Former Louisville basketball player Manuel Forrest talked about the current state of Cardinal hoops and support from the fans, Kenny Payne deserving a third year at the helm, his U of L career, his mom's massive impact on his life, living in Argentina, and returning home...
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(00:01):
You're a news radio eight forty WHSTerry miners here. I love when I
get a chance to talk to someof our local athletes. I've done it
all throughout the course of my career, including before I came to WHAS thirty
nine years ago when I was onQMF on the show with no Name.
Ron Klay took a few days off. I had to get other guests to
(00:24):
come in, and one of themwas Manuel Forrest, who I talked into
coming out in the snow and aboutit was snowy, freezing man. You
know, I don't know if youremember this or not, but you came
out of the dorm. You're playingfor U of AL at the time,
and then we went over and didthe radio show and you were great.
(00:44):
You were a good co host.Oh, thank you, thank you,
Thank you about it. I'm notscared, No, you're not. I'm
not scared at all. It isgreat to see you again. Thank you,
Vin, Thank you for inviting me. No doubt we've seen each other
time and again over the years,and I just kind of wanted to get
an update on useful people. Peoplelove our teams. Over the years,
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you were on some great teams greattimes and with some wonderful people, with
some wonderful people that I see today. You know, it's just amazing to
see how things come in circle becausepeople don't know this. On Kenny Payne's
first visit to Louisville, I washis escort and the next morning I had
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him ready to sign a lot ofpeople do not know that, and I
ain't gonna indulge any more information,but I had them ready to sign.
And it's just for circle down thathe's head coaches. It's just amazing to
me. Yeah, Well, clearly, obviously people they're pushing pull on.
(01:53):
You know what's going to happen nextwith U of L basketball. What do
you want to tell the fans whoare impatient about what they've seen us?
Well, tell me like I toldyou earlier. I'm real disappointed, you
know because when I played for theUniversity of louis because I couldn't win anywhere
to play. I was top fivein high school. I chose Louis because
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of the fans, because I thoughtwe was die hard. I thought as
long as I was watching an interviewI did before we played Indiana my senior
year, and I said the fanswould support us as long as we give
one hundred percent. And I wouldnever think that I would see a Louisville
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basketball game empty. You know,we're supposed to be die hard fans,
you know. I look, don'tget me wrong. Four and twenty eight.
It's hard to swallow the way thingsare going, it's hard to swallow.
But I'm from March Well. Ilived eighteen years in Argentina, and
when they belonged to a club allthere, they call it over them at
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the club team, they gonna supportit whether you win lose. You I
remember they have teams that wouldn't wintwo games. We go to the gym
and it be crowded because they supportedand not. Like I said, I'm
real disappointed, but I understand.But you know, like I told you,
you know, I don't matter thatthe criticism. Will people help us
support the team show up because youknow, it's a bad as bad look
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for top five program. There wereonly five thousand people at the most recent
home game to play seats over twentytwo thousand. Wow. So clearly a
lot more people are buying season ticketsor at least holding onto them, but
they're not putting those people in theseats and not putting warm bodies in the
seats except the ok game for somereason, I seen all blue. I
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don't know where they got their ticketsfrom. You know what I'm saying,
the four of blue. But yeah, you're right, five thousands. That's
a high school game five thousand.But but but people don't know it's that.
You know, I go. Thereason why I support Kenny so much
because I go to practice and heworks hard. He practiced the kids three
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hours a day. I mean practice, practice, practice, And you know,
I can't say he's a great coach, you know, but it's his
second year. And you know,somebody wrote me on Facebook the other day
about when when Rick Patino came intook over Kentucky when they was going through
they shambles. He said it tookhim two years he made it to the
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lead eight. But how many yearsof coaching that Rick Patino had before he
got that Kentucky job head coaching?Because Kenny was wont with the Knicks.
Kenny was with Kentucky right and Kenny'sbeen in the basketball game his whole life.
Right there for people to understand,he's gonna take that because this is
not nineteen eighty or nineties. Thisis two thousand and twenty four. But
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twenty four, I got it right. I can't believe it. Two thousand
and twenty four the basketball landscape hadchanged. You know, number one right
now? Purdue, Well Purdue,but they lost last night. They won't
stay number one. Oh okay,but that's how many years did they take
for due to get this? Imean they never been I know that I
(05:10):
know of well Painter the coach there, he's been up and down with them.
But but yeah, they're back uphigh. You know what I'm saying.
So everydent I mean I was Myexample is u c l A.
Okay, because they won ten championships, right so after John Wooden left,
wo were the next time they wona championship? They won one after John
Wooden. Yeah, in the nineties, right right, you know what I'm
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saying. So I think sometime youknow, I louver fans and myself,
we get delusion on the basis,right. But I'm you know, like
when you lose, you look atthese small like Bella man that these these
other small college they got good players. Now it's not like because of your
name you automatically gonna win. Sothe basketball had changed, and you got
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That's why I don't like to getinto college sports because you got them one
and done. You got now kidsgetting paid, You got the transfer portal.
Basketball is too confused to me rightnow. How much time should people
give Kenny Payne to put this shipon a course that looks like it's next
year. Let him go through anotherseason next year if things don't get better
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by next year, I mean significantbetter next year, because people don't understand
everything we had to go through.You know, Kenny had to go through
the you know, the you knowhe was on base I was going were
challenges. There were a lot ofchallenges that when Kenny would go recruit,
uh college is called right behind,So you don't want to go Louisal,
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or they might be on probation,they might not go to the tournament.
But the windshield's been white. Nowit's all clear. It's all clear.
