January 6, 2025 • 10 mins
Danny Sprinkle, Head Coach of Huskies basketball, joins Dave Softy Mahler and Dick Fain to talk about UW’s big last week, the program progress, plus thoughts on Great Osobor’s fitness and weight, DJ Davis improving, Franck Kepnang, and Michigan St.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now fact to frostproud cors Light, choose to chill Mondays
with Safie and Dick on your home for the Twelfth
Man and the NFL Sports Radio ninety three point three
KJR FM.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
All Right, boys and girls, we are back here at
Climbing Fledge Arena for the Kracking and Devils. But if
you can't get here for the game, get to Joey
by the way and go see the Husky Coaches Show tonight.
Danny Sprinkle will be there in person. You can go
talk to the coach about the dogs in their week
against Maryland and Illinois. I thought a very productive week
for you, dub. We'll see if the head coach of
(00:35):
the Huskies agrees with us on the air, Coach Sprinkle
with us. Now, coach, how are you man.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Doing good?
Speaker 4 (00:42):
How are you guys doing? Happy New Year to you?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, you too as well. So one in one. Obviously
you would have loved to have had the Illinois game.
But I thought your team took a step in the
last eighty minutes, how about you, man.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Yeah, no question. I thought we you know, we had
two of our better defensive efforts, and I just thought
I thought we competed you know, I thought we scrapped.
I thought we played hard, and you know, and that's
that's what it's all about with this team.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
What does that say when you have a team that
just hangs around because you guys had trouble offensively at
the beginning and they hit some threes early and you
just kind of just kind of scratched and clawed your
way back into the game and had an opportunity to
win at the end.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
Yeah, you know, and that and we're gonna have to
continue to do that all year, you know. I mean
we're not the biggest, we're not the most talented, but
like that's we have to overcome that with some grit
and with making the toughness plays, getting all the fifty
to fifty balls, diving on the floor, taking charges, you know,
doing those little things that winning entails. And so that's
you know, I think that's where we made a big step.
(01:44):
And I think, you know, kind of our roles are
starting to get defined a little bit, and you know,
players are starting to get comfortable and knowing what each
others do really well, you know, come game time. And
I knew it would take time. I was hoping they
wouldn't take as long as it has. But you know,
and now now that we've kind of figured out, it
doesn't get easier. You know, I don't know how many
(02:05):
teams or programs have played. I mean, our whole month
of January is against ranked opponents. Yeah, and I don't
know how many times that's ever happening. You you dub history,
but you know it's here and uh and we got
to take it on.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
I just looked it up. It's five games against top
twenty and net by the way, not just the eighth
pole but in nets every.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Ten of the last sixteen or quad one games.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Unreal, man, So yeah, good luck coach with that.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
But that and that's not that's not including the last two.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
That's right, tope, right, no doubt. Seven seven in a
row against the top twenty. Man. But you you knew this, right,
You knew that this is what the Big ten was
going to be all about. And we've mentioned this a
couple of times with you on the air, where you
talked about, hey, we got to be physical, we got
to be going to combat with these guys. How much
better prepared today is this basketball team to play in
(03:00):
this conference and to play this schedule than they were
maybe three four months ago.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
Yeah, we're uh, yeah, we're we're much more prepared, uh,
you know, and I think even just our non conference
with you know, some of the teams we played, and
you know, we played all sorts of different styles, uh,
you know, of opponents. But I think the key, you know,
was some of the adversity that we hit, you know,
that kind of calloused us it. It kind of it
(03:28):
hardened us a little bit and we needed to go
through some of that stuff to kind of see what
the character of this team was going to be because
we're gonna hit it again. You know, I got I
got news for you, like it's coming and it's uh,
you know, that's the Big ten. You know, it's a
big physical league, which you know you've seen just in
even in the last two games, like it's officiated differently,
(03:49):
and you know, it's it's a big boy, grow man league.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Talk about DJ Davis coach, because you know, he's really
struggled at the beginning of the season, and it looked to
and you correct me if I'm wrong, it looked to
me like he was struggling with his confidence at the
beginning of the season and then it just started going
down for him last night, and you could just see
him gain confidence throughout the entire game and that thirty
one point performance and not just hitting threes. I mean
he was getting to the line, he was getting in
(04:14):
the pain, he was causing problems.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
No, he was. And that's what you know, that's what
I expect from him too, you know, because he's such
a he's a tremendous shooter. He has an unbelievably quick release,
and we're a different team when he's making shot, you know,
not just him. Like the games where we've made threes,
like we've won pretty comfortably against some good teams, you know,
(04:39):
Washington State. I mean they could possibly be an NCAA
tournament team and would beat him by almost twenty and
so it was because we made ten threes. And so
we have to continue to shoot well, especially.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
In this league.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
And you know, I think that's what really stymied us
the first twelve minutes of the game against Illinois, is
we're getting great looks we just couldn't make, you know,
for whatever reason. And you know, thank god DJ got
hot and and but we need him to continue that,
to play with that slagger in that confidence for us
to be the best we can be.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
So Coach is with us, Jenny Sprinkle with us. He's
got his coach the show. You won't see him in person.
