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2023-24 Texas Tech Basketball Preview · Talkin' Tech

• 0:39
  SPEAKER_05: Welcome in, everybody, to the Telic and Tech Podcast, powered by the Nation, part of the Nation Podcast Network.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_05: I'm your host, Steven Rodriguez, my co-host Tristan McGonagall.
• 0:47
  SPEAKER_05: Tristan, happy Halloween, my guy.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, happy uh Halloween, sir.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_01: What a what a spooky episode this is.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_01: You know what, you know what also is quite spooky?
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_05: Texas Tech Football.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_01: We uh no uh we uh it was spooky that we did not emerge from the weekend with an L in Texas Tech football.
• 1:04
  SPEAKER_01: So that was a little spooks.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_05: There's a little pep in my step because we didn't experience any football disappointment.
• 1:11
  SPEAKER_05: It was fantastic.
• 1:12
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it was it was a frightfully good outcome.
• 1:15
  SPEAKER_01: Are you gonna do this the whole episode?
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: I have to.
• 1:17
  SPEAKER_01: It's Halloween.
• 1:19
  SPEAKER_01: It's like in my contract.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: What what I will say made me sign.
• 1:23
  SPEAKER_05: I I had a spooky epiphany this weekend.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_05: You're doing it too.
• 1:29
  SPEAKER_05: I did, I had a spooky epiphany, and I probably have this, I don't know, maybe three times a year, but I need to be a better fan.
• 1:37
  SPEAKER_05: And you know, that's a hard thing to come to the realization of because I noticed and I've noticed on other fan bases, that I need to stop getting so excited when a team that I hate loses.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_05: Because I feel like it's a karma hit for me, and I need to just focus on the teams that I love instead of the teams that I hate.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_05: Because and I noticed it because of UT fans trying to make fun of OU fans for losing to Kansas when it's like, guys, you literally just lost to this team.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_05: You cannot talk any mess about the Oklahoma Sooners for losing to Kansas when you guys literally just lost to them two weeks ago, and uh all the new sports are starting up.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_05: I'm I'm liked I I like it when the Rockets lose, I like it when the Mavericks lose, and I I like it when the Rockets lose almost as much as I like it when the Spurs win.
• 2:33
  SPEAKER_05: And that shouldn't be the case.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_05: I need to change my ways, and I need to stop caring when UT loses or AM loses or you know, the Rockets lose, and I need to more just be happy for myself and the teams that I root for.
• 2:49
  SPEAKER_01: So are you saying you need to be on that grind set rather than focusing on your haters?
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_05: Yes.
• 2:54
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I I yeah, I I kind of I kind of disagree with this mindset.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I I think I think it's perfectly fine to want your rivals to lose because it's usually especially if it's in a really funny way.
• 3:08
  SPEAKER_05: It is, it's it's fine.
• 3:10
  SPEAKER_05: I'm not saying it's not fine, but I almost I get too excited for it, you know, when like a UT loses or an AM loses or something like that.
• 3:19
  SPEAKER_05: And I like I just realized I don't need to get this excited for when they lose, you know.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_05: Like it's cool, it's great, I can potentially use this to talk mess, but you know, the only thing that really matters is the head to head.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_01: I I'm with you.
• 3:34
  SPEAKER_01: I'm with you.
• 3:35
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, but you know, whatever you're whatever you're hurting, you gotta latch out in an unhealthy way.
• 3:39
  SPEAKER_01: So that's that's whatever you're sports.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_01: That's sports.
• 3:43
  SPEAKER_01: That's whenever you gotta latch on to any slip up that the so obviously clearly superior team has and just ride with it.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I I if you're if you're kind of make rein kind of referencing the OEU dropping the ball to Kansas in their last ever matchup, I think that's a beautiful thing, Steven.
• 3:58
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm very happy for the Jayhawk fans and very happy that the Sooner fans have kind of you know crashed down into earth a little bit about it.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_01: So I could count me in.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_05: That okay, yeah.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, and I mean, I I have this because my teams are down right now, and that's why I'm like, why is this happening to me?
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_05: It's something surely that I'm doing wrong.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_05: And so I need to change my ways because I'm an irrational sports fan.
• 4:21
  SPEAKER_05: So from from now on, I'm just gonna get a little less excited when my rivals lose.
• 4:26
  SPEAKER_01: See, Steven, you're you're saying that my teams are bad.
• 4:29
  SPEAKER_01: I think you just mean one team because other than that, I mean, we're we could we're gonna talk about how soccer has already made it past the first round, you know, in in the Big 12 tournament, and really banking that legendary postseason seed.
• 4:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, here you are, just pooping on yourself, you know, in in a in a poor a poor way, you know, doing getting philosophical, getting self self-analytical over sports.
• 4:53
  SPEAKER_01: Whatever, this is just supposed to be a very immature zone for us.
• 4:56
  SPEAKER_01: And you're bringing my vibes.
• 5:15
  SPEAKER_05: But before we do that, before we talk about the team, the coaching staff, kind of expectations for the year, let's talk a little TCU because the game here is on Thursday.
• 5:25
  SPEAKER_05: By the time you're listening to this episode, it will be uh tomorrow.
• 5:29
  SPEAKER_05: So, first off, Thursday games.
• 5:33
  SPEAKER_05: Thoughts, opinions.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: Go ahead.
• 5:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um, not a big fan, uh, if it's my team.
• 5:41
  SPEAKER_01: Love them if it's the other team.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 5:43
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm really not that upset if it's an away game, if it's our team, but it's just a flat out disadvantage if it's at home.
• 5:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think that's really the only time I'm just truly against the idea of a Thursday night game, is whenever it's at home.
• 5:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um, because especially for a team like Texas Tech, where obviously, yes, you know, West Texas, you know, supports the Red Raiders, but it is going to be a work night, and people from out of town can't easily come in for the weekend.
• 6:12
  SPEAKER_01: So you're relying on the students and the locals to really fill the stadium in on a Thursday night.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so that kind of makes it tough for the uh the the the um for the home environment, especially whenever your professors suck eggs and don't cancel um Friday morning classes at the at the bare minimum.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um but I'm with you.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: I I I I think it's it's poor when it's at home, but I'm pretty neutral on the idea otherwise.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_01: What about you?
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_05: I hate Thursday night games.
• 6:38
  SPEAKER_05: I've always hated Thursday night games.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_05: I do.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_05: You know, it's some action or some shit?
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_05: Sure.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_05: Uh fine.
• 6:44
  SPEAKER_05: But no, I I hate it when my team plays on Thursday night.
• 6:48
  SPEAKER_05: College football is on Saturdays.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_05: College football needs to be reserved for Saturdays.
• 6:52
  SPEAKER_05: It is the weekend.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_05: Everything you said.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_05: It's taken and it's taken away an atmosphere and environment from a normal college football game that quite frankly wouldn't be great because guess what?
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_05: We're three and five, but still, you're playing a rival, it's still not going to be as good as it would be if this were Saturday.
• 7:10
  SPEAKER_05: And outside, people that don't live in Lubbock, Texas, can't come in.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_05: It's not easy unless they take both Thursday and Friday off.
• 7:17
  SPEAKER_05: It stinks, it's a stupid idea, and I don't ever want to do them.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_01: Just uh okay, so yes, that that's that is all true.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_01: But if if you're not at home, then what really is the issue?
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_01: Because you get to you get to be on primetime TV.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: People are gonna be looking to satisfy that football appetite with some Thursday night football that could be college.
• 7:37
  SPEAKER_01: So um I don't really understand uh the the issue otherwise.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_05: It just it needs to be played on Saturday.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_05: So your home fans like our game is at home, yeah.
• 7:47
  SPEAKER_01: If this is the other fans, then I'm I'm cool with it.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_05: And and it's just I don't know.
• 7:51
  SPEAKER_05: I like college football being played on Saturday.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_05: I like everybody the you know, the normal day.
• 7:56
  SPEAKER_05: If you play on a Thursday or a Friday, it kind of seems like your team needs to play on a Thursday or Friday.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_05: It doesn't need to.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_01: Do you do what's kind of nice about Thursday night games, though?
• 8:05
  SPEAKER_01: You get to kind of just do them.
• 8:08
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, if you win, you feel pretty good about rolling into the weekend, you know, like your job is done.
• 8:13
  SPEAKER_01: You know, you're you're you worked very hard as a fan to watch them Thursday night.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_01: You you put in your time, and now you don't have to be a complete jerk to your wife about you know not being able to plan anything because a Tex Tech game's on, you're you're you know, you're gonna be upset about losing and you know, you do you have to watch it.
• 8:29
  SPEAKER_01: And um, you know, I I don't know.
• 8:31
  SPEAKER_01: I I think it's kind of a bit of a release if if it's not gonna override your home environment.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: I'm kind of saying the same thing over and over again here, though.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_05: You know, the flip side of that is that we could lose on Thursday night and be upset going into the weekend, which is not fun.
• 8:45
  SPEAKER_01: But then I won't watch a single game on Saturday.
