SEC Sidelines Sports Talk Podcast with Rob Brown and Brenden Martin
Around the SEC we go!
Get ready for the excitement of the SEC Tournament with our NCAA Basketball Preview! We’ll break down the top teams, players to watch, and matchups to look out for in this high-stakes tournament. Be sure to tune in and stay updated on all the action in the world of college basketball.
Todays Guests:
Matt Dean
John Hartwell
Gary Harris
Check us out on https://www.sidelines.live
Hi Rob Brown here from Memphis SEC Sidelines Sports network uh Brendan Martin down in Okala with a cup of bayley’s Irish whiskey in the morning there that was the original Sports Talk Radio that buddy and I bought together when I was 21 hey am900 went to uh am
Sports Talk hey look I love I love those old Sports talks just I remember in the late 70s listening in Memphis on 3we to George leas Jeff Weinberger people like that got me hooked uh as a kid and what I remember the most was they always had
Something to talk about and we do lot to talk about Gator got another win in exact Tech AR my God they’re good oconnell Center is what I still the oome the OD Auburn not so fortunate but Tennessee’s good Auburn didn’t lose the game Tennessee won that game but Auburn
84 on the road in that environment I think they’re going to be strong Alabama what a comeback hey lot to talk about coach Matt Dean checks in with us cannot help but say a little something about Caitlyn Clark my God is she not the face of women’s basketball she might be the
Face of sports men’s or women’s out there signing autographs with the kids trying to be someone they can look up to uh first class I’m I’m really impressed with her uh John Hartwell ad at ULM will check in with us a couple of serious
Hoop heads uh will be on with us in a minute and Gary Harris Tuscaloosa tied 100.9 w W Vu tv23 also does titer Insider TV with Rodney or hey thanks for tuning in Smash the Subscribe button on YouTube if you are having any trouble getting to the show you know the SEC
Sideline Sports Network buddy Martin Show Urban Meer the best of Fridays we’re building this network SECU let us know uh and also Brendan will put a tutorial up on the screen for anyone including uh The neandra Tall Man my father who is uh struggling with this
I didn’t say it I didn’t say it Mr Mr Mr Brown I Didn’t Do It gr Grand Bob I just said it and you and me are going to have a duel like Marshall Dylan on Gunsmoke but uh anyway I think he’s pretty happy
I brought him last night I am oh I love him I’m just saying I hope he’s listening right now but let’s take this now let’s get going get pen and paper handy because here we come [Applause] Sidelines with Rob Brown talk sporty to Me all right man we got the full deck right now John Hartwell ad at ULM Matt Dean over at roads associate ad a couple of guys that have coached that have played that understand college basketball man a lot was on last night Caitlyn clarkk uh man I like this David
Arov Caitlyn Clark will never pay for lunch again guys before we get into all this SEC basketball and Sun Belt and everything else how good is Caitlyn Clark for College athletics just the way she carries herself uh as Sunny would say at Alex’s Tavern I like your
Atmosphere I love the way she plays the game guys Matt you want good to see you guys you know she’s one of the finest my great home States ever produced I’ll just say this I mean we get enamored um she’s got this you know this Steph Curry effect with her deep
Three ball but I saw a stat the other day she’s one of the top five or six in the whole entire in history of assist she’s a great passer she’s obviously a great scorer great distributor of the ball um sometimes I worry about the parts around her no disrespect but um
Last year in the title game against LSU they had a lot of depth they put a lot of emphasis on Caitlyn so looking ahead to the NCAA tournament this year some other players R is going to need to step up from them and make a Deep Run like
They did last year but you know they got to the title game one of the things that bothered me a couple weeks ago Jay Williams made a comment about like she can’t be great essentially until she wins the NA national championship never stopped Larry Bird he made it to the
Title game lost to Magic Johnson had a pretty good career Caitlyn Clark is phenomenal that’s better than great in my opinion yeah and Charles Barkley pretty good too as well he’s in the Hall of Fame John Hartwell you talk about it Caitlyn Clark that’s what when you grew
Up as a kid you played out in the backyard or in the driveway neighborhood basketball just she she didn’t come in as a superstar she’s she’s what college sports are really all about yeah I I think if if you look at it from a basketball purist standpoint
And really I you know I’ll say something here that may be a little controversial to some I think that’s part of the reason why the appeal of women’s basketball has grown so much in recent years because it’s not about it’s more about the X’s and O’s it’s not about
Jumping two feet Above the Rim or anything else and I think again from a basketball purist standpoint that has helped uh develop women’s basketball and the Affinity to women’s basketball from a lot of people out there but Caitlyn Clark she’s not you know Wonder Woman or Supergirl in a cape
She’s just what I would call a lunch paale basketball player she come she’s not jumping over the top of people she’s not you know running by people but she knows her limitations she’s adapted to those limitations and she’s arguably you know the best women’s player to ever
Play yeah and and she’s just the way you think about it I’ve got two boys and two girls look at her over there signing autographs after the game sure she’s Pro I’m sure she’s got great nil and everything like that I know plenty of people that make a lot of money that are
Really good people uh and they they go to the late night Linton reflection at mass that that make good good for they just because you have money doesn’t mean you’re a jerk that that we we got to stop saying that but there are plenty of people that have it that think that’s
All they got to do but it’s fun you can’t I mean look what they’re scalping those tickets for for women’s basketball and you know what proof that the free market you got a great product people will pay up for it all right guys well I
I just wanted to say you know not to interrupt you Rob but you know Fran beard made a comment last night in his article he said there you know here I I walk into a football press conference I can’t even get you know the time of day
From Billy Napier or whatever I go into the basketball game I see Todd golden on the bench he W you know says hi to me gets up comes over asks me about my family asks me about my parents how are they doing he’s like I don’t even know
How he knew about my parents needed any help you know he said he engaged and he already knew so I really I think we’re seeing you know basketball as a whole you know you especially at Florida and these SEC teams because they’re sort of used to having to go out there and and
Be a little bit more vocal a little bit more accepting the media because football dominated so much well I mean hearing what he just said John if I’m an athletic director and Matt I’m I’m gonna go out there and meet and greet the people tailgate with them I’ve always
Said I’d love to see coaches go out there after a game win or lose because you know what if you want to be the coach and you want the people and the fans to embrace you you got to go hang out with them and we we’ve got to get
Away from this after the game the coaches are whisked away into their castles and they have nothing to do with the fans I’m sick of it and then when the fans come after them oh they don’t like that and and I don’t like the censorship that’s going on in the Press
Like we talked about yesterday with Mitch Davis and uh Brendan was saying this you go ask the wrong questions at a press conference some tough questions off a a sudden you are black balled and you can’t ask any more questions open your program up and I’m telling you