Now. That's why I give himthis year. Last year he took on
playoffs that wasn't his, you know, and some things I wish I could
tell you what I can't say,but but Kenny took on players that that
that that that wasn't here. Butthere seems to be some secrecy elements,
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like Coron Davis. We didn't hearanything. He's a great kid, and
the next thing, you know,he's gone. He's not in any trouble.
He's a great kid. I'm notasking you to tell me. I
can tell by the smile on yourface, you know. But that's the
thing is that when you're asking peopleto be paying customers, and you know,
we use the word fan, butstill it's a it's discretionary income.
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People decide do I want to takea trip to Florida? Do I want
to spend money on U of Lticks? You know, it's a decision
families have to make. They wantto feel like they're a part of the
process, and so that that secrecyelement is hurtful. Yeah, but you've
just heard about the UK player thatgot women's team. Yeah what did they
say? We're not coming no more. So that's that's the way things is
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now. But I wish they hadkept it quiet about the kid of well
it's his name. They didn't wantto place so they have the white device.
Was that kid's name? Time?Yeah, Tyler Johnson, Oh man,
you have been off my team.As soon as he said that dude,
what have y Have I ever heardof anything more ridiculous in your life?
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He's a good player. But that'sa change. That's that's the way
things have changed now. The kidshave changed. Everything has changed. It's
not as easy as it was,say back in the eighties and nineties.
The kids you know now, youknow, like I said, they getting
paid now. So I have aquestion. I don't know, dud they
if they get paid. Do theyget paid wilder in college or they get
(08:31):
it after that. I can't answerthat question. I don't know the answer
for you. See how confusing Igot. You see how confusing things are.
Manuel Forrest is in the studio.We have another minute or two here
and then you're gonna hang out anddo another segment with it. Yes,
for sure, I know you've gonethrough some rough stuff in life. Yes,
and I hope I'm not divulging toomuch here. But you got robbed
not too long ago. Yes,are you okay? I'm I'm I'm okay.
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More than my pride. My pridewas hurt. Because if anybody being
robbed, just like the first time, and you feel like you feel like
you nothing, you know, youfeel like you you I would just say,
like you weak when somebody forcefully takeyour stuff. But everything that is
looking up. And I was twoyears working at Boys and Girls Haven,
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and you know, I really Ireally loved that job. But sometimes it's
just got too much for me,you know. Like I said, kids,
People say I'm good with kids,but that's when I'm coaching basketball.
Like I told you, I cangive them right back to it parents.
Yeah, yes, I have themtwo hours and I give them back to
their parents. But working at Boysand Girls Haven, no kids that go
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through trauma, you know, beingthrough the system. So you know,
I ran my course their So nowI'm talking to Mark Greensburg and John Ramsey
and David James shout out. Iwas a good guy, they shout out,
and we're working to see what whatcan I do. So we've been
talking by like two weeks and good. I applied for one job and David
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James said, no, you wouldn'tbe happy, and that was okay,
all right. I don't want todivulge anymore on that, but that's good.
Good to hear that you're working withthe administration. Yes, you you
are a valuable connection to joyous timesfor Louisville. Basketball. You always will
be, and so we're gonna we'regonna sort of walk through a little bit
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of that coming up in a fewminutes. But also I think people just
want to know that you're okay.Yeah, are you happy today? Today?
I'm happy that I'm on the radio. I can say that on the
radio. Sit tight. More onthe way with Manuel Forest. We'll pick
it up again at four thirty fivehere on news Radio eight forty Whas then
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the studio with me is Manuel Forrest, who played for the University of Louisville
in the nineteen eighties, went offto Argentina and lived there for eighteen years.
We'll get into that at the moment. It's so great to see you
again after all these years. Thankyou. You're looking good man. I'm
so proud of it. You don'trealize I when I came back from WASHINGTONA.
I think I worked for your familymembers at Toyota Louisville. How about
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that? Yeah, yeah, Iworked at Toyoda Little. That was my
first job back as a car salesman. It didn't go too good. I
didn't go to that. I can'tcome no bad. I'm trying to tell
the cop people and all that.I can't do that. I wasn't no
good at that stuff. Wow.Every time my customer come in, you
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had to raise somebody. You hadto raise somebody to get to them first
in the customer. Yeah, yougotta raise to them. And it was
fun. It was fun time.Though I learned a lot. Well that's
what life is, is a learningcurve. Let's walk back to the U
of L days, if you don'tmind, a lot of schools were trying
to get manual Forrest. I meanhere, you were a star here in
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the Kentucky Still County all the time, leaning score that's right and six and
you are in the Kentucky High SchoolBasketball Hall of Fame. Fly, thank
you, thank you very much.So a lot of schools wanted you to
come play where else? Did Wasthere a temptation? Was there a chance
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to go somewhere else? Yeah?I love Vegas. UNLV would have been
with by Islamma Jamin No, No, that's Houston, Oh, Houston,
that's right to Vegas. The runningReBs that was Tartin in biting the town.
Yeah, I loved it because youknow, in Vegas they didn't have
a campus and so they had togive you an apartment and a car to
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get in the class. But mymom was more She was like, but
Manuel, what if something happened,you know, wonder if you get hurt,
which ended up happening at Louisville.But yeah, Bud, Yeah,
I could have went to a lotof school, but I knew all everybody
knew I was going to Louisville.And people don't know Kentucky was in there
too, because I was real goodfriends with Joe Hall and I would go
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down to the summer basketball council,hang out with Dirk Minnifield, Sam Boyd.
