The Herd with Colin Cowherd - All Ball - Pt. 1 : Former Knicks and Grizzlies HC David Fizdale on L.A. Hoops Upbringing, Heat Video Room with Spo, Pat Riley

Episode Date: April 20, 2021

In this episode, Doug reflects on Baylor taking it to Gonzaga in the national championship game, and is joined by former Knicks and Grizzlies Head Coach David Fizdale joins the pod - in the first of a two part interview - to discuss his L.A. hoops upbringing, playing college ball at San Diego, and how he got his big break as a video assistant with the Heat, and the time he sent Pat Riley home with a blank VHS scouting tape. 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. 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. Therapy is fantastic, but once again, it does not have a monopoly on healing. That's why I create the resources and that's why I create the community because I really just want you to have more access.

On the podcast, Cultivating Her Space, Dr. Dom and Terry Lomax create a space where black women can show up fully and be heard. It's tough because we're suppressing our emotions and so many of us are like high-achieving individuals. Listen to cultivating her space on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Gorsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King,

Recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real House Wise franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the T, everybody's talking about. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. I'm Joey Dardano, and on my new podcast, Hope from a Hypocrite, I'll be changing lives, helping people in need with thoughtful solutions. Sike, I'm a comedian. I'm not qualified to give good advice. Join me and my comedian friends as we riff, rant, recommend some of the most legally dubious advice known to me. This is Help from a Hypocrite, the worst advice from the dumbest people you know.

Listen to Help from a Hypocrite Wednesdays on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember all those big dreams used to have, and then life made other plans? With a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van, it's time to bring those dreams back, start your own business, or commit to van life with a Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van.

Now, you could win the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter mode four-by-four that we have. Enter the Dan Patrick Show, Ultimate Camping Rigs Sweepstakes. To enter, get official rules. Visit Danpatrick.com or Fox SportsRadio.com. Have to do it by February 2nd for your chance to win. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this Valentine's with 1-800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries,

gourmet treats and more. Surprise your Valentine with 1800flowers.com. Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for $3999 or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. That's 1-800flowers.com slash tune-in. Hey, what up? Welcome in.

I'm Doug Galdeman. This is All Ball. All Ball. Band, we have a great hot season. series. We have unbelievable pods lined up that you are going to love. Make sure you tell all your friends about this. David Fisdale will be my guest, the former Grizzlies and Nick's head coach, his journey, what went wrong in Memphis, what it was like to work with LeBron, what it was like during the ISO Joe era.

What happened with Eric Musselman when he got back into the NBA with the Golden State Warriors? There's so much stuff there. So much stuff. You're going to love this pod. You know, I haven't done a pod since the national championship game. You're like, well, that's kind of weird. No, we just, we had some in the can, and I mean, we did a lot, and I was a little crushed work-wise, and I wanted to kind of let it simmer.

And I have a lot of things to comment on, including the Tommy Lloyd hire, which I don't love considering the timing. And it has nothing to with Tommy. Like, I like Tommy. Who doesn't like Tommy's good guy? And I'm all for assistant coaches getting opportunities instead of the classic retread. but that's not a retread job. I felt like Damon Stodemeyer or Miles Simon had equal or better experience and they're part of the basketball family. And that's supposed to be, quote, a player's program.

That's they call themselves a player's program. And then you just shun the players in that program. Because a booster wanted Tommy Lloyd. That feels like a hard setup for Tommy and a bad deal for Damon and for Miles. That said, we haven't talked since the National Championship game. Everyone knows my infatuation with this Gonzaga team. and I got to tell you, I missed it. And my coaching buddies, especially in the Big 12, had it right.

And I had it wrong. They all said, like, look, Baylor is as good or better at most positions. They're crazy athletic. And while they might not be Gonzaga offensively at times, they're so much better defensively. And we're dropping this pod the day after Chet Holmgren, the number one prospect in America commits to play for the Zags. Probably have Drew Timmy back. We'll see what else they have around them.

And look, Chad Holmgren can defend the rim. And he'll be more than the, he's $1.95 now, probably $2.15 by the time we get to this time next year. That's reasonable 20 pounds in a year, considering he turns 19 years old here, May 1st. So with that mind,

they'll be right there to be a favor to get there. And the difference is, this is the big thing with Gonzaga and how I missed. And what I said about them forever up until this year. This year, I was so taken by how they played, how connected they were, the athleticism of their back court with Jai and with Jalen Suggs. That I missed it. Gonzaga has never been to a place where they can change how you play based upon their defense.

They can't take you out of what you want to do. could. Billanova could. North Carolina, when they won their national championship, Roy Williams, kind of similar to Gonzaga, that's always, but they have found a way with traps and they're a little bit more athletic across the board. You know, you go back and

they've always had a couple better defenders who were really, really good college players, maybe overdrafted because of it. I just look at it, and where I missed was Gonzaga couldn't take you out of what you want to do. Baylor could. Baylor was better. Do I think that the UCLA game and the dead legs played a part?

Absolutely. But I would also tell you that Baylor was just so much more athletic. And Gonzaga had such a struggle. And Drew Timmy, who was able to wheel and deal around everybody in college basketball, couldn't around their bigs. Couldn't. And then they all had to guard at the other end. Baylor was the better team.

Would it have been a better, more competitive? game if G. L. and Suggs hadn't gotten foul trouble early? Yes. Would have been a better, more competitive game if, you know, if Gonzaga hadn't been played such an incredible game late at night on Saturday to UCLA, yes. Would Baylor still have been better? I think so. I think so. I think so. I got more thoughts on hires and fires. I'm coming. But without further ado, I wanted you to hear this because we're getting ready for the NBA playoffs. And here's a guy who coached in college, he coached in the pros. He played in college. We grew up in,

we weren't close friends. We didn't play, but we played against each other some. He's a little bit of one year and a half, two years older than me. Here's part one of my sit down with former Knicks and Grizzly's head coach and David Fisdell. So Fizz, let's start at the beginning. Like when you first started hooping, you're a kid, where was it? I would say, I would say, I Obviously, L.A., South Central was probably the hugest part of my basketball influence. And it's funny, I was just talking to your guy off air. And I think about just that whole time of growing up in L.A. and the basketball of that time.

And I think about all of us, you know, because, yeah, we lived in a different part of L.A. And that's fine. But we always was in the gym together. you myself Jop Bond all of us kids always were in the gym together who've been competing against each other

and sharpened each other's swords so I look back at you know obviously L.A. and you know learning from you guys really was it was it was it challenge did you ever do Challenger's Boys Club did you do Victoria Park like

I remember Victoria Park was like for me that was huh? Yeah slam a jam is he that was That was our deal. Like we would go to Carson to play with Tyos in them and Joe Roseboro. And remember those guys?

