Koa Peat is still deciding and a vibes check heading into the summer

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What's up, everybody? This is Wildcat Radio 2.0.

I'm Adam Green.

He's Brett Barry.

And before we get into all the stuff we haven't talked about over the last few weeks since last recorded, I think we owe Brett a congratulations on the birth of his first child, Alchemy Casino Del Sol Home Field Desert Diamond Casino Barry.

So congrats.

I'm surprised you got the name right on the first take, Adam.

[laughs]

[laughs] Yeah, it's a mouthful, but hey, nicely done.

No, I mean, Brett, you're, you're a dad, I think.

We kind of teased that the last show, and we've taken a little bit of a break because that, that happened.

So congrats, Brett.

Thanks.

Now, now we move to the next phase where we try to have our children fall in love with each other, get married, and then we officially become family in the future, Adam.

That's took a turn that I wasn't expecting, but-

Are you, are you not supportive of that?

I would be in support of...

I mean, my son's got options.

Let me put that out there.

He's got, you know.

Okay.

Oh.

We'll see what Alchemy, who she grows up to be.

[laughs] Oh, boy.

[laughs] But no, congrats to that.

Um, as I'm sure you're understanding, especially in the early days, being a parent is the absolute best.

Um, but Brett has made time for us to record this time, and we'll see how it goes in the near future.

We got some plans to make sure we can be on a more regular recording cadence.

But Brett, there's a lot of stuff that we haven't talked about since our last show.

Of course, Koa Peat still in the draft as of now, but by the next time we record in August, he may not be.

Um, [laughs] uh, what else do we have? Softball season ended.

Baseball season ended mercifully.

Um, Arizona basketball possibly in this Diamond Cup tournament.

Um, more, you know, basketball additions for both the men and the women.

So there's a lot going on.

Golf has, men's golf has done really, really well.

Tennis' season fell short, but they had a really good run, too.

Um, where do we want to start?

I mean, maybe we start with Koa because that's the most timely thing.

I guess, yeah.

It's, uh, when he entered the draft, I think, well, when the season began, we all kind of figured Koa was a one and done.

And the funny thing is, it's like when the season began, Brayden Buries was picked, a guy who was maybe needing some work, and Koa looked like just a man possessed.

And then the season ends, and Buries is now appears like a lock for the top 10 pick to be a lottery pick.

And Koa, when he entered the draft, I don't think it surprised anybody, and we talked about this before.

It didn't surprise that you would go get your feedback, see what you think, because, I mean, it's his goal to be an NBA player.

This has been his dream for a while.

So you understand that.

And his combine was not great, couldn't shoot, didn't test, I mean, his athletically he tested fine, but he just couldn't shoot.

And I think the flaws that we knew Koa had going into the off-season were the ones that showed up there.

And the question then became not so much is he a lottery pick, because I don't think anyone has Koa as a lottery pick, but is he a first-round pick? And a lot of people figured if he wasn't gonna be a first-round pick or wasn't gonna be a lottery pick, he would come back to school.

He's still in the draft even with all that talk out there.

So we'll see.

He's got until May 27th to withdraw.

Yeah, and there's talk that he changed his shot at the urging of his agent team, um, which that's a risky proposition to do.

Uh, I, I don't think his shot was that bad either.

It just needed refinement.

Mm-hmm.

Uh, he's got a clean...

You, you're not that effective of a mid-range shooter, uh, without having the, uh, you know, some basic mechanics right.

Um, so I d- I don't know, uh, you know, you and I aren't insiders.

We're not in the room when they're doing some of these things.

Um, you know, it, it kind of is unfortunate for him because that's kind of the, the difference between, you know, Carter Bryant was a surprise lottery pick because he developed a shot, right? Um, otherwise he could be-

I think Carter's a little taller than Koa too, but yeah.

Yeah, but he's also thir- 30 pounds lighter.

They're just different players.

Yeah.

Right? But, um, you know, Koa Peat is a, as of right now, is a bully ball type player that doesn't have an outside shot.

Carter Bryant had a high floor as a three-and-D guy with some-

Actually, Koa, or Carter's shorter, 6'6".

I think Koa's listed at 6'8", maybe.

I think Bryant is 6'7" though, but-

Yeah

... um, you know, I, Koa's gonna do what he decides is r- right for him.

Mm-hmm.

I'm sure he's got a billion people in his ear.

Uh, I do think, my, my personal opinion is I think, you know, I hate the, I actually hate the argument of, "Oh, you can develop full time in the NBA." I'm like, I'm not convinced that's the right answer, especially when you're working under a coach like, uh, Tommy Lloyd, who has a pretty darn good track record of developing guys, especially bigger players.

Um, so I just, I tend to not buy that argument as much.

And then the money is such that if you're a 20-plus pick, it's about the same with NIL and whatnot.

Also, with Koa Peat, if you come back to Arizona and you're a preseason top five team, you can do whatever is the, you know, air quote NIL that comes with the program.

But let's just call, call it what it is.

It's a salary.

Uh, but you, that, you know, the true NIL where he can license himself as a Final Four caliber team and a guy that's a big returning star probably can make even more than that independently, and Arizona will undoubtedly try to help him get that.

And I think that if he develops like the way we think, he would be a lottery pick next year.

Yeah.

So it's, it's are you trying to get to the second contract one year faster, or are you trying to get the first contract to be bigger?

bigger?It's really easy for...

And I mean, I said a few weeks ago that I think Koa's gonna come back, and I still lean that way.

I do.

But it's easy for us to say come back because all these things can happen.

On the flip side, come back, and there's a lot of pressure on you and on Arizona now.

What if you don't make the Final Four? Think of, like, Mike Bibby when he came back after the national championship.

I think Arizona lose that next year, right? Like, they did not repeat.

They did not get back to the Final Four.

So there's always the chance that you don't meet those expectations that are incredibly high.

Maybe he does not show that jump shot.

Maybe it's the new form or everything, it's just flat.

He doesn't improve, doesn't take the leap forward that people thought.

Then he went from, you know, a freshman who has room to grow to, well, now he's a sophomore who now two years in a row has shown he can't shoot.

So whatever draft stock he had is not there anymore.

And there's also a chance that he gets hurt.

You know, Koa had that lower body injury, that lower leg injury later in the s- you know, that he missed some time later in the season.

And I remember a lot of people thought it was gonna be really bad, and fortunately he was able to come back.

But for a guy, I think he had a broken arm or something in high school, too.

He suffered a couple of injuries.

Maybe he has that thought in his mind, too.

And further, no, like, he could absolutely...

I think without NIL, this isn't even a conversation, right? If he could not legally get paid to play at Arizona, he's going to the NBA.

There's no question about that.

Because NIL exists, because he could probably make more in one year at Arizona than he will at, in his first year as a, you know, 27th pick in the NBA draft or whatever it might be, you can...

But I don't think it's the money for him.

That's the thing.

