Episode Transcript
[00:00:07] Speaker A: I'm Phony Bennett. I'm Phony Bennett.
[00:00:11] Speaker B: I am Phony Bennett. I am Phony Bennett. Don't believe my brother. I am Phony Bennett. I am Phony Bennett.
[00:00:22] Speaker A: I am Phony Bennett. I know this is hard to believe, but I am Phony Bennett. I am Phony Bennett.
[00:00:30] Speaker C: I am Phony.
[00:00:32] Speaker A: I am Phony Bennett. I'm Phony Bennett. No.
[00:00:36] Speaker B: Uncle. I'm Phony Bennett.
[00:00:39] Speaker A: I am Phony Bennett.
[00:00:41] Speaker B: I am Phony Bennett.
No. No, no, no. I am Phony Bennett.
[00:00:46] Speaker A: I am Phony Bennett. No. I'm Phony Bennett.
[00:00:49] Speaker B: I'm Phony Bennett.
[00:00:51] Speaker A: I know it's hard to believe, but I am Phony Bennett.
[00:00:57] Speaker B: I am Phony Bennett. I'm Phony Bennet.
[00:01:03] Speaker A: Without a doubt.
[00:01:04] Speaker B: I'm Phony Bennett. I am Phony Bennett. I am Phony Bennett.
[00:01:11] Speaker A: I'm Phony Bennett. I'm Phony Bennett. No. I'm Phony Bennett. From the 203 via the 315.
I'm Phony Bennett.
[00:01:24] Speaker B: God bless.
[00:01:25] Speaker D: I am Phony Bennett. And this is my daughter, Audrey.
[00:01:28] Speaker A: I'm Phony Bennett, too.
[00:01:30] Speaker D: September is childhood cancer awareness month, and we've teamed up with locker room access to raise money.
Hospital cancer center. Every 34 minutes in the United States, another family gets the life changing news that their child has cancer. For Audrey, that news came the day before she was born. But thanks to advances in research and the incredible doctors and nurses that treated her, Audrey's been cancer free for eight years. We want to give back. And you can help by purchasing one of these shirts. You can help kids with cancer and also let the world know that as sports fans, we are all fake coaches. So please help if you can.
[00:02:03] Speaker A: Thanks. And go. Who's thank all you guys for participating. Your participation trophy will be in the mail. But we all know I am funny man.
All right, before we get to today's podcast with Kyle, Guy wanted to do a quick introduction. For those that don't know, this is Wes Wesley Young of True Blue Pools. He's the one that always supports all of these podcasts, all of the player podcasts that you see. You can thank this guy right here. But I just want to understand how you got into, you know, becoming such a big UVA fan. And then obviously, I want to understand True Blue Pools a little bit. I've always been curious. You're in Lexington in the heart of the. The wildcat country, but maybe we can start there. Like, how did you become a UVA fan?
[00:02:54] Speaker C: Yeah, it's really weird. Growing up in Kentucky, everybody Asked me, how did you become a UVA fan? I don't know. It's hard to explain. I just, you know, watching games on espn, somehow I just turned into a Virginia fan around the years of Corey Alexander, Curtis Staples, around that time frame, so.
[00:03:13] Speaker A: So, Dougie, fresh from there.
Love it. And so in terms of, like, watching games there, you. You did it all in Kentucky?
[00:03:24] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:03:25] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:03:26] Speaker C: All in Kentucky. Obviously I didn't get to see too many because, you know, Virginia wasn't on ESPN like they are now.
[00:03:35] Speaker A: Yeah. What. So walk me.
My. My knowledge of Virginia. Kentucky ties started, you know, the Ralph days. When Ralph came, there were a bunch of guys from Kentucky there, but you started a little later than that. Did. Did those Kentucky guys like ring.
Ring for you at all or. No. You don't remember any of that?
[00:03:58] Speaker C: No, I don't remember any of the Ralph stuff. You know, that was a little before my time.
So it was. It's just, you know, it's hard to explain, to be honest.
[00:04:10] Speaker A: I believe was. Was one of those Kentucky guys.
[00:04:14] Speaker C: Who's that?
[00:04:15] Speaker A: Jeff Jones?
[00:04:16] Speaker C: Oh, yeah.
[00:04:18] Speaker A: I think he's Owens. Owensboro, Kentucky. Yeah.
[00:04:22] Speaker B: That sound right?
[00:04:24] Speaker A: Yeah, that's. That's really cool. So over the years, obviously we've had, you know, since Corey's time, we've had a bunch of coaches, a bunch of different things.
TV retires recently. What was going through your head during. During that little stretch there?
[00:04:39] Speaker C: I mean, I was pretty shocked that it happened. I mean, I had read some things that possibly there's rumors going around, but I was really shocked that it happened when it, you know, so, you know, I think Ron has turned the team around. I think we're. We're heading in the right direction.
[00:04:59] Speaker A: So we've got this auction now on ebay. All the players, all the coaches have sneakers. Some of them have T shirts. We have Kyle guys signed piece of court. I think there's a Kihei piece of court. But you have many people mentioned the one piece that we auctioned off a few years ago, which is Trey Murphy's jersey.
Do you still have that? Do you still.
[00:05:22] Speaker C: Yeah, I definitely have it. It's not in my office here, but it's at home. Definitely have that displayed. It's pretty cool, for sure.
[00:05:30] Speaker A: And then. And then right behind us, I see you've got the Faith poster. You've got some Tony Bennett and some team. Teams posters there. What. What is your favorite sort of merchandise? You. I don't even know if you want to call it Merch, but maybe like memorabilia that you've gotten over the years.
[00:05:46] Speaker C: You know my favorite. I don't know. That Trey Murphy jersey is pretty cool because it's, it's pretty hard to find actual UVA gang worn jerseys. I'd say that's pretty, pretty top notch there.
[00:05:59] Speaker A: Yeah, that one's really cool. All right, let's get into it. Kyle Guy joining the podcast. You've done it. You, you went to, did you go to his golf outing last year?
[00:06:09] Speaker C: Yeah, I did three of them actually. We sponsored two of them and it, it was, it's pretty cool. Hope he does it again in the future. For sure.
[00:06:20] Speaker A: Yeah. Kyle, we will hopefully have something. Obviously he's, he's in the midst of the season now, but maybe postseason. He's going to do a little something either in Charlottesville or back in Indiana. We'll see that. That'll be interesting. What are your thoughts on Kyle coming back as a coach? Is that a cool.
[00:06:36] Speaker C: Well, I would rather him be playing in the NBA of course, but my second choice would be off the team as a coach. I mean, I think he's, he's a great fit.
I mean, I'm, I'm glad he's with us.
[00:06:48] Speaker A: It's pretty cool. All right, so tell, tell us about True Blue Pools. Like how, how did you guys get started? Like how long you've been running this business? Like, what is, what's the general genesis story of True Blue Pools?
[00:07:02] Speaker C: Yeah, so me and my business partner, we were working for another company and we saw some opportunities where services they didn't provide and things they didn't do. We were like, well, we think we can, we can probably do this better.
So in 2010 we, we started True Blue Pools and at the time we were just two guys working out of a truck. And now we have three retail locations. We're in Lexington, Kentucky, Richmond and Georgetown, Kentucky.
We have six service trucks. We're doing well. I mean, I would have never thought, you know, 15 years ago when we started, we would be where we are, but here we are.
[00:07:45] Speaker A: That's really cool.
[00:07:45] Speaker C: Interesting enough. My business partner is a big tutorials fan, so.
[00:07:50] Speaker A: Really?
[00:07:52] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:07:52] Speaker A: Rivalry going. So what, what's the, is it mostly service that you guys run? Is that the, the main sort of.
[00:08:00] Speaker C: Yeah, that's the main thing. We don't do any pool installations. It's all services.
[00:08:04] Speaker A: And if, if people want to find out how to, how to get in touch with you or trueblue pools.com and then is it just reach out to you directly?
[00:08:15] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:08:15] Speaker C: True Blue Pools, lex.com you can call our phone number, 859-523-0755.
We're on social media, Facebook x, Instagram.
