rodney went to three final fours, you all, I
went to two and then us read Rodney, you'd have
gone to four in a row. People don't know how
good we were and how strong mentally were in Anthony
and Rodney's talking to you all about we could talk
to each other and we weren't always hugging and kissing.
Speaker 2 (27:56):
We'll tell each other, you got to pick it up,
get your game going, let's go.
Speaker 1 (28:00):
It wasn't oh, you know, we're all the coach is wrong,
and it was none of that.
Speaker 2 (28:05):
It was the truth. We used to tell each other
the truth.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
We had truthful conversations, and our team was really Rodney,
we were really, really good.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
Right, we gotta get to our first break.
Speaker 1 (28:14):
When we come back, we're gonna jump into a league
that you played in for ten years at a very
high level. And like I said, I counted Rodney's first
five seasons. Rodney yam is five games and five seasons,
and you got people crying about playing too many games,
and I'm gonna talk to.
Speaker 2 (28:30):
You about that after the break. This is EVE Sports Radio.
Speaker 1 (28:33):
We have the one and only, my opinion, top three
best player ever to play at University of LOUISVIO because
the multi talented five four, three two one, he could
play all five positions. Rodney McCrae will be back with
us after the break. Welcome back to EVE Sports Radio
at seven forty one. Of course, it's the twenty first
of May. We have the Rodney McCrae University of Louisville,
(28:55):
great Houston Rocket, great NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls.
There's nothing that Rodney did not accomplish in this Olympian
Everything that could be accomplished basketball wise, Rodney McCrae accomplished,
and that's Rodney.
Speaker 2 (29:10):
It's a heckler an accomplishment.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
I'm not gonna lie to you, but quick story before
I thought to you for the next ten minutes, Anthony,
I'm living in Dallas, Texas, working working five days a week,
not working too hard, but working, and I would go
almost every other weekend to Houston to either watch Houston
play during the winter or in the summertime.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
I would go and hang out with.
Speaker 1 (29:28):
Roddy and we'd always it was always Anthony wrapped around
a workout we did. That was just who we were. Anthony.
It was probably nineteen eighty seven. I'd been out of
the league or a year or two, had just come
back from the Philippines, and you know, I'm still I'm
in good shape, Anthony.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
Rodney says, let's go to the track. Guys.
Speaker 1 (29:45):
I want you to know, we're talking about Houston in
the summertime. Let's go to the track. Let's exercise Rodney.
He's Rodney six seven, two thirty.
Speaker 2 (29:53):
Anthony.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
You know I'm still one eighty, in good shape. And
he beats me in a foot race. That's what I quit.
He took his Whisper CD and left and went home.
And Anny, I can pick him up, put him down.
Don't get it twisted. I could pick him up. I
never lost a race at Louisville, right, and he never
while he tried to give he never, I never lost one.
But Rodney got me. I said, I'm done. He retired me.
(30:17):
I said, that's when I knew this boy is a superstar.
Talk about preparation that you've done with your body and
these NBA player's mindsets of not wanting to play. Rightney,
you missed five games in five years, what do you think.
You're a great person to tell us what's going on?
Speaker 4 (30:33):
Well for me, And during that era, I thought that
everybody in the league goal was to play all eighty
two games. I know that that's what my goal was.
And you know, back in the early eighties and even
at the University of Loisville, we didn't have a strength
and conditioning program. You remember, we used to go to
(30:55):
the track on our own. We had the little universal
weight system that had the different stations on one machine.
So never really was in into the weightlifting that these
guys are a lot of them are pretty much all
of them are doing now with strength and conditioning coaches.
So I did just just simple push ups, did the
(31:20):
sit ups, did the dips. Didn't want to get bulky.
But I did a lot of running. I did a
lot of basketball playing just the normal things.
Speaker 2 (31:30):
But I.
Speaker 4 (31:33):
Kept true to anytime I played, whether it was back
in u of L in the summer time against the
current U of L players or you some of the
former players before us would come out there and play.
But always pride of myself on keeping the fundamentals, not
getting into bad habits because you know season you're just
(31:55):
playing for fun. You're out there just staying in condition.
You can get some pick up bad habits. So you
know you're playing against left handed, you're sending them right,
you're not letting them go based on the stuff that
we work on in training camp. So but conditioning wise,
it was just we talked about my experience as you
(32:16):
not wanting the practice to just enjoying practice really more
than the games. Because if you can you have success
running your sets, doing things in practice, when everybody in
the gym when we call to play, you know what
the player is coming in a lot of guys play play,
so you kind of you know, like I said, you
(32:38):
have success in practice, you can running and practice you
should be able to run it in the game. But physically,
I just love to work out once I got it
between the ears, and I just you know, you got
a new group of guys coming in because it's a
draft training camp and you got to go each year
for me establish yourself that I'm ready to go day one.
(33:01):
If we were called the player game or October first
or fifteen, whenever training camp started, I was I was
ready to go in game shape in game one. So
I just, you know, as always my mindset that somebody
next year is going to try to, you know, get
you the minutes or get your job. So I just,
(33:21):
you know, love to compete, love to be prepared for
the task at hand, and after experience that first year
in the league that you had no other choice because
the league was tough. That position that I played when
I came into the league, the three spot, and you
looked up at the top league scorers in the league,
it was a bunch of guys that played the three man.
(33:43):
So you really didn't have any nights off, and you couldn't,
you know, you had to be here physically fit year round.