People will embrace it and the media I think guys will be more fair right now if they can find something on you they’re going after you John I’ll start with you and then Matt bounce that one around yeah I I think accessibility and training transparency are really
Important in anything that you do but certainly in college athletics and and there are some things you know uh if it comes to a student athlete discipline issue or some things like that where you can’t be a total open book but the accessibility and transparency make you
Real and real people want realness they don’t want a fake facade they want to see what the person is really like and I think that goes back all the way back to recruiting of student athletes I think you know obviously Talent is important but if you swing and Miss on character
There have been a ton of teams that are more talented than others that they didn’t have the character and chemistry that were not as successful at the end of the day and that that does play a part in winning and I think you’re right there’s an obligation there you know
Whether it’s a coach and and obviously it’s a Hot Topic right now we’re talking about coaches compensation nil compensation all of those things that is a component of a coach’s compensation or an athletic director’s compensation you have got to be accessible available and as transparent as possible to the media
Or to your fan base or to anybody else yeah and it doesn’t matter I like to always say this sweeping D1 D2 D3 Matt Dean what y’all do for the Ed Murphy track classic you open up the whole damn campus top athletes in the world track and field there uh last year Thursday
And Friday uh and Saturday uh early August last year August 4th and 5th Unbelievable but you’re you’re you’re the front porch of the university is the athletic program Matt and you you know that better than anybody you’ve coached not many people have coached men’s and women’s basketball you understand it I
Just wish more people would take that what John just said and by the way happy birthday Mari just reminded me a week ago to John Hartwell 39 years old hell yeah there we go hey I appreciate that Rob you what’s your actual birthday what’s your actual birthday what’s your actual birthday last Friday
The 23rd I’m 25th baby come on hey Pisces what up rise up rise up it’s just in wisel’s Oyster House is airlifting a th000 PBS of shucked oysters for John’s birthday winel or Acme or maybe you can go to constantines which is my mom’s favorite restaurant in
The history of mobile but I digress slams and lo and brown man hey even better I’m going to mile late tomorrow afternoon so I’ll try to hit it on my way through there you go there you go because will Johnson always says Brown I don’t eat seafood if it’s not fresh and
In Memphis and other places like that usually it’s frozen so you can always tell when it’s got the padise on there it’s really Seafood Matt uh look let’s talk about this man making the coaches and everybody accessible if you do that Todd golden doing that to Brendan that’s
Pretty damn cool it was France yeah or the France I mean the France bassador yeah I mean everybody yeah but I I’m GNA get this conversation going I hope people are listening well I think another thing that’s really impressive about that is that actually means that coach Golden is
Is paying a little bit of attention to what some of the work around him I mean I know we get we get a little sensitive sometimes when people take a shot but just to you know get in the moment before a game and you see a a sports
Reporter a sports writer and to do something like that says to me a lot about his integrity and character to be honest with you you know we’ve been in a market at a division school three school like I’ve worked at for three plus decades with everything was you know rob
You lived here it’s all Memphis Memphis Memphis Memphis so we don’t have the option to do some of the things that higher level programs do in our city we have to be extremely transparent we have to be open if someone says hey we want
To come talk to you of course we are our doors are open we want to talk to you yeah and and that’s what I think is unfortunate is you know we we’ve lost a little bit of our sense of urgency in this matter what I what I mean by that
Is reflecting back to what what John said you know some of these coaches now with their their enormous salaries and their nil deals with the student athletes we we’ve become above the game I mean let’s go back to 30 I remember the days of Al Maguire I remember the
Days of Rick Majerus when he was on the bench when Al Maguire was emotional when they beat North Carolina the late 70s in the in the NCAA Championship Game the passion and then he went on to an unbelievable broadcasting career you know you you don’t you know these deals
Are still happening but we we don’t have the iconic figures in the booth like we we used to because everything’s transactional in terms of what can you do for me it’s not what you can give back to the game of ball yeah and I remember Rick Majerus lived
In a hotel if I’m not mistaken in Salt Lake City just a big old Burly guy hell of a coach though and it’s one of those things you would stay up late at night and watch the basketball John I gotta ask you and you are in Monroe uh Uncle
Sai and you know the Duck Commander and all and I’ve met them six or seven times at different outdoor trade shows and uh I remember talking to the Duck Commander I I had two of my kids with me I said ‘what do you think about picking up the
Decoys every time you hunt should you leave them or should you pick them up he goes well you want to kill Ducks I saides sir he said well after a few days a duck will figure out Ducks don’t stay there for a week so yeah move them
Around he goes any any more questions I mean he’s he’s a really cool guy but you talk about somebody that is famous Beyond you know uh just duck hunting whatever have what are your interactions like if you’ve had any with him or uncle and his uncle Sai uh he’s a fairly
Normal guy isn’t he yeah the the one I’ve had the most interaction with is Jace Robertson who was one of Willie’s uh you know uh cohorts there and in fact a couple of weeks ago at a women’s basketball game going back to the popularity of women’s basketball I had
Jace Robertson of Duck Commander Fame sitting on one side and Stan humph you know Super Bowl quarterback for the San Diego San Diego Chargers back in the late 90s on the other side so just just down to earth people and and again that goes back to accessibility people want to see real
And I I was having this conversation with somebody the other day about effectiveness of coaches going going back to that and and I know it’s an an age-old saying but I think it may hold true even more today in the world of nil and all these other distractions out
There that and this applies to student athletes it applies to donors everything people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care and and student athletes are very perceptive they can see through that if if coaches are just going through the motions of
Things kids are not going to want to run through the wall for them that that’s you know again another cliche a little bit but one of the greatest things you can say about a coach is hey the kids that play for them they will run through
A wall for them and I I think that’s so important uh you know and that’s something that was there 50 years ago it’s there today it’s going to be there 50 years from now about how kids respond to coaching well I wanted to ask you all
This question on based on what you just said John I think what what you know the SEC football coaches per se I think or or football coaches have have enjoyed a little bit of uh you know this break they haven’t had to work as hard and