• 8:48
  SPEAKER_01: I'll be like, honey, we'll do whatever you want today.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_01: Not because of not because tech lost, but because I'm a good husband.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_01: That's way that's the way you get to do this.
• 8:55
  SPEAKER_05: Texas Tech didn't play last Saturday, and I didn't watch a single game of college football.
• 9:00
  SPEAKER_05: And dude, I was thrilled, I was very happy.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_05: I didn't I didn't watch a single game, and I know there were some pretty good ones on.
• 9:07
  SPEAKER_05: I get it.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, if my team's not doing well, I don't like college football, and that's the unfortunate part of it.
• 9:14
  SPEAKER_01: I'm the same way.
• 9:15
  SPEAKER_01: I am, I'm the same way.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but you know, I did like I did get to catch some good ones.
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_01: Uh so the Big 12 slate was actually pretty solid, and obviously with the the the the Sunday being um KKU upsetting OU.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: That was a beautiful thing.
• 9:27
  SPEAKER_01: So uh, but I'm with you.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, generally, I I don't have that much of an issue with Thursday nights if it's not at home.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, it's also the fact that I've pretty much moved on to basketball season at this point because that's who I am, and I like that sport more, and it makes it easier to do that when your football team is not doing well.
• 9:43
  SPEAKER_06: It's true.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_05: Let's talk about TCU because we are playing them Thursday night, Fox Sports 1, believe a 6 p.m.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_05: kickoff, another night game.
• 9:51
  SPEAKER_05: I think that makes six out of eight for Texas Tech playing at night this year.
• 9:56
  SPEAKER_05: Barron Morton returning for this one, already announced it.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_05: Joey McGuire has said Barron Morton is going to be back, and let me tell you, that gives me so much more hope that we have a chance this game because we were not gonna beat TCU with Jake Strong starting a quarterback.
• 10:12
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, so Barron Morton's gonna be back, but do we know if he's healthy?
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: Joey said 90, so that makes me think he's gonna be about 75.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_01: At most 75.
• 10:23
  SPEAKER_01: In my head, that means he's not he's he's at 50 at most, in my head.
• 10:27
  SPEAKER_05: And at my mind, he is going into the stadium still wearing a sling or something on that arm.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_01: He's got a cast on his leg, a neck brace on, and but that's 90 to uh our our captain there.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, good lord, man.
• 10:42
  SPEAKER_01: Okay, yes, yes, we do have a shot now because it's Baron Borden.
• 10:46
  SPEAKER_01: No hate to Jake Strong, but I think we all knew uh we've said it before whenever we watched uh K-State and BYU that with Jake Strong at the helm, this just wasn't gonna happen, and clearly it just wasn't gonna happen if reality played out that way.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: So at least we have a gosh darn fighting chance, even though our opponent is not exactly a Hercules of a team, um, it's I still don't think we would have won had it been Jake Strong again.
• 11:10
  SPEAKER_05: No, and I I don't want that to become a narrative around him.
• 11:13
  SPEAKER_05: I don't want people and I don't want people to think that this kid got thrown into the fire as a true freshman and he's and he didn't play well for two games.
• 11:21
  SPEAKER_05: And now, you know, going into the following years, if he continues to be a red raider into 2024 and 2025, that he's just ultimately gonna stink because he had two bad games as a true freshman.
• 11:33
  SPEAKER_05: I don't want that to be the case, but right now he's not ready to play.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_05: I think that's pretty clear.
• 11:38
  SPEAKER_05: And so glad to have Baron Morton back.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, absolutely.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_01: Me too, dude.
• 11:42
  SPEAKER_01: Uh it again, this this this shit does not get through the gates if he's not uh if he's not leading the team.
• 11:48
  SPEAKER_01: So at least there is some hope in that slot.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 11:51
  SPEAKER_05: Uh another potential uh good news for Texas Tech, Jacob Rodriguez could potentially be back for the first time since the Wyoming game in week one, where he uh severely hurt that ankle.
• 12:01
  SPEAKER_05: So would be great if he's back.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_05: Uh Joey McGuire didn't give like an official he is back, but gave a pretty good uh inkling that he will return this week.
• 12:12
  SPEAKER_05: Uh so that obviously helps your linebacking core.
• 12:15
  SPEAKER_05: Uh a bright spot about Jacob being out is that Ben Roberts has kind of shown that he's got some stuff in him at that inside linebacker position for years to come.
• 12:24
  SPEAKER_05: So that's great, but having all of them is gonna be fantastic.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_05: So um a couple of things.
• 12:29
  SPEAKER_01: What percentage of back was he?
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_01: Do we get a percentage on that one?
• 12:32
  SPEAKER_05: No, we didn't get a percentage.
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, we just got a uh heat likely.
• 12:37
  SPEAKER_05: So I don't know.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_05: I don't know.
• 12:39
  SPEAKER_05: Again, it's hard to take Joey with a great, you know, for what he says because he's a very positive fella.
• 12:45
  SPEAKER_05: Um Mason Thorpe and Cole Spencer are going to be out for TCU, uh, still dealing with injuries for both of them, uh, potentially be back a little later in the season.
• 12:56
  SPEAKER_05: But TCU as a whole, they're scoring they're scoring, they're scoring points pretty good offensively.
• 13:05
  SPEAKER_05: Um they've scored over 34 points in five out of the eight games this year.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_05: Uh Josh Hoover expected to be the starting quarterback with Chandler Morris dealing with an injury still that he suffered against Iowa State on October 7th.
• 13:20
  SPEAKER_05: Team has been very hot and cold with uh Hoover at quarterback.
• 13:24
  SPEAKER_05: Week seven, they beat BYU 44 to 11.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_05: And week eight, they lost to Kansas State three to forty-one.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_05: So they're all over the place.
• 13:34
  SPEAKER_05: Not that uh Kansas State obviously playing very good at this point in time, BYU not so much, uh, except apparently if they're playing Texas Tech.
• 13:42
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, we were a real tough opponent for them.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_01: They really had to overcome us that night.
• 13:48
  SPEAKER_05: That is true.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_05: They still scored some points, even on a pretty good defensive showing.
• 13:51
  SPEAKER_05: So um, but yeah, that the game uh against TCU and BYU was in Fort Worth, so that kind of plays into it.
• 13:58
  SPEAKER_05: But uh regardless, very hot and cold with this quarterback.
• 14:02
  SPEAKER_05: Uh they were kind of hot and cold with Chandler Morris, too.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_05: But they were it's it's hard to try to guess what's gonna happen, especially when you're dealing with a Texas Tech team that has been uh unreliable to say the least uh for this season.
• 14:17
  SPEAKER_05: Amani Bailey, the starting running back, has been very good for them, averaging about 5.8 yards per carry this year.
• 14:23
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, he'll be a guy to watch.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_05: And number seven, JP Richardson, the leading receiver.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, they have a tight end, Jared Wiley, who's leading the team in receiving touchdowns.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_05: So that's kind of their offensive attack right there.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_05: Um, just some guys to watch out for.
• 14:36
  SPEAKER_01: Honestly, I am a little surprised that we are favored coming into this game.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_01: Uh, I figured they get kind of give the nod to TCU.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_01: I know you said they've been hot and cold, but uh at least they have some sort of identity because who the hell are we?
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_01: You know, like what the heck can you expect out of our team, it seems.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um and it's again, like it's I it's frustrating that this is gonna be a Thursday night game because you hope that the uh home crowd can help help put you over that uh that edge.
• 15:01
  SPEAKER_01: But I think you you kind of said at the top of the episode that who knows how much of the home crowd will be as much of a factor anyway, um, due to this record at this point.
• 15:09
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but uh it's just it's gonna be it's gonna be interesting to see.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_01: Uh hopefully we get the cold TCU, T Texas cold university.
• 15:18
  SPEAKER_04: Nice.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_04: Thank you.
• 15:20
  SPEAKER_04: That's that that's that's a good one right there.
• 15:23
  SPEAKER_01: Don't cut that.
• 15:24
  SPEAKER_01: So I won't.
• 15:25
  SPEAKER_01: I won't.
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_01: Hopefully, we definitely get the uh off team coming into Love it gear in a couple days.
• 15:30
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I mean, right now it's just so hard to tell with Texas Tech with uh different quarterbacks and guys coming back from injury.
• 15:37
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, it is good that we're coming off the bye week.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_05: Um TCU also had their bye week last week.
• 15:42
  SPEAKER_05: So um, you know, it's just gonna be uh a time that you hope some guys got healthy, uh, got kind of mentally ready to play.
• 15:51
  SPEAKER_05: You had what four extra days to do so going into this one.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_05: So, you know, we'll see.
• 15:56
  SPEAKER_01: So Steven, did did you know that TechStech was the only FBS school in the country to utilize three different starting quarterbacks over the last two seasons?
• 16:04
  SPEAKER_01: I didn't.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: Is that true?
• 16:06
  SPEAKER_01: That's a good stat, isn't it?
