The Herd with Colin Cowherd - All Ball - Fanless March Madness; LeBron's MVP Flex; Guest: Belmont HC Casey Alexander

Episode Date: March 12, 2020

This week, Gottlieb looks at the NCAA's decision to play tournament games without fans due to concerns about the spread of the corona virus, and the new "normal" in the new sports world. He also looks at LeBron's recent MVP level performances, and why he should be the favorite over Giannis. This week's guest is Belmont Head Coach Casey Alexander who discusses taking over his alma mater from legendary coach Rick Byrd and beating Murray State to earn a berth in this year's NCAA tournament, how the program has evolved since he played back in the early 90's, and how he's been able to put his own stamp on the program. Make sure you download, rate and subscribe here to get the latest All Ball Podcasts! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise,

breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline. And we're going straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment, and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok.

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Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me. He goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Wreck, my mama want you to weigh better. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano. It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast point game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was harmed. you just understood.

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I'm your boy, Doug Gottlieb, and all, full disclosure, we had to re-record kind of the open to this one, because there's breaking news. The NCAA tournament will have no fans. So to those of you who made fun of my own Monter Oklahoma State for not filling up Gallagher Arena, they were just preparing for the NCAA tournament. That's all. It is crazy, though, that the NCAA is getting out ahead of this thing.

Meanwhile, all these tournaments are being played. Like I'm watching the Pac-12, the Big Ten, the Big 12, the Big 12, the SEC. They're all playing in front of full houses. So I, it's like, and I get it that the information is late and teams, you know, trips are already planned, et cetera, et cetera. etc, but it is absolutely fascinating to see how you turn these slow-moving ships around. My guess would be NIT is going to be canceled too,

although at the time of this recording, only the CBI has been canceled, only the CBI. So how does it affect the tournament? Well, first, I would, I just would wonder, I just honestly wonder why they would play it at the Georgia Dome, why they wouldn't play it eventually at like Georgia Techs Arena or even at the Hawks Pax facility. Why not play it there?

Anybody? But I don't think it affects the first and second round. Crowds aren't really a part of the issue. Like can crowds turn on the higher-seeded team? Of course they can. That's kind of part of the tradition of the NCAA tournament as anyone who's been there knows, which is crowds can absolutely turn on a dime in a number. a Duke is in a close game,

even if they're playing in the state of North Carolina, and the home crowd or the home crowd can turn against the higher seed. But outside of that, doesn't really, doesn't totally change at all, or doesn't even modestly change the outcome of games. But the final four, like, that's a fan crazy event. I went there as a kid. I bring my kid and my nephew goes there. And, you know, what do you do with fan fest?

Obviously, you have to cancel it. All those concerts that you have got to cancel it. Now fans can't go to the games. Like, this is a weird, almost zombie apocalypse type of time. I would guess I'm not going to be one of these guys that tells you everybody's freaking out. I would guess they're freaking out for a reason. There's got to be worse news before there's better news. But what a change.

Like, what a year this is going to be where we look back and like, oh, that was the NCAA tournament where there are no fans there. which means there will be no fans at NBA games as well. Or you run the possibility of not having NBA games. Or the question becomes, with all the revenue loss to vendors who, that's a big portion of why they can't cut the number of NBA games is, what do you do with all those vendors and all the money that the vendors make? Well, now they won't make any money. So do you shut the arenas and play at the practice facilities?

same length court, training rooms are right there. Many of them have stands for essential personnel. Do you want to play in an empty staples center or in an empty, you know, chase center? Would you rather play at a practice facility?

I don't know in terms of being cost effective or how it affects camera angles because now it becomes basically playing in a sound stage. But it is a fascinating time we live in and one that it'll just change the outcome. It'll change the feeling, won't change the outcome. You know, fans have never made or missed one basket.

They don't influence nearly as much as you'd think. So there'll be no fans, but there will be games. And what's interesting is it feels like the domes have been reconfigured recently and the fans have been more in. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending. Opinions are flying. And no. Nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered.

Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing.

And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth. Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely.

And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff.

Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, Hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, ref, my mama want you to wave at her. What?

Where's she at? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? This Isaiah Thomas. And I'm CJ Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what.

He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us

on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nass would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running up the court, licking his fingers while he got the ball, like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah,

you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the, iHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I remember last year at the championship game, the semifinals in Minnesota. I felt like the fans were more into it and the dome was built in a way in which it was a better watch than previously.

Now we won't have it. And then I guess the question becomes, does any of this become the new normal? Not having media members inside the locker. Is that the new normal? I would say probably yes. But what about everything else? you know, not having fans at the game? Or do we stop shaking hands?

What about this becomes the new normal? In the meantime, look, the games are still going to be crazy. The endings are still going to be spectacular. The cutaways are just going to be tighter than they've ever been in the past. And now we don't have to worry about which site is a good site, which site is a bad site. You could play them in all practice gyms and nobody would know. The games will go on and we will cover them really, really well for you here on All Bowl. If you love to be remembered as the person who gives the best birthday gifts,

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And you could be me for just one hour. If you could find a way to get inside. Each other's mind. Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. Walk a mile in my shoes. We've all felt left out.