[00:08:32] Speaker A: Well, I'll link. I'll link all of that below. All Oahu Nation obviously appreciates you now. They get to meet you and get to know you. But what sets true blue pools apart? You said you saw some other business and you thought you could do it a little better. Like, what do you guys do that makes you so successful, in your opinion?
[00:08:49] Speaker C: I mean, I think our customer service, I think we pride ourselves on that. I think that's the number one thing that sets us apart for everybody else.
[00:08:57] Speaker A: Yeah, that's a dying skill there. Customer service, taking care of people. It seems like nowadays everybody's a number and you just kind of roll through. So that's. That's great to hear. And what about future plans? Are you guys looking expand or is this, you know.
[00:09:13] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, we're always looking to expand. I don't know where, where to next. You know, maybe it'll be Charlottesville.
[00:09:19] Speaker A: Who knows? I love it. I love it. Yeah, there's. I mean, there's definitely a lot of pools in Charlottesville. You look at, like, Forest, Lakes, and in some of the other areas, there's definitely a lot of pools. So maybe coming around. But if you're in any of those cities you mentioned Lexington being. What is Lexington? The home. Home headquarters.
[00:09:38] Speaker C: Lexington is the home.
[00:09:39] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:09:41] Speaker A: So reach out. Obviously, we love. We love the support that you provide. We thank you for all the locker room access that you provide to everybody. So shout out, shout out to Wes. And we've got Kyle Guy jumping on right now. Locker room access podcast. We got a really special guest. I mean, you almost don't need an introduction, but I'll give you one McDonald's All American.
That's crazy already enough as it stands. And then we've got ACC Tournament mop, ACC champion, obviously, NCAA Final Four mop. And champ hit the craziest free throws in the history of the game. NBA draft pick, Sacramento Kings, Miami Heat. You've got overseas experience. You've kind of done it all in basketball at uva. Loves you to death. I'm so happy to have you, Kyle. Appreciate you jumping on to talk about the squad.
[00:10:35] Speaker B: Anytime, man. Anytime. I can help you out. Shout out to the university as well. You know, I'm down.
[00:10:40] Speaker A: Yeah, let's do it. So my goal today was kind of go over, you know, we've got this auction with everybody's sneakers and we've got a bunch of T shirts and different things up there. But I kind of wanted you to help understand what each of these people mean to both the program on the coaching staff, but also, like, who are the guys? What. What is their potential? So you know what? I figured we knock that out relatively quickly and then we can maybe talk a little, little ebay, a little of your future career and then we'll go from there. How about that?
[00:11:09] Speaker B: Sounds good, man. Let's do it.
[00:11:10] Speaker A: All right, let's start out. Let's start coaching staff first. Like the one I'm just going from the coaches list on. On uva and I'll link all this as we're doing it. But let's. Let's start with Stelios.
[00:11:21] Speaker B: Stelios, man.
[00:11:23] Speaker A: So people don't know who he is. Great. I love him. I love talking. He's always the most upbeat guy, but he is technically the program and operations system. Tell us about him. What does he do? What does he mean? He.
[00:11:33] Speaker B: He's. He's your jack of all trades. He can do anything. He cares about the game and this program so much it can be overbearing at times. How much he, like, wants this? He's. He's Greek. I played in Greece for his favorite team. So we. We have that connection. And he's been awake. Forest Liberty. So he. He knows ball. He's been with some good coaches and he didn't. He wasn't around when I was in school, so this is my first year, like, truly getting to know him, but just a hard worker man. He's always, you know, so respectful and always trying to give insight where he can because, you know, he does know the game. And even though he helps out Ronnie a lot, who we'll get to the dobo. He's just someone you want in your. In your house for sure.
[00:12:14] Speaker A: So in terms of like, what are some duties that he has to take care of on a sort of maybe weekly ongoing basis? I felt like he dabbles in everything.
[00:12:23] Speaker B: What does.
So, I mean, if we go on a recruiting trip and we, you know, we have to stay in a hotel, we got to send him the receipt so that, you know, he can pay with it with the credit card of the university and make sure everything's done by the book and then we gotta have food on the road, he'll have like, kind of set that up along with the managers, but he'll do that. And then he'll also be in charge of a scout. Him and Soderbergh are tandem when we do our. Our scouts, which we have Three tandem teams. And so he's in on the scout, too. He helps with practice playing. Like, he literally does a little bit of everything. He's our. He's also our, like, tech guru that helps whenever our computers crash. So nothing Steli can't do.
[00:13:09] Speaker A: Shout out Stelly. His. All of his info we're linking below. Check it out.
[00:13:13] Speaker B: Bid on the guy.
[00:13:14] Speaker A: He's. He's a legend. The next one you talked about, the only guy at tv, shouted out at the banner ceremony. Ronnie Weidman. I know him. He's dear friend. But maybe your experience with working with him now as a player and now as a. As a. Yeah.
[00:13:29] Speaker B: So we. The first thing we call him Ron the Don, because he is in charge of everything. He's the boss. He makes this show go literally. I think. I literally think this program will crash and burn without him.
He. He's. Like I said, he's Steli times 10. He doesn't dabble in the scouts, but he does everything else. Like, okay, we're flying charter from here to California like we did when we saw you at Cal and at Stanford, where we wore these. Wear these cool sneakers. So he's got to plan that, and he's got. Plan our practices. And then Tomorrow, we have 6 to 8 inches of snow coming in. So he's got a plan. Practice for 8am now instead of our normal 3pm he's in charge of choosing what jerseys we wear. He's in charge of picking out the gear that we get. Like, I mean, literally anything you can think of. He does everything. All the head coaches and coaches and players meetings and schedules and interviews. And, like, he is.
If you have a question, he has the answer. If you come to a game and you need tickets, you don't text me. You text Ronnie.
[00:14:30] Speaker A: Right? He does everything.
[00:14:32] Speaker B: The man. And he would hate that we're even talking about him right now, which is why he's amazing.
[00:14:36] Speaker A: He is literally amazing. Like, every time I talk to him, I almost feel bad. I'm taking up.
[00:14:41] Speaker B: We're gonna be hyping up a lot of people today, but he's the one that everyone needs to take away is like, yes.
[00:14:47] Speaker A: I mean, I'm gonna have the clip where TB talks about him. That was so cool that he. Because, like, Ronnie is so under the radar, but, like, the fact that TB shouted it out on his day, I thought it was so telling of what he means.
[00:14:58] Speaker B: Yeah, 100%.
[00:15:00] Speaker A: And to me, personally, as a friend, like, he means everything to me. All right, next one big E. Ethan Saliba.
[00:15:07] Speaker B: Ethan's been around since Ralph Sampson, I believe, if not before.
Our trainer. He also cares so much, obviously, about the university, but mostly just, like, the players and coaches individually, always. I mean, it's every single. Every time we're done with an event, whether it's practice or dinner. Are you okay? Do you need anything? Are you okay? Do you need to ask every single person? He has his. It's not a fanny pack, but, like, his little pack that has everything. You could possibly call it a combo if you got a little cold coming on. Let me get a combo. He. He literally does it all. He does it by the book. He has no assistant in the training. Like, he does everything. Tapes, ankles, rehab, like, you name it, he does it. So he's very experienced and one of the best in the business.
[00:15:49] Speaker A: And he. Yeah, you said it. He's seen it all end to end from, like, every coach at you in UVA history. He's been pretty much a part of it. So he. He is in the. One of the nicest people I've ever met, too. Like, you're going to hear that a.
[00:16:02] Speaker B: Lot today, but you definitely are.
[00:16:04] Speaker A: He is. Is. Is an amazing dude. All right, next up, Mike Curtis, strength and conditioning guru.
Let's go, let's go. As a player, what. What was he like for you as a player when you were here?
[00:16:16] Speaker B: Yeah, so he's.