My main friend was Charles Hurt fromChelby County. Yeah, big tough
guy. Yeah, that was mypartner. And so you know, but
everybody kind of knew because at fourteenyears old, I would go up and
play in Crawford Gym against Griff youknow, that was like my family already
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before and they would come to mygame. So and I used to go
hang out on campus. It shouldhave been a log Derek Smith mcra brother
No, no, no, thiswas before this was with this. When
I was in high school, theyhad like Rick Wilson, Oh, Ricky
Gallina Grill, Bobby Turner, WesUnseale. I remember he hit me with
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a pick one time that knocked allthe wind out. Next time, I
was looking up people for fanning me. Yeah yeah, So so that that
was great. I mean Wes WesleyCox. Oh, you know, I
why I knew I was gonna goto the Louiver and they treated me because
it's like I was fourteen fifteen yearsold and I was always in the rotation.
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I got you. So people don'tunderstand That's why I was so good
in high school because in the summerI would go play across the gym that
I played a high school Calvulight.Yeah, you're banging against NBA talent.
Yeah yeah. All you're gonna dois get better. Yeah yeah. So
yeah. But then, like Isaid, my freshman year and it was
kind of my freshman and sophomore year, it was kind of rough, Like
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you know, it was hard becauseI came in with Milk Wagner. So
you know, we was loaded thatyear with Dark Smith, Poncho right,
Wally Brown School to mccraid, Rodneymccraid, everybody that played my position we
had, We had them. SoI thought that, you know, like
I said, I never had tocompete for a position. So I knew
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I wasn't gonna start, but Ithought I was gonna play. You know,
I was just thinking about winning achampionship. So the first coach like
we played in Tokyo, I didn'teven get in. So we played in
in UH play like four or fivegames and I wasn't playing. So I
went to coach. I asked whyI was playing. He said, because
you know, we have seniors andall that. But you know, I
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was listening to people and my pride. So I called Tourtanian like thought,
I'm ready to leave. Wow,yes, I'm ready to leave. And
he was like, okay, man, you we'll take you. We'll take
you. So I really don't wantto leave, but you know I'm trying
to you know, come on,coach. You know this is to try
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and induce Denny Crumb to give yousome minute. Yeah, yeah, kind
enough. But if if talks didn'tcome, I was if I didn't know,
but I had to I had todo something. So I walk in
Coach. I walked in Coach Houston. I'm in coach a Club's office,
I said, I said, Coach, I'm thinking about leaving, transfer us
to Vegas. Because I ain't playing, said, He looked at it.
He sat back and he looked atme and said, well man, you
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I think there'll be a mistake.But if you really won't leave, I
do everything in my bibles to helpyou. That changed my whole. Man,
when he said help you, Ididn't expect that time. I thought
I was gonna get mad. Youdon't leave. Don't leave now, Okay,
if you won't leave, I doeverything. I think it'll be a
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mistake. No time is coming.Warm up the buts man. That changed
my whole my my, my wholething, my whole idea. And then
I became a member of I don'tgive a damn crew. You know what
that means. I don't give adamn crew. I would get in when
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the game is up by twenty everybody'sleaving. And we used to call I
said, if I don't give adamn crew, because when we get in,
nobody gives it. So but itwas fun because we was winning.
We had a you know, theguys was all together and stuff. And
then you know, then I hadto end up playing in the Argentine for
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eighteen years. The Argentina situation wasgreat. You took your son and you
and uh, and they paid welland but then the economy, yeah,
well but they didn't pay well,but it had some It's like, uh,
I ain't never had nothing growing up. So the money I was making
over it was more than I evermade. You know. It wasn't the
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NBA money or spaying money, butit was money that you know, I
never had before. And plus,you know, like I was kind of
disappointed I didn't get drafted or Ididn't get red shirted because I was supposed
I thought I was supposed to getred shirted because I only played seven games
when I blew my knee out ofmy sophomore year eighty three. Yeah,
and I and I just played sevengames, so I thought I was gonna
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get red shirted. But you know, it didn't happen. They said I
played one game too minute, andthat was like two weeks before the drift.
So it was very difficult. Youknow, after my mom died,
I really, I'm telling I reallywasn't thinging about playing in the NBA because
after she died. That's why Iplayed basketball. That's why, because I
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really I love wrestling all my life. I wanted to be a wrestler all
my life. So basketball. Butthere's something you know, back in the
eighties, well back in the seventies, if you was tall, you had
to play. And for some reasonI became good. I mean I didn't
put in no well, you know, fantasize that I'm all this gill More
and stuff like that, but forgoing in putting in work work, you
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know, No, you know,basketball was there's something I can make friends
because I was a lonely kid.You know, went through a lot as
a kid, and basketball was theway that I could make friends. So
you went through a lot. Yourevealed some of that in an interview years
ago. Yeah, yeah, youknow, I was molested as a kid.
And you know, because my mom, she was a single mob back
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back in the seventies, and youknow, it was rare even in our
community I came. I didn't knowno other people that was had a single
mom. So I ain't never hada dad or mentor in my life.
You know, everything I did Idid on my own, sometimes wrong for
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things I had to figure out causemy mom was always working and and you
know, and for some reason,I never had my uncle's name. They
had dirt kids, you know,so I was pretty much of a lonely
kid. And like I said,I got molested and I used to stuttery
a lot. And by the timeI was six, I only had two
Hundias operations. So so as akid that I don't know my mom.