And for some, that feeling lasts more than a moment. We can change that. Learn how it belonging begins with us.org. brought to you by the ad council Walk a mile in my shoes Casey Alexander is our guest on this pod He is the head coach of Belmont He played at Belmont

He was an assistant at Belmont He left Belmont to become the head coach at Stetson for a couple years That's in Florida, the Mad Hatters Great nickname, great nickname And then of course He went back to Nashville Where Belmont's located

But was the head coach at Lipscomb Get a little Lipscomb Sorry, it's a bad joke. Anyway, we've talked Lipscomb basketball in pods in the past with his best player that he ever had there. And then this offseason, when Rick Bird, the legendary longtime head coach at Belmont retired, he decided to make the trip two miles down the road and become the head coach at Belmont. So it was a big thing, especially in Nashville and that level of basketball. And Belmont has become such a significant program in the OVC.

and of course, Lipscomb and the A-sun. So we'll catch up with Casey Alexander. Plus, they beat Murray State in epic kind of classic Belmont coaching fashion. Where did he get the last second backdoor play? You'll be surprised that we hear that. And what Murray State could have done to unravel that play. We'll get to that upcoming as well. I want to give you this thought on LeBron's weekend.

You know, what happens to the... My kids call them noobs. I don't know. I don't know if that's a national word or just a kid word or just an Orange County kid word. Noobs are people who are new to whatever they're doing. In basketball, we've coined them civilians, right? And maybe that's in all sports. People who are talking about sports that don't really know the sport

or are just kind of fans of it didn't play it or don't see it at a higher level. To the noob or to the nub or to the. the civilian. LeBron has ever bit as dominant as he was previously. Just look at the stats. Look at the wins. Look at how he played this weekend. If you're watching at a higher level, you're sitting there and going like,

it's really amazing considering how he can conserve energy, take plays off, how he can get where he wants to get in fewer movements. How can he can adjust to the fact that his body though for a normal human being, he's a freak of nature. For the NBA, he does look like a slightly less athletic version of himself. Talk about LeBron over the weekend. Nonetheless, my case for him being the MVP was encapsulating all that he's doing.

And yes, this is kind of giving him a pass for occasionally taking more defensive possessions off or hiding on defense for, you know, for playing bully ball and slower and posting up. on offense and things. I give him a pass because he's not only trying to elevate his team to a higher level than they could normally play at without him or with another star, but I would also tell you that I think he's elevating himself to a higher level and kind of figuring out where he should be and how he can get to where he wants to get. This is not a shot of Janus.

Janus is unbelievable. But I think there are a good list of guys you could put in Janus's situation where you surround him with shooters, and they would be close offensively and defensively to what he does. I offered up Ben Simmons, people like, you're crazy. He doesn't shoot, let alone he can't shoot. Do I think he would average a same number of points? No. I think Ben Simmons is actually a better passer.

He's not the rim protector defense of the Janus is, but he's, you know, if he can, if he can be that floating guy, he's already, I think, leading the NBA instead. steals. Like he's a good virtual defender. And the bigger thing is if you surround him just with shooters and space out, like Ben Simmons becomes really, really, really difficult to defend. Now, is he easier

to defend than Janus? I guess. Yes, Janus will take threes, but it's not like he makes them at a high clip, but he does at least take him. My case is simply that whether it's James Harden or Russell Westbrook or or Janus

or Simmons or if you put Jason Tatum, you put a lot of these star players and support them with the type of overall defense and concepts that they're playing. Offensively, you space the floor and kind of give them carte blanche to play how they want to play. Pass to open shooters. I think you'd see Milwaukee's a good team. I well coach.

I think they win a lot of games. I think they put up a lot of numbers. I can't honestly conceive of any NBA player having anywhere close to the effect on the the Lakers that LeBron does. Now, some of it is just, hey, that's who LeBron is. He becomes, you build around him specifically. But I do think between the leadership, the toughness, the strength, the versatility, he's even motivating himself to play at a higher level than he's normally capable of.

That would be my case for LeBron being the MVP, even if in a one-game scenario, I think generally I would take Kauai over him. You know, I think he's going to struggle in the playoffs to be as a. physical as he was consistently with, I think that'll take a lot out of him with the Kauai Leonard's of the world. But we'll see. We shall see. Still a great weekend for the Lakers. They did lose, as I was recording last night to the Nets. LeBron did miss a dead layup. Whether that's dead legs or exhausting or just goosing up a layup up there, I can't tell you. Let's take you to our interview this week.

Be sure to catch the live edition of the Doug Gottlieb show weekdays at 3 p.m. Eastern, noon Pacific on Fox Sports Radio and the I Heart Radio app. Another year, another postseason tournament for Casey Alexander, the head coach in his first year at his alma mater at Belmont at place. He was an assistant before leaving, getting a head coaching job at Stetson, at Lipscomb, and now back replacing the incomparable Rick Bird. Casey, we're, I don't know how many hours removed from taking your alma mater to the tournament. You did this before when you're at Lipscomb, cross town.

compare and contrast the feeling of taking down Murray State with getting Lipscomb to the tournament. Well, it's a great feeling. I can tell you that. Being back at Belmont has been a real honor, and I'm grateful for the opportunity. This program has won a lot of games recently. This is our ninth NCAA tournament since 2006. And so naturally, every time you go to one, you wonder will you ever go back? So to be able to do it in our first year is pretty special.

