Transcript of MDR Opening segment 'Arizona Basketball'

[SiriusXMWildcats]

Hi everyone. Unfortunately we are unable to broadcast live during the show due to restrictions from the radio company. Also due to over the air restrictions Arizona residents are unable to listen to the repeated programming.

Many Wildcat fans which we are aware are members of this website asked for a transcript of todays show. The show is a multi-simulcast broadcast from Winnipeg, MB, Canada and Minneapolis Sports radio and affiliates from the KFAN network in North Dakota, South Dakota, parts of Wisconsin and many stations from Minnesota. Big Arizona Wildcat co-host from Madness Picks,etc So here is the transcript from this mornings show. Any questions feel free to contact me directly.

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------------------------------- TRANSCRIPT FRIDAY MARCH 24, 2017 { Segment 1 Opening }


....... Intro Music

And Good Afternoon everyone thank you for joining us for todays radio program. We will get right into it
... (MK) how was your night?

(BK) Oh I tell you Mike this one hurts. This one really hurts. Watching the game with 15 to go I turned over to the misses and I said here we go. (LAUGHS) and
I just felt it. I did not think it was going to hurt this bad. But it does because we were so close. I really am starting to think this program will never make it to the final 4.
I mean come on. This was our year. The path was right in front of us... RIGHT THERE. 4 loss team in the west region with only stinking Gonzaga in front of you. I mean
Gonzaga basketball is going to the final 4 before Sean Miller and the Arizona Wildcats. Give me a break. The final 4 in your backyard literally. And you come out on a Thursday night
in San Jose against a team that traveled across the country who was a garbage team all year. Xavier is not a good basketball team. This team struggled most of the season and you lose
to Xavier?

(MK) and you were a 7 point favorite

(BK) Ooooh Mike. Who cares about the spread. We were up by 8 with under 4 minutes to go. That is your spread.

(MK) i think that is why it hurts Arizona fans so much. You had the game. If you are a top #10 arguably top 5 team all season long up by 8 with 4 to go with that defense
and you play the final 4 minutes like that.... come on

(BK) Mike this one hurts no doubt. And i'm furious as a Wildcat fan. I am starting to doubt if I will ever see a final 4 in my lifetime with Sean Miller as a coach.

(MK) A lot of people are thinking that this morning.

(BK) ...... You know we start the game alright getting off to a nice lead which I was not expecting because that is not what Sean Miller teams do in big games. Then slowly Xavier got back in the game.
Kadeem Allen a great player. GREAT PLAYER. 2 fouls for crying out loud like in the first couple minutes. That hurt. Trier my gosh had a terrible 1st half.Thanks for showing up. The Finnish Lauri was alright. Rawle who should not have been in the lineup. I do not care what others say about him. You can not play in a big game with 2 fingers taped up. It was hard just thinking about him and his hand never mind him playing with it. Bad move by Miller. Then the 2nd half it was back and forth with lead changes until what I thought was going to be the turning point. The missed 2 free throws by Xavier. And then finally Trier comes back give him credit scored like the next 12 points. Terrific shot off the backyard. That was good. Hit some threes. Team up by 8. Then the backbone of the program falls apart. The defense could not guard anyone it was like they were the long traveled team..... and before you knew it 1 minute to go and you have a tie game.

..... And here is the problem with Sean Miller. If College Basketball needed a General Manager. He would be the guy. But he can not coach a team in a big spot. No way.

(MK) .... and people would agree with that statement now. It is starting to look like he is a program manager not a X and O coach.

(BK) He is not a great X and O coach. If you want to get your shooter open. Fine. Maybe. But I do not think Sean Miller is capable of getting the forward or center down low the ball. You had such a mismatch all game and not once. NOT once was he able to get the ball down low. 1 minute to go and all this team could do is shoot the ball from distance. I called it right after the game. I said Arizona and Sean Miller lost the game the same way Villanova lost the game. Blows a lead because the coach just wanted the ball in the guards hand and drive to the net looking for a foul or trying to shoot behind the line for 3 points. That is Sean Millers big problem. And you got (AYTON) a phenomenal centre joining the team . If you are Ayton you have to be wondering how is Sean Miller going to get me the ball. And in a big game in the NCAA tournament will I be the forgotten player and a Parker Cartwright will have the ball next season every big spot.

(MK) Thats a good point. Good point.

(BK) i tell you

----laughs----

(BK) .... oh this one bothers me. Mike. Mike. Mike.... how in the world do you lose to Xavier. And people better not say this is a good Xavier team. They are not. I mean you got the CBS guys talking about how great of a coach they got. Give me a break. Nobody cares about him. You got Bill Murray jumping up. Get out of here with that. Pick a team Bill. Is it Illinois or Xavier? Which one.

(MK) Yeah there is a trend for Arizona basketball and Bill Murray with tough losses.

(BK) ... oh shut up with Bill Murray. So sick of him. Good for him that he never won an Oscar and I am a fan. I felt great for him. You remember me talking about how great it was that his Cubbies won the world series. Well the hell with him and the Cubbies. No more Bill Murray for me.