All of those guys, right? And so, I mean, I just remember being a young kid doing that. It started for me on the west side, though, of L.A. at Robertson Park, where my junior high coach then elementary school, Al Baird's song, really, I don't know if people realize it, but was creating. his own little like talent code at Robertson Park in LA

and when I say that because now looking back on it and understanding what that means is I came out of that park with you had Cedric Sabalas, you had Chris Mills, you had Tina Thompson, you had many times,

people that obviously played high level college basketball that may not have played in the league, but I'm missing. Nick Smith, uh, uh, good God,

I'm really drawing a blank right now. But like basically, at the end of the day. Loran Ellis was at time as well. I'm trying to think who else was. I mean, there's so many guys, so many gals, Cynthia Cooper came through there. It was just so many people that was just in that little gym

competing and playing and going at it. And Sean Higgins, Kevin Ali. You know, I can keep going, like all in this one little gym. And so here I am a little kid, you know, Tina Thompson and myself, you know, constantly getting thrown into the fire, fighting for every second we get to get on the court, which you know is tough back in the day. That was the fun part about pickup.

I think a lot of these kids miss out on was what you had to go through, one, to get on the court and be respected as a person that can help a team win, you know, but two, to consistently be picked by an adult. And then all of a sudden now you're a staple at the park, and now you're starting to be able to pick teams. And like that transition of understanding your role at the park and understanding situations. Like if I got an average to below average shot as a kid,

I wasn't taking that to win the game because I knew most likely if I missed, I'd never get picked again, right? And so you start to learn your role really quick. Plus, if you lose, you sit. You sit forever. You might as well go to 7-11. Yeah.

Yes. So I, so I got always in Orange County. Yeah. And my dad was, you know, he's like a New Yorker. So he thought like the way to play basketball is to take, go to a park, get in a game and stay on the court, whatever. So he started taking me to Miles Square parks and found out. I remember. And the first wave was like at 7 a.m. So we'd get there like 645, whatever you're like shooting.

And they like take the first 10. I'd never get taken. Then dude start calling games and you're like four games back. And there was 14 guys there. Right? Like, whoa, whoa, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, 14 guys here, you know, because dudes wait for whoever the four best guys who lose. It was the best player.

So, it was the best player. Or they get somebody that comes up out of their car. They roll up right before the game, you know. So you're waiting, you're waiting, wait, and you finally get on. And then my dad would make sure, like, I would get the game. And they'd stay and watch the first game. If I win, you know, then he'd just take off. You're like, all you're good.

Here's five bucks. I'll come back later. Right. But it was the same thing. So, like, catty corner across. street you could go and get a uh you go get like a gatorade and maybe a pizza a piece of pizza or something and he gave me like five bucks and you know you call collect but hang up when you need to get picked up right hey i'm done that was my so um yeah so that's like my so okay then your first like

organized travel team was who the bmb spurs oh yeah absolute staple on the west side mike Morrison and George Steele and then my coach Albert song. That's where we all, we all end up moving from Robertson to Queen Ann Park, which was up off of Pico in Mid City closer to where Walt Hazard and his kids live. You know, you know, too. So they, so, so, uh, Khalil and, and, and, uh, and Rashid. All of them play for the spurs. Right, but they, they, then they went and came.

They played for us, too. Yep. Yes, yes, absolutely. So when I was... I mean, think about that for a second, right? Yeah. And there was the amazing thing about that family, if you think back. And it's hard for somebody to conceptualize it now. But here's a guy who is the point guard for John Wooden's first national championship team. He was the head coach of UCLA at the time, right?

And like, we used to go and hang out their house. I think it was in the Fairfax district, right? Yeah. And it was like nothing, like no big deal. We'd be running around the house. Like it was like, like he was just a regular old guy. Regular guy. You know, it's crazy because I still, I really stayed in contact with them.

You know, Doc is a big time music production now. Obviously, Grammy winner. He's won Grammys with M&M. It's amazing. Yes. You know, and then obviously Toots has coached in the NBA and is doing development stuff. He's coaching in the G League now.

And so I've stayed really close to them, man. And it was just the normal thing. You know, we'd be over there just messing around and we was in the house of a Hall of Fame, you know, groundbreaking, you know, guy. It was the fact that he was an African-American man who had done all of this too during those times. That was not something that just bad an eye at when you look at the long, now. No, honestly, honestly, and I mean this in all sincerity, I have a hard time understanding. a lot of it because it was just never a thing. With us.

No, it was never a thing. Like nobody, I mean, obviously I knew I was white and I knew they were black. Like, and I understood our culture was different. But there was no, it just, I, part of it is, and LA has always been homogenous, you know, like in many ways, especially in basketball. But it's weird. Like that is, we're talking about 35 years ago. And like, we.

have, it feels like it's worse? I don't know. It feels like it's worse now. It is. It is, Doug, because we don't, we're not neighborly like that no more. It was now that our, our, our tribes are pulling us apart again. And then, you know, we, we, we didn't, like you said, it wasn't about, at least in our little basketball world. It was just about, do you like to hoop or not? Yeah. You were a hooper. Do you care about hooping? You know, you're, I was saying your dad and Izzy Washington's and Rich Goldberg and all of these people, they were just about basketball. And so they provided us a platform,

one, that got us out of situations where we would have probably shouldn't have been. Sure. But, too, it gave us an opportunity to really, like, express ourselves in a positive way and really see, like you said, without knowing that we were learning lessons of tolerance and equity and looking at people seeing a positive way. ourselves and people at an age and didn't understand it, but we were seeing that early on. And that's why it's so easy to spot the other now because we had such an incredible environment of diversity. Cameron Sufi, Cameron Sufi is one of the best guards I've ever

played against in my life. Doesn't look like me, doesn't look like you, but is a baller. And he was ours, right? How about that by this one? So Cameron, like, we're going to We would go, we would, he grew up in Fountain Valley. Yeah. And we met him. I was playing at Miles Square Park. And like he was a little bit old to me, maybe a year old than me. And he couldn't get on the court, whatever.

My dad, like, helped him get on the court. We'd play together. We'd pick up like three old men, whatever. And then he became like a teammate. And I'd never forget, like, the first time I went to his house for dinner. Yeah. And we sat on the floor. And I was like, it was so cool.

It was so cool. and then just became normal, right? He's your family member. But again, like now it seems like a bigger thing that it was then. I don't, you know. Yeah, I just think people have gone into their tribes. I think information, the way it's being skewed now, there's so many things that divide us,

that easily can divide us. And I just think back then it was a simpler time. And it was a, I think people at, that point, too, was kind of taking the exhale from all of the race stuff and all of that. You know, there was an opening for consciousness during that stretch. I really feel that. And obviously, there's been a resurgence of the other stuff. But, you know, we just didn't.

It really wasn't in our face like that. It was in our face in the hood from the standpoint of how we were policed, you know. But even that, I didn't even look at it as racism. I just looked at it as just straight, just brutality, you know. It was like a power trip, I thought. It always felt like more of a power trip. Yeah, I always saw as a kid, I saw it as that. So, you know, that's why I just, I would never, you know, we just had such a,

I'm just so lucky and so blessed to have grown up in such a wonderful pocket of time in California, in Southern California, but with basketball, you know. It's interesting you say that because you were talking about Izzy, my dad, Rich Goldberg and those guys. And I'm sure, you know, like, I don't know, I still, I don't know what is he's, that was his job. Like my dad, he had his own like business after he got, you know, they got fired in Lombie State. But, you know, there's a bunch of different things that have happened that have changed

it. And now having my own little program, it's like, you know, I think the biggest thing is got people are, people have decided they can make money doing it. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal, but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, everyone. It's Ryder Strong and Will Ferdell from PodMeets World. And now the Pod Meets Twirled podcast. We're two men who were completely clueless to reality TV,

who now have covered Dancing with the Stars, traitors, and we're gearing up for the season finale of Survivor. So yeah, now we're experts. I know we annoyed a lot of our listeners by our severe lack of survivor knowledge. That is the point of the show. I'm just going to remind you. I have watched some Survivor. I obviously haven't watched enough.