• 16:07
  SPEAKER_05: Well, yeah.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, it still amazes me that we can't go six years or seven years straight with just playing one guy a quarterback.
• 16:15
  SPEAKER_01: Uh what are the odds though?
• 16:18
  SPEAKER_01: Like, how is that even possible?
• 16:20
  SPEAKER_05: It's unfair.
• 16:21
  SPEAKER_05: I've said that I've gone back, I've said this last couple episodes.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_05: It's just unfair what has happened at the quarterback position for us.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_01: I I think I think that is the um that was like our thesis of the episode last week is just on this is so unfair.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, but sports are unfair, damn it.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_05: Sports are unfair, injuries are inevitable, but uh not seven years in a row at the most important position.
• 16:43
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, it's just not fair.
• 16:45
  SPEAKER_01: Well, come Thursday, we're gonna be so back, bro.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: We're gonna be so back.
• 16:49
  SPEAKER_01: So let's I hope so.
• 16:51
  SPEAKER_05: Finish the season strong.
• 16:52
  SPEAKER_05: Joey's team did that last year after uh uh Rocky start.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_01: So hey, that's true.
• 16:57
  SPEAKER_01: We shall see the same circumstance.
• 17:00
  SPEAKER_05: Let's uh let's talk about let's talk about a fun sport.
• 17:03
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, okay.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_05: This is your Texas Tech basketball preview for the 2023-24 season.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_05: Very excited.
• 17:12
  SPEAKER_05: We're coming off a dub already to start the year in the exhibition game against the Aggies.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_01: Texas AM, we beat them.
• 17:21
  SPEAKER_01: I I am appalled that this was not broadcasted or even some sort of janky pay-per-view for the charity.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: I would have paid for it.
• 17:29
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 17:30
  SPEAKER_01: I'll pay the 10 bucks, whatever the heck, to broadcast it over Facebook Live or whatever it would be.
• 17:34
  SPEAKER_01: Dude, so disappointed, but you know what?
• 17:36
  SPEAKER_01: I'm not disappointed in.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_01: What's that?
• 17:39
  SPEAKER_01: The score.
• 17:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, my friend.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_01: Good score.
• 17:42
  SPEAKER_05: Final score.
• 17:43
  SPEAKER_05: Great score.
• 17:45
  SPEAKER_05: Um, Texas Tech taking down the aggs.
• 17:48
  SPEAKER_05: I I don't have it in front of me.
• 17:49
  SPEAKER_05: I think it was what 86, 82, something like that.
• 17:51
  SPEAKER_01: It was 89, 84.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, boom.
• 17:54
  SPEAKER_05: Texas Tech wins by five.
• 17:56
  SPEAKER_05: It was a pretty crunch time game back and forth.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_05: I was trying to keep up with the Twitter updates as I was not, we were both not indenting to watch this one, but um good start to the year because Texas AM is a preseason top 15 team in the country.
• 18:12
  SPEAKER_05: They are going to be good.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_05: They returned a lot, they brought in some really key transfers.
• 18:16
  SPEAKER_05: That is a good team that you beat to start the year.
• 18:18
  SPEAKER_01: And it was at a neutral side, too.
• 18:20
  SPEAKER_01: It's not like it's not like they uh AM had to come into the hostile USA arena.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_05: It was it was mostly tech, it was mostly tech fan over there.
• 18:27
  SPEAKER_01: Well, hey, we actually get we actually care about this sport.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_01: I I really don't think the Aggie love for the for hoops is really that big.
• 18:35
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I feel like it's kind of like a one of those side effects of being in SEC school where it's it's quite literally only football and you can't care about anything else except for maybe baseball.
• 18:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but uh yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 18:48
  SPEAKER_01: And you know what's kind of apropos that uh the first game ever as Texas Tech head coach is right back in the arena where he was kicking ass just last season and before.
• 18:59
  SPEAKER_01: Like that's that's pretty cool.
• 19:00
  SPEAKER_01: Like, where the heck are the odds that happens?
• 19:02
  SPEAKER_01: Like he goes into Denton, goes to UNT's campus, and beats one of our oldest, fiercest rivals for his first game ever.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_01: And obviously, this is how this game would have gone.
• 19:13
  SPEAKER_01: Look, if we lost, it's just a charity game.
• 19:15
  SPEAKER_01: But since we won, we're gonna be Napsal champions, baby.
• 19:19
  SPEAKER_05: I think it showed a lot, other than that.
• 19:21
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, obviously, I don't want to be like I was with football season.
• 19:24
  SPEAKER_05: I'm gonna be very cautious going into this preview on just predictions and well, we expectations and all that sort of stuff.
• 19:33
  SPEAKER_05: Um, but this is a great start.
• 19:35
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, no, whatever way you put it, you beat a really good team in your first game of the year.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_05: Yes, it's an exhibition game.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_05: Yes, it's for charity.
• 19:43
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, no, it doesn't count against the record.
• 19:45
  SPEAKER_05: But hey, we had we had a good showing.
• 19:48
  SPEAKER_05: We had some guys that um obviously, you know, we're gonna have stuff to work on, but that's what happens in the first game of the year.
• 19:55
  SPEAKER_05: Even if we didn't play this exp exhibition game and we played uh our first game of the year, there's gonna be stuff to work on.
• 20:01
  SPEAKER_05: That's just how it is.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it was really awesome to see a lot of instant kickback from basketball media.
• 20:07
  SPEAKER_01: Like it seemed like all the basketball media actually cared about this game and uh actually was keeping tabs on what was going on.
• 20:12
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, all the all the big journalist names, and they're all giving Coach McCasslin a lot of credit for beating a really good AM team.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, Buzz is, you know, I I think even you this this past season you're giving Buzz uh Buzz Williams a lot of credit for what he's doing in college station.
• 20:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and obviously he's kind of turned that program into into something over there, but it's good to see our guy immediately get up and pop up with the big boys.
• 20:32
  SPEAKER_01: So that was that was an excellent thing to see.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, that's something about Grand McCastlin is he's uh he's a the national media loves Grant McCastlin.
• 20:40
  SPEAKER_05: They do.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_05: Uh something that we can't say about the previous coach that we had.
• 20:45
  SPEAKER_05: So let's talk about this new coaching staff because unfortunately and fortunately depends on how you look at it.
• 20:51
  SPEAKER_05: We have a new head coach.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_05: This is the third coach in what five years for us, four years.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_05: But this is the one.
• 21:01
  SPEAKER_05: This is the one.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_05: Grant McCasslin coming over from UNT.
• 21:06
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, I want to kind of run through his history.
• 21:09
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, I'm sure a lot of tech fans know it at this point, but uh just want to run through it.
• 21:13
  SPEAKER_05: Started off director of operations at Texas Tech University, starting out in his in the coaching field, you know, player development field uh at Texas Tech, and now he's come full circle right back here to Lubbock, Texas.
• 21:26
  SPEAKER_05: So uh just kind of a cool thing.
• 21:28
  SPEAKER_05: From there, he was the head coach at Midland College, uh, won the junior college in J CAA national championship in 2007.
• 21:38
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, from there, went to be head coach at Midwestern State, and then off to Baylor, being assistant coach under Scott Drew for five years, then to Arkansas State to be the head coach for a year, and then most previously at North Texas for six straight years, where he had winning records every single year.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_05: Um, first thing about Grand McCaslin.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_05: The dude wins.
• 22:01
  SPEAKER_05: He wins at every single place that he has been.
• 22:04
  SPEAKER_05: It's just a fact of the matter.
• 22:06
  SPEAKER_05: This guy knows how to win at every single level.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_05: It's kind of cool that he's, you know, grinded some time in the junior college level.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_05: Um, it's kind of cool that he has succeeded at a pretty high level at North Texas.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, you know, they're not in a slouchy conference at all these last couple years.
• 22:22
  SPEAKER_05: Um he had a 65% win percentage at North Texas, a 135 and 65 record.
• 22:30
  SPEAKER_05: Uh UNT first year before Grandma Castlin went 8 and 22.
• 22:36
  SPEAKER_05: The first year of Grand McCastling at UNT, they went 20 and 18.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_05: So just a quick turnaround in a program that is not known for having a rich basketball history.
• 22:47
  SPEAKER_05: In fact, North Texas had seven 20 plus win seasons in their history before Graham McCastlin.
• 22:54
  SPEAKER_05: During Graham McCastlin's tenure, he won 20 plus games five out of his six years.
• 22:58
  SPEAKER_05: And it would have been all six if it wasn't for COVID.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_05: So the dude wins.
• 23:04
  SPEAKER_01: He's a plug and go guy, man.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_01: Um I think people uh kind of overlook that aspect of him that uh just because you know he hasn't been, you know, ringing the bells in the uh NCA tournament as loudly as other uh coaches have, and other coaches that people want to look at have been.
• 23:24
  SPEAKER_01: Um clear the guy has a system of put make of putting the wins into place in the sense that he can go to a program and instill his culture immediately, it feels like just instantly.
• 23:35
  SPEAKER_01: He sounds like he completely know he knows how to connect with the with the place he's at um very, very quickly.