Man, I do feel it coming. Like, I'm hyping up everybody. But I truly mean, he's literally the best strength coach I've ever come across. I've worked with NBA teams, I've worked with private contractors like that NBA players use in the off season. Like, he is just thinking outside the box with everything. When I was a player, he was. He's very stern, and some people call him grumpy, but he is, like, he just. Again, he's a winner. Like, you can tell, and that's all he knows. And so everything he does is to the. To the max. Like, you couldn't perfect it any more than he does because that's how much time and effort he gives to it. We don't lift, like, trying to get big and swole, per se. We lift to maintain and injury prevention, and we obviously get stronger, and if we need weight, we put it on. Like, he knows how to do all that stuff. But, I mean, if you look at his injury list, it's like sprained ankles and broken fingers that you can't control, you know, for the most part, obviously, some outliers, but he's just incredible. And he was one of the selling points as to why I committed.
[00:17:23] Speaker A: Yeah, everyone says that he's the guru, and he thinks what. What are some things he's done outside of the box for you as a. In your training regimen that you've taken away, like, in. Into your sort of NBA program?
[00:17:35] Speaker B: Well, first he freaking. Well, first off, this will tell you everything. When I got drafted and I hired a private strength coach, and when I was using the strength coach for the Sacramento Kings, I would send all of my plans to Mike Curtis and make sure that he was okay with all of it.
[00:17:50] Speaker A: That's awesome.
[00:17:51] Speaker B: And he's. I think he's getting this, like, 5th PhD or MD or something. He's like, he just. Enough is never enough for him. So you just know he's. He's all about learning and, and perfecting his craft and. Yeah, man, he's been great. And it's been cool on this side because, like, I get to see him. I get to see him, like, in a new light, and he's a serious dude, and I love that. But, like, when he's around his kids and stuff, like, it's. It's cool to see him light up and see that other side.
[00:18:18] Speaker A: So what. How. How do you guys talk to him and refer to him on. On sort of the. On the coaching stands? How often do you go to him and ask him for.
[00:18:28] Speaker B: Yeah, I don't.
[00:18:29] Speaker A: I don't even know how you would do it when somebody's hurt or somebody needs something or if you're like, hey, can you help with this? Or what? How do you guys do it?
[00:18:36] Speaker B: I got a big time relationship with him, as does Chase Coleman and Sanchez to the head coach and tv, because, like, the practice plan we run through him, like. Cause he's. He's all into, like, okay, how can I get the best out of our players on game day? Do we need to go two days hard and one day off and then one more day, or do we just do two days? Like, he's all into that. So he kind of dictates our practice schedule in a good way. And then all the guys are always like, can I get extra shots up?
That's. They talk to me or they talk to Chase, and we do that. We're doing Elijah Gertrude's rehab right now. So we work closely with him on, like, like, even. Even the other day we were working out Elijah Gertrude. It's not just like, getting shots and working out. It's like, okay, lay him on the ground and then have him pop up and sprint because that's going to happen in the game. You're going to go for a layup, fall down, you got to get him sprint back. Like, just. He just is always thinking of. He's a step ahead. I feel like always.
[00:19:32] Speaker A: Yeah, that's like functional workouts. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:19:34] Speaker B: If you ask any strength coach in the country about Mike Curtis, number one, they know who you're talking about. And number two, they're, like, in awe of him.
[00:19:42] Speaker A: No, that's amazing. We can't. Yeah. We can't say any more about him. He's. He's the man. All right, next up, our guy, chase Coleman.
[00:19:50] Speaker B: Yeah. C3, we call him.
[00:19:51] Speaker A: You got. Yeah. Player. And. And now coach. What. Give us the.
[00:19:56] Speaker B: I got. I gained a lot of respect for him because when I left, he came in as a walk on and played like he was the backup point guard for Keefe, like, play as a freshman. He was just as small as Kihei, like, and just as feisty. So, like, I gained respect from afar and I had known him through other players knowing him and stuff and then. But when I got here, we kind of clicked immediately because we, we're. We're basketball minds. We've created things together already. Like, we have a UVA 100 shooting drill that we've created for the guards and for the bigs. We're usually on the same page with how we would defend stuff and whatever. So we just spent a lot of time together, me, him, and Isaiah especially. We play a lot of Mario Kart on the road, on the Nintendo Switch. Nice. But he's also, again, you talk about a hard worker and up next in this profession is him. And he's. Even when he comes over to the house and hangs out like, we had a Super bowl last night, he came over to my house. He's working now. He's having a good time and enjoying company, too, but he's working. He's cutting up film. He never says no to anybody who wants to work out in a matter of time of day. He has manager vibes in the sense, like, it will be done. If you ask, it will be done. He's got great insight. He's really. He's really going to be a special, special coach in this industry.
[00:21:12] Speaker A: Yeah, I was going to say. And hopefully not too long. We're going to see him right there on the sidelines.
[00:21:17] Speaker B: Yeah, I hope so. I mean, yeah, I still think he should be on the front of the bench and I should be behind, but that's neither here nor there. That's how Good. He is.
[00:21:27] Speaker A: That's amazing. All right, next, next guy. We don't hear a ton from Sodi, Brad Soderberg, but I heard him give that pack line breakdown when I was there, I don't know, a few weeks ago. I was so cool to hear him. But tell, tell us about him.
[00:21:40] Speaker B: Yeah, so Sodi's the last.
Not the last. I mean, Sanchez was there with TB and Dick Bennett also. But Sody's the first to like really be in the, in the Bennett era. And, and he coached for Dick, I think played for him too, coach for tb. Like, he is just a wise man. He's actually really funny.
He definitely has like a. You. When you look at him, you wouldn't think, but he's so hilarious. He actually, for like someone who's been in the game a long time, usually people would think like super stubborn and like stuck in their ways, but he's the opposite, man. He's always like thinking of new ways. Me and him have gotten together a lot this year talking about like, how can we strike gold in the transfer portal? So we created, you know, he was calling the Sodi score. Like we created the Sodi score. If you get this score, that means you're, you have a higher. It's like giving them four or five stars on ESPN or 24, seven, whatever. Like we create our own weighted version for UVA. So he's all into that. He's obviously a defensive minded coach, which he's pulled a few hairs out this year. But we're, we're coming around now and he's, he's definitely just, again, just somebody you want in your corner that knows what they're talking about.
[00:22:54] Speaker A: And what, what about as a player? Like when you were working with him when you got here, what were your thoughts of him versus now?
[00:23:02] Speaker B: I just took. Cause I knew his track record. I just took whatever he said. Cause he didn't say as much when I was, when I was here because he had just gotten here. But he, anything he said, I took to heart because again, he knows what he's talking about. He had been around it and I felt in my mind he was an extension of TB because they, you know, grew up under the same umbrella.
[00:23:23] Speaker A: Yeah, that makes sense. And then what, what about now during the season? Like, what are some of the tasks that he has every game, every day?
[00:23:30] Speaker B: Yeah. So he's Stelios's partner in the, in the scouts. So we. He has one third of the games that he's in charge of and he's, he's super intense. And he's just always thinking of ways, how can we be better defensively? Because we kind of do offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator. And he's our defensive guy with coach Williford, so he's. He's on top of it.
[00:23:53] Speaker A: All right, next up, we got Zay. Isaiah Wilkins, fellow teammate and coach, coworker. So walk. Walk us through. As a. I always thought Zay was, like, the best help defender that I had ever seen. Like, when he was. When he was here, he's just, like, was one step ahead of everything. He's like, playing chess out there. But you tell me, what did you see from him as a. At first, as a teammate?
[00:24:14] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, as a teammate, I listen to him more than I listen to tb, to Tony, right? Like, if he said something, that's what I did.
If Tony did it, I maybe did it or said it, I maybe did. You know what I mean? Like, that's just the respect he commanded. He was ACC defensive player of the year, so he's. And he's definitely one of the smarter minds in a different way. Like, I played with big time point guards Darren Fox, Marcelino Huertas, that played with Kobe and the Lakers, and like, he's a legend overseas. Like, really smart Spoelstra coach. Like, really smart guys at how to.
[00:24:52] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:24:52] Speaker B: Pick apart, pick and roll or whatever. He's like, on another level when it comes to defense. I. You're right. I never saw anything like it help sidewise. It gave me so much confidence to play better defense. I could be a little bit more aggressive because if I got beat, I was good, he was gonna take care of it. And he's been. He was one of my. I mean, me, Ty and Dre, obviously, because we came in together, we're like, those were my closest, but Zay and Jack Salt, those were like my next two that I was the closest with. And he did a lot of things for me after that UMBC loss that maybe he doesn't even realize. So he's one of my best friends and he's my roommate on the road. So like I said, we play a lot of Mario Kart, we're super into movies, so we're always like, you should watch that movie, this TV show, et cetera. But I said about Chase, but Isaiah, man, he'll probably be a head coach a little quicker because he got a jump start, but he's gonna rock this world. When he. He gets his opportunity, it's gonna be big time.