I think it's about reaching his goals and all that.

And if he was to get drafted, I put this in a column for AZ Desert Storm a couple weeks ago, if he does get drafted in the, say, the late 20s, like, I don't want to be an early second-round pick, but this point where it's for the late 20s, if he goes to a team like, I don't know who he's been mocked to, like, say, like, the Spurs, right? Where they can afford to develop him, and he's just a winning type of player.

He might do well to go to a team that doesn't need him to come in and be the starting three or the starting four early on, that will invest that time in him, that has shown they can coach and develop talent, and they just, they're winners.

There's different programs.

Like, I would not want Koa Peat to go to, like, who, who got the fir- I forget who got the first pick this year.

The Wizards, right? That would be a terrible spot for him as a developing player, as someone who needs to refine aspects of his game.

But if he goes, if he was to go late in the draft to a good team, to a playoff team, to Oklahoma City or to San Antonio or to New York or one of these teams that's, you know, made it pretty far, that's not a bad landing spot for a player like Koa Peat who needs certain things out of his NBA stop to start.

So I, you could easily make a case to come back.

Sure.

And we're, we wanna make that case because we're Arizona guys, and Arizona's a much better team with Koa Peat than with whoever they're gonna have to get to replace him, I'm sure.

But if you're Koa Peat, a chance to be drafted to, I don't know, Boston or, you know, Denver, just one of these places that can develop you, that doesn't need you to be the guy early on, that's not a bad spot to be either, and you're in the NBA.

You've realized your dream of being in the NBA.

Sure.

He's not gonna play on those teams.

Um-

But he doesn't, but that's the point.

He doesn't need to play on those teams early on.

I know.

It, but-

And he can work behind the scenes, get that jumper going and-

Well, but that's a-

Yeah

...

but that's another thing is, is Koa Peat, you know, he's a child of a professional athlete.

Does he wanna go somewhere and just be a glorified prac- practice player for a year, two, three years?

He might.

Like, m- maybe.

I-

I mean, I'm sure that's not what he wants, but he might accept that as his path to the NBA.

Like, I don't know.

And we, like, Koa's an ultimate competitor.

We know that.

Like, that-

Which is, which is why the-

He's got that dog in him

... which is why when you said there's the pressure if he comes back, like, that's not, that's, I don't think that's gonna be a concern.

Well, I don't necessarily think that's a knock for him not coming back.

I just, there's a lot of things, like, we all just thought, "Oh, if he comes back, this is what's gonna happen," and no, it doesn't work that way.

There's nothing guaranteed that if he comes back.

Like, yes, if we think from Arizona's perspective, yeah, you put Koa Peat in the starting lineup, and you're bringing back your front court, Ivan, Ivan Karchenkov, Koa Peat, and Mo Krivas, the things that made you so good last season.

You add Kaleb Holt to replace Brayden Burries, then you hope that Manu Queter or Derrick Dixon end up being good point guards.

Like, you are a Final Four caliber team.

You're a top five team entering next season with Koa Peat coming back.

And yes, if Koa Peat comes back and then takes that jump and can be more of an offensive focal point and more of a creator, a guy who can hit 35% of his threes and his jump shots, like, yeah, then he plays himself into the lottery, especially with next year's draft not projected to be as deep as this year's draft is.

But those are all things that could happen.

They also may not.

Yeah.

I mean, he could also be drafted in the top 20, t- top 20, but he may be drafted in the second round.

[chuckles]

Mm-hmm.

Right? You know, there, there...

I, I always...

I have, maybe this is the old competitor in me, the, I, I never buy, unless somebody has a history of recurring injuries, and it's like, and, and it's like football especially, where it's like, you know, you have a short shelf life as a running back, for example, like, go make your dollars, right? Um, 'cause even in college, you don't get paid that much these days, even in the age of NIL, as a running back.

Mm-hmm.

Um, I, the what if he gets hurt question, though, I, that, the competitor in me says that's a BS concern, um, because you-

You think it's his concern.

No, I, I know, but I'm just, I'm just vocalizing where I come from, and I think that that pro- I think Koa Peat is more a c- has that, like you said, has that dog in him, where he wa- he, he's gonna wanna prove people wrong one way or another at this point.

[chuckles] Whether that, now whether that means, all right, I'm gonna go into the draft and show why I should've been picked higher, or do I come back and get picked higher and s- show why I should've been picked higher this year? Um, or silence the doubters and be the, you know, live like a god-king i- in Tucson for a year and make-

Oh, if he comes back for another year, then he elevates himself into, like, all-time stats because Arizona doesn't get guys like that for a second season normallyAnd especially being Mr. Arizona and there's a lot to live up to.

Like, yeah, you took Arizona to the Final Four.

Like, there's not much room to get better than that.

I mean, could you imagine a world where you have a fifth-year senior Noah Fifita returning and Koa Peat returning? That's gonna be a wonderful buzz on campus all year.

Um-

And that, and that's, and that's the excitement.

The fact that, I mean, I guess until...

I have a friend who was like texting me, he's all nervous.

Oh, Koa's not coming back this, and like he's in the draft until he's not.

Yeah.

He declared for a reason.

He has until May 27th.

Now you wonder, I know Ike Clutters representative had a pro day, and I was watching some of the videos and his shot just looked awful to me.

It looked so weird, and maybe it's just because I'm not used to seeing it that way, but it looked slow, it looked low.

And, and I don't know if now's the time to be trying to change your shot, and that's, I'm not a basketball scout, coach, agent, or anything to do with that.

So whoever made that decision, you know, I hope it works out for you.

But, like, as we look at things for this team, like he's, he's in the draft until he's not, and unless anything changes, he has to withdraw.

Otherwise, he's in.

So May 27th is the date that he has to withdraw by.

And do I still think it happens? Like I still do.

I, I do believe that, 'cause my same friend who was worried about that, he's like, "Do you think Tommy's in touch with him? And does Tommy have a backup plan?" I'm like, "I'm sure, yes, and yes." And we don't know what that is.

Like what, we don't know what door number two is for Arizona.

It's not Koa Peat or nothing at the power forward spot.

Like that spot is being held open for him.

You don't recruit over Koa Peat unless you're sure Koa Peat's not coming back.

So the fact that they haven't picked up a portal four or someone who can come in and be like, "Oh, that's the starting four." You know, maybe like a Larry Markkanen type, you know, from overseas or somebody say, "Yep, he's the guy who's gonna play that spot." You don't bring in that guy until you know that spot's available, and that spot is Koa Peat's until it's not.

So the fact that it's still open, I'm sure Tommy has every belief that...

I saw Tommy, there was like a thing, an event in Phoenix area.

He was gonna say, "Hey, like this is Koa's decision." You know, they're supportive either way, whatever he wants to do.

But that spot's still open for a reason.

So maybe you don't have a lot of hope, maybe you're not as optimistic as I am that Koa's coming back.