Did people not like it? Like what was just because we? Yeah. We'll be recapping the big conclusion in the 50th season, from the final attempts at gameplay, to the desperate pleas of finalists to a bunch of ha-hoo. Ha-ha-hoo, ha-hoo, ha-hoo. Again, we are experts. So make sure to tune into Pod Meets Twirled for all our Survivor 50 takes.

Listen to PodMeets Twirled on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior, And that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier.

We're not becoming more social. connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually need people in connection. If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more.

Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break

down. Georgia accusing Kelly of sleeping with a married man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like it's going to be interesting. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real Housewise franchise. The drama, the alliances, and the team everybody's talking about.

As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just. watching it, I understand the game. As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Right? And so are you about the kid, you know, like you're carrying like 12 on a team, right?

Are you carrying 12 on a team because you're trying to help the kids? You're carrying 12 of the team because that's the way you make more money. You know what the status was. us back in the day for your pops and them, did my kid get a scholarship? Yes. That was the big deal. What's my kids ranking on Don Meade's scouting service?

Yes. My dad was so mad when Don Mead had me as a mid-major going into my junior summer. He's like, Donneed, he could, he can't evaluate, can't evaluate. I was like, I didn't care. Like, wait, mid-major? Like, I'm going to get a college scholarship? Like, that's cool. like, you're on mid-major. I can play Western Kentucky.

You know, like, I remember like, West Kentucky just sent me this long note. I was like, oh. Fox Sports Radio has the best sports talk lineup in the nation. Catch all of our shows at Fox SportsRadio.com. And within the IHard Radio app, search FSR to listen live. When was the last time you seriously considered your dream? Did something never thought you would do? How about live the van life and a totally customized Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van?

You could tour the country, whatever you want to dream up. And we're talking about Mercedes-Benz van here. Expect innovative safety features like cross-wind assist and blind spot assist. Expect performance and reliability with that MBUX voice command system. You're going to get five-star dealer network available with a gas engine. Now you could win your very own Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Mode 4x4. You entered the Dan Patrick Show Ultimate Camping Rigs sweepstakes. You go to Danpatrick.com or Fox Sports Radio.

And there you enter, get official rules for a chance to win this beautiful Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van. Danpatrick.com or Fox SportsRadio.com and you have to do so by February 2nd. Your dream is waiting for you. Danpatrick.com, Fox SportsRadio.com. Some equipment described is optional. This episode is brought to you by DirectTV Stream. Introducing DirecTV stream, the best of live TV and on-demand, which means you can get all your favorite sports, movies, and shows together. So you can watch new episodes of your favorite reality shows live or binge old episodes on demand.

Either way, get ready for some drama. And the best part, DirecTV Stream has no annual contract. DirectTV Stream. Get your TV together at DirectTV.com. Requires high-speed internet and compatible device. Content varies by package and location restriction supply. 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. Dipers and toys are everywhere. Ooh, 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 does. 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 fam favorite. Don't sweat the small stuff. Just mail 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.gov slash the right seat. Brought to you by Nidza and the Ad Council. B&B Spurs were nice. So who do you, give me some dudes who on the squad. So on my team, it was Todd Whitehead. Yes. We stole him at some point, play with us.

Yeah, Todd ended up going to the Candy Bulls and to you guys out there. Yes. By the way, Tiny, still working dudes out, the Caney Bulls. I'm having to come down work my kids out this week. Tiny's great. Tiny is awesome. But on my exact team was Alexis Scrux, Kevin Alley, Chris Ford.

You got you and Kevin Alley to say backward? I didn't start. Of course not. My eighth grade, I couldn't get, I couldn't start on that team because you had Chris Ford, who was the L.A. City player at a year for two years at Fremont, who I played with later. And Kevin Ali, and that was the back court. We had a guy named La Belle Hall. Sure.

Who was big old guard. And so in the eighth grade, I had to wait to get my turn in the ninth grade to start and play. But I played a lot, but still it wasn't like, but, Those are the guys, that was the group of guys that had a kid named Chris Kaufman, who was really good on the team. Who am I forget, Joey Drake, who played at Crenshaw, a kid named a Chabee, who was really good. God, we had a good team. It was us, and the rival in the city was us in K&E. So K&E had Dwayneem Bradbury, they had Manute, Kevin Bill, all the dudes that went to Manuel.

They had Todd, who was one of their best players. Robert Moore, who was the guy that kept me on the bench at Fremont, the point guard that kept me on the bench at Fremont. I mean, they were really good. See, but what would have happened now was you would have gone to switch teams. And then if you went to Fremont and you didn't play, you would have gone to switch schools. Now, look, in fairness, like, I played for my pops, so I probably played a little bit before I should have, but, you know, but and then I was good, you was a, you, I, I, I, I was back on the

line, you could hoop like. I, so, but, but it's like I told my son is, you know, he, he, he just turned 12 and we're going to have to hold him back because he's so little. And anyway, he, um, uh, he was like, well, in sixth grade, you won a national championship. I was like, hold up. I got picked up to run with Rich Goldberg squad, because of, because of, you. we had this Samoan dude, Lorenzo Liloa, who was like six feet, had a mustache. And they took me, I was like, I barely played, dude. Cameron Murray was a better player. Alex, Alex Lopez, Brooke and Robbins brother was 6'6.

He was better, right? Like, people don't know about him, but they got an older brother who's R.A. That's a baller. So, like, he's like, you want to ask Jim to him to him? I was like, he's, I barely played. Like, I went. I had a good time. Yeah.

I barely played. Like I wasn't that good. And then at my dad's A-U team, I was the backup point guard. We had Jimmy Harris who went to LMU. And I- He drove me crazy at LMU. I played against them three years of the USDA. All right.

So you go to Fremont. Yeah. Okay. Who's the coach of Fremont? Sam Sullivan, who was my second cousin. It's the only reason I went because I was going to, everybody was going to Crenshaw.

And a few of the guys from the Spurs, Chris Ford, had went and a kid named Curtis Presley, who I played with, went to Fremont. And it turns out, you know, I didn't remember it, but I realized, oh, God, my cousin is the coach there. And he, he and Keith Young came to visit my mom because my mom, we were on the west side of L.A. You know, Fremont is all the way right on the border of Compton and Watts and all of that stuff. So my mom, my cousin came over there and was like, look, if you put, if you let me take them,

I'll take good care of him. I'm not going to give them any free passes. I'm going to keep my foot up his butt, not, but I'll keep an eye on it. And so that made my mom feel good, so I ended up going to school on the other side of town of Fremont. What was she like in terms of, like, you obviously are a hooper, you loved it. What was she like with you through this time?