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I remember when I was a freshman, when I first got in the newspaper
and the kids in the neighborhood cameand got my autograph. Right, So
they came to the door and I'msigned in the autograph. As soon as
they left, my mom smacked me. I was like, Mom, what's
going on? She said, Idon't like your attitude. She said,
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you know better than anybody else.She said, it wasn't for God for
me praying for you because I hadasthma. Like I said, I would
think you wouldn't have the success thatyou have. And to me, I
mean a lucky I loved my mom. You know my mom, like I
said, she was, she wasmy everything. She died at forty two
years old, and you know,for sick a week, and yeah it
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was pretty rough. But going toArgentina, I mean the food, I
mean, I love their food.You know, it taught me a lot.
You know, when I first gotthere, I was like every other
American. I wouldn't drink the waterall the way, eat chicken, a
spaghetti but anything else. Didn't knowthey got the best meat, the best
steaks in the world. But youknow, once I got over my phobia
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and I loved the way they lived. Like I would tell they don't have
sexy eight over there. They don'thave you know, first of the month
checks they all live, or whatthey work and what they saved on and
when they when the government collapsed andthey took everybody's money, that's why I
had to come back, because theytook everybody's money out of the concount was
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erased, was wiped out, everybody, not mine, everybody, everybody,
everybody, but then the city.That's why I came home because I thought
the country was collapsing. And youknow, when when you see the president
escaped in escaping in a helicopter fromthe Castle Rosa, it's like the White
House, they call it the CastleRosa and all out. That told me,
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amigos I either obla spaniol Joe justtrying your mouyo well anyway, and
that fus I picked up a secondlanguage, of course, and uh,
I'm gonna tell people what happened here. A few minutes ago, you and
I discussed this. Yeah, yeah, I don't think I'm over divulging here,
but yeah, you you cried alittle bit when you were talking about
some people who killed themselves over losingall their money, and I saw how
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much that affected you. Yeah,it's it's, it's, it's, it's,
it's it's. I mean, peopledon't understand, you know, uh
here. I mean they're to getdown and thank God every day that they
were born here because the people theyhave no I mean because you work,
like I said, they don't havegovernment to have you work you and you
live on what you work on.And a lot of these people that committed
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suicide, it took out their lifesaving they was up like sixty seventy years
old. How they're gonna be startagain, so they ain't seen no way
out. You still feel but Isee it in your face now. Yeah,
they're still feeling that pain. Yeah, because yeah, and you know,
I thought about it, you know, but I was thirty nine years
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old and I was American, sothat's the one I thought I would come
home and you know, and youknow, because it used to kill me
to hear people, you know,talking about you know, Argentina people.
I'm going to America to make money. You know, I'm going to America.
They don't come here because they loveAmerica. They come here to make
money, and you know, andthey used to bother me, right,
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And I don't know why. Itused to bother me, like they coming
to use my country, right,And so I decided, you know,
I remember, I was like,what I'm gonna do. What I'm gonna
do, what I'm gonna do.I really didn't want to come home,
and I was thinking about taking somepills. Then I seen my sons picture
on on the TV. I like, what the what whatever I'm thinking about?
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Wait a minute, You considered suicide? Yeah, because it was my
whole savings, you know. AndI was still playing. But I thought
that the country was collapsing, youknow, and it wasn't like it well
like I'm gonna do it. ButI thought about it, you know what
I'm saying, because everybody else,you know, I had a couple of
friends and I was down in thedunks. You saw your son's picture,
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yeah, I saw about some picture. I was like, man, what
are you thinking about? You soThat's when I decided to come home.
And I came home after eighteen yearsto a whole different place. You know.
It wasn't the Louisver that I leftin the eighties where everybody spoke to
you. You know. There wasa whole whole different, different place.
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And and I'm from a third worldcountry. You know. It took a
lot for me to catch up becauseI trust people, you know, over
there. If you don't have trust, you don't have you know here.
You know, I didn't know aboutthe drug editions. I didn't know how
the families done separate. I hada lot to learn, and like I
told you, one of the mosthumbling things is when I after thirty nine
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years after playing basketball, I workedin a factory and when people come and
say, hey, and you manumfor us to play for Louisville, and
you know, and it's you know, I, like I said, I
never thought that I was better thananybody else, but that right day kind
of made me feel like, waita minute. So yeah, I've been
through a lot, but you knowwhat, I'm sixty years old. I
(24:37):
me in good shape, skin it, but I wish I could gain some
more weight. For some reason,I can't gain weight. I've been trying.
Somebody, please, you know Iget so jealous of people who have
weight. I don't know why Iget jealous. I want to give me
a couple of them. You ain'tsomething called no zimping. Manuel. It's
been great chatting with you again.Let's do this against please, please,
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let's let let's do it again.And and now I just want to say
one thing before I leave Terry isgo back to to to u L.
I'm gonna tell y'all something that Ishouldn't say this, but I'm gonna say
it because you know, I alwaystalking fun back when we had other coaches
at the University of Louisville and theydidn't embrace then It and and his players.
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I still supported Louisville, you know, I supported him and and I
knew the coaches didn't want us inthe world around, but I still support
Louisville. So this one I'm tryingto tell people, now, get Kidny
one more year, give them onemore year. And like I said,
I know it's hard. It's hardfor us. Do you think do you
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think it's not It's not easy.I understand, like I was four and
twenty eight, it's hard to swallow? Will we five? And nine?
Now it's it's hard to swallow.But hey, if you're a true fan,
you call all these years, youcall yourself a die hard fan,
prove it. Manuel Forest great seeinghim give him back in a minute on
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news radio ad forty w h Ahas
You're a news radio eight forty WHSTerry miners here. I love when I
get a chance to talk to someof our local athletes. I've done it
all throughout the course of my career, including before I came to WHAS thirty
nine years ago when I was onQMF on the show with no Name.