But just as Koa's still in the draft, Arizona still hasn't picked up a starting power forward.

Like, there's reasons for both of those things right now, and something's gonna give, right? [laughs]

Yeah.

Either Arizona's gonna find their power forward and that guy's out there, or Koa's coming back.

And either way, I think Arizona will be just fine.

Yeah, no, I 100% agree with that, so I don't stress about it.

Also, while you were talking, I did look up the supposed video of him at the, in, in his new shot.

And I say this as somebody who has a slow shot.

His, it looks shockingly slow.

And then-

Well, it looked like he even wears Sean Marion.

And you don't-

Well-

Like you don't want that

...

I don't know if I'd go that far.

[laughs] Um, but like I say this as some- You know, I mean, you know me, I am a tall.

Uh, my shot, you know, I'm not a quick shooter.

I'm an effective shooter, but also I can get blocked by slow guys playing pickup games 'cause my shot is too slow, right?

Mm-hmm.

And if you're playing NBA guys with that length and athleticism, a low and slow shot, you might as well not have a jump shot.

It's not gonna go through.

I, I really feel like the wisdom of that, of like I get that I'm sure people the, the thought was, "Can he shoot? He's gotta improve his shot." And like I agree with you.

I don't think his shot was bad as a freshman.

It had room to get consistent and get better.

It was a little bit like his three-point is a little bit line drivey, so there's room to get more arch on that.

But he had a mid-range game that was okay.

He hit some jumpers, hit some pull-ups, and he did hit that three in the national champ- or the Final Four game against Michigan.

You know, he was one for one there.

He made more threes than you thought he would all season long.

[laughs] And definitely took more than you thought he should as well.

But I just, one of the wisdom of like-

I was a brick that night.

[laughs]

...

since April and now, so like in the last month, them saying, "Okay, we're gonna try to ch- overhaul your entire shooting mechanics ahead of the combine and the draft," and like I don't know how often that works for someone.

You know, it's like you change your batting stance in the off-season, you change your swing in the off-season, and there's still time to work through it.

Or pitchers with some of their delivery, their windup and everything.

If you're a basketball player and you've been shooting a certain way for 18, 19 years or whatever it is, however long you've been playing, yes, you have to keep improving.

You have to get better.

But is five weeks before the draft, is it their way of saying they're trying to show coaches, scouts, GMs like, "Here's a guy who's willing to work at it.

Like, here's a guy who's willing to do whatever it takes to get better.

So yes, he sacrificed the combine.

We know the combine isn't a big deal, that you're gonna see the measurables, you're gonna see that this kid works his ass off, competes like no other, and is gonna do whatever it takes to improve as a basketball player." Maybe that's what they're thinking.

But either way, the shot right now looks just dreadful.

Like if that's the fix, I, I'm, I'm not a basketball junkie like you are.

I've never played at the level that you have played at, but that does not look like a shot that would play well at any level, let alone the NBA.

It's a shot that needed tweaking and enhancing, not a start over.

Yeah.

Right? Um, and to do that in a matter of weeks when millions of dollars are on the line was not a wise decision.

Um, but you know, we're, we're at where we're at, and you know, this is where I think he's...

There's also a difference between rebuilding a shot and developing a shot in practice and in games.

Yeah.

And like if you're trying to...

He, he is already gonna be a non-confident shooter, whether he's playing at Arizona or in the NBA next year.

Difference is at Arizona, you're gonna get game reps and you're gonna get out of your head when you're doing that, and hope- you hope to practice enough it becomes-

Uh, if he takes that broken shot and brings it back to Arizona.

[laughs]

Well, there's-

They're gonna have to work that-

Well, they're g- it's, it's, it ain't, it ain't done.

No.

That, that's true.

Um-

If it ain't fixed, don't break it

itAnd then, like, Arizona did pick up a couple bigs in the portal.

Evan Otten is the one I'm gonna talk about the most because I can pronounce his name with no problem.

[laughs] Then there's Ugg, um, who they also picked up.

Both guys who seem like they could be rotation players, but neither one of them strikes you as a starting power forward on a Big 12 contender.

And I think that's the point of this offseason what Arizona's done, where they needed to get guys where you knew, okay, they need a point guard.

Well, Derrick Dixon did well at North Carolina.

There's obviously a strong belief that he can develop into a very good point guard for Arizona defensively.

He's got great size.

And then JJ Mandaquit, who is a consummate point guard.

So Arizona knew they needed to find someone for that spot.

They found guys who are clearly gonna get minutes at that position, at the one.

You know, they have their two in Caleb Holt.

They have their threes in Yvonne and Cameron Holmes coming in.

Um, they have Mo Krivas.

They got Otten, who I think is kind of a center, like a four or five.

And then Ugg is also like a four or five backup-type players, role player-type guys.

None of them, no one they've gotten is a starting power forward.

They don't have a starting power forward on their roster right now, and it's May 22nd when we're recording.

So I think that tells you a lot about what Arizona's thinking or at least what they're prepared for.

So, but yeah, if he's-- if Koa decides to come back, the expectations for this team are gonna be insane.

For, for Arizona teams always handle high expectations well.

[laughs] Plus, I, I mean, I'm trying to think the last time, like, basketball had that kind of expectation.

Uh-

Maybe it was the first Caleb Love year, but even 'cause, like, they had Caleb Love, Keishawn Johnson-

The, uh-

...

Lamar Ball, the year they lost to Clemson maybe.

The, the, the, I mean, the, the year after Arizona won had high expectations because they returned a lot, and then the, uh-

Mm-hmm

... was it the '01 and '02 teams were-

Yeah

... super high expectations.

And then Sean Miller, the year after the Aaron Gordon year, so TJ's senior year when they had Rondae and Stanley Johnson and, uh, Caleb, like, I think that team had pretty high expectations.

But, like, this would be a different level.

This would be bringing arguably the best front line in the country back with the size on this team.

It would be ridiculous.

[laughs]

Yeah, and I was, um, I did see somebody has Mo Krivas as a preseason All-American at the center spot, and then I was thinking back to, you know, eight months ago when a lot of people were saying Mo Krivas sucked and Brayden Buries sucked, and I was yelling at them, and, you know.

How much has changed? Yeah.

You know, um, maybe, maybe Tommy Lloyd knows more about basketball and knows more about his players, uh, when he sees them every day than even you and I do, Adam.

I'm willing to concede that.

I am.

No blow you.

[laughs] That's the type of guy I am.

[laughs] Uh, Brett, let's take a break.

We come back.

Let's chat with a guy, Chris Brown, AZ Bandcat Sports, for a vibe check because there's a lot of vibes to go over.

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We're back.

It's Wildcat Radio 2.0 joined by Chris Brown, AZ Bandcat Sports, one of our favorite guests.

Great guy to talk to, to get just the vibe check, right? When there's a lot going on, and when Brett and I don't record until, like, every three weeks, four weeks, there's a lot of vibes to get to.