Speaker 1 (33:52):
So yeah, that's Larry Bird. You had to match up
with Larry And how was that just playing against lay
Bird in the files?
Speaker 2 (34:00):
Right?
Speaker 4 (34:02):
It was when we when we beat the Lakers. I
remember traveling back and Coach Fitch he would always have
that seat next to him available because when they opened
up the jetway, guys forgot what seat Simon they had.
You come in, you're looking at it, You're sitting in
my seat and there's only one seat left. But coaches
(34:25):
like right now, come on back here and we need
to talk. So we were just talking basketball where we
had just accomplished, and he was like, you know, in
order for us to have a chance that I was
gonna have to do some things in this series. Of course,
(34:46):
it was gonna be a tall task. I knew it.
You knew it. Anybody didn't follow it. The basketball knew it.
For the Celtics during that time. I didn't know until
years later that they regard that team as the best
Celtic team of all time. But Larry Bird, everything you
hear about him in these thirty for thirties you see
(35:09):
clips and stuff, was all that answer, and you know,
you get the things I just can't understand. He's slow,
he can't jump, he can't do this. He's just a
ballplayer that understood the game. If he got a separation,
I don't care. If it was having a step on
you and he got that ball, you get pretty much
(35:29):
counted in. My focus was playing against him. He's gonna
make shots, he's gonna he's gonna get his you know
how we called it. He's gonna get his. But you
can't get frustrated. You just gotta do the best you
can you're not gonna get any help, especially when you
got a LaJuan having the guard, Parish, you got Ralph
having the guard, Kevin McHale, everybody, You're not gonna get
(35:52):
no help. But you know, when we played in the
finals in eighty six, the guy who hurt us was
though Walton. Bill Walton came in and you know that
was two three to two series. In order for us
to have a shot, we needed to win all three
games back here. We went down two, came back home.
(36:13):
We won the first game. The second game we made
a mistake, and when you're playing against teams like Boston,
you can't make mistakes. We made a mistake in the end,
uh where we talked about how we were gonna play
the pick and roll and we got caught. Uh. I
was part of it, myself and elidge On. We got
caught on a switch and we were both to switch
(36:37):
and we didn't and Berg got loose and hit a
hit a jumper and we lost game four. We won
game five and we were back to Boston. And you
know what happened when you when you go to Boston,
you got to play near perfect game just to even
have a chance to win. And but it was the
(36:58):
experience that you know, growing up and watching NBA. I
would say to myself, and I'm sure a lot of
other people would say, why is it always the Celtics
in the Lakers. I'd like to see somebody else in there,
you know, than these two teams. But what it took
to get to the finals three rounds? You know, you
(37:19):
got the three out of five the first year back
then it was three out of five. Then you play
the second round and then you go to the Western
Conference final and then you got the finals. And I
was like, wait oooh. I was like, you have to
be a really really good team to be able to
do this year in the year out. So it's just
(37:40):
the respect factor just hit you like a the Celtics,
the Lakers, you know, later on the Bulls, the Pistons,
these guys that win championships, multiple championships. What it takes
to get to the championship. It's grinded, it's grinding, and
you have to, you know, take care of yourself off
(38:01):
the court. You know, you have to sacrifice. So you know,
people will look at the money that's out there that
you get paid, but we put in a lot of work.
We have to. You know, we do a lot of
damage to our bodies, but we stury rewarding. We didn't
know it at the time, but look at all of us.
I mean, I got hit replacement. I need knee replacement.
(38:23):
I need my other hip replace. I just got that news,
you know, last week. So we put a strain on
our bodies. Man, we did.
Speaker 1 (38:31):
I've had both my hips and one knee. We did,
but we loved it. Anthney, go ahead, that's Rodney the
last question the other day. I need to I want
to hear his opinion on this.
Speaker 4 (38:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (38:41):
So I'm just gonna pull some of the stats, even
from your own career. So you paid seven hundred and
sixty eight games in the ten season span. You appeared
in pretty much ninety four percent of your games throughout
your entire career. And something that we brought up is
that Aaron Gordon complained about in an interview once they
lost in their Game seven to Minnesota that they needed
or breaks in between games because they're too tired and fatigued,
(39:03):
and that the competitive scoring and the gas and scoring
would be a lot better. But I know in your area,
y'all didn't have these giant breaks in between games like
they do now two or three games in between each one.
So we're just trying to figure out what's your thought
is on that of what Aaron Gordon said his interview
just about a week ago.
Speaker 4 (39:20):
Well you know this, you know, I don't know and
working today game or what I do know is they
get a lot of time off when we travel. We
travel commercial. I played ten years, nine years we traveled commercially.
It wasn't until I got to Chicago that I experienced
(39:43):
charter and I found that out when the first road
trip I was talking to one of the guys. I
was like, Okay, where do we park at Ohio Airport?
And DJ Hosson looked at me like, come on, rob
we trust we go around the backside. We we parked
our car, they take us out to the plane. I
was like, really like yeah, man. He looked at me
(40:06):
like that what championship championship teams do, right.
Speaker 1 (40:10):
I'm like, I hate to run, Rodney, We're done. I
can't believe it, Rodney. I gotta get you back, Rodney.
Speaker 2 (40:18):
Love you.
Speaker 1 (40:18):
Most consistent brother you'll ever meet in your life is
Ridney McCrae e Sports Radio. You'll have a fantastic day.
God will, and I'll be back tomorrow. Bye bye,
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