• 23:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and obviously it does not suck to be bringing in uh a longtime former assistant of Scott Drew because I feel like you see a lot of Scott Drew in Grant McCasslin, like a ton of him, um, especially with the way he carries himself um on and off the court.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_01: So I love that.
• 23:57
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I think for once I'm very happy that there's a very good uh Baylor tree that we kind of has have uh sucked some energy from.
• 24:05
  SPEAKER_01: So, dude, like like you said, man, I go over what you were telling me before about what your your your personal thoughts about Grant.
• 24:14
  SPEAKER_05: Look, first and foremost, I know Texas Tech fans aren't really gonna like this comparison.
• 24:18
  SPEAKER_05: He's got some Chris Beard in him, and the good parts of Chris Beard, which is defensive-minded and toughness is a huge priority for the team.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, you're gonna be in every single game, you're gonna bring it every single night.
• 24:31
  SPEAKER_05: That's what he wants.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_05: But the part of Grant McCasson that I really love is that he wants his teams to be so tight and together, and that is something that not necessarily Chris Beard did.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_05: There wasn't always tight teams at Texas Tech, you know, relationship-wise, everything, uh, or Mark Adams.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_05: But togetherness is what he learned from Scott Drew.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_05: That is Scott Drew's way of coaching, is getting his teams that relationship that they can build with each other so it translates onto the court.
• 25:01
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, buy-in.
• 25:03
  SPEAKER_05: The buy-in of the program, the buy-in of the team and of the culture and everything like that is what I love about Grant McCastlin and the fact that this dude loves winning.
• 25:12
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, he just he wins everywhere.
• 25:13
  SPEAKER_05: He wants to continue to do that.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_05: He wants to put the right people around him, and he's just straight up a good dude.
• 25:19
  SPEAKER_05: Like Chris Beard, not a good dude, obviously.
• 25:21
  SPEAKER_05: Mark Adams, not a great dude, but Grant McAslin, we can guarantee, is a good dude.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_05: And now I'm not saying things in the future, yada yada.
• 25:30
  SPEAKER_05: Up to this point, this guy seems like a fantastic guy to lead the way.
• 25:34
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, and the type of person that you want to lead your basketball program.
• 25:38
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I we've said in the past that we don't want to just instantly fall in love with a head coach with how many times we've been scorned and burned, especially in the basketball program lately.
• 25:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but you know, it's just flat out no fun as a fan to live that way.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_01: Like I do, I do want to buy in and I do want to believe that Graham McCaslin is more than just a basketball coach to Texas Tech, because that's what we want in our alma mater, anyway.
• 25:59
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we want we want that connection very to be very human rather than just a businessman that gets in there and gets it done.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_01: So I really like that he he seems like a very genuinely awesome human being, family man, to uh to to get it done in there.
• 26:12
  SPEAKER_01: It doesn't suck, it's a very nice bonus.
• 26:15
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, no, totally agree.
• 26:16
  SPEAKER_05: I'm I'm bought in on what Grant McCasslin is trying to build.
• 26:20
  SPEAKER_05: I'm not necessarily we'll go over expectations and stuff.
• 26:23
  SPEAKER_05: I don't know if it necessarily translates in year one, but hey, I think he's got a really good thing going, and a lot of that has to do with the staff that he's put around him.
• 26:30
  SPEAKER_05: It took a while, a lot of people were getting impatient on Twitter and on everything saying, where the heck is our coaching staff?
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_05: We're almost uh halfway through the offseason.
• 26:39
  SPEAKER_05: Um, but hey, he ended up with a pretty kick-ass staff, all guys considered.
• 26:44
  SPEAKER_05: So I'm gonna run through them real quick.
• 26:46
  SPEAKER_05: Um, two guys that followed him from UNT, Matt Brouwer and uh achievement.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_05: I'm gonna just say it.
• 26:53
  SPEAKER_05: Achokey, I don't know how to say his last name.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_05: Uh Coach AC is what they call him.
• 26:58
  SPEAKER_05: Um, Brouwer being a former point guard at Wichita State, dude's a recruiter.
• 27:02
  SPEAKER_05: He that's what he's brought here to do.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_05: Um, he has started that, he built relationships with his guys.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_05: I love the fact that he followed Grant from UNT and Coach AC kind of the same way.
• 27:13
  SPEAKER_05: He's also a recruiter, but really he's a talent developer.
• 27:17
  SPEAKER_05: He gets the most out of each and every individual player that comes into the program uh and works with them on day-to-day stuff.
• 27:23
  SPEAKER_05: And you gotta love that.
• 27:25
  SPEAKER_05: The other two guys um from the assistant coaching staff, I will say, is uh Luke Barnwell.
• 27:32
  SPEAKER_05: Let's talk about him first.
• 27:33
  SPEAKER_05: He is a uh a high school kid, prep school guy, uh, spent a lot of years at the Sunrise Academy in Kansas, uh, overall record at the Sunrise Academy in Kansas.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_05: 224 wins, 39 losses.
• 27:45
  SPEAKER_05: That is 85% win percentage at this.
• 27:49
  SPEAKER_05: And granted, it's a prep school.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_05: They bring in talent from all around the country to go play at this school in Kansas and go compete for uh, you know, prep school titles or whatever you want to do.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_01: Or get to other prep schools.
• 27:59
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I yeah, yeah, but not like, I mean, it's a great record.
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_05: Don't get me wrong.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_05: That it's tough to win anywhere.
• 28:06
  SPEAKER_05: You know, you got to develop and you got to be a good coach.
• 28:08
  SPEAKER_05: But he's coached guys like Grady Dick, Ochaio, Agbaji, so Big 12 dudes that have done really well.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, first round picks in the NBA.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_05: So he also helped train Buddy Healed at uh one point or another.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_05: So uh just a couple kids that he's helped develop that are uh uh NBA players at this point.
• 28:26
  SPEAKER_05: So love to have that type of experience on your staff.
• 28:29
  SPEAKER_05: This guy, though, is the most important addition to this staff, and he came in real late in the game.
• 28:35
  SPEAKER_05: We were wondering is this gonna be uh uh the guy from UNLV?
• 28:39
  SPEAKER_05: Is this gonna be Peary?
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_05: Is this gonna be you know a spot for uh the longtime junior college guy?
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_05: I can't remember his name now at this point, but no, we brought in a Canadian basketball legend, and I don't say that lightly.
• 28:53
  SPEAKER_01: This guy mean you don't say that lightly?
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_01: I don't say yeah, they just in Canadian context.
• 29:03
  SPEAKER_05: I don't say the word legend lightly here.
• 29:07
  SPEAKER_05: Dave Smart.
• 29:08
  SPEAKER_05: Dave Smart coming over from Canada is one of the most well-respected dudes in basketball, not just high school or college or professional.
• 29:19
  SPEAKER_05: He has helped with the Canadian national team.
• 29:22
  SPEAKER_05: He is won, I think, 13 national titles at the collegiate Canadian high school or prep school, whatever it was, college level.
• 29:32
  SPEAKER_05: Um 656 overall victories as head coach of Carlton University in Ottawa.
• 29:40
  SPEAKER_05: Now, I don't know how good Carlton is, I don't know how good that league is.
• 29:43
  SPEAKER_05: Very storied program, but hey, you won pretty much every year that you were coaching there.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, he was like a 10-time coach of the year at that level.
• 29:53
  SPEAKER_05: Um, and he's very well respected by a ton of people.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_05: So bringing that level of basketball knowledge into your program uh to help train these guys and even recruit, you know, is is a great addition.
• 30:06
  SPEAKER_01: So do you just love him for the development aspect?
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_01: You think we just have like a world-class developer with him more than anything?
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I think you got a guy like Coach AC who just brings the best out of your players that you bring into your program.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_01: Could you tell me what he's known for?
• 30:21
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, not necessarily.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_05: I don't know.
• 30:23
  SPEAKER_05: I don't know enough about his uh you know offensive mindset, defensive mindset, or what, but uh the fact that he's won that much means that he's a pretty well-rounded guy.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_01: So no, absolutely.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_05: Um, and then first time position at Texas Tech, we have a general manager for our basketball team.
• 30:39
  SPEAKER_05: Um, Kellen Buffington, who is fantastic on any social media.
• 30:45
  SPEAKER_05: He's a hype man of all hype men.
• 30:47
  SPEAKER_05: He's on the bench, he's like the second guy up.
• 30:50
  SPEAKER_05: Coach Mack is the first guy up on the bench, and then Coach Buff is the next guy off the bench.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_05: Um, like I said, first year of the position at Texas Tech.
• 30:59
  SPEAKER_05: He's had a very interesting history.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_05: So, high school educator for 13 years in the DFW area, obviously developed a lot of relationships with um talent in the DFW area for basketball.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_05: Um, founded something called TB5 Reports, which is kind of a scouting and recruiting or reporting program um for top-level high school basketball talent in the DFW area.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_05: He's also hosted kind of top amateur basketball events for um these types of players, scouted and identified guys like Cade Cunningham, Tayson Wallace, Keontae George, Anthony Black, who, by the way, were all first round picks in the NBA in the last couple of years.