So Chris, welcome back to Wildcat Radio 2.0.

Chris BrownGuest22:25

Thanks as always for having me.

Chris BrownGuest22:27

Yeah, you know, it's always fun kind of beginning of the summer, not necessarily one specific thing we got to talk about, but we just get to do a bit of vibe check, you know, kind of pulse on the vibe monitor for, uh, where Arizona athletics is at.

Yeah, well, our first time we were talking about Koa Peat, and, like, my vibe is still that he's gonna come back.

It just seems to be, to me, it trends that direction.

Obviously, he could still stay in the draft, and I would support him 100% whatever he does.

But my vibe is that Koa Peat will be an Arizona Wildcat next season.

I think Brett agrees too.

Maybe?

Yeah, I was just gonna say that the problem is Adam's hot takes are much like Koa Peat's new jump shot.

They rarely hit.

[sighs] That was unnecessary.

But anyway, Chris, [laughs] here's, like, your take because-

Chris BrownGuest23:13

I can go

...

Koa, Koa has until the 27th, and there's all this stuff that's been out there about, you know, I think it was Jeff Goodman's like, "Seven out of 10 GMs said he should go back to school," but all it takes is one GM to say, "That's my guy," and they pick him, so it doesn't matter that if the other seven don't care or don't want him.

But what's your feeling on what Koa's gonna do? Because you can make a case for staying in the draft.

You can make a case for coming back to school.

What's your take, obviously knowing that none of us are talking to Koa Peat unless you have been talking to Koa.

But not talking to Koa Peat, what's your thought on, like, where he's trending?

Chris BrownGuest23:45

Well, you are right.

Chris BrownGuest23:46

I have not been talking to Koa Peat.

Chris BrownGuest23:48

I actually have not been, like, on the Twitter sphere and all that stuff as much as I, you know, was during, uh, March and April, so it's been a nice little break.

Chris BrownGuest23:56

But, uh, you know, happy to be back and talk and shop, if you will.

Chris BrownGuest24:01

Um, I, yeah, I, I think personally he would benefit from coming back, right? And I feel like right now it's probably like every day that he waits, I get a little bit less and less confident.

Chris BrownGuest24:16

Like, it was...

Chris BrownGuest24:17

I, I think I had initially thought it was like a, you know, maybe a 50/50, and then, like, as he waited a little bit longer, it was like, ohWell, maybe he is gonna come back, more like 75, 25, and I feel like I'm kind of moving back towards the 50/50%.

Chris BrownGuest24:29

Like, if he, like, he's gone through the combine, he had his, you know, the clutch pro day.

Chris BrownGuest24:34

Like, like if, he's gotten the feedback that he needs, right? Where, and has heard enough of the feedback that he should be able to make a decision.

Chris BrownGuest24:43

So the, you know, that said, it's not an easy decision, right? And he obviously, being a top prospect and the run that Arizona went on, like, it's...

Chris BrownGuest24:53

I think he wants to go to the next level and, and we all want him to go to the next level, but, and I think the right answer is for him to come back, be a National Player of the Year candidate.

Chris BrownGuest25:06

Like, I think he could come back and have a, this is maybe a, a, a, a hot take or a little bit of a ceiling, right? But he could have a, a Cam Boozer type season next year, given his size and athleticism and frame.

Chris BrownGuest25:21

Just if he works on that jump shot a little bit more, like, and can really score kind of at any level inside the arc, I, I, I don't think that's, like, the most far-fetched thing ever.

Chris BrownGuest25:32

So I don't know, buy it, sell it, but.

Yeah, I mean, Adam and I were talking that I don't buy the argument also that it's better to develop in practice in the NBA.

Chris BrownGuest25:42

[laughs]

Um, I just, I just don't.

Um, and people can disagree with that.

Uh, but I just, I think you get better by playing, and you still practice plenty, and there's no limit to how much you're gonna practice even when you're in college anyway, just 'cause it's not your...

The argument was you're a professional versus a student athlete, and it's like, that argument went out the window a few years back, uh, to, to say the least.

Um, I, I, I, I agree, and then, you know, I think, you know, to, to get to the vibes conversation, I think, you, you know, Adam and I were talking, I think whether or not Kowa comes back, I think we have finally have reached the point where we can trust in Tommy Lloyd that with the guys they've added and with, you know, likely one roster spot, Arizona fans should not be con- sh- should not be concerned, and the vibes are certainly not off, and it's just a matter of how, uh, off the scale positive they're gonna be coming into next year.

Is that a fair framing?

Chris BrownGuest26:38

Yeah, I, I would 100% agree.

Chris BrownGuest26:40

Like, no reason to not trust in Tommy.

Chris BrownGuest26:42

A- and I will continue to maintain that I said it when they announced they were coming back, but a lot of times, the most important recruits are the ones that are in the building.

Chris BrownGuest26:52

Like, getting Yvonne and getting Mo back for another season is massive.

Chris BrownGuest26:57

Like, I, I cannot put into words how big of a deal that is.

Chris BrownGuest27:01

You know, Mo is going to be another, like, Player of the Year, National Player of the Year candidate in terms of his ability to just be a rim protector, a shot blocker, a just defensive lockdown disrupter type player.

Well, and if he starts shooting jumpers and three-pointers too, and he has-

Chris BrownGuest27:19

Yeah

...

the range, he showed a little bit.

Chris BrownGuest27:22

Yeah, look out.

And then-

Yeah, I, I think Mo Krivas coming back was low-key the most important thing of this whole off-season, more important than Koa Peat.

I think he's less, he is more irreplaceable than any player on Arizona's roster, in my opinion.

Well, how dare you-

Chris BrownGuest27:37

Yes

... denigrate C.D.

Gay and what he could've been for next year's team.

Oh, I'm still sad about that.

Our sweet prince-

Chris BrownGuest27:42

[laughs]

... as he left Arizona.

But yeah, when it comes to Koa Peat also, we have to remember, like, how our vibes are, how optimistic we are.

He doesn't have to declare he's staying in the draft.

So he's in the draft until he announces he's not in the draft.

So I don't know.

I mean, yeah, I think we're all kind of waiting or hoping for that Instagram post or that thing to be shared that Koa Peat's coming back to school.

And, you know, for his sake, if he makes that choice, obviously he'll go down.

He'll just be even more of an all-time great Arizona Wildcat, and I hope that he gets out of next season what he's hoping for.

But if it doesn't happen, if he decides to stay in the draft, hey, then good luck to Koa.

You know, rep Arizona proudly and well.

We know you will.

Of course, Brayden Buries is projected to be a top 10 pick.

I see Jayden Bradley's supposed to slide into the second round, some mock him to the Phoenix Suns even, so he would stay in Arizona.

It seems like between Yvonne and Mo getting whatever bags they got to return and the hype that they're getting, and the players that Arizona has are going pro to either the NBA or, I don't know what...

I know Tobie had a pretty good combine.