Ron Klay took a few days off. I had to get other guests to
(00:24):
come in, and one of themwas Manuel Forrest, who I talked into
coming out in the snow and aboutit was snowy, freezing man. You
know, I don't know if youremember this or not, but you came
out of the dorm. You're playingfor U of AL at the time,
and then we went over and didthe radio show and you were great.
(00:44):
You were a good co host.Oh, thank you, thank you,
Thank you about it. I'm notscared, No, you're not. I'm
not scared at all. It isgreat to see you again. Thank you,
Vin, Thank you for inviting me. No doubt we've seen each other
time and again over the years,and I just kind of wanted to get
an update on useful people. Peoplelove our teams. Over the years,
(01:07):
you were on some great teams greattimes and with some wonderful people, with
some wonderful people that I see today. You know, it's just amazing to
see how things come in circle becausepeople don't know this. On Kenny Payne's
first visit to Louisville, I washis escort and the next morning I had
(01:32):
him ready to sign a lot ofpeople do not know that, and I
ain't gonna indulge any more information,but I had them ready to sign.
And it's just for circle down thathe's head coaches. It's just amazing to
me. Yeah, Well, clearly, obviously people they're pushing pull on.
(01:53):
You know what's going to happen nextwith U of L basketball. What do
you want to tell the fans whoare impatient about what they've seen us?
Well, tell me like I toldyou earlier. I'm real disappointed, you
know because when I played for theUniversity of louis because I couldn't win anywhere
to play. I was top fivein high school. I chose Louis because
(02:16):
of the fans, because I thoughtwe was die hard. I thought as
long as I was watching an interviewI did before we played Indiana my senior
year, and I said the fanswould support us as long as we give
one hundred percent. And I wouldnever think that I would see a Louisville
(02:36):
basketball game empty. You know,we're supposed to be die hard fans,
you know. I look, don'tget me wrong. Four and twenty eight.
It's hard to swallow the way thingsare going, it's hard to swallow.
But I'm from March Well. Ilived eighteen years in Argentina, and
when they belonged to a club allthere, they call it over them at
(02:57):
the club team, they gonna supportit whether you win lose. You I
remember they have teams that wouldn't wintwo games. We go to the gym
and it be crowded because they supportedand not. Like I said, I'm
real disappointed, but I understand.But you know, like I told you,
you know, I don't matter thatthe criticism. Will people help us
support the team show up because youknow, it's a bad as bad look
(03:20):
for top five program. There wereonly five thousand people at the most recent
home game to play seats over twentytwo thousand. Wow. So clearly a
lot more people are buying season ticketsor at least holding onto them, but
they're not putting those people in theseats and not putting warm bodies in the
seats except the ok game for somereason, I seen all blue. I
(03:43):
don't know where they got their ticketsfrom. You know what I'm saying,
the four of blue. But yeah, you're right, five thousands. That's
a high school game five thousand.But but but people don't know it's that.
You know, I go. Thereason why I support Kenny so much
because I go to practice and heworks hard. He practiced the kids three
(04:06):
hours a day. I mean practice, practice, practice, And you know,
I can't say he's a great coach, you know, but it's his
second year. And you know,somebody wrote me on Facebook the other day
about when when Rick Patino came intook over Kentucky when they was going through
they shambles. He said it tookhim two years he made it to the
(04:29):
lead eight. But how many yearsof coaching that Rick Patino had before he
got that Kentucky job head coaching?Because Kenny was wont with the Knicks.
Kenny was with Kentucky right and Kenny'sbeen in the basketball game his whole life.
Right there for people to understand,he's gonna take that because this is
not nineteen eighty or nineties. Thisis two thousand and twenty four. But
(04:49):
twenty four, I got it right. I can't believe it. Two thousand
and twenty four the basketball landscape hadchanged. You know, number one right
now? Purdue, Well Purdue,but they lost last night. They won't
stay number one. Oh okay,but that's how many years did they take
for due to get this? Imean they never been I know that I
(05:10):
know of well Painter the coach there, he's been up and down with them.
But but yeah, they're back uphigh. You know what I'm saying.
So everydent I mean I was Myexample is u c l A.
Okay, because they won ten championships, right so after John Wooden left,
wo were the next time they wona championship? They won one after John
Wooden. Yeah, in the nineties, right right, you know what I'm
(05:33):
saying. So I think sometime youknow, I louver fans and myself,
we get delusion on the basis,right. But I'm you know, like
when you lose, you look atthese small like Bella man that these these
other small college they got good players. Now it's not like because of your
name you automatically gonna win. Sothe basketball had changed, and you got
(05:55):
That's why I don't like to getinto college sports because you got them one
and done. You got now kidsgetting paid, You got the transfer portal.
Basketball is too confused to me rightnow. How much time should people
give Kenny Payne to put this shipon a course that looks like it's next
year. Let him go through anotherseason next year if things don't get better
(06:17):
by next year, I mean significantbetter next year, because people don't understand
everything we had to go through.You know, Kenny had to go through
the you know, the you knowhe was on base I was going were
challenges. There were a lot ofchallenges that when Kenny would go recruit,
uh college is called right behind,So you don't want to go Louisal,
(06:39):
or they might be on probation,they might not go to the tournament.
But the windshield's been white. Nowit's all clear. It's all clear.
Now. That's why I give himthis year. Last year he took on
playoffs that wasn't his, you know, and some things I wish I could
tell you what I can't say,but but Kenny took on players that that
that that that wasn't here. Butthere seems to be some secrecy elements,
(07:01):
like Coron Davis. We didn't hearanything. He's a great kid, and
the next thing, you know,he's gone. He's not in any trouble.