Maybe nil and maybe all this sort of kind of compounding on this season and what’s happening they’re going to have to be a little bit more proactive now about getting back out there allaha old school where you know my dad’s got some of the greatest stories ever hanging out
With coaches you know uh playing poker with coaches and coaches wives and you know just like it was more of like Hey We’re All in This Together sort of a thing I think you know that you you I wonder if we’re going to see a little
Bit more of that now from SEC coaches and and in football because of the fact that that you know right now it’s a PR nightmare yeah yeah it really is and I think that’s important both at the conference level and the individual institution level I know uh and I’ve
Heard him speak several times and he’s actually available to to institutions and I know some institutions have used him Ari Fleer who was a longtime White House Press Secretary yeah unbelievable guy unev he he has spoken a couple of times to our lead one group which is all
Of the FBS athletic directors and I think it’s real important for student athletes and coaches alike to have media training to to not yeah not be so flustered by a curveball question but that only comes through experience and training and you’d a whole lot rather have that in a classroom setting and
Training and somebody in front of a live mic with ESPN or whoever else wasn’t that some of the collectives thing that we first heard about in this whole thing guys was that that the collectives were really going to get into this well we’re gonna have a media department and a team
And we’re going to teach these guys how to talk and all that that I I I know I heard that rhetoric you know as these collectives were sort of forming but that has definitely falled by the wayside well I I’m G say this uh I’ve got my attorney that Barry Blackman when
He he would always tell me this and he passed away about 10 years ago go best I’ve ever worked with he said when I go into these small towns to meet with these different people I don’t show up in a Mercedes or a Lamborghini even though I’ve made I’ve had a great career
As an attorney you know he goes I drive a truck and uh I dress you know I’m wearing you know Mountain Khakis and some boots and a button down kind of laidback when the fans are seeing a 17-year-old kid pull up in a Lamborghini and they’re struggling and
Taking out student loans to send their children to school um look I’m a capitalist yall know that I mean I’m it’s all about but you know show some class I mean that that’s that’s another thing and and Matt I think when you think about student athletes I think
It’ll be really cool and I know some of them are doing some foundation work uh they don’t have to but it’s a it’s a good look and I talked to a guy that’s running a collective who said each person that contributes is has assigned five student athletes that they are
Mentoring they teach them how to dress how to look people in the eye when they’re talking to them don’t wear your pants hanging out you know tuck your shirt in look people in the eye yes or no sir yes ma’am no ma’am that goes a long way and I’ve got news for these
People they’re going to have to get out of this little protective safe space that they’ve got right now that they’re carving out and they better be ready for it Matt I’ve worked with a lot of the interns from roads college that came to us over the years at Duncan Williams and
Different places they all showed up you know what they said what can I do to help that’s a that’s a credit to you and the coaches over there staying on them and John knows that having gone to the Citadel discipline hard work works you know I W to I want to expand a
Little bit on the point John made about you know some of the coaches in the past and you know that term John’s right I would run through a wall for you right as a student athlete I would run through wall for you and to me I was taught that
At an early age as a young assistant coach for my mentor coach her Hamman and I just in one word I sum up is accountability and what what I mean by that is when we would go in the locker room after a game um if we were fortun
Enough to win that game um coach would praise the players and say this win is because of everyone in this room um if we were not so fortunate we lost the game um he would stand up there whether right wrong or different players know too sometimes when they screwed up but
He would say fellas this is on me and us as a staff and we’re going to work to get better the next time we’re in practice and it’s simple like that and and when you have that type of energy in a building I don’t care what sport
Everyone knows that it starts from the top and coach has your back if I don’t play well and that we can’t play Perfect every game we can’t play well every game but man we need that support from the top and you know another thing you’re talking about some of this media
Connection well I can just go by the experiences I have seen I I’ve had a son that’s worked in power five football now for six years I thought Texas A&M had a phenomenal building tremendous resources but what Dan Lanning has done in the two years at Oregon those those kids are
Going through media train training they’re bringing in reporters to work with these kids as future NFL prospects whatever not just NFL how they handle the media after a tough a tough loss or a big win those things things I think are probably even happening in John’s building okay so the leadership starts
From the top and when you tell me we have some things going wrong with how coaches are treating media at whatever institution whoever the ad is is not getting his or her point across to that head coach that should never happen I don’t care how many championships you
Win I don’t care how narcissistic you are I don’t care how arrogant you are you be humble and you respect the process yeah and it and it is the media training you’re right I mean yeah that look at there good god um how you going
To how you going to combat it when you got Louis yeah and and you know and and that’s another thing is this this coaching your own kids Mo most coaches will tell you they don’t want to coach their own kids that that hitting a fast
Ball is about as hard a thing there is to do um bottom line is it starts with travel baseball and all this competitive soccer and travel soccer and all you know me me me John what’s the first thing you learned when you got to the Citadel in Charleston South Carolina
That you are no longer an individual you’re part of something bigger than you you’re part of a team ain’t that right yeah absolutely there is no eye in team and and you sacrifice personal goals for the for the good of the team or the good of the company um you know and that’s
Something that’s instilled early and you know you you go back to Dion there and he’s done some great things and and obviously uh brought some notoriety to that Colorado program but it’s hard to to talk about team going back to coaching your own own son when your sons are in Milan Italy
You know walking down the the runway with Louie and I would venture to say there probably aren’t any offensive or defensive linemen on that team that are having those opportunities so again is it are you Sac sacrificing what the team’s goals and objectives are for individual desires
And if you are it’s going to be really really difficult for that team to be highly successful it is frustrating because the only people names people are familiar with for Colorado or Deion Sanders two sons shadur and Shiloh Sanders and then Travis hunter from Swani Georgia Collins
Hill High School uh but you know what weird Florida State people that I talk to that love Florida state they’re not fans of Deion Sanders that that’s that’s the weirdest thing out there but anyway all that being said you need to make it about the team and and this this where
We are right now look look at this SEC basketball race look at the interest look at the excitement I got to say this uh there’s a lot happening in college athletics and I got two of the smartest guys out here uh and I’m going to bounce