[00:25:47] Speaker A: I'll tell a Ronnie. Ronnie talked about Zay when we were recruiting him, he never talks about anybody. He was like, you're gonna like this kid. I was like, really? He never says that. You know, even, like, he was like, ah, we'll see. But Zay, he was like, no, this guy's got a mind that's incredible. And it came to fruition. Like, he was. He was. He was believable. And like you said, you think he's gonna. He's gonna be a future coach as well. We're gonna be watching him for years and years to come.
[00:26:14] Speaker B: No way. It's more than two years, man. Universities would be. Or pro. Whatever he's doing, like, would be sadly mistaken not to take advantage of him before.
[00:26:22] Speaker A: And what. What about his. Like, I see him, you guys practicing and stuff. What is his voice like, with. How do the players receive him? Like, I can see him being intimidating, too.
[00:26:31] Speaker B: It's the same. So we both. All three of us play. Me, Isaiah, and Chase, we play on what we call the green team, and we play. And again, I'm the guy I like. I pull you to the side. Hey, maybe look at it this way, that or that. Or do it this way. You know, Chase will stop the practice and be like, guys, we got to do it this way. But Zay's, like, intense. Like, he claps, and when he claps, the whole earth vibrates. Listen to what he says. And he's. I mean, he's a yeller in a good way, and he just gets the most out of people. I feel like, yeah, he's.
[00:27:02] Speaker A: He's impressive to watch because. Yeah, you're right. When he. When he speaks, it's pretty commanding. So neck. Next up, coacho Orlando Vandross.
Been with. You know, he was with Jay Will, I think, but what is.
[00:27:15] Speaker B: He was the same as. As Soderbergh in the sense. Like, he was a little bit newer when I got here, but he's just the most observant dude I've ever met. Like, he's a little bit quieter than everybody. He just observes. Nothing gets past him. He can read body language really well and energy and like. Like, all that stuff. And he's very insightful, and I didn't realize that as much when I was a player, and now I'm seeing the other side, so he's, again, another. We just have a really good blend of, like, everyone brings something different to the table, and we don't have anybody else like him.
[00:27:46] Speaker A: Yeah. And in terms of his role, I feel like recruiting is his big thing. Right. Yeah.
[00:27:52] Speaker B: It's relationship he's all relationships, man. He knows everybody. Everyone knows him. If he doesn't know him, he knows of them. You know, like, he just. It's all relationships. And. And like you said, he's a. He's a. He's a beast in recruiting. Yeah.
[00:28:06] Speaker A: Tell us, tell us, what is the process for, like, you guys identify a player that you're kind of interested in. You talk to Coach O and then see what he. Like, what do you know?
[00:28:16] Speaker B: I wouldn't say. I wouldn't say that we have regions per se, but you have a region that you know better than anybody else. And he's the northeast down through where Jay Willie is in that dmv. I mean, he's everywhere, but, like, he really has a niche up there. And yeah, I mean, I think everyone brings people to the table. We have on our kind of. On our WI fi, we have a server that we can just drop film onto and we'll just text a group chat like, hey, make sure you look at this kid before tomorrow. We can go yay or nay. Or if you need more time. And it kind of gets the ball rolling from there. Sometimes they'll solo job. It'd be like, hey, I'm bringing this kid on a visit because I know he would be good. And then we start to. We play catch up from there, but most of the time we're. It's all collaborative.
[00:28:59] Speaker A: No, that's. That's amazing. Coach. Super nice guy is hilarious too, right? Like, he's.
[00:29:05] Speaker B: Again, he's so insightful, and when he does talk, it's going to be either great advice or hilarious.
[00:29:11] Speaker A: Yeah. At the beginning of the year, I remember him, you know, obviously sad and everything went down, but he's like, hey, this gives us an opportunity. He was kind of like, this is an opportunity for us to shock everybody, which I thought was an incredible attitude to have.
[00:29:24] Speaker B: All right.
[00:29:24] Speaker A: The next guy has his own show too. Jay Willey, Jason Williford, walk us through. What was your relationship like? I mean, so many people know him, obviously, from. What was your relationship like as a player?
[00:29:37] Speaker B: Well, you.
[00:29:38] Speaker A: You'd same.
[00:29:38] Speaker B: You just respected him because he played at uva and he had been here almost since Tony got here, and he came one year after.
[00:29:46] Speaker A: No, he.
[00:29:48] Speaker B: Right away. So, yeah, I mean, you just. You just respected this. This whole staff because had been together so long, and if they weren't here, they were of the same tree. And Jay Willie is the master recruiter on grounds. Like, once you. Once he gets you here and he drives you around grounds and he's giving you the tour. Like, he's got it down, man. He's got it down to a science on how to make it funny.
[00:30:10] Speaker A: But.
[00:30:10] Speaker B: Yeah, interesting. But. So he's great at that. I'm a Bengals fan. He's a Steelers fan, so he definitely bumped heads for the past 10 years since I've known him. Even more so now because I literally see him every day and in the office with him, but great man. He loves football, so we talk a lot of football. He's very. He's on the defensive side, but he's super introspective on, like, just the flow of basketball as a whole and is always giving good advice. He's like Isaiah in the sense, like, they have that, like, passion for. For the game and wanting to do well for the university. So he's. He's a treat to work with. And again, there's nobody like him.
[00:30:44] Speaker A: Yes. Jay Willie. I mean, so many people thought Jay Willie was going to get that. It's kind of like a 50, 50 thing, right? With.
[00:30:50] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:30:51] Speaker A: And see, what is. What is their relationship like from you? I mean, obviously, you're from the side scene. What does their relationship been like? They're obviously super tight, but.
[00:30:59] Speaker B: Yeah, super tight. I mean, again, because they came in together here, so they've been together for. I mean, Sanchez left for five years. So what, 10 years out of 15?
[00:31:07] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:31:08] Speaker B: I mean, we golfed together, like, 10 times when I first got here, all of us. So it's been. It's been really good vibes here, especially as of late, as we're starting to pick things up and everyone's starting to. To buy in, and even the coaches are buying in more. Like, it's. It's been good.
[00:31:23] Speaker A: And then, of course, the main man now, Ron Sanche, Sanchez, Tell. Tell us, what has it been like now that he's at the helm. You've seen him as well. He. He left when you were. You were as a player. But what. What are your thoughts?
[00:31:37] Speaker B: Yeah, so he. He was. I owe. I owe Coach Sanchez a lot, man. He was the.
He was the guy who found me. Now, at the point he found me, I was starting to, like. I mean, I had offers and I was starting to hit the ground running. I was ranked and stuff, so it wasn't like I was hidden, but within the talent I was surrounded with. Like, I was at a camp and he was there watching Peyton Pritchard, and I was playing really well and going at him. And so that's when we were in Chicago and he Called Coach Bennett and the very next day he said, you have to be here. Fly now. TB flew and watched me and that was that. So he kind of got this whole thing started with me at uva. He left after my sophomore year, which. Which stunk because the three people I felt the most bad for after we won the championship was Isaiah, Devin hall and Sanchez, because they didn't get a chance to redeem themselves. But I'm just really enjoying being around him again. He's just an awesome dude. Anyone who's best friends with Tony Bennett is going to be a. You know what I mean? Like, there's, I keep saying to some from the same family tree, like, it's, you know, apple doesn't fall far. So it's been a treat working with him. He's starting to come into his own. He's been a head coach before, which I think helped, but at this level with guys that he didn't necessarily recruit. And so, like, he's had a lot of hiccups that he's handled really well. And we're. Again, we're rolling.
[00:32:57] Speaker A: I love it. Yeah, you guys are turning the corner here. What. And now we've gotten through the staff, but in terms of you thinking about, like, recruiting, what is. Now you've got nil and you've got so many moving parts. But what is the pitch if two guys are getting the same dollar amount? What is the pitch to stay at UVA now with. With this staff on board?