He's a great kid. I'm notasking you to tell me. I
can tell by the smile on yourface, you know. But that's the
thing is that when you're asking peopleto be paying customers, and you know,
we use the word fan, butstill it's a it's discretionary income.
(07:25):
People decide do I want to takea trip to Florida? Do I want
to spend money on U of Lticks? You know, it's a decision
families have to make. They wantto feel like they're a part of the
process, and so that that secrecyelement is hurtful. Yeah, but you've
just heard about the UK player thatgot women's team. Yeah what did they
say? We're not coming no more. So that's that's the way things is
(07:49):
now. But I wish they hadkept it quiet about the kid of well
it's his name. They didn't wantto place so they have the white device.
Was that kid's name? Time?Yeah, Tyler Johnson, Oh man,
you have been off my team.As soon as he said that dude,
what have y Have I ever heardof anything more ridiculous in your life?
(08:09):
He's a good player. But that'sa change. That's that's the way
things have changed now. The kidshave changed. Everything has changed. It's
not as easy as it was,say back in the eighties and nineties.
The kids you know now, youknow, like I said, they getting
paid now. So I have aquestion. I don't know, dud they
if they get paid. Do theyget paid wilder in college or they get
(08:31):
it after that. I can't answerthat question. I don't know the answer
for you. See how confusing Igot. You see how confusing things are.
Manuel Forrest is in the studio.We have another minute or two here
and then you're gonna hang out anddo another segment with it. Yes,
for sure, I know you've gonethrough some rough stuff in life. Yes,
and I hope I'm not divulging toomuch here. But you got robbed
not too long ago. Yes,are you okay? I'm I'm I'm okay.
(08:56):
More than my pride. My pridewas hurt. Because if anybody being
robbed, just like the first time, and you feel like you feel like
you nothing, you know, youfeel like you you I would just say,
like you weak when somebody forcefully takeyour stuff. But everything that is
looking up. And I was twoyears working at Boys and Girls Haven,
(09:18):
and you know, I really Ireally loved that job. But sometimes it's
just got too much for me,you know. Like I said, kids,
People say I'm good with kids,but that's when I'm coaching basketball.
Like I told you, I cangive them right back to it parents.
Yeah, yes, I have themtwo hours and I give them back to
their parents. But working at Boysand Girls Haven, no kids that go
(09:39):
through trauma, you know, beingthrough the system. So you know,
I ran my course their So nowI'm talking to Mark Greensburg and John Ramsey
and David James shout out. Iwas a good guy, they shout out,
and we're working to see what whatcan I do. So we've been
talking by like two weeks and good. I applied for one job and David
(10:03):
James said, no, you wouldn'tbe happy, and that was okay,
all right. I don't want todivulge anymore on that, but that's good.
Good to hear that you're working withthe administration. Yes, you you
are a valuable connection to joyous timesfor Louisville. Basketball. You always will
be, and so we're gonna we'regonna sort of walk through a little bit
(10:26):
of that coming up in a fewminutes. But also I think people just
want to know that you're okay.Yeah, are you happy today? Today?
I'm happy that I'm on the radio. I can say that on the
radio. Sit tight. More onthe way with Manuel Forest. We'll pick
it up again at four thirty fivehere on news Radio eight forty Whas then
(10:48):
the studio with me is Manuel Forrest, who played for the University of Louisville
in the nineteen eighties, went offto Argentina and lived there for eighteen years.
We'll get into that at the moment. It's so great to see you
again after all these years. Thankyou. You're looking good man. I'm
so proud of it. You don'trealize I when I came back from WASHINGTONA.
I think I worked for your familymembers at Toyota Louisville. How about
(11:13):
that? Yeah, yeah, Iworked at Toyoda Little. That was my
first job back as a car salesman. It didn't go too good. I
didn't go to that. I can'tcome no bad. I'm trying to tell
the cop people and all that.I can't do that. I wasn't no
good at that stuff. Wow.Every time my customer come in, you
(11:33):
had to raise somebody. You hadto raise somebody to get to them first
in the customer. Yeah, yougotta raise to them. And it was
fun. It was fun time.Though I learned a lot. Well that's
what life is, is a learningcurve. Let's walk back to the U
of L days, if you don'tmind, a lot of schools were trying
to get manual Forrest. I meanhere, you were a star here in
(11:56):
the Kentucky Still County all the time, leaning score that's right and six and
you are in the Kentucky High SchoolBasketball Hall of Fame. Fly, thank
you, thank you very much.So a lot of schools wanted you to
come play where else? Did Wasthere a temptation? Was there a chance
(12:18):
to go somewhere else? Yeah?I love Vegas. UNLV would have been
with by Islamma Jamin No, No, that's Houston, Oh, Houston,
that's right to Vegas. The runningReBs that was Tartin in biting the town.
Yeah, I loved it because youknow, in Vegas they didn't have
a campus and so they had togive you an apartment and a car to
(12:39):
get in the class. But mymom was more She was like, but
Manuel, what if something happened,you know, wonder if you get hurt,
which ended up happening at Louisville.But yeah, Bud, Yeah,
I could have went to a lotof school, but I knew all everybody
knew I was going to Louisville.And people don't know Kentucky was in there
too, because I was real goodfriends with Joe Hall and I would go
(13:01):
down to the summer basketball council,hang out with Dirk Minnifield, Sam Boyd.