• 31:37
  SPEAKER_05: Cade Cunningham being the number one overall pick in 2020.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_05: So dude knows ball.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_05: Dude knows ball, dude knows DFW talent, he knows guys, he knows coaches, he knows recruiters, he knows everybody.
• 31:51
  SPEAKER_05: And this is the perfect general manager to have for your university.
• 31:56
  SPEAKER_01: So, how's how coincidental was it to get that AM game in DFW?
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_05: He probably had a lot to do with it.
• 32:02
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, Grant has his ties, Buff has his ties.
• 32:05
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, you're not gonna find anybody in DFW who basketball scene that probably doesn't know Kellen Buffington.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_01: So Mr.
• 32:11
  SPEAKER_01: Crystal Ball himself is is are you thinking he's kind of like lead recruiter, kind of like real lead recruiting strategist, kind of like we have in in the football department?
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I think I think he's gonna take a lot of like what uh James Blanchard does for the football team.
• 32:24
  SPEAKER_05: And he's even been you know upgraded to general manager of the football team now.
• 32:28
  SPEAKER_05: So yeah, I think it's a very similar deal.
• 32:30
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, he's gonna develop the strategy, he's gonna know what kids to get.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_05: He's spending all his time calling parents, calling um coaches, and getting the best kind of talent to Lubbock, Texas.
• 32:42
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it feels like a really different vibe in this coaching staff this year around, huh?
• 32:46
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, yeah, extremely.
• 32:47
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, you're you know, I liked some of Adams' guys, um, but uh overall you just didn't have the same strategy.
• 32:54
  SPEAKER_05: It was a very old school way of thinking under Coach Adams, and now you're really getting a new school trying to keep up with the NIL, keeping up with recruiting, keeping up in the new age of college sports.
• 33:06
  SPEAKER_01: This looks like a flat out recycle.
• 33:08
  SPEAKER_01: Like no one has returned, uh staff wise, it appears.
• 33:12
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I mean, I would have liked to have a guy like Sean Sutton return because you know he's he's been through a couple regimes now of Texas Tech basketball, and he's just a good guy, a well-respected individual in the scene.
• 33:22
  SPEAKER_05: Um, you know, Daryl Dora was the staff last year.
• 33:26
  SPEAKER_05: He's he's kind of still around Lubbock, which is cool.
• 33:28
  SPEAKER_05: Um, Al Pinkins, unfortunately, left to go to help out Beard at Ole Miss.
• 33:34
  SPEAKER_05: Um, a couple other guys, you know, that uh I liked some of the past head coach or assistants that we had, but you know, this is a new staff, new regime.
• 33:42
  SPEAKER_05: He was gonna bring in his own guys, which I'm 100% cool with.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we have to learn to love these guys too.
• 33:46
  SPEAKER_01: So it's it's not all it's not all sadness.
• 33:48
  SPEAKER_01: You know, if if they're anything like Grant, we're gonna be they're gonna be fine, they're gonna be great members of the community.
• 33:52
  SPEAKER_01: So um, especially, I mean, like you said, like Buffington on Twitter's already been awesome.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_01: I love his crystal ball shtick.
• 33:57
  SPEAKER_01: I love when guys have a shtick.
• 33:58
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's it's fun when they got a shtick.
• 34:00
  SPEAKER_01: Give me a good shtick.
• 34:01
  SPEAKER_04: Give me a good shtick.
• 34:03
  SPEAKER_04: That's what I always say.
• 34:05
  SPEAKER_05: All right, we're recruiting.
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_01: Get a shtick.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_05: You want to run through returners or you want to run through the new guys?
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_01: You hit it, dude.
• 34:12
  SPEAKER_01: Just roll.
• 34:13
  SPEAKER_05: All right, let's talk returners first.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_05: So, a good amount of returning players from last year's team.
• 34:19
  SPEAKER_05: I, you know, I'm surprised.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_05: Surprisingly, with the record, it was very surprising that we did keep record.
• 34:25
  SPEAKER_05: No, I know, I know, but like just the guys that stayed.
• 34:28
  SPEAKER_05: It was surprising that they stayed due to everything that happened last year.
• 34:32
  SPEAKER_05: It was also surprising that we brought back so much from a team that did not do too well.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_05: But I think we brought the good pieces from last year back and kind of got some of those uh negative energy folks out of here.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_01: Are you subtweeting, Steven?
• 34:46
  SPEAKER_05: I'm not, I'm not.
• 34:47
  SPEAKER_05: He'd be subtle.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_01: You know, I are gonna follow up that subtweet with a discussion about the NCAA waiver approval.
• 34:53
  SPEAKER_01: Is that is that where this is gonna get closed?
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_05: Oh no.
• 34:55
  SPEAKER_05: I was more talking about the the taller guy that went to Cal versus the other guy that went to Cal.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, oh yeah, for sure, for sure.
• 35:01
  SPEAKER_01: But I blocked that man out of my head.
• 35:03
  SPEAKER_05: So again, no, they're past everything's in the past.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, Pop Isaacs is back.
• 35:10
  SPEAKER_05: Pop Isaacs is going to make his mark this year.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_05: He's going to be your guy.
• 35:17
  SPEAKER_05: He is going to be the guy on Texas Tech's team this year.
• 35:21
  SPEAKER_05: Offensively, we've seen the talent.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_05: He's a supreme shooter.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_05: Um, can do so much more outside of that.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_05: He can get to the rim.
• 35:28
  SPEAKER_05: Um, what I think he needs to work on uh kind of facilitating uh more of finishing at the rim, I think, getting to the free throw line more.
• 35:36
  SPEAKER_05: He more kind of you know stands around the perimeter, which is fine if you're hitting six for ten from three.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_05: That's great.
• 35:42
  SPEAKER_05: Keep doing that, Pop.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_05: But um, I'd like to see him mentally be more of a leader on this year's team.
• 35:47
  SPEAKER_05: And with that year, you know, extra year of age comes a little more leadership and a little more uh fight in him.
• 35:54
  SPEAKER_05: So I love that pop's back.
• 35:55
  SPEAKER_05: He's gonna be the dude to watch.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, to ask him to be a leader as a freshman, like a true freshman, is a lot to ask of any young man on a college team full of dudes that are four years older than you, you know, like in pretty much different phases of their lives.
• 36:07
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but do you think do you think bringing back pop was the single most important dude to hang on to?
• 36:13
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, absolutely.
• 36:14
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, uh, you know, Tyson's obviously a very talented individual.
• 36:18
  SPEAKER_05: Um we we could talk about the guys from last year.
• 36:23
  SPEAKER_05: Tyson, obviously, a very talented individual.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_05: Pop was the guy that I wanted back most, and I think everybody should want back most for sure.
• 36:30
  SPEAKER_05: Not only due to age, but due to his his mentality and what he brings skill-wise to the team.
• 36:36
  SPEAKER_05: So um extremely happy Pop is back.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, a good dub from Grant to hang on to him.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_01: So, because these guys could have gone anywhere, especially a guy like Pop, who was he was you know arguably the best player on the roster left.
• 36:48
  SPEAKER_01: So um very good uh coup from from Mr.
• 36:52
  SPEAKER_01: McCasslin.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_05: I could pretty much I could pretty much, and from somebody who's not very plugged into the scene of college basketball, I can guarantee that almost every school reached out to Pope to try to get him to come uh over there.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_05: But a couple other guys that we have coming back that I love.
• 37:06
  SPEAKER_05: Lamar Washington is back, who is the ultimate just grinder.
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_05: He does everything that other guys don't want to do.
• 37:14
  SPEAKER_05: He plays defense, he hustles his ass off, he goes for loose balls, he rebounds great for a guard his size, he's physical.
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_05: Every team would love to have Lamar Washington on their team because no matter where you put him, he's going to help in some way or another.
• 37:31
  SPEAKER_05: Skill-wise, yeah, he's got a lot to work on.
• 37:33
  SPEAKER_05: He's not a great shooter.
• 37:34
  SPEAKER_05: Um, you know, he's not the best uh with the ball in his hands, but man, you just need these types of dudes on your basketball team.
• 37:42
  SPEAKER_05: And Lamar is one of the better ones.
• 37:45
  SPEAKER_01: So are you like already identifying the hardest working guy on the team?
• 37:49
  SPEAKER_05: Absolutely, 100%.
• 37:50
  SPEAKER_05: If he I you know, I don't know the behind the scenes stuff, but on the court, he does the stuff that other guys don't want to do, and he's one of your best defenders going into this year.
• 37:59
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_05: So he's back.
• 38:02
  SPEAKER_05: Bob Jennings is back.
• 38:03
  SPEAKER_05: He had some options this offseason.
• 38:05
  SPEAKER_05: He could have gone to Purdue, he could have gone to a few other places, but no, or Virginia, I think it wasn't Purdue, it was Virginia.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_05: But Bob Jennings is back, and he's going to be the first big off the bench coming in for Warren Washington, who we'll get to later.