[00:33:20] Speaker B: So like you're saying, like, if Alabama offered a hundred thousand, we offered 100,000. Why?
[00:33:25] Speaker A: Money's the same. You've got. You've got the sweep of schools. Why uva? Like, why. Why would you pick uva? Or how would you convince someone to, say, come to uva?
[00:33:34] Speaker B: I mean, listen, we're not going to sit here and lie to him and be like, hey, it's the same as when Tony was here. It's not. It's definitely going to be different. And things change. But again, like I said, like, these guys recruited the players and then took them to Tony. Like, Sanchez found me and then Tony saw me and boom. So, like, they have a great eye for talent and a lot of the development is through the assistant coaches and the amount of people we put through the league with the way we do things. And again, although I say it's different, like, we have a lot of the same, the same five pillars, the same foundation that was laid 15 years ago is still here. Obviously, academically, we're, public school wise, top three in the country and overall, including private schools, were top 15 in the country. So that's just hard. Beautiful, beautiful campus or grounds, our facilities, I mean, hard to beat. You've seen a lot. Like, it's. It's. It's hard to find better setup than what we have. And that's not being biased. I've been to a lot of places, too. Like, we have better setups than. Than the NBA teams I played for. So it's that. That's. That's the pitch. It's that we've done it. This staff, aside from Sanchez, won a championship. We have young up and coming mixed with, like, the OGs that kind of started this thing and know what they're talking about. And Sanchez and a new fresh flavor onto what Tony did. Like, that's the.
[00:35:00] Speaker A: Yeah, the. The talk has been, all right, can we. Can we play a little faster? What adjustments are we going to make? You're seeing it now. He's got, what I mean, less than a season, and you're already seeing that sort of comes to life. But what are you. What are your thoughts? Or, like, you've seen it go, like, what are some of the cool adjustments that you've seen?
[00:35:17] Speaker B: Sage, he's definitely trying to revolutionize some of the offensive things we've done. You know, I think again, if, you know, this was year three, you would already see, like, what his full dream come to fruition. It would be. But you're right, we're already seeing some of it this year. He definitely is a. He's a. He's an offensive mind that does not. That defense is not lost on him like he does. Like, he's definitely always like, has something cool going his mind about offense, but again, lays into his staff about making sure we have defensive principles. And he honestly projects defense more than offense. To the players, maybe to us, it's a little bit more 50, 50, but I think right now we're trying to get the guys to play a certain way, and defense comes first in that instance.
[00:36:03] Speaker A: Yeah, it's exciting to see him. You know, I'm hopeful for the rest of the season. You guys are putting it all together. All right, let's. Let's go through players. I'll just go right on the site. We'll start with number zero, Blake. Yeah, we've seen him improve a lot. Everyone talked, oh, he's just good against Florida. Well, that. We've changed that. He's now hustling and playing well. What. What have you seen from him? What is his potential?
[00:36:25] Speaker B: Yeah, he's. I Mean, he's big and long, man. He's 6 11, pretty wired, wiry, strong and long. He's pretty athletic. Um, he's, he's been working on his touch and everything. Like, he's made strides, man. We've put it, Experimented with him at different positions in different situations, and he's responded well. He's super coachable. When his motor is on, it's. It's hard to turn off. Like, he's been having double doubles lately the past three weeks, so, you know, we're just trying to squeeze as much out of him as we can, and we're doing that. Yeah.
[00:36:56] Speaker A: And where do you see his sort of. I don't want to say ceiling, but like, where do you see his potential going? Like, is, Is this.
[00:37:02] Speaker B: Yeah, anytime. That's the other thing. Like, anytime we can get our hands on a player for more than a year, like, you're going to see some massive jumps. And, you know, I mean, think of DeAndre Hunter from his freshman year, which he redshirted to his third year. Like, I mean, that's number pick. Like, I'm not saying that's the ceiling, but like, we, this is what we do is develop, guys. And so every year you'll see some improvement.
[00:37:27] Speaker A: That's awesome. All right, next, Next one. Elijah Saunders, number two.
I know he's just coming off a little injury here, but, like, he, he feels like the X factor here. But you tell me, what are you seeing from him?
[00:37:38] Speaker B: The, his ability to not only, like, get fouled and shoot 90 from the free throw line, but also shoot the three. He's a really good athlete. You know, I think it was, it was surprisingly good, you know, in the sense, like, then we got him. I, I don't think we expected him to be like, our leading scorer. One of them, you know, right off the bat, which he was. And he came in, he's a great attitude, really good kid, and he's, he's a joy to coach because he wants to be good and off the court. He's super. Like, he gets it. Like you ask, like, he just, he just gets it and he cares about it and he's always working out and stuff, so we love Elijah.
[00:38:16] Speaker A: What is the comp for. For him in terms of.
[00:38:20] Speaker B: I don't know, man, he's built like a freaking ox.
[00:38:23] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:38:24] Speaker B: Jump. Like his head hits the rim when he, when he jumps, so. And he could shoot it. If he ever figure out his ball skills, he's gonna be. He's a force.
[00:38:33] Speaker A: Yeah. Cause people always say, Grant Williams, but I feel like he's got a. He's more agile than Grant, but I.
[00:38:38] Speaker B: Agree Grant was more of a bruiser than he was, but I see. See the body similarities, and they both can shoot the three, but, yeah, he's a little bit more agile.
[00:38:49] Speaker A: All right, next one. My son's favorite player, Andrew Roy, the big turnaround that he's had, he took a lot of grief last year. Feel like people turning the corner on him and seeing the potential. What are you seeing from him?
[00:39:04] Speaker B: He's a basketball mind. I wouldn't be surprised if he's a coach one day. He just. He gets it. He's a connector for.
For the team. He's definitely our leader. And we don't have a team captain. We don't. We don't do that. But, like, he's probably our captain.
He just wants to win. And he cares so much, too. Like, he knows what it means to wear the name on the front more than the back, which I respect and appreciate. I think in the last three games, he's got, like. Like 32 assists and no turnovers. Like, he's bawling right now. He's. I mean, the last month, he's got to be putting up 10 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. Like, he's. He's an animal.
[00:39:43] Speaker A: And he.
[00:39:43] Speaker B: He makes us go, yeah, is.
[00:39:45] Speaker A: The improvement he's made is astronomical. Like, last year, people were just like, what is going on? And then this year went up, as.
[00:39:54] Speaker B: They say, yes, he is.
[00:39:56] Speaker A: He is a special guy. I'm so happy to see. And the funny thing is, like, I don't know if you remember, but this is when he was coming in at Dev's wedding.
I remember Wayne and I was like, wrote, this is the kid. Watch this guy. And then he didn't have a great years where he was like, I don't know what happened, but I heard a lot of whispers. This kid, he's gonna be special. And now we're finally seeing it, so it's pretty cool. And I will say, like, at the end of the road trip, when he was signed to the shoes and handed back, he was like, you know, he was still sick, and then he was throwing up, and he was like, tito, I'm sorry we couldn't get you a win, man. He was, like, genuinely upset about it, which I thought was, well, we.
[00:40:33] Speaker B: I blame you. I don't blame him.
[00:40:35] Speaker A: So, yeah, I. I blame Forrest. So it's. It's.
[00:40:38] Speaker B: Yeah, you're right.
[00:40:39] Speaker A: All right, next one from Seattle. We call him the Big drip. Jacob. Kofi. What. What are you seeing from him? Like, he's obviously got some potential, but.
[00:40:48] Speaker B: Like, he's just got this instinct, man, the ball just finds him and good things happen when he has the ball.
It's bizarre because sometimes, I mean, he's a first year, so sometimes he'll do something wrong and it just goes right because it's Jacob.
So that's. I mean, that's a true skill and gift, that and talent that he has, and that'll take him places when he's. And he's gotten so much better this year, like, really locking in and focusing. Like, the jump from high school to college is so difficult because there's so much more you have to absorb and retain in college. And that obviously was showing. He started off great, and then it was starting to show. Like, okay, he's. He's maybe a little overwhelmed, but he's. He's been so great. He's such a, like, goofball. He's, like, just still a kid, and he's really starting to mature in front of our eyes. And he's uber talented. He can shoot the three and shoot, pull up his ball skills. He can pass, rebound, defend one through five. It's just all about. If he's locked in, he's not going to be here long.