It back between you you know all of y’all uh Greg sanki and the Big 10 commissioner getting together we’re going to try to fix some things at the end of the day how long will it take them to fix things to where because the women are doing things the right way
Embracing the fans making themselves much more accessible we cannot afford to lose the men’s uh you don’t want to alienate the fans go ahead Matt it’s probably Matt and Brendan answering this question because you set it up as two of the smartest guys in college that’s not me not me not me no
Well well well John I’ll start off with this I I think the thing that’s got to get fixed the elephant in the room is what are we going to do in the next couple years with with with football in in my opinion because one of the worst
Decisions and I think Chip Kelly touched on this before ironically he left for UCLA as a head coach to work for of his good friends Ryan de is at OC at Ohio State but you know when we’re we’re talking about sending a Pack 12 school um now in the Big 10 to play
Volleyball uh in the east coast I mean the whole decision on the Pack 12 let’s F was was based on one sport so that we should have been more transparent and and we should get to a point where we figure out the football side of things I mean I think John
Hartwell will be a Great Commission for the whole process but he’s got his now but I’m just telling you you got to get football figured out how we’re going to handle it moving forward okay and that also includes group of five power five that’s all I’m saying and
After that we need to get back to the reality of what works in a conference model and I’m just telling you it is so tough on these student athletes the travel component especially in certain sports that people don’t even look at they just want to turn their TV on and
Watch good basketball they don’t know how they get from A to B I’m just telling you on the road I’ve done it if we’re not eating a meal we’re preparing for our next meal that’s part of the thing that’s really challenging and the travel component component has gotten
Harder for all of us um and you know it it’s great if I’m a charter in a football program but what if I’m F flying commercially with my softball team the whole year that’s that’s not exactly exciting guys yeah John yeah I think you make some great points there
Matt and clearly football is the driver because of the revenue the dollars involved in it but we can’t blow up everything else that’s good about College athletics across so many other sports strictly for football um I was reading this morning and and you guys may have already read this Pat 40 put
Out a an article last night on si.com talking about the the cfp format and everything else and and you know clearly when the SEC and the Big 10 created that Alliance uh there were intentions there to flex their muscles which continue to happen and you know do we go from 12 to
14 is it and is it three SEC three big 10 two ACC two big 12 one group of five and and three you know next highest rated teams wherever that play out there’s a great quote in here and it and it does not say um you know who said
This but it does say it’s a a power five conference administrator expressed reservations about further marginalizing the group of five leagues and I don’t say this because I’m in a group of five right now I say this I think this is one of the real challenges right now they’re
Our feeder system they feed us players they feed us coaches they Feed Us games they Feed Us ads but once the coaches and athletic director s move up to the power conference level and experience all the advantages they develop Amnesia about where they came from and there’re
There is there is a lot of Truth in that and somehow and I don’t have the exact answer but somehow we’ve got to protect the Enterprise and and again I don’t say that from a personal standpoint of saying oh my gosh we’ve got to protect
Our teams in the group of five which I do think that from a personal level but I think that from a whole IC level for the long-term good uh of not just college football but all of College athletics well the bottom line is what you just said I don’t want we don’t need
An entitlement we got enough of that crap uh you you every spot ought to be up for grabs I love competition you know that that’s what we love now look there are at L large there’s automatic bids for conferences and basketball but there’s a lot of them then there’s at
Large bids I don’t want to see uh let’s say you guaranteed three spots for the Big 10 do you want to see an 8 and4 team in there or seven and five because that that can happen I remember the 1979 uh Georgia would have gone to the
Sugar Bowl had they beaten Auburn but Auburn won that game 33-13 when Frank Warren and uh Freddy Smith sandwiched buck blue in the end zone for a safety early on and James Brooks had 14 carries for 200 yards and Joe cribs 20 for 166 Alabama went on to the Sugar Bowl that
Year and beat Arkansas 249 for the national championship it almost happened I’m with John I Love College athletics on every level that’s why I have you on here and Matt on here to Shake It Up from different levels but y’all have also been at the big level you got a son
Matt that’s in power five coaching at Texas A&M now at Oregon Matt I mean my God I’ll be in Oxford later today we’re going to spend the night down there and do the the show tomorrow from the vitamin Shop’s new location uh over in Oxford I’m excited about that we’re
Going to go uh out the dinner in Oxford tonight you lived there 10 years look look at Old Miss people there was a time when Old Miss people didn’t think they could get up off the ground and right now heading in the next year they’re one of the hottest programs in all of
College football and they got a 5,000 uh people on the waiting list to get baseball season tickets you the American dream is if you work your ass off you can accomplish anything and and that’s what we need to always have out there as a carrot to keep people motivated I
Don’t want to I don’t want guaranteed spots or anything like that I love everybody nothing’s guaranteed you got to get up every day and prove yourself that’s just how I am and I wanted to dubt to the Matt and John to both of you on this because Rob and I were talking
Off the air yesterday after the show and I said to rob you know one thing that I actually think will help save this process is the fact of player competition right like you know there is always going to be somebody that wants somebody’s spot right we’ve got to we we forget about
The fact that there are there are plenty of people and plenty of men and women out there that that are that are just trying to get a scholarship they’re just trying to get on and that no matter if this you know so and so comes in a hot recruting getting paid money whatever
They still got to fight for that spot and that’s the only leverage that coaches are going to really have in this whole thing is that well you know the best player is going to play I I really I you know now that we’re getting into Spring football we’re now embarking in
On something like the NCAA tournament which is by the way where the NCAA shines all year long right is it is March Madness so do you do you have faith in the in the system as far as that’s concerned with the players having to still keep their they’re starting
Spot because if you don’t keep your spot your NL money goes away you know a lot of that matters am I thinking correctly there yeah I really think you are Brendon a couple of points and and that’s the one thing to caution for those who say oh gosh just go ahead and
Pay them you know make it pay for Play Because keep in mind that in the NFL or Major League Baseball or any of those you know those guys on any given day can come in and find a yellow card in their locker and that yellow card means hey