Glenn, she was very, she allowed me to really go after it. She never gotten away of that. Because the good part was my older brother had gotten a scholarship to play football. football at the University of Hawaii. And so he was a great kind of pat, he like paved the road for me, you know, from that regard. So it wasn't an easy, it wasn't a hard track with my mom from a sports standpoint when she saw what sports can end up doing for someone and the life that it can provide. But what she always tried to stay on me about was, you know, knowing who I was while doing

this thing. She used to just always say it's not who you are. It's something you do. She just used to always remind me of that. And I didn't realize it until now, after a whole lot of suffering, losing two jobs and, you know, a lot of ups too. But when you suffer, you really start to dive into yourself. And the lesson she was trying to teach me about ultimate goal of really understanding who you are, it's really played. out now as a father, as a husband, as a, you know, a guy who coached and has won and lost. So, you know, she was amazing from that regard. And, you know, in that environment, you know, and that's in my neighborhood in L.A.,

it was really violent, really violent. You know, Tina Thompson and I lived in the same apartment building. And in our neighborhood, crack had hit. And it was just, it was the Wild West. Drive-bys every other day. fights all the time, you know, crack heads everywhere. You know, the movie, the show Snowfall is a great example of what L.A. was like, you know, in that time.

And so for her to, I don't know, navigate that, working two jobs, raising three kids, you know, and somehow us staying safe and becoming in that environment, you know, there's no way she's not a special person because of how she did it. How did you, how did you come to choose USDA? It fit. It just, it felt right. My grandfather was a big part of my life, my mom's dad, and we did all of my home visits at his house.

Now, obviously, they recruited me on the phone. They were great. Randy Bennett and I, I mean, it was like immediate Randy Bennett and I were like connected. He's, we're so different in this, that, but just in talking to him and the way he would allow you to be yourself in his presence and still help you. And he was amazing that way. So we connected and then Coach Egan and I really hit it off, but then Coach Egan hit it off from my grandfather. And I mean, some great coaches came to the house. Carol Williams, Dick Davy came to the house, you know, John Olive and people like that came to the house.

you know, you was recruited by a lot of these people and higher. But you're talking about high-level coaches, great people. This was when coaches really had the reputation of who, you know, they had solidified themselves a lot of these guys. And so it was cool for that for me to go through that process and have my grandfather and my mother there with me to figure it out. But it was easy, man. I knew going to the visit.

I started, my first visit was USDA. I didn't take another visit. I know I have to visit. So you're in the WCC at that time. Yeah. What people need to remember is, okay, this is fresh off LMU, right? And then going to lead eight and playing a different style, right? Beau.

Pepper Dine has dudes, right? Pepper Dine has dudes. Doug Christie. Yes. Dana Jones, who knocked us out of the city championship at North Hollywood, who was a hell of a player. They got two. They,

Lopez. Oh, my God. I still had bad dreams about him. I mean, Gonzaga wasn't even a player then. They weren't really. That was right. That was good. Right.

Santa Clara got, that was when they first got Nash. And they all of a sudden they got in together. And then what was the other guard who played major league baseball? They had. John Woolery from L.A. who played at the B&B Spurs with me. He was his back court made his first two years.

Long. defensive guard lefty and then Marlon Garnett who eventually was the player of the year in the WC played in the back court with him after John graduated who went to Hamilton High who now coaches for the Atlanta Hawks sits behind a bench and then obviously you know who else played there Lloyd Pierce yes was at Santa Clara who was I remember first time he called a lob behind me over me whatever you want to call it like somebody put a rocket up his ass good brief. But yeah, they were loaded. They were good. Yes. And Dick Davy was the coach. So they were, they were phenomenal. Right. But like St. Mary's wasn't, it's so weird, like how that whole thing

has changed. St. Mary's wasn't very good. But it came towards the end of my time, St. Mary's became good because that's when they got. Now the big dude. Yes. Sufi, Sufee was the point guard on that team and wanted a tournament. Yes. Crazy. Ended up getting good. What was, so you get there and people forget like back then that was before the slim gym you guys had that you guys played in a bad high school gym had a stage on one side oh stage on one side stands at your division one program in san diego stage on one side and so your first year you show up playing for hank egan what was it like brutal would not let me sniff the court i was too flashy too pig headed in his eyes this is how he saw and he was probably right. And my argument to him was every time I would win a drill or he would have to kick

me out of practice because I was telling somebody I'm kicking your ass was, my argument to him was you knew this about me already. So you brought me here. Why did you sign me if you didn't sign by that was my attitude, you know, and what I didn't realize what he was trying to do was he He was trying to take me somewhere else. He was trying to chip away at things that was probably going to end up hurting me later and try to get me to think outside of that. Now, it wasn't always the most tactful way to do it because I really, you know, just to be really honest about it, I just didn't deal with a white man yelling at me well.

No question. Because, one, I'm half white and my father left when I was a kid. And all I was raised around was black men and I had this. revital and this ego about it that was you don't get to talk to me like that or you don't get to tell me what to do. Now, if the same thing happened with my high school coach or a black coach, they can call me a piece of crap and I would just take it. But for whatever reason, that racial issue stood there with me and Hank early on. I couldn't take it. And eventually when I think when it finally, when the suffering got so much and I said, all right, this is how it's going to be.

and I tried to go home and tell my mom I wanted to transfer to UC Irvine with Todd and Rob Baker and all of those guys. My mom looked at me like I had crap on my face and she was like, are you crazy? She was like, you think I'm going to let you quit? She was like, you committed to those people. They didn't say it was going to be easy.

You're staying. And I stuck it out. I went back the next year of my sophomore year. It started off a little bumpy and lo and behold, by five or six games into the season. I started, and I never looked at. Who's your first start against?

Do you remember? I don't. I think it was in, I know what triggered it. I just don't know the team that it was, but I know what happened. We went to New York for the Seton Hall tournament. And it was us, Seton Hall, Stanford, and Manhattan. And I played my tail off coming off the bench.

And it just got to a point where even the players was telling coach. Like, look, man. we got to start this dude and we want to follow him you know and so that ended up being the thing that changed it and you know it was cool though because now I look back on that team and I had a bunch of NBA guys playing right there next to me they didn't plan in the league but they ended up coaching or GM in and you know all of that kind of stuff so you know it was fun being a part of that leading with him and then Hank left me Hank goes to the spurs and he turns into the pop's top assistant And then I had to start over with Brad Holland, which was all.

Okay. Okay. Do you want to know what game was? Which one was it? Okay. So you didn't start the first 10 games in years. There you go. Okay.

You didn't start the first 10 games of the year. So let me count it. One, two, three, four, five, eight, nine. Yep, Manhattan. You beat Manhattan by three. And that was big. In Jersey. Yeah.

And then I think it was Drake at home. That makes sense. Yeah. You lost a Weber State. Oh, yeah. Played Drake, and that was your first start. There it is. And I never left you guys.

Okay, so, okay, let me test your memory on this. Do you remember losing a Pepperdine in the tournament championship to go to the NCAA tournament, your junior year? Your sophomore year. Yep. I botched a shot. Not ready to take the big shot. I threw up a brick. We pushed it.

It was a three-point. game with the ball. They were up three. We had the ball. I was running a high pick and roll with Brooks Barnhart, our picking pop big. He slipped out and everybody went with him. And never in the whole time of the timeout of my time out on court, did I ever put it in my mind? I might have to take this shot. I had my mind made up. I was getting off of it and I shot it and it was a brick and the game was over. and it sticks with me to this day about being present. It's always been a lesson I've kept with me about, you know, look at the moment from here, not from here.