• 38:20
  SPEAKER_05: But excited that Rob is back.
• 38:22
  SPEAKER_05: Um, we love it.
• 38:24
  SPEAKER_01: Steven, when you finally leave your day job and become a full, full reporter for for tech sports.
• 38:29
  SPEAKER_01: Bob Jennings.
• 38:31
  SPEAKER_01: Whenever you meet him, you must refer to him flat out as Bob Jennings.
• 38:35
  SPEAKER_05: He's Bob Jennings for now on.
• 38:36
  SPEAKER_05: I'm not no, he's not Robert Jennings.
• 38:38
  SPEAKER_05: He's Bob Jennings.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_05: Okay, he's getting down there.
• 38:41
  SPEAKER_05: It seems like he's grown a little bit, he's gotten a little stronger, gotten a little more yoked.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_05: Love to see that from your sophomore.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_05: Um, but yeah, he's he's gonna play a little bigger than what he is.
• 38:50
  SPEAKER_05: That's kind of his position.
• 38:52
  SPEAKER_05: Uh dude, he's 6'7.
• 38:54
  SPEAKER_05: He's a big guy, but he's not, you know, we have a seven-footer on this team, and a lot of other teams in this league have a seven-footer.
• 39:00
  SPEAKER_05: So he's gonna be matched up against those guys a lot of the time when he's coming off the bench, and that's fine.
• 39:05
  SPEAKER_05: I think he plays well for his size.
• 39:07
  SPEAKER_05: Um, you know, he's gonna be a rebounder.
• 39:09
  SPEAKER_05: We'll see if there's any shooting uh improvement for him, maybe on the outside.
• 39:13
  SPEAKER_05: Who knows?
• 39:14
  SPEAKER_05: But uh regardless, he's gonna be a guy off the bench, and I'm excited.
• 39:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, good, it's good to retain some height because you said, you know, yeah, we have some more taller guys, but you know, it was I feel like height was a bit of an issue for us last year, was it not?
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_05: It was.
• 39:26
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, you had Bacho and you had Dawes, but both those, I mean, they were both out for half the year anyway.
• 39:31
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 39:31
  SPEAKER_05: So it doesn't, it doesn't really matter if your guys can't stay healthy.
• 39:35
  SPEAKER_05: So um, yeah, no, I'm I'm uh I love Bob.
• 39:38
  SPEAKER_05: Love he's here.
• 39:40
  SPEAKER_05: Another guy that returned, hasn't played a game officially for Texas Tech yet, but was on the team for half of last season is Kyron Lindsay.
• 39:48
  SPEAKER_05: Didn't play in the scrimmage, which is a little confusing.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_05: I was I was surprised maybe he's you know uh going through a little bit of injury struggles or something at this point in the year, but he's another guy who plays a lot like Bob.
• 40:00
  SPEAKER_05: He's 6'7, 6'8, uh, but play will play bigger than what he is.
• 40:06
  SPEAKER_05: So uh look at him to be kind of a backup five, four option, play more down low than he does outside.
• 40:13
  SPEAKER_05: So um we'll see.
• 40:14
  SPEAKER_05: I'm I'm really he played good as a true freshman at Georgia before he decided to transfer.
• 40:18
  SPEAKER_05: So uh a lot of unknown with him right now.
• 40:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 40:22
  SPEAKER_01: I have not much else to say there.
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_05: Yep.
• 40:25
  SPEAKER_05: The two last returners that we have yet.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_05: Two last returners, I think we can all be real here.
• 40:31
  SPEAKER_05: Pretty disappointing, all things considered.
• 40:33
  SPEAKER_05: Kerwin Walton, Demarion Williams, um, Kerwin transferring from North Carolina, and Demarion Williams transferring from Gardner Webb.
• 40:42
  SPEAKER_05: I think the first thing that I think about with these two was that culture that this team had last year really affected these two probably the most.
• 40:52
  SPEAKER_05: Um, you could see it in their faces.
• 40:55
  SPEAKER_05: They were never comfortable with the system last year.
• 40:58
  SPEAKER_05: Um I'm hoping kind of this faster pace of what we saw, at least against AM, is gonna help both of these guys.
• 41:05
  SPEAKER_05: But again, Kerwin, I really just see as a guy off the bench who could potentially get hot and hit three three-pointers.
• 41:12
  SPEAKER_05: Maybe eight minutes a game.
• 41:14
  SPEAKER_05: Maybe if he's making some shots, he stays in longer.
• 41:17
  SPEAKER_05: But I don't think Kerwin's gonna be a massive part of this team.
• 41:21
  SPEAKER_05: Um, you know, statistically or anything like that.
• 41:23
  SPEAKER_05: I could be wrong, but I wouldn't expect much out of him.
• 41:27
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I mean, you're of course you're happy that these guys stick around during a big transition in a poor season.
• 41:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but uh like you said, uh, these guys were probably some of the most disappointing, especially, you know, but coming out of the transfer portal adds to the last year's team.
• 41:41
  SPEAKER_01: So I guess you could just cross your fingers and hope that you know here he is in a senior season, hopefully able to do some more damage, you know, go out big.
• 41:48
  SPEAKER_01: But uh yeah, man, I I I well just have to see.
• 41:51
  SPEAKER_01: It's kind of like a waning game with him, I feel like.
• 41:53
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, and I think it's really a confidence thing, dude.
• 41:56
  SPEAKER_05: Like you could tell that guy was uncomfortable every second he was on the floor last year.
• 42:01
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, maybe except against LSU, where I think Kerwin hit five threes when uh me and our buddy Logan were in attendance.
• 42:08
  SPEAKER_05: That was actually we saw the one good Kerwin game last year.
• 42:11
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, but no, it's uh it's kind of no secret.
• 42:15
  SPEAKER_05: And the same as with Demarian Williams.
• 42:16
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, you just never saw you never had any confidence in him, and he never exuded confidence.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_05: So uh if those guys can somehow grab it, uh whatever they had at their previous stops, maybe Grant can bring the best out of them.
• 42:28
  SPEAKER_05: But uh again, I wouldn't expect a lot from either of these guys.
• 42:31
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, thanks.
• 42:32
  SPEAKER_05: Thank y'all for staying.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you for staying.
• 42:33
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, senior leadership, you know, if anything.
• 42:36
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah, for sure, right?
• 42:38
  SPEAKER_01: Good attitudes in the locker room, guidance, leadership.
• 42:40
  SPEAKER_01: Like you said, I mean, there the veteran sea is never ever a bad thing unless they just have this weird toxic energy from beyond before.
• 42:47
  SPEAKER_01: But I doubt that's the case in the Castlin uh led team.
• 42:50
  SPEAKER_01: So good point.
• 42:51
  SPEAKER_05: I think we got I think we got a lot of the toxic energy out of here from last year.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah.
• 42:54
  SPEAKER_05: So for sure.
• 42:55
  SPEAKER_01: I agreed.
• 42:57
  SPEAKER_05: Starting with uh the former head coach.
• 42:59
  SPEAKER_05: But all right, let's talk about newcomers.
• 43:03
  SPEAKER_05: Um, first off, before I go into individuals, uh, I just want to say that the first thing that jumps out to me about this whole group is that Grant really brought in a bunch of guys from winners last year, winning teams, and guys that sacrificed and played a role on winning teams.
• 43:18
  SPEAKER_05: So, you know, you can go and grab a bunch of guys that average 20 points a game at a lower level and had the ball in their hands 70% of the time, and you know, only know one way of playing, and that's with the ball in their hand.
• 43:31
  SPEAKER_05: Each and every one of these guys that I'm about to name accepted a role from a winning team last year.
• 43:38
  SPEAKER_05: And I think that's adamant when you're talking about the success of Texas Tech basketball in 2023, is if these guys can come together as a team, accept the role that they need to play, step up when they need to, but also know, you know, when you need to give the ball to pop or when, you know, anything like that.
• 43:57
  SPEAKER_05: So I'm the stats from last year.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_05: not going to pop out with any of these guys.
• 44:02
  SPEAKER_05: But all these guys have been in college basketball and know how to accept the role, which is a huge deal.
• 44:10
  SPEAKER_01: All right, so let's hear them.
• 44:11
  SPEAKER_05: All right, let's start with the big man.
• 44:13
  SPEAKER_05: Warren Washington, true seven-footer from Arizona State.
• 44:17
  SPEAKER_05: Uh he was previously at Nevada as well.
• 44:20
  SPEAKER_05: Just a big presence, man.
• 44:22
  SPEAKER_05: I watched a lot of both of the Arizona State guys.
• 44:25
  SPEAKER_05: And what stands out to me about him, obviously the shot blocking abilities, he's honestly a little late on some of them.
• 44:31
  SPEAKER_05: I don't think he's quite the shot blocker that we're expecting from a guy that big, but he can do it.