When you got there as a player, okay, when you as a player, 1992 you showed up. You guys weren't Division 1 yet, were you? No, we were NIA, yeah. What was it like? We were good. My senior year, we were 37 and 2. Our two losses were to Division 1 team, Western Kentucky,

who played in the postseason that year, and then the semifinals, the NAA national tournament, we were ranked number one all year. So we had good teams, especially at the end of those NIA years. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the Internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in.

I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise. Breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered.

Sports Slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Trip Fontaine, Ryan Clark.

Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing and we're still chasing it and we don't know when we've done enough because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross,

because you find it important to be a good person while you hear on earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway.

Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Cliver Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her.

What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue of 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her. What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clifford show on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam?

This is Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano and our podcast, Point game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves,

I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reed. He has to guard Julius. random. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too.

Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He run up the court, licking his fingers why he got the ball. Like, after you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. gosh, it went downhill fast. We were an independent for four or five years when we first made the move to Division 1, straight from NAA to Division 1. We didn't have a conference to play in.

We had no postseason play. So there were some lean years until we finally joined what used to be the Transamerica and became the A-Sun conference, like 2001 maybe. So what you're saying is your senior year you guys choked, right? That's what happened? I guess if we have to win the whole thing in order to be considered a success. I guess we choked. So the first time you met Rick Bird was where?

He was recruiting a high school teammate of mine heavily. I'm a Nashville native. I went to Brilwood Academy, a local private school here, and he was recruiting a teammate of mine who also had a great career at Belmont. And I just kind of tagged along, really. That's how I ended up at Belmont. I knew I wanted to coach. I knew he was a great coach.

That's how I ended up here. Okay, who was your high school teammate? David Knox was his name. Okay, so David Knox. So you show up on campus. at Belmont, and what's your first memory of the place? Belmont was a lot different then. We had about 2,000 students.

It was a small school, basically a commuter school. It had two pockets, real heavy into the music business. That's where most of our students came from, and then the athletes and almost nobody in between. So now we're about 8,500 students, almost 9,000 maybe. We've built literally almost a billion dollars worth of buildings in the last 10 years, our current projects are over.

So it's changed quite a bit. Yeah, I'm sure. What was that process like to go from NAA to Division I, not having a conference? Like how did Coach Byrd do it? What were the building blocks that allowed you guys to have, not just success at Belmont, but sustained success? Yeah, that's, the answer to your question is probably the most, it's probably the most meaningful part of the whole thing to both myself and especially Coach Bird

in a sense that you go back to those early 90s when I was playing on the NIA team and you take the team that's in our locker room right now. They're the same kids. Like the players are better, but everything else is the same. We never compromised. We kept recruiting a certain kind of kid that plays a certain way, that does things the right way, that would have gone to college anyway, with a graduated from college. anyway, knows what it means to be a teammate, and that's been the secret to our success all along.

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Adoption of teens from foster care is a topic not enough people know about and we're here to change that. I'm April Dinwiddie host of the new podcast, Navigating Adoption, presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Each episode brings you compelling real-life adoption stories told by the families that live them with commentary from experts. Visit Adoptuskids.org slash podcast or subscribe to Navigating Adoption presented by Adopt U.S. Kids. Brought to you by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families and the Ad Council. How do you identify those when you're recruiting?

Well, you've got to be willing to take the risk to do it differently. You know, I mean, you know, you just got to trust your gut. You know, you do a little extra work. We have to put it in perspective. Since our move to Division I in 2001, we have 17 Academic All-Americans, on our division one academic all-Americans with the next closest is butler with 10 and there and there's many that don't have any of course and so that's the best proof I can give you we've had two transfers out of our program in 15 years because we've chosen the

right kind of guys and uh you know and that's the reason we would say that's the reason we win a lot of people when we made that move to say hey you can't win that way you're going to have to change how you recruit and what you do and and as it turns out it's really the reason while we have one. What made you take to Stetson job? You're at Belmont, long-time assistant. Was it just like Kurt Kojburt was never leaving? You're like, man, I've got to go to head coaching job?

Essentially. You know, and my job changed here, you know, just because of the nature of the program going from NAA to bad Division 1 to good Division 1 to NCAA tournament division 1. So it was easy to stay, and Nashville is home to me. But I wanted the opportunity. Statham was in the same league at the time. the Atlantic Sun, and I felt like a comparable place. And so I just felt like it was the right time.