My main friend was Charles Hurt fromChelby County. Yeah, big tough
guy. Yeah, that was mypartner. And so you know, but
everybody kind of knew because at fourteenyears old, I would go up and
play in Crawford Gym against Griff youknow, that was like my family already
(13:24):
before and they would come to mygame. So and I used to go
hang out on campus. It shouldhave been a log Derek Smith mcra brother
No, no, no, thiswas before this was with this. When
I was in high school, theyhad like Rick Wilson, Oh, Ricky
Gallina Grill, Bobby Turner, WesUnseale. I remember he hit me with
(13:46):
a pick one time that knocked allthe wind out. Next time, I
was looking up people for fanning me. Yeah yeah, So so that that
was great. I mean Wes WesleyCox. Oh, you know, I
why I knew I was gonna goto the Louiver and they treated me because
it's like I was fourteen fifteen yearsold and I was always in the rotation.
(14:09):
I got you. So people don'tunderstand That's why I was so good
in high school because in the summerI would go play across the gym that
I played a high school Calvulight.Yeah, you're banging against NBA talent.
Yeah yeah. All you're gonna dois get better. Yeah yeah. So
yeah. But then, like Isaid, my freshman year and it was
kind of my freshman and sophomore year, it was kind of rough, Like
(14:30):
you know, it was hard becauseI came in with Milk Wagner. So
you know, we was loaded thatyear with Dark Smith, Poncho right,
Wally Brown School to mccraid, Rodneymccraid, everybody that played my position we
had, We had them. SoI thought that, you know, like
I said, I never had tocompete for a position. So I knew
(14:52):
I wasn't gonna start, but Ithought I was gonna play. You know,
I was just thinking about winning achampionship. So the first coach like
we played in Tokyo, I didn'teven get in. So we played in
in UH play like four or fivegames and I wasn't playing. So I
went to coach. I asked whyI was playing. He said, because
you know, we have seniors andall that. But you know, I
(15:13):
was listening to people and my pride. So I called Tourtanian like thought,
I'm ready to leave. Wow,yes, I'm ready to leave. And
he was like, okay, man, you we'll take you. We'll take
you. So I really don't wantto leave, but you know I'm trying
to you know, come on,coach. You know this is to try
(15:35):
and induce Denny Crumb to give yousome minute. Yeah, yeah, kind
enough. But if if talks didn'tcome, I was if I didn't know,
but I had to I had todo something. So I walk in
Coach. I walked in Coach Houston. I'm in coach a Club's office,
I said, I said, Coach, I'm thinking about leaving, transfer us
to Vegas. Because I ain't playing, said, He looked at it.
He sat back and he looked atme and said, well man, you
(15:58):
I think there'll be a mistake.But if you really won't leave, I
do everything in my bibles to helpyou. That changed my whole. Man,
when he said help you, Ididn't expect that time. I thought
I was gonna get mad. Youdon't leave. Don't leave now, Okay,
if you won't leave, I doeverything. I think it'll be a
(16:18):
mistake. No time is coming.Warm up the buts man. That changed
my whole my my, my wholething, my whole idea. And then
I became a member of I don'tgive a damn crew. You know what
that means. I don't give adamn crew. I would get in when
(16:40):
the game is up by twenty everybody'sleaving. And we used to call I
said, if I don't give adamn crew, because when we get in,
nobody gives it. So but itwas fun because we was winning.
We had a you know, theguys was all together and stuff. And
then you know, then I hadto end up playing in the Argentine for
(17:00):
eighteen years. The Argentina situation wasgreat. You took your son and you
and uh, and they paid welland but then the economy, yeah,
well but they didn't pay well,but it had some It's like, uh,
I ain't never had nothing growing up. So the money I was making
over it was more than I evermade. You know. It wasn't the
(17:22):
NBA money or spaying money, butit was money that you know, I
never had before. And plus,you know, like I was kind of
disappointed I didn't get drafted or Ididn't get red shirted because I was supposed
I thought I was supposed to getred shirted because I only played seven games
when I blew my knee out ofmy sophomore year eighty three. Yeah,
and I and I just played sevengames, so I thought I was gonna
(17:45):
get red shirted. But you know, it didn't happen. They said I
played one game too minute, andthat was like two weeks before the drift.
So it was very difficult. Youknow, after my mom died,
I really, I'm telling I reallywasn't thinging about playing in the NBA because
after she died. That's why Iplayed basketball. That's why, because I
(18:07):
really I love wrestling all my life. I wanted to be a wrestler all
my life. So basketball. Butthere's something you know, back in the
eighties, well back in the seventies, if you was tall, you had
to play. And for some reasonI became good. I mean I didn't
put in no well, you know, fantasize that I'm all this gill More
and stuff like that, but forgoing in putting in work work, you
(18:30):
know, No, you know,basketball was there's something I can make friends
because I was a lonely kid.You know, went through a lot as
a kid, and basketball was theway that I could make friends. So
you went through a lot. Yourevealed some of that in an interview years
ago. Yeah, yeah, youknow, I was molested as a kid.
And you know, because my mom, she was a single mob back
(18:53):
back in the seventies, and youknow, it was rare even in our
community I came. I didn't knowno other people that was had a single
mom. So I ain't never hada dad or mentor in my life.
You know, everything I did Idid on my own, sometimes wrong for
(19:14):
things I had to figure out causemy mom was always working and and you
know, and for some reason,I never had my uncle's name. They
had dirt kids, you know,so I was pretty much of a lonely
kid. And like I said,I got molested and I used to stuttery
a lot. And by the timeI was six, I only had two
Hundias operations. So so as akid that I don't know my mom.