Joey u Village with Tony and Company coming up at
six o'clock tonight over on the am side as well
on nine to fifty. I'm just curious about great Osa
bar and his kind of physical fitness level to me,
and I think Dick saw this too. He looked a
little bit out of shape early in the year, and
(05:33):
I'm sensing that maybe that's starting to turn for him
a little bit. Is that a kind of a fair
observation that maybe he wasn't in the best of shape
And I guess maybe number one, why was that? And
you see that starting to change for him?
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Coach?
Speaker 4 (05:47):
Yeah, you know, it's a you know, it's a good question.
You know, I think I think he was, you know,
he was out of shape early. He got hurt the
end of October, okay, and couldn't practice, you know, and
he kind of got sick, and you know, there was
about an eight to twelve day span there where he
wasn't able to do anything. And then you know, and
(06:09):
then he kind of played his way back into shape,
and and you know, but like, you know, he still
does look a little heavy to me. But he's a
big boy now, like he was big last year too,
and nobody was complaining about it, right, you know, Like
and he needs that extra weight to to bang with
some of the bodies in the Big ten. And it's
it's who he is, you know, Like he's a physical
(06:31):
dude man like he he wants to hit. He loves contact.
But you know, with the amount of minutes that we've
had to have him play, which isn't his fault. You know,
we have two post guys that have been out pretty
much the whole year, you know, Chris Conway and Frank
and so he's had to play a lot more minutes
at the five than I was expecting coming into this season. Yeah,
(06:52):
and so but you know that's no excuse for you know,
for being in shape. And he's got to continue to
you know, to eat the right stuff and stay in
great shape with as much as we're going to be
traveling and being on the road. You know, that's uh,
it is a it is a concern.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Well, I thought you did a great job at halftime
making the adjustment too, to just get him in the
middle of the block where it was harder for them
to double, and you just got him the you just
fed him the rock over and over again and beginning
of that second half and he was able to score
and get to the get to the free throw line.
But talk a little bit about what it looks like
when Frank comes back for great What is it does
he is it pull him out more? Does it allow
(07:28):
him more one on one opportunities from the wing?
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Like what does that look like?
Speaker 3 (07:32):
And when will Frank? When will that happen?
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Really?
Speaker 4 (07:36):
Yeah, you know, it just it gives us more versatility,
and it gives us a rim presence, you know, Like
I mean, we haven't had a we haven't had a
rim presence, you know since Frank went down. Like I'm
talking a shot blocking, defensive presence, you know, which which
you need. Like I mean, look at Illinois last year.
I mean last night we made twelve to twenty eight layups,
(07:57):
you know, I mean we had a bunch of layups there.
That guy he changed our shots, you know, And that's
what Frank needs to do. And so it'll be a uh,
you know, we can play him a great together. And
it helps when you have Frank on the block where
you know, Great's pretty good when he catches the ball
at the elbow and he can drive and go one
on one and when you're not able to double him
(08:17):
and all of a sudden he can throw lobs to
Frank that it's different, and so we we definitely need
Frank's you know, physicality and offensively and defensively, and hopefully,
you know, hopefully in the next week or two. You know, honestly,
I'm I'm disappointed because I thought I thought we would
have had Frank back probably two weeks ago, you know,
But it's just it's frustrating because his uh yeah, his
(08:39):
his rehabs, just it's taken a little longer.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Dandy sprinkle before you go. You ever taken a team
into East Lansing and face coach is?