[00:41:52] Speaker A: Yeah, he seems like he's going to put it together, too, at some point. It's all going to, you know, so it takes a little longer for the big guys. Is that true? Is that just like a myth or is that real at uva? That's.
[00:42:02] Speaker B: That's real because. Especially now, because we play through our bigs a lot with whether it's a flash action or making sure they do an away screen to a plane in the post. But defensively, we have a lot of different coverages, so it definitely. It takes longer for big, a little more over.
[00:42:21] Speaker A: Is it. As I've heard this a number of times, in terms of the adjustment, it's that it's the combination of you have to think a little more and the speed of the game. And when you put those together, it just looks like you're a little off. Is that. Is that a fair assessment?
[00:42:34] Speaker B: Yep. Being nailed it.
[00:42:35] Speaker A: Yeah, it's like that. That one step that you're thinking about it is it's already faster and it just costs you and you. Makes you look a little slow. Speaking or not. All right, next one. Number seven, Day aims. He can do it all Day. Day is what we have on the show.
[00:42:51] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah.
[00:42:53] Speaker A: He's Obviously taken a huge turn recently. The blow up the last few games. What, what has changed for him? I know he was hurt, like at smu. He got hurt. But. But what, what do you think is, is sort of clicking for him?
[00:43:04] Speaker B: We just kind of went over after that west coast trip, we went over a role definitions of what we needed from everybody and we need him to score. We do need him to take care of the ball and facilitate and also defend, but we just need him to score the ball. I think that freed him up a little bit because that's what he does best. He's a Chicago kid from. So he's a. Around my way. So I, I really like him and he's super tough and he's one of those ones that I really enjoy coaching.
[00:43:26] Speaker A: Has he, has he shown this in practice a lot in terms of like his ability to get in the lane and finish and then.
[00:43:33] Speaker B: Yeah, it's just no matter if you're 22 years old or 19 year old, when you first get here, you're a first year, you're a rookie on this team. It's hard. It's not easy to just come right away and have it figured out. So it takes some time and he's. It's clicking right now. So we're going to keep rolling.
[00:43:48] Speaker A: Love it. All right, next one. People probably don't know number eight, Bryce Walker. So give us. Give him. Who, who, who is he? What is his role?
[00:43:56] Speaker B: What is it?
[00:43:57] Speaker A: What does he do that helps benefit, you know.
[00:43:59] Speaker B: Yeah, he is. He's an extension of everything. So he's a player extension. He's a green team extension. He's a manager extension. So excuse me.
He plays on green team with. Like we mentioned earlier, he's on the scout team. Just a servant of the, of the team and of the program. He's in charge of. Of drills and pregame warmup.
[00:44:19] Speaker A: He's.
[00:44:19] Speaker B: He's been here for a while, so he's definitely one of our leaders also in a different way.
[00:44:25] Speaker A: Yeah, he's a fourth year. I'll fill in some little things. I know fourth year comm school marketing guy. Super smart. So smart, you know, definitely check his stuff out. Link in the description like everyone else. All right, next number nine, Faris's. Faris's hero is Sean Sharma. I won't say why, but he loves him and he's great. Like tell us, I know you've worked a lot, very closely with him. What have you seen from him?
[00:44:52] Speaker B: So ish is. That's like my little brother per se. I've tried to take him under my wing because I absolutely love his mentality and that's I think where we're a little bit like minded. Like he's just a killer and he like wants to be great and he's hungry and when he messes up, it's his fault. It's never anybody else's fault. Like he's a coach's dream and he can really shoot the ball at a very, very high level. He believes in himself and again it's just, he's, he's young man. It's just going to take a second. We've seen already seen a bunch of flashes from him. He's had great games and he got sick and he's trying to find his way back. So love ish and we expect big things from him.
[00:45:31] Speaker A: Yeah, totally. At the Stanford game afterwards they interviewed him the Brown Baller TV because him and Ryan, the first two Division 1 of Indian descent to go head to head which I thought was.
[00:45:44] Speaker B: That's awesome.
[00:45:45] Speaker A: Yeah, that's so cool. The next one, another international, my guy, Tane Murray.
Tell, tell, tell us, tell everyone the Tane Murray.
[00:45:54] Speaker B: There's not enough to be said about Tane Murray, man. He is one of the toughest dudes I've ever met. I'm from New Zealand like you said and just a great dude and also like a servant and cares so much about the, the Virginia logo as opposed to the Murray on the back. Like again, there's just not enough to be said. He's playing so well for us right now too and he's been here for four years so he knows what we want, what we need and we don't have to tell him as much. And he's a lead by example type of guy which is just, you need one of those. Doesn't take no for an answer when he's, when it comes to like getting a win or like doing what we ask of him and he's just again like just one of those ones you want in your corner.
[00:46:31] Speaker A: And I, yeah, the few practices I've seen, he's been pretty dominant in them.
[00:46:36] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:46:37] Speaker A: And I'm just curious in terms of like, you know, why isn't he more aggressive in the games if he is that something like his attitude of being a servant and like getting everybody involved because I feel like he could be more dominant if he wanted to but he chooses to, you know, be a. I don't know what it, what is that? Is that a fair assessment or no?
[00:46:59] Speaker B: Yeah, he's, he's Just a connector. I think I used that phrase for somebody else. But he's a connector. And like you just, again, you just respect what he says because he's been here, he's been through it, he's a great teammate. Like, how could you not. And he literally lay down his life for anybody in this program. So like, how could you not listen to him, you know?
[00:47:18] Speaker A: Next one we've got Isaac Imac McNeely. I know you're working closely with him as well. What are your thoughts on. I heard from around the way he was obviously super disappointed with tv step down. But like him coming around and playing this way. What are your thoughts?
[00:47:36] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, I think I'm sure everyone was. I mean I was caught off guard and you know, wanted to coach for him for longer than three months.
But I think Imac is really starting to like get what we've been preaching and that is you are Batman, you're not Robin.
[00:47:55] Speaker A: Right.
[00:47:56] Speaker B: And he's getting that right now. And that's what we need him to be for us. He's a, he's also a lead by example type of guy. So compliant and like military regimented when it comes to like what we ask of him. And he.
Yeah, I mean he makes coaching fun because he has the talent to like really display what we're trying to get out of him.
[00:48:18] Speaker A: In terms of shooting, how does his shooting compare to your. In terms of. Because his form is very different than yours. But I'm sure when you, when you look at this shooting and you and you sort of assess it, what is your. What do you come away with?
[00:48:30] Speaker B: He, I mean, he might be a better spot up shooter than I am, man.
[00:48:33] Speaker A: Because.
[00:48:33] Speaker B: Because his form is so tight and it's the same every way where mine was a little bit more unorthodox at times depending on the defense and he.
Now he'll finally understand what I had was going through. But sometimes I would shoot tougher shots. So he's shooting but it's automatic when he's open. So like.
Yeah, I gotta. He's. And he's. He's actually. He doesn't show it enough, which I get mad at him. But he's athletic as hell. He. He's definitely has the highest vertical on the team. You wouldn't know it.
[00:49:02] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean his West Virginia video mixtape, he's dunking left and right. We don't, we don't see so much.
But yeah, you're right, we don't see that a lot from what we. We haven't really Talked about what is his ceiling in terms of NBA potential?
[00:49:18] Speaker B: Listen, I mean he's 6 4.
If you can shoot the ball, there's place for you anywhere. So it's just the other things. Can you come around to not being a liability defensively? I don't think. I'm not saying he is NBA's eyes. Can you do that? And guys eyes, because I went through it. Their eyes will light up when he's guarding them. So can you hold your own? You know, put the ball on the floor. He needs to be able to put the ball on the floor a little bit better sailing wise man. If you can shoot the ball and space the floor for Kevin Durant to go to work or Luca to go to work, there's a. There's a place for you just. You got to do the other things well enough.
[00:49:53] Speaker A: Right.