I didn't know when Coach Bird was going to leave. I didn't even know what was going to happen for sure when he left, so I felt like it just had to make that move, and it turned out to be a good one. All right. So you're there two years, and Lipscomb comes calling. Now, this is to come back home, but to be, you know, across the street, essentially,

from your alma mater. What was the decision like to leave Stetson after just two years, and you got the thing almost to five, hundred with the hatters and then and then come back home to lipscomb yeah it was eye-opening for a lot of people you know a lot of the lipscomb people were saying they what in the world are you doing hiring a belmont guy and all the belmont people were saying you know how in the world could you ever get a lipscomb what are you thinking and so it was surprising for a lot of folks but the truth is the universities are very similar comparable with you know and how they want things to be

done both teams both universities very supportive of basketball I knew a lot of of people at Lipscomb, very familiar. Obviously, they've been our rival for a long, long, long time, only two miles apart and most of our history being in the same conference together. So it was really an easy step. And I said all I mean, Nashville was important. I mean, that was kind of a benefit of the whole thing. But I would have gone to Lipscomb if it was in Birmingham or St. Louis or you name it. I felt like it was a really good job. And it turned out to be proven so. Okay, so we talked on my pod with Garrison Matthews, obviously, who is your best player, your superstar at Lipscomb, part of that amazing team that took Lipscomb to their first NCAA tournament. Can you confirm that you guys didn't really want – he wasn't really your primary target, right?

That's what he said? Well, we liked him. We knew that we liked him and we wanted him to come. But we have been recruiting somebody else that we felt like was more of the sure thing. this other player, we had put a lot of time into. We felt like if we could get him, it would help us accelerate our progress. And so we told the other guy, and he was slow walking the whole thing. But his list went from 25 to 15 to 10 to 5.

And we said, we're going to let you take your visits. We're not going to do anything until you're finished. And it turned out to be us and one other school. And we told Garrison all along, hey, we're waiting on this guy. We told him we would. We promised him we would. And if he says no, we're coming to you immediately. and that's exactly what happened.

Turned out Garrison, you know, it was the best player of Lipscomb's ever had. And the other guy had a good career, but we would have made the wrong decision had it worked out the other way. Okay, so, but he also said, like he was a football player, basketball. He's like a football player playing basketball.

He said, like, after his freshman year, he just, like, all of a sudden, the light switch went on. How much were you a part of that? Like, what's, as a coach, and like you guys do it, at your level, they're all four and done, right? Or five and done.

Yeah. So it is a process. And, you know, the dream is you're bringing a kid. He's a backup the first year or two. Obviously, Garrison, I think, because of an injury, got to start his freshman year. He told us. But the idea is to keep getting better. What is that is it just kind of the old school way?

Like, how do you get guys to buy into the idea of continue to grow and develop some on their own and some with your guidance? Yeah, I mean, obviously, you know, we've got to have our finger on it to some degree. But, I mean, I have to give Garrison, you know, the lion's share of any credit for what he accomplished. I mean, he did that largely on his own. What we did was put good people around him, and we kind of kept him on the straight and narrow and helped him focus on the things that matter the most. But he took advantage of his opportunities. When he came in, he was a pudgy, 210-pound, you know, H-back.

You know, that could shoot it with range, you know, and it took him eight or ten games. I mean, he was passing up good shots, and then he was shooting it into people's armpits on other shots. He didn't know good from that. But as he started to figure out is when our best player got injured. And so we just put him in the starting lineup, and he led us in scoring for the rest of the season. From that moment on, he let us in scoring. And then out of offseason, he thought, you know what, I'm pretty good at this. He reshaped his body.

He completely changed nutrition. He worked harder than anybody we had for the remaining three years. He worked on his game with trainers on his own. And he really was self-made in that regard. Yeah, and, of course, took you guys the NCAA term. And then, you know, last year you guys go all the way to the NIT and the NIT finals. How much of the run through the ASEN tournament two years ago helped you for the other night against Murray? I mean, what I thought about personally was because our game against Murray two days ago,

I mean, it was a 15-1 Murray State to Belmont crowd. So it was a virtual road game. And our game with Lipscomb at Florida Gulf Coast two years ago was a road game. It literally was at Florida Gulf Coast in a great environment. And so personally, that was easy for me to say, you know what? That doesn't have to matter at all. Your team can play great. Your team can win this game.

Don't even worry about that part of it. But I don't think it had any effect on our players. They don't know any of that story at all. No, but I mean, you know, in terms of how you substitute, how you, like, look, you're a long-time assistant, then you become a head coach. And anyone whose coach knows that, like, that 18-inch move is a big move. And you just kind of start processing things and seeing things different. And obviously, you're a really good player in your own right. So you were already, like, I'm just wondering if there's a level of, like, the first time you do it, I don't know how hyped you were.

you're like a level of, it felt like in watching you, nothing faced you. Like you knew what was coming. You had a great balance about you. And I just wonder if that is what you've always had or if that is from the experience of having success in that situation in the past. Yeah, I think my countenance is generally pretty even. I mean, I'm a fiery guy and a demanding coach, but I try not to get too worked up or too emotional about, you know, the situation at hand. You know, I had four NCAA tournaments here at Belmont as an assistant. And then the one at Lipscomb, you know, that was the first time they had ever been.

It was the first time I'd ever been as a head coach. So I'd be lying if I say that didn't have a special place for me. But the postseason success there, you know, the NIT run we had last year was unbelievable. We won. Unbelievable. At Davidson, at Greensboro, who was supposed to be the next team into the NCAA tournament. We won at NC State. We'd be Wichita State and Madison Square Garden.

You know, we had a great run. And so I think I just had some confidence that, you know, this is you've been here, you've done this. You know, you've got a great team. You've got a mature team. You've got a team that loves playing together. So just go be yourself. Okay, so you take on Murray, as you mentioned, you know, it's a virtual road game at the Ford Center.