Speaker 4 (08:48):
Oh? No, I have not.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
I have not.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
I'm looking forward to it. I know it's one of
the best environments in the entire country, and you know,
I know, Husky Nation. I hope they're tuned in and
cheering us on on TV, and hopefully a lot of
people make the trip, you know what I mean. You see,
you see how Maryland and Illinois traveled to these away
games and hopefully, hopefully we have some alum out there
back in Michigan. If they need tickets, man, hit me
(09:14):
up because we need to get as much purple in
those buildings too.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
I love it.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
I will do that.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
I will go on social media and tell people out
in that area that need tickets to contact you and
we'll get those buddies.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
Don't be giving them my number though.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Just tellyment I got you. We'll figure it out. We'll
figure it.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Out, all right.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Hey, good luck man, go get him. It's be fun
to watch you guys out there on on Thursday and
then Michigan over the weekend. But hell of a stretch
coming up here. You're gonna find out a lot about
your basketball team.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Man.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
So best of luck and we'll talk down the roads.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
Now. I appreciate it. And after we get back from
this Michigan trip, man, I hope the fans come out.
We got Purdue coming in the national runner up last year,
I believe, on a Wednesday, and we need that place rocking.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
I love it. Danny Sprinkle, he'll be at Joey You
Village tonight with Tony Castor Cone by the way. So
getting out there and support the coach and I just
heard Tony's buying too. By the way, it might just
be diet coke and water, but he's buying, So go
see him at Joey in You Village. Coach Sprinkle is there,
Tony castor Cone, is there? The whole crew that's coming
up at six pm Over on the Am side,
Now fact to frostproud cors Light, choose to chill Mondays
with Safie and Dick on your home for the Twelfth
Man and the NFL Sports Radio ninety three point three
KJR FM.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
All Right, boys and girls, we are back here at
Climbing Fledge Arena for the Kracking and Devils. But if
you can't get here for the game, get to Joey
by the way and go see the Husky Coaches Show tonight.
Danny Sprinkle will be there in person. You can go
talk to the coach about the dogs in their week
against Maryland and Illinois. I thought a very productive week
for you, dub. We'll see if the head coach of
(00:35):
the Huskies agrees with us on the air, Coach Sprinkle
with us. Now, coach, how are you man.
Speaker 3 (00:42):
Doing good?
Speaker 4 (00:42):
How are you guys doing? Happy New Year to you?
Speaker 2 (00:44):
Yeah, you too as well. So one in one. Obviously
you would have loved to have had the Illinois game.
But I thought your team took a step in the
last eighty minutes, how about you, man.
Speaker 4 (00:56):
Yeah, no question. I thought we you know, we had
two of our better defensive efforts, and I just thought
I thought we competed you know, I thought we scrapped.
I thought we played hard, and you know, and that's
that's what it's all about with this team.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
What does that say when you have a team that
just hangs around because you guys had trouble offensively at
the beginning and they hit some threes early and you
just kind of just kind of scratched and clawed your
way back into the game and had an opportunity to
win at the end.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
Yeah, you know, and that and we're gonna have to
continue to do that all year, you know. I mean
we're not the biggest, we're not the most talented, but
like that's we have to overcome that with some grit
and with making the toughness plays, getting all the fifty
to fifty balls, diving on the floor, taking charges, you know,
doing those little things that winning entails. And so that's
you know, I think that's where we made a big step.
(01:44):
And I think, you know, kind of our roles are
starting to get defined a little bit, and you know,
players are starting to get comfortable and knowing what each
others do really well, you know, come game time. And
I knew it would take time. I was hoping they
wouldn't take as long as it has. But you know,
and now now that we've kind of figured out, it
doesn't get easier. You know, I don't know how many
(02:05):
teams or programs have played. I mean, our whole month
of January is against ranked opponents. Yeah, and I don't
know how many times that's ever happening. You you dub history,
but you know it's here and uh and we got
to take it on.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
I just looked it up. It's five games against top
twenty and net by the way, not just the eighth
pole but in nets every.