We’re done with you you didn’t produce enough we’re paying for you to produce and go pack your stuff up and go that that you know for 18 to 22 year old kids who sign up for a Collegian education I don’t think that should be part of the deal I mean there there’s
Got what has been lost in all of this and some may call me a purist and some may say Oh no you’re the educational component of being a student athlete can’t just get thrown aside for commercialism and for the almighty dollar we we’ve got to keep focus on
That and and for every you know get-rich quick nil person that there is there are a hundred other student athletes who have competed whether it’s division one two three nii any of those levels who have had an unbelievable experience as a student athlete and gotten a great education that has helped
Formed a solid foundation for them to be productive citizens across all walks of life for the next 50 60 70 years and we get caught up in this minority it’s a very vocal minority of you know highlevel athletes who who are very accomplished I’m not taking anything
Away from them but there’s an Avenue for that as well and I think we’ve got to find the balot in there to protect both both well what we’ve got to do right now with with fans is let me throw some things out there you know obviously it’s in the
Middle of basketball season but we don’t do the same thing every day it’s kind of what what’s on our minds uh SEC Seline Sports Network we’re talking College athletics the big picture uh what I see happening is that there’s nothing being done in my opinion to try to slow down
What’s going on in December the portal opens December 5th then you’ve got nil then you’ve got National early signing date and then if you’re getting ready for a bowl you got to mess with that uh I’m just saying John Matt Gary Harris is about to join us from Tuscaloosa we’re going to
Get into some basketball at Alabama and what’s going on down there but we’ve got to have leadership and we talked about this I I mean y’all are y’all know how the NCAA works but we got to have some leaders fans people follow leadership they do nothing when there’s a void of leadership don’t
They well well let me let me just you mentioned about the nil I mean the national Signing date and there’s a there’s a proposal out there John I think they want to add another another session in June right so ironically this affects my family because my son who’s at Oregon just
Booked a flight for one of his best friends weddings in June there’s a proposal that could make him have to cancel his flight just because of the timing again and and here’s the thing no one no one has a um violin session uh a sad Saab story for these staff members
That or these coaches making all this money I get that but what it’s doing um it’s taking really good people and making them make career changes whether or not they’ve been this for a long time or and we can sustain that we can get new people in there to build their careers
But I mean we’re doing too much we’re just doing way too much and I think you know my point is I always felt like less is more when when basketball season was over basketball’s such a long sport I coached it for 26 years you know you show up on campus you’re already playing
Pickup then you got workouts October you know we trying to work around the Thanksgiving holiday you’re scheduling you have the Christmas the New Year’s holiday yes and then you’re in March you’re playing for the most important um time of the year well you have to manage
Your legs you have to manage your body and less is more in the month of February I told you about the dog days of February yeah you got to be smart with those kids bodies and um I always believe the teams that make a rise in the last six weeks have been managed
Really well they got to be talented I get that but they’ve been managed really well yeah hey Gary Harris tied 100.9 wva channel 23 in tuscalosa joins us and got John Hartwell ad at ULM Matt Dean up at RADS College in Memphis talking college basketball man Alabama they they’re
They’re just pounding out the points go on the road fall behind early at Old Miss it’s the stretch run Nate oats is playing a brand of basketball that reminds you a lot of what Nolan Richardson did 40 minutes a hell uh alab got Tennessee coming in
Saturday yeah I mean 64 points in the second half last night at uh at Old Miss um you know he’s had some teams since he’s been here that were really good on defense if you look at defensive efficiency rankings this isn’t one of them so um you know that would be the
Biggest difference between noan Richardson’s teams and this team is that team guarded um you know Alabama you know they’re hard to prepare for I mean you can’t you know simulate I think the how fast they play and and everything in practice they did it without you still
Without L TR richel Jr Cosby stepped up last night um but you know they gotta play better defense than they played at Kentucky obviously all the Kentucky shot the lights out I’m not sure anybody would have beat him that day but they’re not going to be a great defensive team I
Think it’s too late now to kind of you know the identity of this team is the identity of this team good news is they don’t have to hold you to you know 60 points to win I mean you know Alabama uh I think this is what five straight games
Over 95 points nine games over 100 now which ties 95 96 Kentucky uh that five straight over 95 I think ties the Arkansas team that you were referring to so they can really score the basketball the problem is we’ve seen it and you know their three losses in the SEC were
All on the road at Tennessee at Auburn at Kentucky and they got blown out in every one of them um you know pre-conference when they played you know they didn’t win many of those games uh you know they didn’t didn’t beat Purdue they didn’t beat Arizona they didn’t
Beat kraton so their their MO uh is that you know especially against teams that can’t keep up they can really make you look bad but when they play really good experienced teams are they going to be able to defend well enough particularly teams that have good inside post play uh
We’ll see matchups will be important for this team but you mentioned it Saturday night um clearly the winner of that game is going to be the favorite to win the SEC regular season Championship although both teams will still have to play a couple more games and Alabama still have
To go to Florida but Saturday night’s a huge game yeah the first time ever ESPN game days coming the Tuscaloosa that will be it can be a distraction uh and REE Davis the whole crew will be there it’s an all day ordeal and it’s it’s a night game what time is tip off
Saturday8 o’clock and and you know I think they kind of try to design it that way when they come to you know but that’s a that’s but that’s a good thing I think because again because oats is going to be out there at game day and it
Kind of gives everybody a chance to hit a reset button you’re you’re hyped up for the the game day experience but then you know for the team um you know they’ll be at the hotel doing whatever Nick oats will get back over there you know you have to kind of relax and and
Settle in um but I kind of like the fact that it’s eight o’clock game I think it’s tougher on the on the road team uh than it is the home team because the home team’s still in a familiar environment and uh for a road team you
Know it’s it’s sitting around all day as well and so you know it is what it is it’s 8:00 tip Tennessee I still think is the most well-rounded team in the in the SEC in terms of experience in terms of uh defending pretty good on offense great coach 800 win coach and Rick
Barnes so I think even though Alabama’s at home they’re gonna have to play really well to win the game but uh I I certainly think they can and you know the fact that they got thumped at Tennessee um you know Nate oats didn’t lose twice to many teams if you look at