His jump shot apparently was pretty good at the combine.

It's like-

Chris BrownGuest28:44

Yeah

... maybe Tommy was holding him back a little bit.

That's the guy who should've been jacking more threes, except in the game against Michigan.

What are you doing, Tobie? It was still a game.

But it seems like the players who made last year's Arizona good, like, they're getting their just desserts.

They're getting their flowers.

They're getting their rewards outside of Arizona.

Like, the, that was a really good team, and it's kinda cool to see the players that brought Arizona to that point get what they deserve one way or the other, like, in a positive way, right?

Chris BrownGuest29:11

Yeah, absolutely.

Chris BrownGuest29:12

Like, to stick with the, the vibes kind of theme commentary, like, those guys having some success in the NBA ne- making NBA rosters and having success in the NBA next season, like, that is a continuation of the good vibes from this Final Four run.

Chris BrownGuest29:30

Like, that, that is the, the, the building block, the continuing legacy, all those things.

Chris BrownGuest29:35

And so, um, as, as those guys go, Arizona continues to go, and, and they will all be tremendous ambassadors for the university and the program and for Tommy and, and just Tucson.

Chris BrownGuest29:47

Um, and so I, I hope that they all have kind of the, the success and the careers they deserve.

Chris BrownGuest29:51

I think, you know, JB should absolutely have a roster spot somewhere.

Chris BrownGuest29:56

I mean, to your point, I saw that mock draft this morning or yesterday, whatever it was, about him going, I think, 47th to the Suns or something like that.

Chris BrownGuest30:03

So, um, that would be tremendous.

Chris BrownGuest30:05

I think, you know, Fran Fraschilla talks about it all the time, and I think Fran knows ball better than most folks.

Chris BrownGuest30:11

Like, you know, when he's like, "Caleb Love's gonna make an NBA roster," sure enough, he's on an NBA roster, right?

Technically.

Chris BrownGuest30:17

He's like, "JB is..." He's like, "JB is going to be a steal for somebody who takes him." I'm like, he's going to be a steal.

Chris BrownGuest30:25

I think so.

Chris BrownGuest30:26

Yeah, Tobie deserves a shot somewhereAnd then Brayden, obviously, yeah, top 10 pick, barring whatever Colette does, right? That remains to be seen.

I think Jaden's going to have like the T.J. McConnell path too.

He's going to be someone's second round pick and he's going to play a bench role and be excellent.

Then they're going to realize, oh, this guy can actually shoot a little bit.

He can defend.

He's a good floor general.

Like this is a guy who's going to get 15 to 20 minutes a game in the next couple of seasons.

Like I believe that about Jaden Bradley.

Anyway.

Chris BrownGuest30:52

That's fine.

Yeah, if the Suns are smart, they would do that.

I'm not convinced the Suns are smart, though, but we'll see.

Keeping with the good, hopefully the good vibes, we also had spring football, which was kind of overshadowed this year with the March Madness Final Four run.

But it feels to me like the vibes are still pretty darn good in the football program.

You got out of spring healthy.

You got Noah Fifita coming back that somehow I'm sure will be left off of all the preseason lists, even though he was the Big 12 top quarterback.

But how are you feeling post-spring? It seems like they got by pretty clean from injuries.

Still some guys coming in, but a lot of new faces, which is not a new thing for this program.

But where are the vibes at in football?

Chris BrownGuest31:42

Yeah, I think vibes are good too for football.

Chris BrownGuest31:46

I candidly did not, was not as close to spring football as I had been in the past, but to your point, you know, was traveling for basketball.

Chris BrownGuest31:54

And so, you know, just had sort of competing priorities, you know, this spring.

Chris BrownGuest31:59

But yeah, I would agree.

Chris BrownGuest32:01

I think there were, you know, secondary was a little bit banged up, but not necessarily like from spring ball.

Chris BrownGuest32:07

You know, guys were already kind of getting some work done or had some things lingering that they just decided to clean up and touch up.

Chris BrownGuest32:14

You know, a guy like Tristan Bounds on the offensive line was already, was recovering from injury last season.

Chris BrownGuest32:19

And so all that to say, it gave some guys who maybe aren't plug and play starters some really valuable reps to learn the system, get up to speed and make those rooms more competitive than they might have been had some of the transfers been healthy.

Chris BrownGuest32:36

And so I think this will probably be the deepest Arizona team that we have seen in a few years, just from the level of talent, the reps that guys got at spring ball.

Chris BrownGuest32:47

So it should be a really exciting spring.

Chris BrownGuest32:50

The one room vibes where vibes are really high that I was really excited about is the receiver room.

Chris BrownGuest32:57

Like I think there is so much depth in that room.

Chris BrownGuest33:00

The couple of practices that I did make it out to in the spring showcase, like Noah has so much chemistry with the guys that are returning.

Chris BrownGuest33:08

Trey Spivey, Gio Richardson.

Chris BrownGuest33:10

Like Gio Richardson feels like he will be kind of the Chris Hudson of last year, like really becoming a really clean route runner.

Chris BrownGuest33:20

Maybe not necessarily like a super deep threat, like a, you know, 50-50 ball.

Chris BrownGuest33:24

I think that's still his tray, but really good route runner.

Chris BrownGuest33:28

Looks really, really fluid and comfortable in the system.

Chris BrownGuest33:30

And then the guys that they brought in, Rodney Gallagher from Washington or from West Virginia, he has been, he was impressive.

Chris BrownGuest33:38

I was really impressed with what I saw from him.

Chris BrownGuest33:40

Just quick, athletic, fluid, all the things that you want in a receiver.

Chris BrownGuest33:46

So I think the balance of veteran returners and some of the new talented guys coming in, receiver room.

Yeah, I don't know if you listened to, I agree 100% on the receiver room.

I don't know if you listened a few weeks back when we had Justin Spears on though, Chris.

My hot take slash agenda I'm trying to push is I actually think the tight end room is going to be a really fun group to watch top to bottom this year.

You know, what's your sense of, last year Tyler Powell looked like he was on the verge of, you know, taking a big leap in his career and then got all of one snap before he was out for the year.

No pun intended with the one snap.

Cole Rusk has come in, looks like a plug and play potential stud there.

And even the guys behind them look like, you know, all word from camp and off season is, hey, this room might be pretty good.

And they had some pretty highly touted guys that were red shirting before.

What's your expectation out of that room? My thought is we're going to see a lot of two tight end sets.

And I think that's going to be fun personally.

Chris BrownGuest34:53

Yeah, I would agree with that.

Chris BrownGuest34:56

Yes, Cole Rusk is a plug and play guy.

Chris BrownGuest35:00

The chemistry is automatic.

Chris BrownGuest35:03

I would say it's on par, if not better than Rodney Gallagher, you know, the receiver transfer, right? Like just, he looks like he's been in the system for two or three years already.

Chris BrownGuest35:14

So I think he's going to be a household name for Arizona fans by the end of the season for sure.