You had played Murray twice this year, lost at their place, beat them at your place. What was the game plan coming in? Oh, well, it wasn't altered very much at all. The only thing we changed was how we guard their post a little bit, but we didn't do anything else. different at all. You know, the games are really slug-fest. They're really physical and athletic. We play hard and we're physical. We're not athletic, but so our styles are pretty different. The games have been great, though. The two programs are really, really good, have a lot of expectation to win. And so I expected it to be a game just like it was, a game that

was, you know, just a slug-fest for 40 minutes. In this case, both teams played well, though. In our game there, I don't think we played well in their game here. I didn't think they played particularly well. They were really sloppy offensively. And I think both teams played pretty well in this last game. All right. I want to get to your decision to move across town to Belmont in a second. But obviously, you know, people are going to look and see what Nick was able to do

and kind of, you know, jaw dropping in terms of his productivity, in spite of the fact he's playing foul trouble, right? And, you know, in 25 minutes to give you a 20, and eight boards. But this team and how it's come together. Granted, you're a Belmont guy. Granted, you knew it because you guys played Belmont every year. But how long did it take you before you felt like it was your team?

Yeah, longer than I anticipated. It was really the one missing link in the whole transition that I didn't think would be as significant as it was because the relationships were good from the beginning. There was, you know, a lot of times with coaching changes, you know, you talk about all the culture change and, you know, my guys and things. We had none of that. We had a trip to Portugal this summer that helped us accelerate things. You know, but until you get into the season, and now all of a sudden you've got to play

guys and not play guys and you've got to come back from losses and you've got to figure out how to win and injuries and everything else, that's when you really understand and learn who each other are. So it took a while, and I was surprised by that. But even then, it didn't take as long as it would have, you know, if it were. if it were somebody new stepping in here altogether. Who's evolved and bought in and changed the most? Oh, changed.

I don't think we've had any wholesale change. I mean, there's so much similarities between what we're doing now and what was already being done, both behind the scenes and on the floor, that it hasn't required a whole lot of significant change. Naturally, I had better relationships with some of those guys than others. I recruited two of them really, really hard, two of these guys really hard and then a couple of others,

at least a little bit. So there was some familiarity there. Yeah, it's hard to answer. Okay. All right, so you come down to the end of the game. You got a side OB. And what I was, what I'm like always interested in is not just, I mean, you guys, you've done it, Lipscomb run great stuff, Coach Bergeran, great stuff. You know, everybody on social media sees it, copies it, points it out. but when you're over there, how much of your final play also correlates to the inbound itself?

Right? Because it was all together, right? It wasn't just you throw it in. Okay, now we got it in. It was all kind of fluid and congruent, if you will. Like if they would have come out in a one-three-one zone or trapped the inbound pass, right? Like what is the level of planning and preparation that goes in last second play? Not very good on my part because my assistant coach has asked earlier today, what would you have done if they were in zone? I said, I have no idea. Oh, another timeout and then this switched to man.

We would have been toast. Hey, I got a great story for you real quick. So Fray McCaffrey, who's at Iowa, he can account for this. This is the story he told me. So he played for a guy named his freshman year he played at Wake Forest. He played for a guy named Kyle Tacey. And he said, he told me his story. He said, we're playing Lefty-Jurzell at Maryland.

And we're down one, end of the game. underneath our own basket, we call timeout, come over, and the assistants and the head coach, they're arguing about what to run. And he's like a starting freshman point guard. And they're talking and discussing what they want to run so long that they come over and he comes like, Fran, just call something.

So they go out, they're walking out there, and he like mumbles like, let's run number two, you know, like let's try and figure it out. So they line up, they're right about to take the ball in bounds. And left to Jerzel looks at their alignment and calls time out, right? essentially allowing Wake Forest to put in a play because they did. They ran out of time previously.

And he said, and I was walking over to the bench, and I thought to myself, this is a profession I need to get in. One guy didn't know what play to call in. The second guy wants to find out what play the guy's running, so he gives the other guy more time. I got to get into it. Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind.

Highlights are trending. Opinions are flying. And nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode we're cutting through the night. noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athletes themselves, their locker room stories, their reactions,

the stuff nobody gets to hear. The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sports slice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to SportsSlic on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Sliced Life 12 in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist,

Kear Games. And in recognition of mental health awareness month, I'm bringing over a decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking, Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped. up in the chase, that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing, and we're still chasing it, and we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person

while you hear on earth, or are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, is we have real conversations about on healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose on my new podcast, Learn the Hard Way. Open your free iHeartRadio app. Search Learn the Hardway and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clivert Taylor the 4th.

And on my podcast, The Cliverts Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time of it. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, Wreck, my mama want you to weigh better.

What? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Cliverts show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defying the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed. And finding ways to win no matter what.

He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reid.

He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. He's nice, get that thing. That man, hell get the flying. He running the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball.

Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick. Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. On this business, right? So as much as you're being lauded, like, man, that Casey Alexander, he runs some good stuff. Truth is that they've gone zone, it would have been a whole bag of nothing. Yeah, well, it would have been a bag enough. I'll say this.