But yeah, that one stuck with me for a long time. Because, too, what else was, I always kind of in my gut was Steve Nash and what he did the year before at Santa Clara. You know, Steve took Santa Clara. he was a big part of him going to the tournament and beating Arizona the year before. And so I'm like, damn, I ain't barely played my freshman year. Here is this guy.

I passed on Santa Clara. This guy comes in. He does all of this great stuff. He's like this big-time player. I'm like, I got to match this guy. I got to get there. And sure enough, I'm at the window of it. And it don't happen. And it was just like, oh, my God, I kept replaying. I can't tell you how many times I watched that play.

I dream that play over and over again. So Brad comes in. Yeah. Completely different dude than Hank Egan. Oh, totally different. But still the same basketball morals, I would say, the same basketball. Explain. Well, it just felt like you don't cheat the game.

You don't cheat the game. You don't cheat your teammates. You don't cheat the work. It's bigger than you. It was always that attitude of it's bigger than you. Brad. Okay, but if you think about it now, okay, so, so look, you had what you class would call dad issues and being yelled at by an older white dude.

Now, Brad's much younger, a good looking guy, UCLA, confident, very confident, right? So, but it's your team. Like, hey, man, I just, I'm a point guard, your team. What was that, what was that like? Right. So nowadays, you would have left. you would have i'm gonna go i'm gonna go to sec i'm gonna go to ucel i'm a starting point guard i'm gonna go somewhere or i'm gonna go somewhere you know i'm gonna follow an assistant see if randy goes to pepper dine

i'm gonna go there whatever okay so but but back then so you guys butt heads what what was what was it like it was it was i think it was it was so you if you go back to what we talked about before. I had now felt an attachment to go to Egan. Yes. Because we went through that circle. Right. And now I finally got to this place with this guy where the mutual respect was there. The ground was laid for our relationship to really bloom and to take off.

The walls were down. The understanding was there. And now I had to go through that whole process again. But with a more. and had done more and had much, you know, he won an NBA title. Brad Holland was a big part of Lakers winning a title. Like, he had big games in the finals. And so this, you know, and he had his way.

And he had, you know, and so it was like, I never took a step back out of it to empathize with his situation. He kept the whole staff, you know, now I'm older and understand what that means to keep A whole staff. He kept Randy, kept Kyle Smith, who's an awesome coach that we know up in Washington State. You know, Mike Hop, who's a big time high school coach at St. Augustine and San Diego now. All of those guys stayed on the staff. Brad didn't bring his own guys.

He didn't get into any of that stuff. So he just basically threw himself into an environment where it was already set up. And I never gave him the benefit of the doubt early on to. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all,

embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey everyone, it's Ryder Strong and Wilfredel from PodMeets World. And now the Pod Meets Twirled podcast. We're two men who were completely clueless to reality TV, who now have covered dancing with the stars, traitors, and we're gearing up for the season finale of Survivor.

So yeah, now we're experts. I know we annoyed a lot of our listeners by our severe lack of survivor knowledge. That is the point of this show. I'm just going to remind you. I have watched some Survivor. I obviously haven't watched enough. Did people not like it? Like what was...

Yeah. Just because we... Yeah. We'll be recapping the big conclusion in the 50th season from the final attempts at gameplay to the desperate pleas of finalists to a bunch of...

Ha, hoo. Ha ha, ooh. Again, we are experts. So make sure to tune into PodMeets Twirled for all our Survivor 50 takes. Listen to PodMeets Twirled on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

If you're watching the latest season, of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know, there's a lot to break down. Georgia accusing Kelly of sleeping with a married man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew. Pinky has financial issues. I like the bougie style of Housewives show. I think it looks like it's going to be interesting.

On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality shows, including the Real House Wise franchise, the drama, the alliances, and the team. everybody's talking about. As an executive producer in reality television, I'm not just watching it. I understand the game.

As somebody who creates shows, I'll even say this. At the end of the day, when people are at home, they want entertainment. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app,

Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. The story I've told myself about love or relationships can then shape my behavior. and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown

and explore the journey of healing, self-discovery, and returning to yourself. We explore higher consciousness, emotional well-being, and the practices that help you find clarity, peace, and self-mastery in a world that can feel overwhelming. The world is becoming lonelier. We're not becoming more social and social. connected. We're becoming more individualized, but we actually need people in connection.

If you've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole, this podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the Iheart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. You know, or empathize with his situation at all. All I could think about was me in that situation. Right. And how this was going to affect me. And so it was, it was, early on, it was, it was a who, who's right, right? I'm trying to show him I'm right. He's right. He's trying to put his stamp on the program. So we were argue, it got, and it came to a head and, uh, I never forget who was at Denzada. And right or wrong, it don't matter, but we ended up running a

play out of balance, play baseline out of bounds to tie. the game late to beat them and they were really good. I mean, sensational. And they, and the play went wrong. And he went off on me about it. And it was just, I was pissed about the play. Everybody was pissed about playing. And it's just the timing of it all.

It just ended up. And he grabbed my arm, not in a, like, I'm going to hurt you with. But just grabbed me. And we just, we was here. It just reminded me so much. And that's why I thought I was easy for me to help D. Wade through that time with him as Spoh Buddyheads in the playoffs because I just remember that thing that just,

that straw that broke the camels back in that moment. And, I mean, we was basically squared up in a locker room after the game. Randy Bennett had to pull us apart. And when it was over, we sat down like normal human beings and we started talking through it. And from that day on, it was. just immediate love, like immediate. Like, it was like we had to go all the way to this boiling point.

Yes. To get to a place where we start to understand each other and love each. Well, it's probably, it's probably, you know, you both are like that. You're kind of wired the same way where, like, not just type A, but you need, you needed somebody to stand up to you and he needed you to stand up to him in order to respect you, right? Nobody wants to push over. And another thing, too, you got to think about, like, part of me being that, okay, here's this guy now who established himself as the team leader, the point guard, all of that.

And now there's new guys coming in. It's like, I got to, without knowing that he had to go through this goblet of earning all of our respect, right? The staff, the players. And so he came in, like, chest out. I'm Brad Holland. I'm this guy. You should respect me because I just wanted Fullerton. and, you know, I played in the league in UCLA,

and he had all of that. And he's right. He had a freaking resume, you know. And so here I am trying to be that guy that stands up for the team almost. And so like, and it was just all the wrong way of going about it, but you learn, you know, you learn, you learn. And it just ended up, you just don't know how it goes in your life.

The same guy who I was face-to-face with in the locker room, who knows-to-nose, hired me back from the Miami Heat when I was an intern with Spoh, brought me back to USD to be a coach on his staff and jumpstarted my coaching career. And so you just don't know in these moments who's going to do what later on in your life. But if you can eventually just kind of see it for what it is and really realize, you know, love for people for who they are and just end up building good relationships, stuff happens along the way that, you know, you end up in a great place.

Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with 1-800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your valentine with 1-800flowers.com. Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for $39.99, or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10 more. Go to 1-800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1-800flowers.com slash. Tune in. 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 Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the Ad Council. 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 Discovertheforest.org. Brought to you by the United States Forest Service and the ad council. Okay, so you lose your last game to Portland.