Since he’s been in Al abama yeah been very few teams that have beaten him twice in the season so it’s going to be a good one John when Dalton connects Tennessee is really good that was bad bad attempted humor yeah you know I think Gary makes a
Great point about you know both the stretch play in SEC and then in the tournament then obviously the NCAA tournament uh Alabama style of play uh getting up and down the floor getting that many shot attempts up is is really tough to to defend in in a little
Different way not but somewhat similar to the team 45 50 miles up the road at Sanford that’s what Sanford does although they they uh got handled uh last night night before I saw where they lost pretty big like 91 to 69 or something like that uh to wford I
Believe but that and that that hurts an that large bit again uh you know Southern Conference you probably got to win wi your league no matter how good of a regular season they’ve had but getting up that many shot attempts is hard to defend you don’t have to play a whole
Lot of Defense if you’re scoring 95 points a game but he as Gary said if you run into solid post play and you get behind somebody and somebody that has solid post play you know whether it’s Tennessee whether it’s Purdue in the NCAA tournament solid bigs inside can
Sometimes neutralize that if you get behind them early yeah Gary in response to that Sears is just 95% free throw shooter that that’s your nightmare at the end if you’re trying to foul somebody and and they’re going to get the ball in his hands where are you most concerned about Alabama last year
They had everything they were the number one seed got knocked out by San Diego State but here they are again with basically an all new team how many guys returned from last year’s Squad yeah first of all last year I thought that team would go to the fin four uh little
Bit young but boy so talented and then obviously they had the issue with you know the unfortunate situation during the season and then Brandon Miller not everybody knows this he was he was probably maybe 75% in the NCAA tournament he was not himself he had you
Know being dealing with an injury and he didn’t you know he picked a stretch there to have his three worst games of the season in the NCAA tournament even though they won two of them you know that that really impacted that team but you’re right uh the roster had to be
Turned over you lost Miller who expected to lose but when they signed Noah Clowney they didn’t think he’d be one and done and you lost Clowney they certainly thought Betty AO was coming back and then he left and you know was second round pick of the of the Spurs
And then quinly transferred out late and also nari Bernett who’s at Michigan so uh those were four starters and another really valuable guy in Bernett Off the Bench then he lost his entire assistant coaching staff all three of those guys got head job so he had to turn the
Roster over and hire a new staff so I do think based on what I thought this team would be capable of I thought they’d be pretty good because he brought in some good players I did not think they would be leading the SEC with you know three
Games to go I really didn’t so I think he’s done a remarkable job when you lose that much production from a team that you know was the number one overall SE in the NCA tournament um now in the pre- portal days you couldn’t have done it
But even in the portal era and nil era um they probably shouldn’t be where they’re at and we’ll see if they can finish it off but I think oach has done an incredible job with this basketball team bringing in all the new players plugging in guys uh not really having a
Rim protector because they counted on Betty AKO being that guy and uh you know maybe being a little uh thin inside but they got a lot of versatile players you mentioned Sears man what a phenomenal year I know connect has been incredible too but boy I tell you without Mark
Sears and Mark Sears left you’re looking at about a 500 team in the SEC that’s how valuable he is to Alabama Matt Dean yeah th this all plays out for I think a wonderful SEC tournament and I’ve said this for weeks now I I believe Alabama’s
One of four or five teams in that League that can make a a very deep run if not to the final four um you know we’re looking at Tennessee Alabama this weekend but gosh I just looked at the schedule you know Gary you gota go at Florida right after that game right and
Tennessee’s still got go at South Carolina Tennessee’s got the last game of the year they’re playing a Kentucky team that right now even though it’s going to be in Knoxville uh ky’s kind of clicking on all cylinders right now uh South Carolina gets a big win last night
We’re not talking at all about the collapse of A&M they’ve lost five in a row After Buzz had him in a pretty good spot in the league and um and Auburn last night was incredible about last night’s game I don’t think I’ve I’ve I’ve watched Tennessee a ton this year
But Auburn goes on a 236 run I think they’re up 6355 Dalton connect over the last 12 he outscores Auburn himself 25-21 and he’s a guy that pulls up he waves off the ball screen he drops a 25-footer you go out and press man he
Goes by and flushes a dunk pretty good I mean pretty good get for Tennessee I Northern Colorado kid that comes in that have that type of impact of the SEC and the last thing I’m gonna I’m gonna go on a tangent here for John the other night
I gotta give you credit your old place I was watching a little bit of Utah State Men’s Basketball home environment John oh my God I had no idea how zany those fans were man kudos to you and your staff throughout the years for helping development I know a lot it goes into
The team and how good they are the coaching staff but there’s so many environments right now that are tough play college basketball it wouldn’t shock me if Alabama rebounds and beats Tennessee handily on Saturday night that has a tough one and loses at Florida I mean that’s just where we are there’s no
Dominant dominant team right now we thought Yukon was that team the other night at Katon Katon just clocked them then kraton loses to St John’s after patino rips his team basically says in the nutshell you know it’s my my most unenjoyable team he comes out in the all
White suit and then beats Katon and says oh I was just saying that to motivate my team whatever Gary wouldn’t you love to play on a team when your coach says you’re the most miserable group of guys but it worked it worked didn’t it yeah I patino
Is you know he’s I think he’s as good as there’s ever been as a college basketball coach I mean the psychological game the ability to evolve uh a little bit like Sabin in regards to being able to to evolve with the game but yeah the the Miami Vice Don Johnson
Suit but but you know it this is college basketball and I still think Yukon is in my opinion the team to beat I still think they’re the team to beat the but you’re but you’re right and and and just to the point about Alabama I kind of
Agree with that I think Alabama’s gonna win Saturday night then I think they’re gonna lose at Florida um you know don’t count Kentucky out you know if Kentucky wins out uh they could still get a piece of this thing but if Alabama can win Saturday night and um even if they lose
In Florida and they come home and beat Arkansas they’re going to get a at least a share of the championship so uh but but yeah work to be done but college basketball it’s a you know you used to 20 years ago you you know good teams
Were good teams and and you would just pretty much every now and then they would get a hiccup but for the most part uh if you were better than somebody you were just better than somebody but now you know it’s a game to game deal just because you look great one game there’s
Absolutely no guarantee that you’re going to look good the next one it is it’s a it’s a popery of just uh of of teams trying to survive every time they go out there John I know you’ve got to get out for a meeting but uh love having