• 44:37
  SPEAKER_05: And I think he averaged about 1.2 two blocks a game last year, which is something that we desperately need on the defensive end.
• 44:44
  SPEAKER_05: Offensively, he's got kind of a a number of things that he's pretty decent at.
• 44:48
  SPEAKER_05: He's a pretty good low post scorer when he has the ball in his hands.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_05: I love his passability.
• 44:54
  SPEAKER_05: He'll get the ball at the top of the key or even down low.
• 44:57
  SPEAKER_05: He'll find cutters.
• 44:58
  SPEAKER_05: He'll find outside shooters.
• 44:59
  SPEAKER_05: I think that's the most underrated part of his game from after watching I watched I don't know eight or nine of his games from last year in the extended highlights and you just kind of see all of it.
• 45:10
  SPEAKER_05: He sees the floor really well for a big and he's obviously he's a lob threat.
• 45:13
  SPEAKER_05: He's athletic he can keep up on the fast paced system which is what I think Grant wants to do this year with this team.
• 45:20
  SPEAKER_05: So I think he's kind of he's obviously he's not the best big that was available in the portal but he is a great option for this team.
• 45:28
  SPEAKER_01: So I mean that's such a weird thing for you to say about a guy this size be able to dish it out.
• 45:32
  SPEAKER_01: But you know what you think about it he's got a really good view of the court you know he's kind of got he's got this crow's nest view of it five inches on your defender.
• 45:40
  SPEAKER_01: I mean shoot you see that open find the guy find the open man uh but dude yeah I mean that's excellent.
• 45:46
  SPEAKER_01: I mean I mean you're pulling you're pulling from a solid program like Arizona State.
• 45:49
  SPEAKER_01: You know they see and it's not like you're pulling from some some low-level program.
• 45:53
  SPEAKER_01: So you always expect a uh some sort of level of continuity there whenever you're pulling from a a a player from a power five program.
• 46:00
  SPEAKER_01: So hopefully you know he's he's not too raw and you're able to just you know just polish him off a bit and see what you can get out of him.
• 46:08
  SPEAKER_01: I wonder how awkward it is you know he he he transfers and now Arizona State is going to be um well thank God he's a super senior but he wouldn't he wouldn't he's not gonna he's not gonna be playing against him unless it's the tournament but it would have been awkward but um but yeah I mean again we obviously we need the size so it's good to get some some bulk out there.
• 46:27
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah no doubt and like you mentioned six year senior dude's seen it he's been there before he's 23 years old playing college basketball so that doesn't stink get a job just getting very happy you're here no exactly very happy you're here let's talk about the other Arizona State guy Devin Cambridge um who also started in the scrimmage against AM so you're looking at two starters right here coming in from Arizona State um kind of undersized for the position that he plays again 6'6 but he kind of really plays four uh he can play outside but he's mostly inside trying to grab rebounds and everything he is a lot like Lamar where he's a grinder he does the stuff you don't want to do but kind of have to do to be successful um which is rebound go for loose balls he's extremely athletic I don't know if you saw the uh the Ali oop uh highlight from the exhibition game against AM they let off with dude can Scott uh and he showed that a lot at Arizona State so um he can also pop out shoot the three I think he went two of three against AM from downtown but um overall I he's just a really solid player does a lot of good in a lot of different areas interesting to see is you know an immediate impact so like you said you know we might be looking at so we might have already been talking about most of our starters here I mean he's the third high scorer against AM so it looks like we might already have a guy that's ready to uh make his presence immediately known on the on the stat sheet for us uh four of your starters this year are going to be transfers so who it that's today's game you know especially with the new coach so yeah exactly uh one of the other starters is Darien Williams who I like a lot might be my favorite transfer it's between him or Washington I always love getting a seven footer on your team but um no Darien Williams coming from Nevada big guard it's like 6'5 6'6 uh sees the floor really well but also can kind of play a multitude of positions he led Nevada in rebounding last year uh at six foot six and he's got an assist to turnover ratio I think it was like 90 assists to 30 turnovers which is fantastic uh from last year as a true freshman I think he won the Mountain West true freshman or freshman of the year I guess he did um for the Mountain West good three point shooter as well he's scary from outside um kind of plays you won't really know this because you know you don't know ball but uh never claimed to play plays a little like Kyle Anderson if you've ever seen he was a longtime spur he's playing on Minnesota I think now but uh super slow in his game but finds the right guy and slow-mo slow-mo super patient with the ball uh can shoot pretty well so excited for Darien um I know the slow mo sir um but I'm sorry you do know ball I know apologies I was not familiar with your game um so whenever you talk about a guy like this and whenever we look at the stat sheet as a whole from uh the AM night because we're gonna base the entire season um based on beating the eggs are we are we gonna see a lot more threes this year you think because i i remember that's been like our nonstop bitch for the past like three years i swear we shot 34 we shot 34 threes against a m so yeah i think so we're gonna get mixed in a little more i think so and especially when pop's your best player pop's gonna shoot 10 of them a game shoot can i can i can i ask a layman's question then even though i know clearly no ball uh would you say would you say that grant mcastlin brings a more modern brain of basketball because you're talking about how old school adams was last season do you think grant has a more modern twist on the game or do you think due to his defensive grinding he still has a very traditionalist outlook no I think he's much more uh new age than coach Adams is uh and that's a good thing because what Grant does and what I love about him is that he plays to his players' strengths he coaches to what he has on his roster he's got a lot of dudes that are quick that are fast that can run the floor very well and he is gonna coach that way the last couple years at UNT he had the slowest pace in I think all of college basketball but that was because of the personnel he had to work with and he was very successful with it.
• 50:50
  SPEAKER_05: So he's gonna and he said this all offseason because a lot of people asked him in media day and at press conferences are you gonna play as slow as you play and he said listen we're gonna play faster than what you've seen from me and it's because of the personnel that I have so yeah we're gonna play we're gonna play faster we're gonna shoot more threes we're it's it's gonna be a more modern style of basketball.
• 51:15
  SPEAKER_01: So you're gonna you're saying that we truly have a guy that's adaptive rather than um uh doctronal or I don't do I don't I don't know what word I'm trying to say like very doctrine based where he just has his system rather than you know trying to figure out what what actually works with the team.
• 51:31
  SPEAKER_01: I mean it's I that sounds like Doug you'd want a guy that would want that but at the same time if it seems like a much riskier move because you can't really hone your crafts whenever you you know whenever you're not focusing in on one style and really knowing how to coach that style and it's worked for a couple of our old coaches um but I I do like that we got a bit of a risk taker it sounds like I like a coach who can adjust to anything and coach Max seems like he will adjust.
• 51:59
  SPEAKER_05: Now he could have a different mindset going into next year.
• 52:02
  SPEAKER_05: Say he gets a bunch of guys that are a little slower uh maybe better in the half court game then you might see a slower pace but I'd rather have a coach who can make adjustments and realizes that he should make adjustments than a guy who only plays one way.
• 52:16
  SPEAKER_05: And if you can't accept that then we're either going to lose or you're gonna be off the team you know so I I like Grant's mindset.
• 52:25
  SPEAKER_05: I like his uh kind of overall outlook on coaching and on the game itself.
• 52:30
  SPEAKER_01: So uh yeah I think it's I see it as a good thing.
• 52:32
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah no absolutely sorry sorry for the sidetrack we we give it no no no you're good you're good uh last one who's gonna be a starter this year Joe Tucson uh late in the game West Virginia transfer this was kind of a product of Bob Huggins drinking too much and going to uh drive to Pittsburgh which I'd you know hope he gets better all honesty um but yeah I this is a great addition for us he's another facilitator another ball handler to put beside Pop he's very small uh but again for his position he you don't need to be big uh yeah decent three-point shooter uh but really the big thing with him is gonna be he's gonna be your facilitator in the half court and can push the ball when needed um I love this addition uh West Virginia fans called him dribbling Joe last year uh just because he has the ball in his hands a lot I don't think he's gonna quite do the same thing here with Texas Tech because of all the different pieces around him but um no excited for Joe I mean it does feel a little dirty snagging uh a West Virginia product um but hey it you hate the player not the game um but uh it's he did seem like quite the sweetheart in the transfer portal I felt like it felt like his courting was pretty dramatic uh as as a whole yeah yeah I mean I so late in the game with everything that happened there I mean you it's a whirlwind I'm sure you're getting calls a lot of people already have their roster set a lot of guys are kind of up in the air so um you know transferring to another Big 12 program that could potentially win some games and you could be a potential starter I mean that's a no-brainer uh if you're talking just from Joe Tucson's perspective but um yeah I he had seven assists led the team in the exhibition game against the AGS so you know if you can get six assists a game from him that's gonna be huge.
• 54:21
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely man quality ads are good in my opinion.
• 54:24
  SPEAKER_05: Yep good good opinion thank you I like it when we get better just me might just be you um chance McMillan is the next guy I want to talk about Grand Canyon transfer showed out against the Oggies I think he had 17 points shot second I shot the three ball dude extremely athletic but also really nice shooter.