...... Now I gotta hope Gonzaga beats Xavier so I feel a bit better on Monday. But I hope Kansas now wins and I think they will win. And I think there is something in Kansas we wish we had in Arizona.

(MK) What is that a coach?

(BK) ---- That is fair Mike. Ok That is fair. Look at Kansas. Self is a great coach. Great leader. He is recruiting 4 and 5 star players and how in the hell are they able to keep some of these great players. So damn frustrating. Arizona recruits the same kind of players. Is in Tucson water? They all go professionally after 1 year. We can not recruit a damn point guard that stays for 4 years. That rubs me. Kansas can get the next coming of Michael Jordan and he stays for at least 2 or 3 seasons. Arizona. Forget about it. We are starting from scratch way too often.

(MK) ---- good point. And I think that says something with Sean Miller. Or just bad luck. You can not have so many good players going to the NBA. It is why the NBA rule should be 3 seasons like the NFL. It is not right.

(BK) I tell you this. If Trier leaves for the NBA watch out. Sean Miller needs to step up and tell him no way in hell are you NBA ready. No 19-20 year old is. But Trier is not ready. I think he is better off staying for 4 seasons and then developing into a great NBA player down the road. The money will be there. Lauri Markkanen who we had the finnish reporter here for Patrik Laine. He told me. You heard him. He told me Lauri might shock the NBA by staying in Arizona for 3 years because he is not a person that will jump just for a contract. Finland athletes are a different breeze. He is really special. The only way he leaves is that he does that Finland education program for the next 2 years while in the NBA just like Laine and if Lauri does not want to play with Miller offense next year. Which I do not think will be the case. So with Lauri, Trier, Ayton and other depth players. Watch out Arizona will be a tough out next season. Kentucky did it. So can Arizona. Bring them back. Sean Miller needs to do his part. Bring them back. It is our only chance. And it will be great for the players.

14 past the hour Sports Update next. Back after this

[SiriusXMWildcats]

continued......


(BK) Before we move on. I will say this about Sean Miller. He is going to take lots of heat. No doubt. It is deserving. He needs to realize he needs to make some changes in his coaching. But he is the right man at this time. I mean 8 years ago Arizona basketball fans were nervous about our program. Was it Lute Olson? Or the magic of Tucson? That brought us all the success. It was a prestige that follows Tucson and Arizona basketball.

(MK) And when they hired him there were no Lute Olsens out there. Pitino, Calipari, Self were all candidates but they turned Arizona down.

(BK) That is correct Mike. So to go from Lute Olson to that O'Neil clown. To possibly getting a mediocre coach and hope things turn out. We got lucky with Sean Miller. Though I know Arizona boosters are powerful. And we know some of them from Akot the Winnipeger going to Tucson. I have been to games in Tucson and know there is some Tucson magic part of the program. But you still need a good leader. Sean Miller is that. He just lacks some important coaching traits. He needs a sit down with someone like Lute. If things go well in the next 30 days. Arizona Basketball will be the #1 team next season.

[Jefe]

That Lauri blurb

[NYCat]

It would be kinda messed up if he wants to stay a couple years but doesn't want to play in Miller's offense.

[ChooChooCat]

Yeah that Lauri blurb is bullshit.

Fwiw Lauri did just great in Miller's offense in regards to getting the ball and getting his shots outside of 11 minutes last night.

[SiriusXMWildcats]

We here in Winnipeg have had strong conversation with many Finnish sports writers. People in Finland are big Winnipeg sports fans dating back to the '80s and '90s. Now we have their favorite athlete Patrik Laine. The host is a big Arizona fan and he spoke with the reporter who knew Lauri Markkanen. He told the host that the Arizona basketball player is likely going to return to Arizona for 2 or 3 seasons. He is not looking to jump to the NBA asap. He knows leaving for the NBA so young hurts your development and hurts pretty much every young prospect and also the NBA overall product. Thus its a 4-5 team league.

Big issue for Lauri is the education as I do not recall what he wants to do after NBA but there is a link to a Finnish education program that if he can get on it and develop in the NBA then he might do it. If he wants to pass on playing NCAA with Arizona you can also expect that he might play in Finland for a year before the NBA but that is a long shot at best.

There is a strong possibility that Lauri stays next season.

[PennZona20]

Don't you get my hopes up like that!!!!!

I did this to myself w Stanley and convinced myself he was going to stay.

[Jefe]

Well that was fun while it lasted...

[PennZona20]

One of these days a projected Lotto pick will stay at UA for his sophomore year.

One of these days.

[EVCat]

It is almost like someone talking who never watched the team and just gathered the jist of angry post-game tweets as his take on Arizona basketball...

[UAEebs86]

One of these days a projected Lotto pick will stay at UA for his sophomore year.

One of these days.

And promptly tear his ACL.

[PennZona20]

One of these days a projected Lotto pick will stay at UA for his sophomore year.

One of these days.

And promptly tear his ACL.

Lol. Sounds about right.