You on here let people know how they can follow you we’ll finish up here after that yeah absolutely just one quick point to follow up what Gary and Matt said you know we we get caught up in the transfer portal with football and what it does for football but keep in mind
Basketball you’ve only got five guys on the floor you get one impact or two impact transfers and you got roll guys around them and you can flip a team almost instantly and I think that’s part of the beauty of what you’re seeing also the other thing I think to keep in mind is
Places like kraton and Villanova and Marquette places like that that don’t have to find that don’t have to have a collective to fund football can pump all that money into men’s basketball yeah and and you’re G to see that be a Difference Maker I’ll give you a perfect
Example so the other night when kraton beat Yukon number one the point guard for uh Crayton is a guy named Stephen Ashworth who by the way played for three years at Utah State was a thousand Point score at Utah State he goes he goes to kraton because of a very lucrative nil
Deal great student he’s working on his NBA but he’s a Difference Maker for them he scored like 24 the other night uh in their victory over Ukon great so so those those impact players uh that you can get in today’s transfer portal really mean something hey thanks guys as
Always for being on uh ULM War hawks.com busy time of year right now uh our softball team coached by an Alabama Alum uh Molly ther who played for Pat Murphy was a catcher there we’re 14 and five in softball really good start for for our softball team women’s basketball
Continues to churn uh we’re looking at a 20- win season uh one more regular season game our conference tournament actually the Sun Belt men’s and women’s tournaments are a little bit before everybody else’s start next Tuesday down in Pensacola uh Championship Games the following Monday
Uh a lot going on but uh as always guys love visiting with y’all y’all have a great day go Bulldogs Go Mobile have fun in mobile hey Gary and I I I love this time of year you know there’s nothing going on is there in tuscal Lucy you got
You’re in the hunt for an SEC basketball race you got a great show every morning on tide 100.9 titer and cider TV you and Rodney orc you’ve got uh baseball kicking off Spring practice with Kaylin debor going on you got softball gymnastics I mean honestly you got to
Love your job you don’t ever feel like it’s going to work I mean you’ve got one of the greatest jobs in the world Matt think about that in Tuscaloosa on campus channel 23 how much fun is what you do and what advice would you give for some
Young kid that says I want to be like Gary Harris well it is fun it’s the the the most difficult aspect on the TV side is and you know this R from your TV days is just having time to get everything in you know such a limited amount of time
And so many sports going on at the same time plus we got the State basketball tournament going on over at Legacy arena in Birmingham so we’re trying to balance that with our teams this week so uh it’s fun the thing the advice I give is um
Yeah it’s fun but you do have to be able to remove your fandom if you’re going to do this job correctly yeah and a lot of kids think about I want to be a sports caster because it’s fun I get to cover games uh but it is different and you
Know I have to point that out to them you know when you’re covering a game you’re not a fan you know you can’t be sitting up there cheering high-fiving although you know occasionally we see some people that do that but it’s just being able to remove your fandom and and
And keep your head in it because U especially if you’re you know covering a game for a story that night I mean you got to track it differently so uh yeah it is fun but it’s still a job it’s still a profession and U you know I
Think we’ve lost sight of that a little bit with social media and podcast and you know we do have fans that never would I’m not knocking them I’m just saying they never would have had an opportunity to do this and now it’s kind of opened up to everybody but the good
Ones uh remember that it’s a job hey great uh being with you guys I’m gonna I’m gonna take let ask you one one more thing real quick I listened to your interview last week with Eli Gold you you are a great interviewer what’s his
Next step in life because I I just uh I think he’s a great broadcaster I remember him in NASCAR you know so yeah he’s great he’s already signed on to be the Nashville cats play-by-play announcer that’s the arena league team in uh in Nashville and one of the owners
Is in Alabama grad so uh you know he won’t have to move it’s only you know what little over two hours from Birmingham to Nashville so he’ll be able to go up there and I’m sure he’ll you know stay when he’s calling games but he’s looking forward to that you know
Eli’s a pro and you know he he he tackles every assignment whether it’s an Alabama football game or now an arena league game the same way so he’ll be fine I know he’s disappointed Rob as you heard in the interview yeah uh this is
Not the way he wanted to go out but if you stay in this business long enough sometimes it happens hey enjoy it guys I’d love to have him on the show thank you Matt uh God I love this basketball and and Brendan you know we were watching last night we’re talking about
Caitlyn Clark the women’s game the men’s game this is just an awesome time of the year there’s so much the office pools are coming up you know the bracket I hate that term Bracketology and on the B first off Matt Brendan texted me this morning at 4:30 a.m Eastern and he said
Ask Matt Dean this one question if you ask him any questions why do they use this stupid term on the bubble and first four in first four out or last four in first four out where does this stuff come from because Brendan couldn’t sleep last night I couldn’t sleep at all last
Night I was was Flubber so so Brandon you remember back in the day before we had like the first four in first four out next considered there would just be like a list of six eight teams right and Dick vital would come on there and he
Would say this team got robbed I can’t believe baby they’re not going to the NCA yeah and now I think it’s I think we live in like Tony Lenard’s world and he became more analytical and he just had these categories and then I also think Brandon you look at uh with Kim Palm
Rankings and also the NCAA created this net everybody’s got a metric now H we didn’t have metrics back in the day I’m sure the committee did but we weren’t talking about I can Google last night I’m an Iowa fan a miserable Iowa fan so we’re 59 in the net you know what that
Means even if we get in Brendon we’re not very good no okay that’s what that means so I used to be one of those fans that said my team’s got to get in well I’ve I’ve learned after coaching for three decades if we’re not that good
This we don’t have to get in um but I I think it’s just a growth of the tournament and one last thing I want to tell you guys that’s a interesting fact because I’m a division three guy 3% of the revenue from division one March Madness contract funds all the
Championships at my level in division three Sports so I am very appreciative as a division 3 coach and former athletic director to March Madness I hope it keeps on growing and that’s the concern to from us at division three if they ever say well screw it we’re going to take
All of our pie then we’re going to have to fund our championships it’ be much it’ be a lesser experience for our student athletes well look in the term student athlete is thrown around a lot roads college has about 1950 students 527 of them are student athletes I think
I did the gindas on that that’s about 27% and they are taking serious classes I I still remember the stat 38 out of the 38 students at rose that were applying for medical school they batted a thousand okay now Brendan you know we hear this term student athlete used all