Love it. All right, next one. Number 12, Dougie Fresh's guy, Elijah Gertrude. You talked about him already working him out, getting better, but I mean, couldn't be a nicer human being either. But tell, tell me what, what are you seeing from him now that he's re. Everyone's curious. How is his rehab going? What.
[00:50:11] Speaker B: What do you rehab's going. It's going great. When I say this, take it with a grain of salt, like he's ahead of schedule because like he's dunking and like, I mean, it's unbelievable. I can't even imagine how athletic he was.
[00:50:24] Speaker A: Right.
[00:50:25] Speaker B: Like when he's at 100%, which I. Obviously he's probably the dude I know the least about because I mean, they burned a red shirt for him last year, so he didn't play a lot, a lot until middle of the season or so. But you're right, just the attitude he has after what happened to his knee is unbelievable and inspiring. And I love working him out because he challenges me because I get to work with MC and himself and we're like kind of collaborating to figure out the best ways for his rehab.
I can kind of use him as a guinea pig for my workouts too, like for the other guys. And he's just so receptive and you could tell he wants to be on the floor and he's a competitor, you know, again, big time athlete, man. That's. You need those two.
[00:51:12] Speaker A: Right. I feel like, you know, we really wanted him this year and needed him this year and it's so disappointing. I'm sure he was super.
[00:51:19] Speaker B: Definitely want to help.
[00:51:20] Speaker A: Yeah, he. Everyone thought this is the. This is going to be the Elijah year.
And you know what happened happened. So we're all right. Next one. Another. Another one. That may need a little more info. Number 13, Desmond Roberts from St. Anne's Charlottesville native. Yeah, tell, tell us about him. What, what does he do? What is his role on the team? What is his.
[00:51:41] Speaker B: So he's same as Bryce in the sense that extension of manager and player. I mean he's a walk on. But you know, we don't really do that here. It's just you're. You're on the team and what he does, he's so athletic, like freakish athletic and he's an unbelievable offensive rebounder. So I know our guys hate playing against him when we do rebounding drills because he's as. He's a magnet to it.
He's really good at that. Just again, he works hard for us and he's, he's a bright kid. Also, he was talking to me about his accounting class and I'm like, I've never even sniffed an accounting class. So.
Yeah. So he's.
[00:52:22] Speaker A: So is this one of those things where he probably passed up maybe a bigger role at a smaller school to come to uva? Sacrifice.
[00:52:29] Speaker B: We've had a couple of those but just with the education and the program we've built here is I think he really wanted to be a part of that.
[00:52:36] Speaker A: Yeah. He's a hometown hero like any. As a kid growing up, you rarely saw kids from Charlottesville go to uva. So is pretty, pretty awesome. Great curse. Great curtsy.
Next one twin Anthony Robinson. Everyone's favorite. I mean seems like the fan favorite. But tell us, tell us about him. Where, where is. He's oozing with potential. But tell us what, what do you see in practice every day?
[00:53:01] Speaker B: Yeah, as Michael Jordan said, the ceiling is the roof. So he's, he's got, he's got unlimited potential. Like you said, he's man physical specimen athletic, can actually really move his feet. It's just the same as, as anything. This is his first year playing so it just sometimes he's a step behind because processing is, is different in college than it is high school and. But I mean the last month he's gotten consistent minutes and we need him and he's. I mean he's been a huge spark. He's probably in the last month. I mean he's at least guaranteed in the top three for plus minus. Like when he's on the floor we do better even. You know, if his minutes aren't 30 a game, even if it's only 15 or 20, he's helping us.
[00:53:44] Speaker A: Is that something you guys track closely, plus minus or is that a miss?
[00:53:48] Speaker B: No, it's something like in his situation, I brought it up like just so you guys know, we're plus, whatever it is. 82 when he's on the floor in the last seven games. Like, like that we do, we dive into analytics mostly points per possession and stuff like that. But a plus minus in my opinion.
I need it over a period of time. You tell me that in a game it could have nothing to do with Ant and the guards could be shooting half court threes and they're just making up. What do you want him to do about it?
[00:54:17] Speaker A: Right?
[00:54:17] Speaker B: So I like it over like over a month by month basis. Like, hey, this month you were plus 120. That is big time, you know, so that those things we do look at.
[00:54:30] Speaker A: You got to take it over over an extended period of time. It's. Otherwise it's kind of a crapshoot in terms of stat. All right, next one, number 23 from Duke, TJ pack from the. You know, everyone had this crazy expectation five star is going to dominate and he's coming, he's. I don't, I don't know. You tell me what it, what is, what is the, the, the feeling on, on TJ Power. What are you seeing from him? What is his potential?
[00:54:53] Speaker B: Yeah, man, when I came in the summer, man, just to visit and then obviously Tony ended up offering me the job, but I was just here to visit and we played whatever 5 on 5, 3 on 3 and stuff. Like he was playing so well. It's all confidence with him and it'll come, it takes, it takes a second. Again, he's a first year here, this is the second year and he didn't play a whole lot of Duke last year. So he's like a true rookie also and he can shoot the hell out of the ball. He's a legit six nine. Like legit. I'm not BSing you. He's six nine. So like that type of size and being able to shoot the ball, like it's going to come, it's just going to take a second, you know. And I think again, the five star label definitely hurt him in that sense of like, why aren't you producing right now? But it just, it takes, it's different for everybody.
[00:55:42] Speaker A: Yeah, it seems like he's gonna have everyone.
[00:55:45] Speaker B: He wasn't a five star for no reason.
[00:55:47] Speaker A: Right. I mean, and everyone thinks, all right, this is the game TJ Parish gonna break out. Is that what you Is that what fans can look out for. Like is there going to be a game where it clicks and it comes together?
[00:55:59] Speaker B: A game. I mean you can, every player who ever played here, you can name a game where it's like, well there it is. It clicked. Now you know what? Maybe, you know, maybe these guys will never average more than five points. But where it clicked to help the team and like where you as fans are like, oh, I see. This is why we brought him. That, that happens for everybody and that will happen for Teacher.
[00:56:19] Speaker A: Hopefully. Hopefully it's against Duke on Mondays.
[00:56:22] Speaker B: That would be. Man, I would wish nothing more than that.
[00:56:25] Speaker A: That would be. That would be something else. Larry, let's speak it into existence. All right, the next guy.
You know, we've heard a lot of this name, number 30, Christian Bliss, New York native. I think Mark talks about him a lot, but he's been hurt in red, looking like a red shirt, I guess. But what, what have you seen from him? Where play? I see him practice. He seems to be doing okay. But you tell me he plays on.
[00:56:50] Speaker B: The green team with us from time to time. He is still nursing his foot or ankle. I can't quite.
[00:56:56] Speaker A: It's.
[00:56:56] Speaker B: I think it's like inside his ankle so it's a little different. But he's, he's talented. He can shoot the ball too, which again that's why he was so attractive. I think it's because he can shoot the hell out of the ball. He's got great pace and he's a big strong guard. Like no one's going to take the ball from him.
There's definitely some, some stuff with his injury that hinder him from like playing the defense at the level that he needs to be at and stuff like that. But his time will come too, I think. Yeah, I think red shirt is probably what it's looking like at this point.
And I'm not super up to date or privy on exactly what's going on with his injury but you know, he's super compliant. He's like military's. I don't know if his dad's in the military or his family is, but he's like I, I eat this much at this time and then I drink my water and then I stretch and then I like he's regimented like that. So that's always. That always translates well to.
[00:57:48] Speaker A: And his shoe is a size 15 for a guy, you know.
[00:57:51] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:57:52] Speaker A: Or so that tells you in terms of athleticism but also, you know, maybe, maybe there's something there with the injury too, right? Like, swollen or whatever. Anyway, that's it. The last one's Carter Lang. Everyone wants to know how. How is he in practice? What do we. What do we expect from another Charlottesville native that I think people think is going to actually play when he does?
[00:58:11] Speaker B: Carter's good, man.
[00:58:13] Speaker A: He.