It's the last game you're... Yep. Dionne Houghton. He haunted my dreams, a little pit bull from Long Beach. I'll never forget it. It was brutal. He sat in the locker room for a long time. Mike Brown sat in the locker room with me for a long time.

He was there a scouting. and this is before he took off. He was just getting into the NBA. He was an interned with Bernie and Denver and had started scouting for Washington. And he sat back there with me and we talked and basically scooped me up off the ground because you know, you went through it that last game

and you don't know. Especially if you don't know if you're going to get to that next place. You know, like for me, it was... Well, even if you do, even if you do. Even if you do, even if you do. It doesn't matter. It don't matter, right? There's this speech that Bo Schembeckler gave one time before the Ohio State game to Michigan.

And he said, it's all about the team. He said, you'll never be a part of another team. I want to get to this in a second with you with the championship teams you're a part of. But he said, you know, when you go professional, you're playing for your family, you're playing for a contract, you're playing for yourself. This is your last chance to be a part of a team. And I'm sure there was. some family and how LeBron did it, made it as close to the collegiate feel as you could.

But you're still going home to your wife and your kids and it's still not the same, whereas these people you lived around, you grew up around, you earned their respect, they earned your respect. You know, they were, that's your family. And that's why they hired you back, right? Because your family. Yeah. I just remember sitting in a locker room in Syracuse, New York, we lost in lead aid.

And I was looking at Joe Atkins, who's from Oklahoma City. and you know and and and joe and i you know he hated me when i first got there because he thought like i was i came in to play point and he was a thought he's a point guard and we played together three years and we had a we had an absolute like i mean i threw him into the chair we had like an absolute fight like the first week of practice sounds like after that we were boys and you know like if he was in trouble right now i would get on a plane fly wherever he was and help him out right But I just remember looking around in the locker room like, man, I love these dudes. I do not want to leave this place.

It's just such a devastating feeling. It was a, yeah. So you're in that place. What next? What happened next? So I still had two classes left. And the school was a one. And you work at me off the hook.

And so they said we're going to pay for it. You stay on and coach with the staff. You know, Coach Holland was going to let you do volunteer work. So I ended up working with the coaching staff for a semester. And all of that time, I'm practicing with the team as a coach because I'm trying to get in shape to go play. I'm thinking I want to still play. You know, I was just all conference and I was top 10 in assists in the country.

and I'm thinking, okay, I think I got a chance to at least make some money at it. I wasn't ready to go into anything else. And I ultimately had to stop coaching with the team because I wasn't in class anymore. I got my degree. And now the second semester of the year, I'm literally working. And this is, I still look back on this is probably one of the most fondest points of my life is I'm living in a shack across the street from the college in this area called the dog patch. It's like this little one and a half, one bath, nothing. I mean, men and my boy, Tom was paying like 500 a month total to live in this place.

I was a dump. This guy that just was a student at USDA. He was just this cool cat and I became friends with light jazz. He's old white cat, cool as hell. But he was responsible. I knew he was going to have his 250 every month, you know, the whole. All right. So I'm living in this place.

I'm working at the airport for UPS loading and unloading UPS cargo packages out of the planes so I would get there at 4.30, I would ride my bike to the airport. I didn't have a car. I got a degree. I don't have a car. I ride my bike to the airport 4.30 in the morning for conditioning, which was like an hour ride. I get there. They always threw me in the plane because I was the biggest dude there.

I would have to, it would be 18 or so cargo holders, which is like the exact same shape of the inside of the plane, but it holds 1,800 pounds of packages. And I will pull them off, slide them onto this thing. They take them on, put them on the trucks, send them on their way. Go home after three or four hours of that, making a little over minimum wage, eat, take a nap, wake up, go to the school, lift, work on my, game, play pickup, go back to the airport for the evening and take the packages off the truck, put them onto the plane to go out that evening. And that was my job. And I did that for about six

months and I got a deal to go to play in Paris or in France and France, Division II. And right when I'm about to leave, two of my boys came home, got sent home from France, from France. these dudes could flat out score the ball. I mean, like, I couldn't score. Like, that just was not my forte. You couldn't score, I couldn't score. We could pass the hell out of it. We could guard.

We could run the team. Couldn't score. So I'm like, oh, my God, am I really about to go over here for like two weeks, three weeks? They realized I can't score. Then I'm coming right back home. And I don't know where my phone rings. Mike Brown calls me.

He says, I don't know what you got going on. He goes, but I got a buddy that's the video coordinator in Miami. He just lost his intern. If you want to get into coaching and do it kind of how I've gone about it, you know, go through the video room and move into NBA coaching. He was like, this will be a great opportunity to do it. He said, you can go back and play after this if you don't like it. He was like, but you might want to take a look at this.

I said, well, I'll talk to the guy. I get on the phone with what now we know is Eric Sposter. as a young 25-year-old in the video room, he hits me up. We're chatting it up. And I sit down and kind of go through to take my ego out of it. And I said, you know, I can just do this right now and put, you know, I can come back and hoop. Lo and behold, I go to Miami and the rest is history.

I ended up bagging hooping and I just went on the coaching route. So, okay, so you show up Miami. Suppose in the video room. Okay. Who else on the staff? The staff that year was Stan Van Gundy was the top assistant, who I'd love deeply and dearly. Bob McAdoo, who was on the staff even with me for a long time, who was just like a blood brother to me, and Jeff Best Delick, who I loved at death, who's an incredible coach that we know. People that's in basketball circles know that Jeff Best Delic is one of the best minds.

And Tony Farentino, who ended up doing TV after that. TV, right? Yeah. Yep. And that was really it because staffs were small. Keith Askins was on the team. Tim Hardaway, Senior, Zoe, Dan Marley, P.J. Brown.

Ike Austin. Bishop Leonard. I know I'm forgetting somebody. Mark Strick. Franklin. Okay. I need I need a couple of validation of a couple of stories, Miami stories. Then these are these are these are these are ones that are okay being broadcast. Right. So I'm with the Lakers in summer league or maybe I would go to there. I did like three different since like vet mini camp. I was in their summer league one year. I never forget never forget that

Ike was like yo young buck whatever you do don't go to my name. I was like, why? Man, he's like, you get to training camp. They take care of you, but you can't leave the gym. He's like, what are you talking about? He's like, Pat sets up shop and you can't, you don't leave the gym. You go like three a day. He's like, best shape my life.

Took years off my career. That's what he said. It took years off my career because we went so hard on that training camp. True or false? A lot of truth. I don't agree with Austin that it took years off his career. I think he saved his career because he's. weighed about $3.50.

Yes. And Pat and them, that's when weight and body fat became a real thing, you know, conditioning tests and all of that stuff. And so, yeah, at three a day it was probably something Pat would do every now and there because he's crazy like that. But I also think that it's a part of why we recognize Ike Austin as the player that he was too is because Pat got all that weight off of him. Yeah.

And got him to a peak conditioning level where he could really show. highlight is talent, you know, but yeah, not messing around. What was that, okay, like, okay. Oh, by the way, I wasn't allowed in the gym. So, you know, so, okay, so what was, you remember the first time, remember, you're from LA, yeah, he's LA. Yeah. Magic was the biggest thing on Earth, and Pat Riley was probably the second biggest thing.