Speaker 3 (02:28):
Ten of the last sixteen or quad one games.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Unreal, man, So yeah, good luck coach with that.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
But that and that's not that's not including the last two.
Speaker 2 (02:38):
That's right, tope, right, no doubt. Seven seven in a
row against the top twenty. Man. But you you knew this, right,
You knew that this is what the Big ten was
going to be all about. And we've mentioned this a
couple of times with you on the air, where you
talked about, hey, we got to be physical, we got
to be going to combat with these guys. How much
better prepared today is this basketball team to play in
(03:00):
this conference and to play this schedule than they were
maybe three four months ago.
Speaker 4 (03:06):
Yeah, we're uh, yeah, we're we're much more prepared, uh,
you know, and I think even just our non conference
with you know, some of the teams we played, and
you know, we played all sorts of different styles, uh,
you know, of opponents. But I think the key, you know,
was some of the adversity that we hit, you know,
that kind of calloused us it. It kind of it
(03:28):
hardened us a little bit and we needed to go
through some of that stuff to kind of see what
the character of this team was going to be because
we're gonna hit it again. You know, I got I
got news for you, like it's coming and it's uh,
you know, that's the Big ten. You know, it's a
big physical league, which you know you've seen just in
even in the last two games, like it's officiated differently,
(03:49):
and you know, it's it's a big boy, grow man league.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
Talk about DJ Davis coach, because you know, he's really
struggled at the beginning of the season, and it looked to
and you correct me if I'm wrong, it looked to
me like he was struggling with his confidence at the
beginning of the season and then it just started going
down for him last night, and you could just see
him gain confidence throughout the entire game and that thirty
one point performance and not just hitting threes. I mean
he was getting to the line, he was getting in
(04:14):
the pain, he was causing problems.
Speaker 4 (04:18):
No, he was. And that's what you know, that's what
I expect from him too, you know, because he's such
a he's a tremendous shooter. He has an unbelievably quick release,
and we're a different team when he's making shot, you know,
not just him. Like the games where we've made threes,
like we've won pretty comfortably against some good teams, you know,
(04:39):
Washington State. I mean they could possibly be an NCAA
tournament team and would beat him by almost twenty and
so it was because we made ten threes. And so
we have to continue to shoot well, especially.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
In this league.
Speaker 4 (04:52):
And you know, I think that's what really stymied us
the first twelve minutes of the game against Illinois, is
we're getting great looks we just couldn't make, you know,
for whatever reason. And you know, thank god DJ got
hot and and but we need him to continue that,
to play with that slagger in that confidence for us
to be the best we can be.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
So Coach is with us, Jenny Sprinkle with us. He's
got his coach the show. You won't see him in person.
Joey u Village with Tony and Company coming up at
six o'clock tonight over on the am side as well
on nine to fifty. I'm just curious about great Osa
bar and his kind of physical fitness level to me,
and I think Dick saw this too. He looked a
little bit out of shape early in the year, and
(05:33):
I'm sensing that maybe that's starting to turn for him
a little bit. Is that a kind of a fair
observation that maybe he wasn't in the best of shape
And I guess maybe number one, why was that? And
you see that starting to change for him?
Speaker 1 (05:45):
Coach?
Speaker 4 (05:47):
Yeah, you know, it's a you know, it's a good question.
You know, I think I think he was, you know,
he was out of shape early. He got hurt the
end of October, okay, and couldn't practice, you know, and
he kind of got sick, and you know, there was
about an eight to twelve day span there where he
wasn't able to do anything. And then you know, and
(06:09):
then he kind of played his way back into shape,
and and you know, but like, you know, he still
does look a little heavy to me. But he's a
big boy now, like he was big last year too,
and nobody was complaining about it, right, you know, Like
and he needs that extra weight to to bang with
some of the bodies in the Big ten. And it's
it's who he is, you know, Like he's a physical
(06:31):
dude man like he he wants to hit. He loves contact.