We have talked tirelessly about it doesn't matter what we've called if they surprise you with zone, run the play. Now, the play wouldn't have worked as well, obviously. But we would have, we would have still got a lot of movement. We would have still created an opportunity for them to make a mistake. And even if it's, I mean, there's no guarantee that the play's going to work if they play man. Sure. But you give it your best effort. And the play that we ran, if it doesn't work, then our best ball.

handler and playmaker and score has the ball in his hands with five seconds to go with a side cleared. So it's not. Right. And you got spacing in the corner, spacing on the wing as well for a driving kick. Right. Right. What's it called? Liberty.

It's called Liberty. Did you steal it from Liberty? Yeah. Heck yeah. Yeah. Well, that's the way it's done. People thought I had it all together. I don't know what to do against Zone.

I don't even have my own plays. I think it works against Zone anyway. because you still have the, you know, if it's a two, three, the back man helps, and you still have driving kick, and you got the weak side corner. It is, it is amazing. You know, I think the hard part in running back doors, the great part running, and obviously, you know, Coach Bird ran the panic play that worked. Didn't work last year in the tournament, but did work at UCLA.

But the great thing about back doors is, you know, kids are so hyped up. They overplay. They, you know, they want to get a run out and try and get a steal and be a hero. So the other side to it, though, is how do you manage, like you said, your best ball handler, not throwing it if it's not open? How do you discuss that? Yeah, well, you don't discuss it. I mean, they just got to be players in that moment. You know, no matter how good I am at drawing something up, they've got to execute it and be players and improvise for whatever the situation allows.

And, you know, you do that all season long. That's what makes – that's what differentiates one player from the next is the ability to do that. Yeah. I called a Belmont game against Arizona in the NCAA tournament. This is in 2013. I think it was 13. I think it was my first year doing games for CBS. It was in, I think I want to say it was in Salt Lake. And what struck me was like, I thought you guys are really good. And, you know, I got a ton of respect for Coach Byrd. But it was just a bad matchup, right? Like you guys played small. And that was a year where Arizona played small. And so their small. players were better than your small players, how much of your success in the NCAA tournament this year

depends on matchups? Well, probably a lot of it for all the same reasons. But it doesn't always have to be that way. You know, some of our best, you know, we played Duke in 2008, and they were Duke, for goodness sakes, you know, but we went, and they were athletic, they were active, they denied stuff, they switched everything. saying, well, you know, we used that to our advantage and made a way to work. We didn't win the game, but we had two chances to win in the last 30 seconds.

And it's probably the game that put Belmont on the map. If you were going to tell a young assistant coach when it's time to go do your own thing, obviously you've got to get offered a job first, right? Tons of assistant coaches would like to do their own thing, but they don't. You know, you left for Stetson before coming back to Lipscomb. What should go into that decision? quality of life being somewhere where you know where you trust the people you're working with and for you know that jobs are not all the same I think I think a lot of us are misguided and

thinking that hey I'm just going to chase the next job chase the next job chase the next job and they're not at all the same you need to be somewhere that fits your personality you need to be somewhere that that you can stay for a long time if not needed and that's how you should choose. Look through your children's eyes to see the true magic of a forest. It's a storybook world for them. You look and see a tree. They see the wrinkled face of a wizard with arms outstretched to the sky.

They see treasure and pebbles. They see a windy path that could lead to adventure. And they see you. Their fearless guide through this fascinating world. Find a forest near you and start exploring at Discover the Forest brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council and we're live here outside the Perez family home just waiting for the and there they go almost on time this morning mom is coming out the front door strong with a double-armed kid carry looks like dad has the bags daughter is bringing up the rear oh but the diaper bag wasn't closed diapers and toys are everywhere oh but mom has just nailed the perfect car seat buckle for the toddler And now the eldest daughter, who looks to be about nine or ten, has secured herself in the booster seat.

Dad zips the bag closed, and they're off. Ah, but looks like mom doesn't realize her coffee cup is still on the roof of the car, and there it goes! Oh, that's a shame. That mug was a fan favorite. Don't sweat the small stuff. Just nail the big stuff. Like making sure your kids are buckled correctly in the right seat for their age and size.

Learn more at nhtsa.gov slash the right seat. Visit nhtsa.com. Gov. Slash the right seat. Brought to you by Mitzah and the Ad Council. What grows in the forest? Trees? Sure.

Know what else grows in the forest? Our imagination. Our sense of wonder. And our family bonds grow too. Because when we disconnect from this and connect with this, we reconnect with each other. The forest is closer than you think.

Find a forest near you and start exploring at at Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. Okay, so then last year in the offseason, and it happened pretty quickly, Coach Bird decides to retire. What was that like for you? Like, take me through the, did you know he was going to retire?

Well, yes, yes. I mean, I knew he was, he had told me that he was threatening to retire for a couple of years, but I thought it would be a couple of more years from then. When he told me about a week before the announcement, I was surprised. So you know, you're sitting on this, you know, right? Did you, like, did he call you and say, I want you to come take it? Like, what was that discussion like? Last night, a blown call changed a game.

This morning, the internet lost its mind. Highlights are trending, opinions are flying, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo. Every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the plays, the controversies, and the stories behind the headlines. We go straight to the source, the athlete themselves. Rocker room stories, their reactions, the stuff nobody gets to hear.