Chris BrownGuest35:19

And then, yeah, Tyler Powell, to have two guys, I would not be surprised if there's a lot of kind of two tight end set personnel things drawn up.

Chris BrownGuest35:28

But I think Seth Diggy does have like a tight end background, right? Like that's sort of in his scope, in his wheelhouse.

Chris BrownGuest35:36

And Josh Miller is his guy, you know, the one guy that he fought to bring over and has continued to say like, there's nobody that's going to outwork Josh Miller.

Chris BrownGuest35:44

Like he is my ride or die and I will have him on whatever staff I'm on, wherever I'm at, you know, down the line.

Chris BrownGuest35:51

So I wouldn't be surprised if Arizona does some more jumbo stuff and has some bigger bodies, which is certainly not a bad thing in the league.

Chris BrownGuest36:00

You look at, you know, like, you know, how did Houston beat Arizona? They had some big physical tight ends.

Chris BrownGuest36:07

How did Iowa State, they do some damage to Arizona? They had some big physical tight ends.

Chris BrownGuest36:11

So there's just a lot of like big beefy dudes in that part of the country in the Midwest that if Arizona can use two tight ends can really, you know, be competitive and hang with those guys and still have the other sort of the athletic skill positions on the outside to go beat you in either way.

way.It certainly seems like, you know, when you have a Noah Fifita coming back for his senior season, his last go around, and the faith he has in Brennan, and so they, they've rewarded that faith by putting a lot of talent around him.

'Cause like you mentioned, like the tight ends and the skill position, the receiver room, as deep as it looks, and it's kind of funny how [chuckles] they lose T-Mac, you know, they lose [laughs] and then from Jacob Cowling the year before, they lose all these guys and just a couple years later, the receiver might be even better than it was when those guys were around.

Obviously, it's deeper, and that's what we're saying.

We're not saying any of them are as good as T-Mac or as good as Jacob Cowling was, but that overall one through six, there's more talent, and that, that could absolutely be true.

But it seems like they're doing right by Noah, where it's like, look, he's coming back for one more year, and I know he's, he did an interview, I think it was Yogi, with Yogi Roth the other day, how he thinks Tyler's like a dark horse Heisman candidate, and you know, gonna set all these Arizona records by the time he leaves, and he's had one really good year, one not so good year, one really good year, that they want him to end it on a high note and give him everything he deserves, like every chance to be that dude.

And it seems like if you're Noah, if you're his family, you gotta feel good about what this coaching staff's doing.

Obviously, the coach is just trying to win games.

It's not just for Noah.

But there's, unless the offensive line, which is always gonna be a question mark until it's not, unless the offensive line is a problem, this offense has no excuse and no reason to not be really, really good.

Chris BrownGuest37:46

Yeah, I think, I think the offensive line is, is going to be one of the better ones that we've seen.

Okay.

Chris BrownGuest37:53

Like when, when Tristan Bounds comes back, um, that should be really solid.

Chris BrownGuest37:59

But Matthew Lotto got really good reps in the spring.

Chris BrownGuest38:03

Louie Akpa was...

Chris BrownGuest38:05

Like the way that people felt about Tyler Powell last year, like most improved player on either side of the ball, they were saying that about Dom Alessio on the defensive end and then Louie Akpa.

Chris BrownGuest38:14

They're like, "Nobody had a better spring than him." So, you know, they're like, "He's, he's putting on good weight.

Chris BrownGuest38:19

He's gaining size.

Chris BrownGuest38:20

He's pushing people around finally." And so again, even just to have that depth, you know, Rhino will be back.

Chris BrownGuest38:26

I think the plan is to move Rhino inside.

Mm-hmm.

Chris BrownGuest38:29

Um, you know, so I think there's a lot of depth.

Chris BrownGuest38:31

Alex Dews continues to anchor the right, you know, the right side on the interior.

Chris BrownGuest38:35

So, um, and then I think the other, I think the plan is Zach Kenny, the Washington transfer, is gonna be the center, um, you know, barring, barring something happening.

Chris BrownGuest38:43

So there's experience, there's size, you know, a lot of third and fourth year guys who have plenty of reps who have either maintained being healthy, you know, stayed healthy, or have had some time off and are gonna be really good and fresh and kind of, you know, cleaned up for this fall.

Chris BrownGuest39:01

So yeah, I think they've done a really good job of building, uh, some protection for Noah, giving him all the weapons and tools that he needs.

Chris BrownGuest39:10

Um, so yeah, I think to your point, the goal is obviously to win games, but I think there is a, there is a collective shared understanding in the building that we-- Noah has done right by us, so let's return the favor and do right by Noah for his, his, uh, final ride.

And when you look at this team, where...

What was I gonna get to? I lost my train of thought.

It was something about how good they are.

Now, um, [laughs]

Chris BrownGuest39:36

[laughs] I thought I lost you, Brett.

Roughly the wrong question.

I just, just plain forgot we were talking about that stuff and Noah and...

I don't know.

I lost it, Brett.

Go ahead.

Chris BrownGuest39:45

[laughs]

See, see, this is where Adam controls the editing and can make himself not, uh, have that go out there into the world.

Chris BrownGuest39:52

Yeah, no, I'll leave that one.

Chris BrownGuest39:53

I had something.

Chris BrownGuest39:54

I was like, "This is gonna be a good question.

Chris BrownGuest39:55

I know where I'm gonna go with this one." And then-

Well, I, I do have what I think is a, a reasonable-

Chris BrownGuest40:01

Knock yourself out.

Chris BrownGuest40:01

[laughs]

... next, next question.

Um, you know, we've talked a lot about the offensive side of the ball, and you mentioned, like, Alessio's a guy that's developed, but, you know, we- year one under Danny Gonzales was a smashing success.

I mean, four guys out of the secondary got drafted in the NFL, which is, that's unheard of for a top-notch SEC team a lot of years, right? [chuckles]

Chris BrownGuest40:23

Yeah.

Um, and Arizona obviously has a ton of new bodies back there.

It seems like they've replenished-

Chris BrownGuest40:28

Oh.

I remember what my question was gonna be.

Chris BrownGuest40:31

Oh.

Chris BrownGuest40:32

Cool, Adam.

Yeah.

Chris BrownGuest40:33

I, I'm still, I'm still asking mine.

Chris BrownGuest40:35

[laughs]

Now I gotta write mine down so I don't forget it again.

Chris BrownGuest40:39

Yeah.

Chris BrownGuest40:39

Um, well, but I...

Chris BrownGuest40:41

The, the way I'm thinking about this is, you know, year one was a smashing success for Danny Gonzales, and it seems like the vibes are very good.

Chris BrownGuest40:49

You know, he and the staff have talked up that this defense can reach that kind of level again.

Chris BrownGuest40:55

Uh, and you know, never doubt it when you have...