The time but the these are kids that I mean roads ain’t cheap it’s probably $75,000 a year and then you’re playing sports managing your time uh you know what really it’s teaching you how to be is a parent with a career just because listen who who watches here’s the debate
I’m gonna throw this one at you we’re all you know we’ve all got kids who actually goes to more games with their kids growing up the men or the women it’s not even close it’s the women never forget my friend Fran Cunningham six boys in a big Irish Catholic Family one
Time I saw his mom going to a baseball game when our kids were in like sixth grade and he goes Bobby this is number 2,000 plus games my mother has been to with Jim Mike Mark Bob John Fran I mean the women really know a lot more about
Sports than we give them credit for you’ve coached them Matt you’ve got one playing soccer who’s pretty damn good Brendan and I mean I’m telling you they’re easier women are easier to coach than men best description I heard a friend of mine said the girls will will
Will bind together the boys at that young age are like her and cats I’m just saying Matt is that right just just much much less ego guys much less ego attention to detail they want to execute a game playing um now I will tell you there are days when they come
To practice that you know sometimes they’re they wear their emotions on their sleeves because it didn’t go well in chemistry class or um they had a bad day with their partner or the relationship whatever but man it was I I I thoroughly enjoyed my 16 years as a
Head women’s basketball coach I also coached women’s golf I Coach women’s field hockey so I’ve done that for over you know combined over two decades and um I I just have had a wonderful blessed career doing that well I have I I do have to say though I have I do see um
You know you know having an 11-year-old who’s in competitive travel soccer um you know media has such an impact I mean they’re all on these like you know all the time right that’s how that you this is the new playground right you know me you play you know whatever and I think
That this bleed is happening now for the influence so I do see sort of you know especially in in you know the younger teams and she got a great team great coach and whatever but I there are a lot of similarities in that game and I
Wonder if it’s just more of the maturity level you know women mature faster than than men no question no question but you know you know there’s you know you wonder how much of it is societal right and how much of it is is just you know the because because now you know you’re
Raised you know my daughter came home yesterday she’s like I want to play flag football well flag football for co-ed flag football is like an emerging sport right he wants I want to play baseball I want to play these other teams and and uh so you know I wonder how much of that
You know will will stay you know that you know that that you know where where these teams are like that or if we we’ll start to see a leveling out with it I don’t know Matt it I think what you see is uh righ Gaines was on this show back
In the summer Ry talked talked about swimming training from four years old and she’s 22 years old and she’s getting ready before the race in the locker room and there’s a fully developed male 6’4 Leah Thomas swimmer in there I’m like good God on Mighty um that crap’s got to
Stop and then and I’m disgusted with the NCA is again lack of leadership men compete against biological men women compete against biological women and and that’s that’s just common sense but I I think girls when they’re young you have Tom boys you know you had some remember
The Andy Griffith episode when that girl came over and played football with Opie and the boys and she was kicking all their butts and uh they didn’t like that and because they felt like well I’m a man I’m supposed to be better than you so I think that’s just part of growing
Up people will maybe try something different but Matt you’ve coached them and you and you talk about how to handle emot you’re the most laidback guy being around around you you’re very calm and I think that that’s how your players work look at them now that are doctors and
Attorneys their parents more than anything their wives you know they’ve got kids their moms that’s the most important I mean that that’s what we love about sports is to see these people come back 20 30 40 50 years later what I wonder about now with these kids coming
And going I watched the thing on acc Network last night Roy Williams and Mike Coach K Legends Wes Durham was interviewing them and they kept both laughing going oh the way college basketball is today anything goes you can tell they both are glad they’re out
Of it we better be careful I don’t want to see you know Hurley leaving Yukon do y’all I mean do you want to see that Matt no and and honestly getting back you know kind of to what you were talking about with Riley Gaines I I’ve
Never I’ve never met Riley but she seems like the most most competitive person from afar watched I mean and yeah she she probably was very disappointed I think that race you’re talking about versus the Leah Thomas um she actually didn’t she tie him or I yeah
Him I can apologize I’m not great I don’t give a damn um you know and you know I mentioned when when I was coaching women I mean yeah maybe there’s less SEO involved but man there is a ton of competitive this yeah and and and my my
Greater my my best players they want to be the best students on the classroom they want to be the best players on the floor they wanted to the to be if they were a sorority they want to be the president of sorority they wouldn’t do it all and correct from from the guy
Standpoint I don’t think we’re built that way I mean you know we like to do one thing really well then chill or whatever get in the C what um but but my women athletes man they were so competitive in the game of of life not just the game of basketball in the game
Of life and that was kind of refreshing because they motivated me at times you know yeah yeah well you you find a a mom of three or four kids you talk about competitive good God almighty um and I’m telling you I I know it and and you know
You’ve got boys Brendan has a daughter I have two now Aly and I remarried I have mallerie Wilson and Max my boys they’re all very competitive what you want your kids to be if they’re competitive they’re going to make it in life if they’re competitive and they they know
How to deal with adversity because they fought through it and their parents didn’t walk them through it they’ll be they’ll be fine it’s just like Brenda and I were laughing about you know the older generation with technology having trouble you know figure it out if I do
It for you you’re not going to learn anything Brendan I think Matt is frozen out there I can’t I can’t hear you but this time of day it’s like it’s like I think people get get back back and forth on his internet starts to get busy in
Session we’ll wrap it up but hey we were at Hitt and done yesterday unbelievable selection of stuff I got the new duckhead pullover and the and the uh duck Camp trout fishing shirt on I got the same thing I got a Oxford tomorrow we’re going to be down there uh at the
Vitamin shops opening of the new store and check out all of our sponsors on the web we’re here we got a great show in store for you a lot of old Miss players will be joining us tomorrow in Oxford hopefully Jackson Dart drops by will be at the Vitamin Shop Oxford Mississippi
Uh remember catch us live or whenever you consume your podcast and remember most often we see the face of Christ in the least among us we live in the greatest country in the history of the world go out every day don’t let other people tell you how to think Live Your
Life free watch our show tell your friends and we’ll be back in the morning Brendan great job Matt Gary John Hartwell by guys thank you bye Matt he’s back now he’s thought out we’ll see y’all tomorrow take care we have to do our our wave you have to wave like this
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Best show on the air!