The laughs, the drama, the triumphs, the moments that never make the highlight real. From viral moments to historic games, from buzzer beaters to controversial calls, we break it down, give you context, and ask the questions everybody wants answered. Sportslice brings you closer to the action with stories told by the people who live them. Listen to Sports Slice on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slic Life 12 and the TikTok Podcast Network. on TikTok. Welcome to my new podcast, Learn the Hardway with me, your host, and your favorite therapist, Kear Games. And in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm bringing over a

decade of my own experience in the mental health field and conversations with so many incredible guests. I'm talking. Tripp Fontaine, Ryan Clark. Sometimes when we're in the pursuit of the thing, we get so wrapped up in the chase that we don't realize that we are in possession of the thing. And we're still chasing it. And we don't know when we've done enough. Because people scoreboard watch. Life becomes about wins and losses. Steve Burns, Dustin Ross, because you find it important to be a good person

while you hear on earth? Are you a good person because you're afraid? Because that's two different intentions, bro. Absolutely. And that's two different levels of trust. I want you to just really be a good person. Join me, Kear Gaines, as we have real conversations about healing, growth, fatherhood, pressure, and purpose

on my new podcast, Learn the Hardway. Open your free, Our Heart Radio app. Search learn the hard way and listen now. What's up, guys? This is Clever Taylor the 4th. And on my podcast, The Clivert Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all kinds of stuff,

like being an internet famous referee. We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Time out. Quarterback on office blue with 42. Hey, rec, my mama want you to wave at her.

What? Where's she at? Hey, Ms. Parker. Listen to the Cliver Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, fam? It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano, and our podcast Point Game is about defining the odds. Like LeBron heading into the playoffs without Luca and Austin Reed.

And finding ways to win no matter what. He's the smartest player to ever play the game. His IQ is at a level that we've never seen before. And he knows. Without Luca and Austin Reeves, I got to manipulate. the game. We get a player's perspective on the challenges of the playoffs. I think Joker's going to be exhausted this series because when they don't have Rudy in the

lineup, he has to really guard guys like Nas Reed. He has to guard Julius Randall. And then he has to give us everything he gives us on the night-to-night basis on offense. And when IT's friends stop by, like Quentin Richardson, we dive into some playoff history too. Steve Nash would get that thing. That man, hell get to fly. He run up the court, licking his fingers, why he got the ball. Like, you go through a training camp with that, Isaiah, you figure it out real quick.

Get your ass up and down the court, and you're going to get the ball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. We had a lot of conversations, intermittent conversations over the years about, you know, what would happen. But, you know, he's got a guy on staff, his associate head coach, Brian Ayers, who I worked with here at Belmont for 13 years. And he's been at Belmont for 21 years, and he's a very capable coach as well. So he had to be fair to him. You know, he's not going to run out and promote me for the job when he's got a guy on his staff who could also warrant attention. And so – but we talked about it a little bit, and he would just – he would give me a little disclaimer here

and then something there, a little nugget there. And, you know, so I had an idea about kind of how things would go, but you never really know. You know, I literally didn't have any conversations with anybody of any substance at all until after we got back from the NIT. I think he announced on a Monday. We were already in New York City. The NIT semifinals were Tuesday. We played the finals on Thursday, came back on Friday, met with Belmont on Saturday, met with Lipscomb on Sunday, took Monday to think about it, decided it on Tuesday, announced on Wednesday. Did you vacillate at all?

Did I what? vacillate at all. Was there ever, was there a moment like, huh? Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. Yeah, it was hard. It was much more difficult than people think that it was for me to make the move because Lipscomb was so good to me. And it was a magical year, really. I mean, it's, it was, we had an awesome season with awesome kids, and I loved every minute of it. So, so within days of that experience ending me having to walk into that locker room and tell those kids I was leaving was gut-wrenching. It was really a tough decision, you know. How about this? I met with my Lipscomb team. I'm sure they knew that it was a possibility,

but I tell them that, hey, I'm going to be gone for the rest of the week, and you guys are, I think we were coming spring break, it was coming up, things like that. So let's meet in the locker room at 9.55 after the 9 o'clock classes are over. So I tell them at 9.55 that I'm leaving, and I meet with the Belmont team in their locker room at 1030, 35 minutes later. It's two-mile-d drive.

It was, and I cried the whole. So it was, and I cried the whole way, cried the whole way. So I had to turn that. Is that, is that just a radio media line, or did you legitimately cry? No, I cried. I cried big tears the whole way. I mean, not because I was, I wasn't sad. It was just an emotional thing.

I mean, I love those guys. Yeah, I love those guys. You built Lipscomb into an NCAA tournament team. And with that, with that group that stuck together, you know, NCAA term and NIT finals, like it was, no, I completely get it. It's like redoing a house, you know, to the, taking a stout to the studs and somebody goes like, hey, I'm going to give you every penny you ever

wanted for the house and then you sell it. And you're like, wait, I kind of loved one I built. Like, okay, well, go do it. Now you've got to go do it again to a house that somebody else built, which is a beautiful house in Beaumont. What is it like now to be the head coach of a place you played and you were a long-time assistant?