They were just planets. They were, they were their own planets, right? Okay. So, like, you show up and you're a video dude for Pat Riley. Now, here's the other story. So Buzz told me, he's like, you want to know what the NBA is like? I was like, yeah, tell me. This is back when he was at Air Force, I think.

Right. He told me a story. He said, he remember being on the team playing, doing the advanced scout. And I think Jeff was on the staff, maybe Stan was in the staff, whatever. He can't remember who else was. And he said, I looked up from watching some video and taking notes, writing stuff down. And I said, who did we play? tonight and he's like they were like you know we played charlie did we win yeah who do we play tomorrow

they're like to play the nets are they he's like all right what day is it he's like he didn't know who they played or what day it was he just knew he had the net scout and it better be right and that was all that matter that was it that was his entire world it was it was so what's it like And he was the best at it. Okay, but what's it like is a video guy? Because you can't screw it up because if you screw it up, then he screws it up. So let me give you a great screw up. My one and only screw up for my idol, Pat Riley.

So here it is this young kid from L.A., just like you, all the championships, all the parades, showtime is everything. Do you think people have a healthy respect for how? big that was, right? Like, because of the last dance documentary, the Jordan era, I think people start to understand how big it was. I would tell you that while magic now may not be as big as Jordan, obviously, but Magic and Bird were the league. And Pat Riley was the coach of the league. Like, he was showtime. It was electricity. It was the only place you could watch a game. game. This is how I described the Lakers. The Lakers look like they played outside. That's good one.

That's good. I like that. Go back and look at the form and how it lit up and the electricity in the building and the beautiful people and all the shiny and it was just like they were hooping at Venice Beach. It was like the wind was blowing through the form. That's what it reminded me of. It was perfection. It was basketball beauty at its finest. And you had this. unbelievably charismatic winner that held the ball and the guy that was leading them. And it was just this perfect, it couldn't have came together better, right? It couldn't ask for the perfect formulation of two people with Pat and Magic and their personalities and their persona and what they stood for and how they wanted to play and just,

it was beautiful to grow up in that. And I really believe, I deeply believe this. I believe you do what you do and I do what I do. And all of our crew of that group had a lot of it has to do with what we witnessed from UCLA, growing up as kids and understanding about John Wooden and ultimately what is still for to be a winner. And the Lakers, they put something in all of us as hoopers where we didn't just settle for being like, no, we got to win. We had to win.

It wasn't like just being a good hooper. Like we was going after each other every time we played. It was always about pushing each other. It was always about trying to achieve this incredible level. And so, you know, now here it is. I get moved into Miami. I'm an intern. And I'm in the video room.

And my job is to put videotapes in all of these VCRs and record the games. All of these copies, Stan's copy, Pat's copy, Bob McAdoo. It says it on the, I make the labels to put on the VHS. And I put them in and I hit the remote and boom, we record the game, the live feed. Games over. I get the guys they tape. We're going to, we're in a video room grinding. We would never leave before midnight.

And Spow's phone rings. This is a, I think Spow had just gotten his first cell phone. None of us had cell phones. And I hear him, and Spoh's pace drops. And he turns and he looks at me and he goes. I was, dude, we're in big trouble. And I'm like, what? He's like, that was Pat.

And I'm like, what happened? He's like, you sit Pat home with a blank tape. I can't even tell you how far this all fell out of my butt. Like, it was like everything dropped out of my butt. Like, and I just was like, oh, my God. Like, first of, Pat did not even talk to me other than, what's up, kid? You got that tape.

That was like the literally the extent of our dialogue that year was a couple of those. Hey, where's Spoh at? Hey, make sure he gets me these tapes. So here's this is Pat Riley, who I'm still like he hasn't spoken to me in a way that makes me feel at ease. I've given him a blank tape. I have to take the tape, the new tape, and drive it to his house and the gables. And Spoke tells me, hey, put it in his mailbox. he'll come out and, you know, he'll come get it.

Right when I'm about to put it in the mailbox, the big gate opens and he comes walking out. What do you say? Thanks to take from me. Put his hand on my shoulder. He goes, David, it's okay. Mistakes happen. If you ever do it again, pack your shit.

Turns and walks back into his big old. corner lot to stay in the gables. I jump back in Spos, little red Subaru station wagon and I speed back to the video room and Spos like... Still no car? No car. I couldn't afford a car. I couldn't afford it. The one I had broke down in Cali. I had an 83 regal and it held on until it couldn't. And then what was I going to drive that from Cali to Miami? It was like, what can I do? I got around on the Metro. Spoh drove me around. I rode bikes. I figured. I figured it out. I figured it out.

And I made $600 a month. I made $600 a month. And I lived with a good friend of ours who gave me a room for just the cost of utilities. Thank God. And I had a little bitty room. And I literally just, I made it work. I just made it work. And you know what else save my life?

The heat had a card that they got from Hooters that gave you like 50, 60 percent off of everything. So I lived at Hooters, basically. None of the girls liked me because I was broke and I was always pulling out this half-off car, but I got to eat a lot of different stuff on the Hooters menu. So that was like my nutrition for that year. And Spoh was right next to me because he was broke in the car. He was driving. He was holding on for dear life.

How did you get elevated? When did that happen? Say that again. When did you get elevated? So I had a chance to stay with the heat that year. And I just knew I didn't want to do video no more. I just was like I learned a ton. Like I couldn't even tell you.

It was like going to college. The education I got in one season. And then the relationship I built with the guy I was sitting next to every day. It was incredible. But I just knew like immediately at the end of that year, I was like, God, I want to get back on to the basketball floor. I want to get back on because it was different than like, like I didn't even go on the floor with Stan Van Gundy when he would work out guys to

rebound. Spoh was the rebounder for him. They kept it tight and they still keep it tight. They don't let you just anybody come in the gym. And so I never got to even, you know, exhaust that part of just wanting to be out on the court during that year. And so I was like, I got to get back on the gym. court and Brad called.

Randy went to St. Mary's, I want to say, is what happened. I think that year, once somebody left the staff and then the third assistant opened up. And I went back to San Diego and I moved up every year. We had a good staff and every year somebody left, I moved up. And the last year I was up at the top assistant, Fresno State Hall and offered me a job there and I felt like that was it was the right time to get out of my comfort zone and really recruit a whole different player because USDA you was pigeonholed into the kid had to be like a straight-A student like you know SAT, A-C-T top scores all of the stuff where at Fresno you just had to

have a pulse so it was like you know I would I jumped into a whole different pool of kids J-C kids kids that had hard hard you know upbringing like you know kids that I can actually grew up. Related. Yeah. That was much more who I was on a cultural level, on a how I grew up level, like all of that stuff. So that year was also a really good for me to, from a gross standpoint, because I worked

with Ray Loebts, who was Kelvin Sampson's protege, but Bob Burton, who I know, you know of, was, you know. Great junior college coach. Oh, great junior college coach. Cal State Fullerton, the whole deal. And then Andy Newman, who ended up being. his assistant is a really close friend of mine who's out here in Cal. Yeah, Pomona Pitzer.