[00:58:13] Speaker B: I mean, he started whatever, eight games in the SEC last year. Like, he's a super smart kid, which is why he went to Vandy and then obviously uva. I think he's accounting also. I think if I'm not mistaken, or business, one of those two, I think he's accounting. So super smart kids. Just the nicest dude ever. He. He has told me so many times how much he appreciates, like, playing with me, Isaiah and Chase, because, like, we're helping him play at a pace that maybe he's. That college guys just aren't used to. So he's getting, like, a speed run on and tutorial on how to. How to play. And he can. He can shoot the ball. He's a lefty. He has this knack for, like, wedge rebounding where he just kind of posts you up, basically, and the ball just finds him. He's. He's a talent, and I do think he can help us at some point.
[00:59:00] Speaker A: That's awesome. All right. Appreciate you running through that. Was. That was literally every single person on the staff. So thank you for going through that. I was going to ask a couple questions in terms of nil. Nil landscape. Things obviously have changed since you were at school, but you talked about the struggle with that. You know, you were. You were going to get married. You were thinking about going to the league. You were trying to, like, pay your bills. And I'm at ebay now. We're doing this whole campaign on ebay. You created an ebay account when you were at school, but then ultimately you weren't able to use it. But tell us, what is the advantage of, like, having something like. Because ebay is a tool that I think a lot of student athletes can use and utilize for Nils.
[00:59:43] Speaker B: Yeah. I think I wasn't as privy to ebay even when I made the account as I am now.
[00:59:49] Speaker A: Right.
[00:59:49] Speaker B: Like, I didn't even know back then that, like, there was authenticated shoes and trading cards or whatever. It was. Like, there's just so much on that marketplace. And so while it works, you can even have your own store, if I'm not mistaken, like, individually. So, like, there. There's just so much you can do. And, like, if I was in school, man, I would be using that as Much as I could. Like I had a man bunch as a, as a first year here. Like and there were shirts being sold. Like I could have had my own shirt through store and then you know, do a deal where you know, you shout out ebay, you get a pair of shoes or whatever it is like to, to wear and shot them. Like there's just so many things that matter in, in branding and marketing as pertains to nil, which is name, image and likeness. So I would be all over it. I mean I'm trying to be over it right, all over it right now as you see. So I mean I'm, I'm all in on ebay, I think. I also think the narrative of ebay has changed over the last decade because everything's authenticated and, and, and, and looks like sleeker and like more trustworthy, I guess.
[01:00:51] Speaker A: Yeah, the mobile app helps. Now there's ebay live. I don't know if you've seen this. We're, they're, we're launching ebay live where you can like sell live auctions. You can do them 10 cents. So you can literally come on, you can imagine doing a podcast or a post game press conference and then items are for sale underneath. You can just right there as you're talking. So I've done this on ebay live that maybe next time we'll do that. Look out little hint, maybe, maybe Kyle will be doing an ebay live.
[01:01:18] Speaker B: You know, I'll do it coming up.
[01:01:20] Speaker A: And you guys can talk to him and see what whatever man bun products he has available.
[01:01:25] Speaker B: Yeah, there we go. We'll be able to purchase just for the live.
[01:01:29] Speaker A: But what, what. So what about this Nil space and you've been now part of it for whatever, half a half a season. But like what have you seen from it? What are your thoughts on it? OB we're losing a lot of incredible coaches. Maybe not totally because of it, but with the transfer portal and nil and the message created, like what are your thoughts on it, man?
[01:01:47] Speaker B: Listen, I think I love that they're getting paid. I don't care that I'm not. That doesn't bother me like most people. I'm not salty about that. I just wish there was a few more regulations on like how it goes down. Cause it's just a wild wild west and it's so hard to recruit and we're a relationship based which I think how it should be, you know, and that's how I would run my program too is like not transactional. You'll get your transaction. But I want a relationship too. I think that's where it's hurt. You know, Jim Boeheim, Jay Wright, obviously, Tony Bennett, et cetera. As you know, Leonard Hamilton stepping down, Mike Woodson.
That's, to me, the biggest issue. And I, I'm careful when I say this because I don't want to punish anyone who transfers, but it's also like we're teaching these guys they can just kind of not quit, but just get up and like, I'll go somewhere else again, your coach leaves. It's a bad situation, whatever, do it. But like, let's at least give it more than one year to try to stick it out. And then if not, then yeah, sure, do what you, you gotta do. Because I, I am, I don't, I don't think you're. I don't like when people say you're being selfish if you leave. But you got to do what's best for you. And if that's leaving, do that. But let's make sure we've exhausted our, our options before.
[01:03:05] Speaker A: Yeah, it seems like that. It's not, it's not that nil is an issue. It's the combination of like nil plus an open transfer portal that creates a really cloudy. Yeah. Circumstances for everyone involved. Right. Because then it's like you just don't know what you're doing. Because the craziest.
[01:03:23] Speaker B: If you win in March, let's say you go to the 3:16, the transfer portal is open.
[01:03:29] Speaker A: Right.
[01:03:30] Speaker B: So you have to recruit for the team. You have to plan for the team you're playing against, scout for the two teams you might play against if you win.
[01:03:38] Speaker A: Right.
[01:03:39] Speaker B: Recruit high school kids. Recruit your own guys to stay. Then let's say two people on the team say they're leaving even though you're still in season and you have to go find somebody to replace your players out of 3,000 guys in the portal. You know, while your season is going on, like, that's, it's just a mess. That's why we call it the Wild, Wild West. Like, that's just too much. And there has to be some regulations to that.
[01:04:03] Speaker A: Yeah. And I hope it comes soon. I've heard, I've heard rumblings of it, but, like, it's definitely affecting the game. But what are your, what are your thoughts in terms of you're a student athlete. If you're a student athlete in this area and you've got to decide. You've got now a dollar figure tied to it too. Like you don't know if you're going to make the league or get hurt or whatever. So you kind of want to take care of yourself and your family. How do you balance that? Who do you trust? Like, isn't. Is it. It's really hard, right? It's really hard.
[01:04:28] Speaker B: Of course, that's where you. Like, I don't know how I react. If I was in college and let's say uva offered me 200,000, Florida Atlantic offered me 350, do I go to the better school and maybe the bigger powerhouse and maybe it takes a year to develop for less money, or do I go get as much money as I can? Because who knows, you know? So it's. That's why you really have to trust your circle. That's why I always operate off my gut, like, my intuition. And that's why I committed to uva, because I got that gut feeling everybody talks about. When I was talking to Tony, sitting in his office on campus, like, that's when I was like, I gotta go with my gut. So let's even. I'd like to think I would've taken less money for it, but who knows? I do. But I also get, like, if I was here for two years, or let's say I tried to come back after my national championship year, my UVA didn't want to pony up the money, I'm sure I would have left too. Like, I. So I get it, you know, And I wouldn't have wanted to do that because, God, I love this place and I love Tony, my teammates. But my point is, like, I get everyone's side to it. We just have to come to an agreement that's somewhere in the middle.
[01:05:37] Speaker A: Yeah. It's so complicated. And I. I think people tend, as fans tend to only think about it from their standpoint. But like, as a player, it is hard. Like, you got to figure out who to trust and what. What is. What's what?
[01:05:51] Speaker B: Like, it's hard tdub if we worked together at Kroger and Harris Teeter said, hey, I'll up your pay by 300%. Bye, bye, bye, Kroger.
Everyone. Like, everyone's doing that, right?
[01:06:06] Speaker A: Yeah, it's really hard. Like, I hope the NCAA figures out. It's kind of a Pandora's box. Yeah, I don't think it's a quick fix kind of thing. It's going to be like, iterate. Figure it out. But like, policing all of it. We're in a weird place. But I appreciate that you're here and you're back at Orange and Blue. And you're. You're here to figure it out with us.
[01:06:24] Speaker B: Me too, man. IPhone might die. You know, I'm at, like, 3%.
[01:06:27] Speaker A: No, we're good. I think that's the end, man. We appreciate your time. This is amazing. Thank you for jumping on. Maybe we'll see you on a. On an ebay live here coming up shortly, but can't wait.
[01:06:36] Speaker B: Come here.
[01:06:37] Speaker A: It's an hour, man. We absolutely respect and love that you spent the time with us.
[01:06:42] Speaker B: I appreciate.