It's great. You know, and that's part of the beauty of the change is, you know, that there aren't many coaches that get to walk into a job. and they literally know practically every living former player, many, many of the season ticket holders, a lot of the administration, you know, have spent 20 years at that job before or on campus as a student.

So I met my wife here, my kids grew up coming to Belmont games, you know. So it was in that respect, you know, from that respect, it was completely easy. And as difficult as it was to leave Lipscomb, it was just as gratifying and joyful, to come to Belmont. Okay, last thing. You guys average about 80 points a game.

I think you're 15th in field goal percentage of offense. Like you guys, you play beautiful offensive basketball. And I think a lot of times younger coaches, and Belmont's always been really well-coached offensive. A lot of times younger coaches, they get caught up in wanting to be freer offensively than their mentor or whatever. And sometimes I think it hurts coaches success.

You know, younger guys, they want to let their guys, how have you managed to let your team play at a good pace and play with freedom and yet still shoot such a high percentage? What's the secret to the sauce? Yeah, I've always been a little bit more, a little less conservative than Coach Byrd to begin with, as far as offense goes, willing for a turnover here, you know, so that we might get a basket later there kind of a thing. But there's so much commonality between, you know, what I've always done. I mean, gosh, it's the only place to ever work. How much different can I be, you know? from what Belmont was already doing.

And then I inherited a good group of players, too, and they didn't have to adapt. I think somebody told me today that this will be the second year in a row maybe that we lead the country in assist. Our assist turnover margin is really good. $604 assists in 33 games. It's amazing. Yeah. That's the best by a sizeable margin. Well, I haven't looked at it, but it makes sense.

and our just turnover ratio is really good. You know, so that just goes along with kind of, again, you know, how we build a roster, having guys that understand how to play the game, guys that are willing to share the ball, the extra pass, you know, is one that we want to make. You know, and that's the reason why the shooting percentages are what they are. We're very, you know, as you know, the game these days is almost nothing but ball screens. And we're on the back end of that.

You know, we get a lot more player movement, ball movements. movement. We'll use some ball screens, but it's not nearly, we never have anybody out there pounding it, or at least I don't want it. Yeah. Well, it obviously clearly works for you. It's worked for university. Listen, I couldn't be happier for you and your family and for the folks at Belmont. It's been an amazing year so far. Keep it going. We look forward to seeing who you play a week from Sunday, and thanks so much for giving us your perspective on your program. We'll do our best. I really enjoy the time and appreciate it. Be sure to catch the live edition of the Doug Gottlieb show weekdays at 3 p.m. Eastern, noon Pacific.

All right, thanks so much for listening. This is the first in the litany of championship week crawling into the NCAA tournament with a little NBA thoughts, all-ball podcast. Remember, you can listen to the Doug Gottlieb show, weekdays, 3 to 6 Eastern, 12-3 Pacific. You can download the podcast for that, anywhere you download podcasts. And make sure you tell a friend that this is the place to where you get a lot of hoops knowledge. A lot of you have grabbed me at events or tweeted out. me or DM me on IG at Gottlieb Show and said how much you like it.

If there's things you want to hear, people you want to hear it on, don't be afraid to ask. And make sure you ask your question on Twitter at Gottlieb show. We'll answer all those questions upcoming. I'm Doug Gottlieb, and this is AllBalt. Thunderstruck adjective. Shocked and amazed by the power of fun on Carnival. Riding Bolt, the world's first roller coaster at sea. Brian got thunderstruck so hard, his 93-year-old grandmother felt it 3,000 miles away in Nebraska

and immediately booked a cruise. Hooray! Get thunderstruck starting at 289. Carnival. Choose fun. Cruise is a run U.S.S. dollars per person double occupancy. Taxes, import expenses, additional restrictions, apply, full details on carnal.com, ships, registry, Bahamas, Panama.

Last night, a blown call changed a game. This morning, the internet lost its mind, and nobody's telling you exactly what happened. That's where Sports Slice comes in. I'm Timbo, and every episode, we're cutting through the noise, breaking down the biggest moments in sports and giving you the real story behind the headline.

And we're going straight to the source the athletes themselves. Their locker room stories, their reactions in the moment and the stuff nobody gets to hear. Listen to Sports Slice on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more, follow Timbo Slicalife-Life 12

in the TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform?

We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. What's up, guys? This is Cliver Taylor the Fourth. And on my podcast, The Cliver Show, I'm bringing you conversations about all. kinds of stuff. Like being an internet famous referee.

We're in the middle of a game. This linebacker, this linebacker walks up to me, he goes, hey, ref, my mom wants you to wave at her. What? Quarterback on office blue 42. Hey, rep, my mama want you to wave at her.

What? Hey, Miss Parker. Listen to the Clippers show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. What's up, It's Isaiah Thomas. And I'm C.J. Toledano.

It's our favorite time of the year on our podcast, Point Game, the playoffs. We're digging into the biggest surprises of the season. And I'm looking back on some of my greatest playoff moments. If we didn't talk ever again, I was hungry. You just understood. That's how personal it got. Wow. Then after that game seven, Marquis keep coming to.

He's like, you know, I love you, dog. You know, it's all love. This was just playoffs. This was just basketball. So listen to Point Game on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed human.