Chris BrownGuest40:58

I still don't think we talk enough about Joe Salavea being on the staff and developing these young guys and why they didn't go to the portal as much for defensive line guys.

Chris BrownGuest41:05

But is, is...

Chris BrownGuest41:07

You know, we talked about in the basketball side, we, we trust in Tommy.

Chris BrownGuest41:10

We finally have gotten to the point where people trust that Tommy Lloyd knows what he's doing, and we don't go, "Oh God, we lost everybody.

Chris BrownGuest41:16

We're, we suck again." It's the, you know, major league guys.

Chris BrownGuest41:20

Do- have we seen enough to trust in Danny on the defensive side of the ball here, especially with all the guys they're having to replace? Yeah, I, I would say so.

Chris BrownGuest41:29

I mean, the fact that he had to take all these guys, bring them in, right, and basically sell this pitch.

Chris BrownGuest41:36

The, the consistent message that I heard all spring was, "We don't have to do..." The recruiting sales pitch thing is over.

Chris BrownGuest41:43

Like, the players last year proved that Danny Gonzales' scheme works.

Chris BrownGuest41:49

It's creative.

Chris BrownGuest41:50

It's outside the box a little bit.

Chris BrownGuest41:51

It's unconventional, but it works.

Chris BrownGuest41:54

Like, the results are there.

Chris BrownGuest41:54

Look at any metric.

Chris BrownGuest41:56

Like, Arizona was in the top 20 in pick whatever defensive stat you want, and then in a lot of defensive stats, you know, top five, top two, right, turnovers, all those things.

Chris BrownGuest42:05

So proof is there.

Chris BrownGuest42:07

Um, yeah, and I, I would say yes.

Chris BrownGuest42:10

The...

Chris BrownGuest42:11

Cannot understate Joe Salavea's impact as sort of being a, a glue guy on the staff.

Chris BrownGuest42:17

But honestly, a lot of credit goes to Brett Brennan too for being able to keep not just a Joe or a Danny G, but a lot of those guys.

Chris BrownGuest42:25

There was a lot of...

Chris BrownGuest42:26

I, I had heard there was a lot of, um, effort to get Josh Ugelbsbe away from the program on the offensive line.

Chris BrownGuest42:33

Chip Viney is back.

Chris BrownGuest42:34

Brett Arce is back.

Chris BrownGuest42:35

Like, those guys orchestratedYou know, having four, you know, those four players get drafted first time in program history.

Chris BrownGuest42:41

So, um, you know, a lot of credit to everyone in the building top to bottom on the staff for, for being able to keep one another in place.

Chris BrownGuest42:51

Um, I just pulled up the roster here just to kind of look through like what names are jumping out at me, right? And I think it's worth noting Javon Cole, you know, was one of the best defensive backs in the conference last year, was one of three players with four interceptions, him, Stukes, and Dalton Johnson, and those two guys just got drafted.

Chris BrownGuest43:08

So like to have the, you know, to have, to have Boo come back, big deal, one last season.

Chris BrownGuest43:14

Um, you know, some of the guys on, on the line, you know, Trey Smith will finally be healthy, like really healthy.

Chris BrownGuest43:21

And then so him and, and Dom Alessio on either side of the ball, that's gonna be a big deal.

Chris BrownGuest43:25

So yeah, I think there's a lot to be excited too about the defensive end.

Chris BrownGuest43:29

Um, and we've seen that Danny Gonzalez will make it happen.

Chris BrownGuest43:31

Tay Brown, not, not a flashy like sexy pick by any means, but a guy that's just gonna anchor Arizona's defense, you know, you know, book it now he's gonna have 100 tackles probably this season, right? Like just another guy that's just, you know, put your hard hat on, you know, lunch pail kind of guy.

Chris BrownGuest43:48

So-

Okay.

I think I can work my question in.

So Koa Pete...

No, just kidding.

It's really a typical-

Chris BrownGuest43:54

[laughs]

Where when you, as you leave, um, when you at this camp, if you, as you leave spring camp, everything, like it seems like this time of year is for teaching, right? You mentioned how a lot of guys got reps that maybe wouldn't be getting because of injuries and other things.

Like fall camp is for prepping for games, prepping for the season.

That's when you're like nailing down your starting lineup, then your rotation, things like that.

Did you get the sense that Arizona football got what it wanted to out of spring ball? That the players who are new to camps who got to be here in January and then go through this are ahead of where they would normally be otherwise, that they're gonna be ready for fall camp? Because like this time you're not, you're not getting your lineup set this time of year, right? Like that's not what you're doing.

You're teaching, you're installing, you're tweaking, you're refining because in a few months time, I mean, we're May 22nd, we're just a few months away from the season opener.

The next bit of time, next time they take the field, it's to game plan.

It's to get to your lineups, right? So they got what they needed to out of spring ball?

Chris BrownGuest44:50

Yeah, I would say so, right? They, they, they're starting to get folks familiar with the system both sides of the ball, right? They're building that depth, you know, they're seeing what they have from top to bottom.

Chris BrownGuest45:02

They're making assessments about, you know, did we, did we attack the portal the right way? Did we bring in the right guys? Like did we make good business decisions? And I think they, they checked all those boxes in terms of...

Chris BrownGuest45:14

A- and I, I would say also like you're, in this case, so normally you'd be assessing like, you know, coaching, you know, staff decisions, right? Did we bring in, did we make a good change or this or that? But in this case it's, you know, right, we're doing the right thing with, with maintaining, retaining our coaching staff.

Chris BrownGuest45:32

And so I would say yes, check, check, check.

Chris BrownGuest45:34

It- they got exactly what they needed to from a developing depth, getting new players familiar with the system and the culture, right? And continuing to build on the retention and success they've had from the, from a staff personnel perspective.

It's nice to have that also where they can build, right? Because like after the Jedd Fisch year, we thought, oh, what they could be the next season and then Fisch left and all that turmoil trying to keep everybody and whatever.

This is a chance for this coaching staff to continue to build off of what they did last season, which Arizona really hasn't had that opportunity I guess I wanna say since the Rich Rod days and Rich Rod, however he was on the recruiting trail and the portal wasn't what it is, you know, it wasn't a thing.

But like how important is that do you think going forward that it's not installing anything new? It's that the coordinators are the same, the schemes are the same, obviously gonna be tweaked and improved, but there's so much continuity from last season that Arizona hasn't had that from year to year too often.

Chris BrownGuest46:27

Yeah, I think, I feel like we kind of, it will come up again a lot as we get closer to the beginning of the season, but this is the first time that Noah will have had the same offensive coordinator since he's been the starting quarterback, right? And I think that's, that's like just a good microcosm example of the, how much change there's been in Arizona, but how valuable continuity is in a...

Chris BrownGuest46:51

Like when we think about how dynamic the offense was last year with Noah at the helm of a Seth Daggy offense, like how much better is it going to be in year two when Noah, who has proven to be the smartest, like most book savvy, you know, film rap, you know, player that we've seen in a long time ever maybe, um, right? If he was able to do that in year one, what is he going to be able to lead the offense in Arizona to in year two where he's not learning and he's just trusting and operating and executing, right? So yeah.