(19:34):
I remember when I was a freshman, when I first got in the newspaper
and the kids in the neighborhood cameand got my autograph. Right, So
they came to the door and I'msigned in the autograph. As soon as
they left, my mom smacked me. I was like, Mom, what's
going on? She said, Idon't like your attitude. She said,
(19:55):
you know better than anybody else.She said, it wasn't for God for
me praying for you because I hadasthma. Like I said, I would
think you wouldn't have the success thatyou have. And to me, I
mean a lucky I loved my mom. You know my mom, like I
said, she was, she wasmy everything. She died at forty two
years old, and you know,for sick a week, and yeah it
(20:17):
was pretty rough. But going toArgentina, I mean the food, I
mean, I love their food.You know, it taught me a lot.
You know, when I first gotthere, I was like every other
American. I wouldn't drink the waterall the way, eat chicken, a
spaghetti but anything else. Didn't knowthey got the best meat, the best
steaks in the world. But youknow, once I got over my phobia
(20:40):
and I loved the way they lived. Like I would tell they don't have
sexy eight over there. They don'thave you know, first of the month
checks they all live, or whatthey work and what they saved on and
when they when the government collapsed andthey took everybody's money, that's why I
had to come back, because theytook everybody's money out of the concount was
(21:00):
erased, was wiped out, everybody, not mine, everybody, everybody,
everybody, but then the city.That's why I came home because I thought
the country was collapsing. And youknow, when when you see the president
escaped in escaping in a helicopter fromthe Castle Rosa, it's like the White
House, they call it the CastleRosa and all out. That told me,
(21:21):
amigos I either obla spaniol Joe justtrying your mouyo well anyway, and
that fus I picked up a secondlanguage, of course, and uh,
I'm gonna tell people what happened here. A few minutes ago, you and
I discussed this. Yeah, yeah, I don't think I'm over divulging here,
but yeah, you you cried alittle bit when you were talking about
some people who killed themselves over losingall their money, and I saw how
(21:44):
much that affected you. Yeah,it's it's, it's, it's, it's,
it's it's. I mean, peopledon't understand, you know, uh
here. I mean they're to getdown and thank God every day that they
were born here because the people theyhave no I mean because you work,
like I said, they don't havegovernment to have you work you and you
live on what you work on.And a lot of these people that committed
(22:04):
suicide, it took out their lifesaving they was up like sixty seventy years
old. How they're gonna be startagain, so they ain't seen no way
out. You still feel but Isee it in your face now. Yeah,
they're still feeling that pain. Yeah, because yeah, and you know,
I thought about it, you know, but I was thirty nine years
(22:25):
old and I was American, sothat's the one I thought I would come
home and you know, and youknow, because it used to kill me
to hear people, you know,talking about you know, Argentina people.
I'm going to America to make money. You know, I'm going to America.
They don't come here because they loveAmerica. They come here to make
money, and you know, andthey used to bother me, right,
(22:47):
And I don't know why. Itused to bother me, like they coming
to use my country, right,And so I decided, you know,
I remember, I was like,what I'm gonna do. What I'm gonna
do, what I'm gonna do.I really didn't want to come home,
and I was thinking about taking somepills. Then I seen my sons picture
on on the TV. I like, what the what whatever I'm thinking about?
(23:08):
Wait a minute, You considered suicide? Yeah, because it was my
whole savings, you know. AndI was still playing. But I thought
that the country was collapsing, youknow, and it wasn't like it well
like I'm gonna do it. ButI thought about it, you know what
I'm saying, because everybody else,you know, I had a couple of
friends and I was down in thedunks. You saw your son's picture,
(23:30):
yeah, I saw about some picture. I was like, man, what
are you thinking about? You soThat's when I decided to come home.
And I came home after eighteen yearsto a whole different place. You know.
It wasn't the Louisver that I leftin the eighties where everybody spoke to
you. You know. There wasa whole whole different, different place.
(23:51):
And and I'm from a third worldcountry. You know. It took a
lot for me to catch up becauseI trust people, you know, over
there. If you don't have trust, you don't have you know here.
You know, I didn't know aboutthe drug editions. I didn't know how
the families done separate. I hada lot to learn, and like I
told you, one of the mosthumbling things is when I after thirty nine
(24:15):
years after playing basketball, I workedin a factory and when people come and
say, hey, and you manumfor us to play for Louisville, and
you know, and it's you know, I, like I said, I
never thought that I was better thananybody else, but that right day kind
of made me feel like, waita minute. So yeah, I've been
through a lot, but you knowwhat, I'm sixty years old. I
(24:37):
me in good shape, skin it, but I wish I could gain some
more weight. For some reason,I can't gain weight. I've been trying.
Somebody, please, you know Iget so jealous of people who have
weight. I don't know why Iget jealous. I want to give me
a couple of them. You ain'tsomething called no zimping. Manuel. It's
been great chatting with you again.Let's do this against please, please,
(25:00):
let's let let's do it again.And and now I just want to say
one thing before I leave Terry isgo back to to to u L.
I'm gonna tell y'all something that Ishouldn't say this, but I'm gonna say
it because you know, I alwaystalking fun back when we had other coaches
at the University of Louisville and theydidn't embrace then It and and his players.
(25:23):
I still supported Louisville, you know, I supported him and and I
knew the coaches didn't want us inthe world around, but I still support
Louisville. So this one I'm tryingto tell people, now, get Kidny
one more year, give them onemore year. And like I said,
I know it's hard. It's hardfor us. Do you think do you
(25:45):
think it's not It's not easy.I understand, like I was four and
twenty eight, it's hard to swallow? Will we five? And nine?
Now it's it's hard to swallow.But hey, if you're a true fan,
you call all these years, youcall yourself a die hard fan,
prove it. Manuel Forest great seeinghim give him back in a minute on
(26:07):
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