He's at one of these schools out here. I always, damn forget he going to kill me. San Bernardino. That's where I think he's at. And they were just such unbelievable coaches. And so that progression ended up leaving me there. And then just out of nowhere, a USDA alum hit me looking for a player development guy, Eric Musselman, who we all know very well.

well now after what he just did this year, called me up and said, Fizz, you know, I know we don't know each other well, but we brothers and alums, we terreros, and I want you to come up an interview for my player development job. Think about that for a second, though, okay?

Think about this for a second. USDA, who the only year USDA made the tournament was when my boy, Jason Keepe was there, right? Who I don't recruit. I recruit Jason Keepe to come back. And, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and,

he's doing tattoos. I don't know where he's doing, tattoos. Arizona, I think. I think he's in Phoenix was the last place I saw. The craziest shit is this. This dude is doing tattoos out of the people. And he showed up on campus at Oklahoma State with the worst tattoo in the history of tattoo. So here's this. Here's the story. And I mean, he's going to have me out of another pot. So it is summer is this time of the year. It's like just before May, probably April, maybe first week in May. And then. there's a weekend where we bring in recruits because they have,

it's the Delta Dunk because a fraternity has a five-on-five tournament on dunk ball hoops. Right. It's fun. Now, we don't get to play in it. But, and then sororities have like a beach volleyball tournament, and we played in that. So, uh, coach comes in, maybe, maybe it was one of the assistants came in. And they, like, have like a one sheet on the player who's coming in. And, hey, man, like, you're going to.

to host him and you guys all take him out. So like, hey, we need, we got a big dude coming in this week from college in Northern Idaho. Now, coach had a long time ago been at college of Southern Idaho. We're like, Northern Idaho. This is a polar bear. Right. Like, no, this dude is, he's 611. He's 265, 270 pounds. He's jacked. He worked on an oil rig. We're like, all right, I'm kind of in here. Like, I want to see this guy. So this dude comes in, shaved head. Looks like America History X, right? And we're like, hey, we're going to go play in this. volleyball tournament like you want to come. It's like come on and play.

All right. So we start drinking and I mean, it's out in the sun. There's girls. We all take off our shirt. So dude takes off his shirt. And he's big and pretty jack. And I was like, yo, what's that on your arm? He's like, it's my signature.

I was like, bro, you're missing a D. It said big daddy, right? D-A-D-Y was the tattoo. Like, yeah, what? Did you run out of money? Did you, did you not? not pay the guys. No, no, no, I wanted it that way. So I still, we will get to the bottom of the story because when he got to USDA, I know he got it covered up with some other thing that looked

terrible, but he had the big dating tattoo. And here's the other connector to it. So my favorite Jason Keith story of all time is he was, like he came from a tough upbringing, obviously. Yeah, yeah. And like immediately we were like family to where he would, he divulge way too many of his personal secrets and demons to us. But it was cool because you're in a small town like Stillwater. It's like, he has some demons. Yes.

No question. No question. So he, so we're playing Vegas. For a second straight year, we play on the road in Vegas. And we're trailing at the halftime. And I think they still had Casper's Cambolo,

whatever. But they're not very good. This is after a year after Sean Marion left. And our big guys are just playing scared. So I'm walking in the locker room and I tell the coach, like, I got him coach. He's like, all right, you got 10 minutes. So I go in there and I'm just motherfucking, I'm up and down, all our big guys. It's on national TV.

It's embarrassing, whatever. And I'm yelling at Brian Montanadi, who's our starting four and Fred Johnson, who's are starting five, and Alex Weber, who's our backup five. And I'm not yelling at Jason because Jason didn't play in the first half. He just, this is like his fifth college game or something, right? And he goes, hey, you only yelled big guys. Yo, me too. Together.

And we just, everybody just cut up laughing. We're like, yo, you didn't even fucking play. What are he talking about, right? And he was a trip. But that was the only time USDA goes to the tournament. And he's the only guy. I think Brad didn't get to graduate.

Brad was there forever. Yeah. Everybody graduated. It's really impressed except for Dave. But think about it. USDA that had a high school gym produces you, Brownie. and must like three NBA head coaches that's obscene that's that's crazy that's crazy when you think about i'm not done i'm not done james barago yes is uh is ours that's four we've had now

i don't even want to keep going but chris grant was a general manager right playing with me at usd Bernie bickerstaff and hawks what Bernie bickr staff playing and graduated and coached. He's the pipeline. That's what people don't realize. Bernie is one of the first. He played at ESD. That's my connection to J.B. Bickerstaff and the family and Mike Brown's path to the league was through Bernie. So Bernie was the first of us to get in when Mike graduated. He wanted to get in the league. Bernie gave him an internship in the video rule. And then Neil Meyer and Chris Grant came after that. And then all of a sudden, it was just a flood of us and must really was separate from Bernie in his path because there's dad yeah and so you know

but it's just what you're saying is incredibly right because it's a special place because you just for a school that didn't produce pro basketball players for a place that didn't embrace basketball in a way obviously through the facilities and and you know as a this wasn't a big time program for a place to be like that in this little place, down in San Diego to produce that many basketball people, it's amazing. We always laugh about it. We try to help the next guy up.

You know, Steve Kerr's kid is one of us. Yep. They're Nick. And, you know, we got a bunch. It's a lot of us now who have made the jump. Wow, that was great stuff for part one. All right. So listen, we'll drop part two tomorrow, the following day or whatever.

I think you'll, I think, you'll really, really enjoy it. In the meantime, remember, the Doug Gottlieb show is daily, right? 3 to 6 Eastern, 12, 3 Pacific on Fox Sports Radio, the IHeart Radio app, or wherever you download podcast, you can also download that podcast as well. In the meantime, tell a friend about this, download, subscribe, rate, and write a review, too. Why wouldn't you? And if you think this part of the pod was good, wait, do you hear the next?

couple parts. It's amazing. My thanks to David Fisdale, I'm Doug Gottlieb, and this is AllBull. Get right to the romance and find the way to wow this valentines with 1800flowers.com. From classic roses and bouquets to decadent chocolate-covered berries, gourmet treats, and more. Surprise your Valentine with 1-800flowers.com. Right now, get the 18-stem enchanted rose medley for $39-99, or upgrade to 24 red roses for $10, Go to 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. That's 1,800flowers.com slash tune in. 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 starting. carving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart

Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Therapy is fantastic, but once again, it does not have a monopoly on healing. That's why I create the resources and that's why I create the community because I really just want you to have more access. On the podcast, cultivating her space, Dr. Dom and Terry Lomax create a space where black women can show up fully and be heard. It's tough because we're suppressing our emotions and so many of us are like high achieving individuals. Listen to cultivating her space on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. If you're watching the latest season of the Real Housewives of Atlanta, you already know there's a lot to break down. Corsha accusing Kelly of sleeping with a merry man. They holding Kay Michelle back from fighting Drew.

Pinky has financial issues. On the podcast, Reality with the King, I, Carlos King, recap the biggest moments from your favorite reality. shows, including the Real House Wise franchise, the drama, the alliances, M&T, everybody's talking about. To hear this and more, listen to Reality with the King on the IHard Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. The story I told myself can then shape my behavior, and that can lead me to sabotage the possibility of connection. This Mental Health Awareness Month, tune into the podcast deeply well with Debbie Brown. You've been searching for a soft place to land while doing the work to become whole. This podcast is for you to hear more. Listen to deeply well with Debbie Brown from the Black Effect Podcast Network on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.