But you know, with the amount of minutes that we've
had to have him play, which isn't his fault. You know,
we have two post guys that have been out pretty
much the whole year, you know, Chris Conway and Frank
and so he's had to play a lot more minutes
at the five than I was expecting coming into this season. Yeah,
(06:52):
and so but you know that's no excuse for you know,
for being in shape. And he's got to continue to
you know, to eat the right stuff and stay in
great shape with as much as we're going to be
traveling and being on the road. You know, that's uh,
it is a it is a concern.
Speaker 3 (07:06):
Well, I thought you did a great job at halftime
making the adjustment too, to just get him in the
middle of the block where it was harder for them
to double, and you just got him the you just
fed him the rock over and over again and beginning
of that second half and he was able to score
and get to the get to the free throw line.
But talk a little bit about what it looks like
when Frank comes back for great What is it does
he is it pull him out more? Does it allow
(07:28):
him more one on one opportunities from the wing?
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Like what does that look like?
Speaker 3 (07:32):
And when will Frank? When will that happen?
Speaker 2 (07:34):
Really?
Speaker 4 (07:36):
Yeah, you know, it just it gives us more versatility,
and it gives us a rim presence, you know, Like
I mean, we haven't had a we haven't had a
rim presence, you know since Frank went down. Like I'm
talking a shot blocking, defensive presence, you know, which which
you need. Like I mean, look at Illinois last year.
I mean last night we made twelve to twenty eight layups,
(07:57):
you know, I mean we had a bunch of layups there.
That guy he changed our shots, you know, And that's
what Frank needs to do. And so it'll be a uh,
you know, we can play him a great together. And
it helps when you have Frank on the block where
you know, Great's pretty good when he catches the ball
at the elbow and he can drive and go one
on one and when you're not able to double him
(08:17):
and all of a sudden he can throw lobs to
Frank that it's different, and so we we definitely need
Frank's you know, physicality and offensively and defensively, and hopefully,
you know, hopefully in the next week or two. You know, honestly,
I'm I'm disappointed because I thought I thought we would
have had Frank back probably two weeks ago, you know,
But it's just it's frustrating because his uh yeah, his
(08:39):
his rehabs, just it's taken a little longer.
Speaker 2 (08:42):
Dandy sprinkle before you go. You ever taken a team
into East Lansing and face coach is?
Speaker 4 (08:48):
Oh? No, I have not.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
I have not.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
I'm looking forward to it. I know it's one of
the best environments in the entire country, and you know,
I know, Husky Nation. I hope they're tuned in and
cheering us on on TV, and hopefully a lot of
people make the trip, you know what I mean. You see,
you see how Maryland and Illinois traveled to these away
games and hopefully, hopefully we have some alum out there
back in Michigan. If they need tickets, man, hit me
(09:14):
up because we need to get as much purple in
those buildings too.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
I love it.
Speaker 4 (09:18):
I will do that.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
I will go on social media and tell people out
in that area that need tickets to contact you and
we'll get those buddies.
Speaker 4 (09:25):
Don't be giving them my number though.
Speaker 2 (09:26):
Just tellyment I got you. We'll figure it out. We'll
figure it.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Out, all right.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Hey, good luck man, go get him. It's be fun
to watch you guys out there on on Thursday and
then Michigan over the weekend. But hell of a stretch
coming up here. You're gonna find out a lot about
your basketball team.
Speaker 1 (09:43):
Man.
Speaker 2 (09:43):
So best of luck and we'll talk down the roads.
Speaker 4 (09:47):
Now. I appreciate it. And after we get back from
this Michigan trip, man, I hope the fans come out.
We got Purdue coming in the national runner up last year,
I believe, on a Wednesday, and we need that place rocking.
Speaker 2 (09:58):
I love it. Danny Sprinkle, he'll be at Joey You
Village tonight with Tony Castor Cone by the way. So
getting out there and support the coach and I just
heard Tony's buying too. By the way, it might just
be diet coke and water, but he's buying, So go
see him at Joey in You Village. Coach Sprinkle is there,
Tony castor Cone, is there? The whole crew that's coming
up at six pm Over on the Am side,
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