Well here's a, here's a fun, fun vibes question related to Noah Fifita.

If he has the year we kind of expect not, you know, mega next level, but just a kind of a last year continued with maybe a half step forward in development.

Where is he at in the all-time greats list of Arizona football players?

Chris BrownGuest47:51

I, I think, and, and there's recency bias in my answer here, but I have said for the last year that I think Noah Fifita deserves a statue.

Chris BrownGuest48:03

Like when you think about what he did for this program, like if, if, if he and T-Mac left when Jedd left, I, I'm not sure any of us could imagine where Arizona football would be right now.

Chris BrownGuest48:21

Like I think it would've been...

Chris BrownGuest48:23

I believe it would've been that detrimental to the program.

Chris BrownGuest48:26

And so Noah, this isn't necessarily the answer to your question, but I don't know if No- Noah will not necessarily go down as the best player in Arizona football historyBut Noah is by far the most impactful, influential player in Arizona football history, bar none.

Well, TMAC probably doesn't come if Noah doesn't come first, right? [chuckles]

Chris BrownGuest48:53

Yeah.

Yeah.

Um-

Chris BrownGuest48:54

Yeah, and you-- Yeah.

Chris BrownGuest48:55

Absolutely.

That's a, that's a totally fair statement and a great question, I think, Brett, too, because, like, stats will tell a story of a guy, I mean, when, if he has a season that we're expecting.

You know, not better, not worse, but a, a season I th- I don't know what passing record he would not have anymore.

Chris BrownGuest49:09

Yeah.

Um, if Arizona wins eight-plus games, he probably will have the most wins of anybody.

I don't know where he ranks there.

Um, but if he has seasons of 10 wins, I mean, he didn't win all 10 of those games.

He was, he would've been, what, seven of them, I think? Six or seven of them.

Chris BrownGuest49:23

Yeah, six or seven.

And then nine last season, obviously the fourth the year before.

But just statistically, he will go down as one of, like, if not the best quarterback in Arizona history.

The eye test, like, and you have to compare eras 'cause they throw more now than they did back in the day, so it's, you know, era-specific.

But the eye test, he's been very, very good, and he's not an NFL quarterback.

He's not NFL build.

He's got a cannon arm, and he's not the guy who's running all around the field.

He's not Kyler Murray, you know, who's running all over the field.

He's such an interesting player, but I think, Chris, what you're getting to is just his, his impact on the program and the community, the Fifita family.

So his brother Dash is now in the program, and just what Noah's gonna mean if Arizona and Brent, and I think this is all the continues.

We, we'll know five years from now how impactful Noah was because if Brent Brennan is able to build off of this, right? If, I don't know, I don't know if Daggy's around anymore after this season if Noah has the kind of year that we're thinking he will.

I think Daggy's gonna be a head coach somewhere or an OC at an even more high-profile school.

But if Brent Brennan's able to build the foundation for something that is long-lasting, is sustainable, then Noah will be, if not the reason, like a big reason for why.

Because he allowed-

Chris BrownGuest50:30

Yeah

... that continuity, that faith in Arizona.

Like, if he doesn't show that confidence in Brent Brennan, who would've? So I, I think you're right there where I think Noah can be the most consequential player in Arizona history, Arizona football history, but we won't know that until five years from now, six years from now, seven years from now if, 'cause if he leaves and Brennan's gone after two years and the program just falls apart, it's like, "Eh, okay, like you had a great run at Arizona, but so did other really good players."

Chris BrownGuest50:55

Yeah.

But if Brennan can sustain something like this and really truly build a program that's not gonna win 10 games every year, but is seven to 10 wins every year and is considered a upper half of the Big 12, then yeah, you're gonna give a lot of that credit to Noah Fifita.

Chris BrownGuest51:11

Yes.

Chris BrownGuest51:12

Definitely.

Chris BrownGuest51:13

Absolutely.

All right, then.

[laughs]

Chris BrownGuest51:17

I was, I was, I-

Here I was, here I was just thinking internally a s- a short man can have a very tall statue outside of Arizona football stadium-

Chris BrownGuest51:23

[laughs]

... and Noah Fifita's gonna have one of those I think someday.

Um, you know, I, I guess, uh, bef- t- moving through the sports and the vibes, you know, we can quickly talk, get the bad vibes out of the way and just baseball, woof.

Uh-

Chris BrownGuest51:38

Yeah

...

but then, you know, softball, uh, okay.

Chris BrownGuest51:41

Eh, not a woof, but yeah.

Chris BrownGuest51:43

Kinda not the-

Uh, yeah.

Chris BrownGuest51:46

[laughs]

I, I, I didn't, I didn't follow a ton of baseball, but yeah, you know-

Chris BrownGuest51:50

Kind of a year

... a year removed from a College World Series, you know, appearance, right? To have the year they had, woof.

Um, on the softball side, I, I would say, yeah, kinda in between, you know? Um, you know, I, I went to more softball than I ever have before this year.

Um, a lot of fun at the ballpark, right? Uh, the, you know, Caitlin I think is a, is a really good coach.

I think the, the roster they had, I mean, great, but they just left too many, too many of those games on the table, you know? There were a lot of series where, you know, they, they won one or two games that should've been sweeps.

And so I think that, you know, the, the first round of the tournament was no different, right? Like, came out super strong, stole that first game against Duke, and you're like, "Holy smokes, like, this is gonna happen." And then it was kind of the same old story that we've seen all season.

So, um, I mean, I think, yeah, like it, it was a reminder that yes, Arizona is one of the better softball programs in the country and obviously has a rich history and legacy.

But, um, I would say with that in mind, this season you look at some of the players they had, you know, you have the, the Big 12 Player of the Year in Sydney Stewart, and, you know, you have one of the top scorers in Serenity Trice.

You've got Reagan Schockey.

Like, they just couldn't, couldn't get it done consistently and, and ultimately when it mattered most.

And the question is can they get it done with her? Like, I'm a Caitlin Lowe fan, and it's never easy replacing or following a legend in Mike Candrea.

Chris BrownGuest53:23

Yeah.

But, and I also think it's a different era in college athletics and softball too, where Arizona was one of, like, two West Coast powers, them and UCLA for all those years.

Money and talent are flowing to a lot of other schools too now, so it's not just Arizona who has that advantage.

But I guess with one year left on her contract, I don't think there's been any, there's been no indication that she's gonna get an extension, and I'm not sure sh- her performance warrants that extension.

I mean, it's not that she's been bad, but she hasn't been Arizona good or what Arizona-

Chris BrownGuest53:54

Yeah

... expects out of that position, whether that's fair or not.

I guess the vibes, I think, uh, Chip Hale, I think people are calling for his job.