• 54:50
  SPEAKER_05: This he has a chance to be a starter on this year's team by the end of the year.
• 54:55
  SPEAKER_05: He's going to be a guy coming off the bench sharp shooter I love the idea of Chance McMillan being potentially your second best scorer this year.
• 55:08
  SPEAKER_01: Well I mean he he was the second best scorer in uh in the AM game following only Pop Isaac's you know with pop at 30.
• 55:15
  SPEAKER_01: He had 17.
• 55:16
  SPEAKER_01: So I mean a pretty mad decent starter uh starting gate game for him so um interesting you know get a guy from uh from a program like the lopes and see him already pop up and and do some good not saying that they have a bad program over there but um it's just like you said man I it kind of maybe perhaps the sleeper pick of the year of like a guy to be really excited about then out of all of them.
• 55:36
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah the newbie absolutely I mean I was surprised with how the coaches were raving about his athleticism because I didn't really he was really a shooter last year on Grand Canyon and uh again that's an NCA tournament team they played I think they played Kansas and he was the leading scorer in that round one game they did lose but do it again do it again keep it going baby we love guys who are good against Kansas prior to coming to Texas Tech Bryson Williams who I'm talking about in particular so um love chance McMilly already made the meme he is little Wayne I'm excited dude I this is Bryce Bryson has to be like our favorite transfer of all time right I don't know man I really got a soft spot for KO yeah I got a real soft I know he had you know he didn't quite live up to all the expectations we may have had for him but I love yeah absolutely we have a lot of good ones freaking Adonis Arms I mean oh dude Bryce you know god year one Adams was was very special um and I really hope we can have this argument at the end of the year about who's who's at that like top with the top favorite transfers of all time or just flat out favorite players of all time.
• 56:42
  SPEAKER_01: It's what's that's what's so fun about basketball is you really feel like you get to love these players on a more personal level than say football just because you see them more on the court you see their faces more see their emotion more um so it's and you see more games out of them.
• 56:56
  SPEAKER_05: So and that's I think that's what's really fun about uh with about basketball just feels much more of like a club that you think it's also a very painful part when you have guys like Terrence Shannon transfer and Kevin McCullough transfer and just eat your heart out because looking at both of those guys and how they played they played an exhibition against each other and they were both the leading scorers on their significant team.
• 57:20
  SPEAKER_05: So it's like hey we had both of them us Texas Tech us and we blew it thank you Mark Adams um oh wow moving on moving on that's diadog I'm just gonna sit down whoever our outro was I'm just gonna cross my arms and not say anything but just look disappointed I'm not gonna talk about him I'm done with him we moved on we're not shaded lovers freshman Drew Steffi he's still here like still came true freshman true freshman he's a shooter he's not gonna play a lot this year what he I mean he's a guy for the future yeah he's a product he's a product he's not gonna play a lot uh he didn't I don't think he got any minutes against AM we may see him early on which will be kind of fun um you know but hey uh excited that the Steffi family is here Matt his dad is a great follow on Twitter always very positive uh love to see it the other freshman that I might be a little more excited about um I believe from Finland I could be wrong but I think it's from Finland and I think I'm saying his name right say it Emily Yalaho I think it's Emily I could be wrong Emily maybe I don't know but I don't know I don't know I don't know how the Finnish speak I don't know how they you know how you don't speak Finnish I don't I don't in fact I'm pretty uncultured brush up on your Nordic languages I need to get better it's a lot like Swedish that doesn't help that doesn't that helps zero what about Norwegian I no no I'm out I'm out on the Nordic countries but very excited that he came from Finland to Lubbock Texas bit of a culture shock there but um hey he's six foot eight he's huge if you've seen the pictures of the team this year that they just put out today dude is massive he's like six eight but he's big like he's built he's got some wide shoulders big arms excited for him he got in in the scrimmage uh due to our kind of lack of size outside of Warren Washington you may see him this year in uh in in different stretches depending on matchups but um you know he's gonna play down low he was the biggest stag of the McCasslin offseason wasn't he yeah I mean freshman wise we only played once so you know it's uh you know Steffi I think ended up being a three star I think Yalaho was also a three star so um I think when you're just looking at size and potential right now Yalloho looks like the guy for the future but again we won't really know uh I don't think either of these guys are gonna get a lot of run this year but excited to have them well so so so y'all ho is not expecting to come in make noise and go kind of thing.
• 1:00:08
  SPEAKER_05: I think he'll play more than Steffi gets on the floor.
• 1:00:11
  SPEAKER_05: But I don't think either of them are gonna be like real impact guys for you.
• 1:00:14
  SPEAKER_01: Sweet.
• 1:00:15
  SPEAKER_05: So but but they're here for the long haul it sounds like I we'll see everything's a one year contract with the with the NCA basketball so for sure but there's but there's there's expectations amongst players you know that that vary so yeah I mean you got a lot of super seniors on this year's team so you got a lot of opportunity for next year and the following years but again with the portal and how things work out ultimately with college basketball it's a it's a one year contract.
• 1:00:38
  SPEAKER_05: These guys are here for one year you can't really expect them to be here for longer than that just due to everything.
• 1:00:44
  SPEAKER_05: Well as raw Ronstein said Rothstein said about uh after uh the AM game Grant McCasslin succeeded in portal combat it seems so good Rosteinism right there because portal combat portal combat last guy I'll briefly touch on he's a walk-on sophomore the token white guy off the bench baby Jack Francis didn't I don't think played college basketball last year I was trying to look up something from him but um was a good high school player scored a thousand points for his high school team um but again he's a walk-on he's gonna play sparingly when we're up by 30 hopefully against some of these bad teams and uh everybody will get hype when they see Jack Francis come to the school so he's just a guy living the dream then living the dream baby for the rest of his life he played for Texas Tech basketball baby so you gotta love it.
• 1:01:39
  SPEAKER_05: The Austin Temperman from last year we love to see it.
• 1:01:44
  SPEAKER_01: Always need those guys the creature the crowd will erupt when he gets out there during the garbage job against AM Commerce.
• 1:01:52
  SPEAKER_05: If he scores it's gonna be a madhouse in the USA you gotta love those players though.
• 1:02:00
  SPEAKER_05: Oh yeah you absolutely love it.
• 1:02:02
  SPEAKER_05: So that's your 2023 24 Red Raider roster and coaching staff hopefully you maybe you learned a thing or two.
• 1:02:08
  SPEAKER_05: Who knows?
• 1:02:09
  SPEAKER_05: Um but regardless lost IQ points maybe you did but that's normally what happens here on the talk and tech pod so uh if you're not used to it by now I don't know what to tell you.
• 1:02:20
  SPEAKER_05: Um expectations I want to talk about this for a second what now for football we had some now looking back some pretty unrealistic expectations 11 and 1 12 and oh potential playoff maybe an NY6 bowl hey none of that's gonna happen okay I want to be more real with this one because you can look at this expedition game we had against a top 15 team in the country against AM and one and think hey I'm bought in baby maybe we're gonna be this electric unbelievable crazy story sweet 16 team we are talking to me right now I think this team is a bubble team I think this team is on the cusp potentially of making the NCA tournament what I do think is that Grant McCasslin will have this team playing night in and night out hard and not give up during tough situations or maybe during a three game losing streak.
• 1:03:30
  SPEAKER_05: I think they're gonna go into that fourth game just as hard as they went into game one, two and three.
• 1:03:35
  SPEAKER_05: That's what I really believe about this coaching staff and this group of players.
• 1:03:39
  SPEAKER_05: So no right now I would predict probably a six to eight finish in the Big 12 for this Texas tech team potentially do a little better.
• 1:03:48
  SPEAKER_05: But hey six to eight in the Big 12 is still a potential tournament team.
• 1:03:52
  SPEAKER_01: I was about to say I feel like six to eight you are in the tournament sometimes we're talking especially I mean especially now that we're talking about a 14 team big 12 as well well I think like six teams from the Big 12 got in last year.
• 1:04:04
  SPEAKER_01: So you know like six in some years it's been like eight so I yeah I don't know if we've got an eight some it's regardless yes your point is valid if you finish middle of the conference in the Big 12 you're likely going to make the NCA tournament or at least be a bubble team I don't I really really don't want to agree with you because I really want to blow some sunshine out of these mics right now and overhype the crowd and it's just um do it do it do it do it you know what I the way I feel about this I was gonna say the same thing I was I was gonna say we're gonna be we're gonna be middle range Big 12 and then fist fighting for a spot in the tournament um I think I really think this team has the chance to have some lucky breaks to put themselves over the edge and get in.
• 1:04:58
  SPEAKER_01: But the reason why I the reason why I don't just want to flat out say this is going to be a tournament team is because I don't want it to be a disappointment if we're not I don't want this to seem like it's a failure of a season if we're not um but it would be one hell of a foundation year if we are and I feel like this this program is allowed to have the expectations that um we're going to the tournament that's what this that's what this team is now and if we don't get there it's kind of like a uh that burns a little bit kind of kind of hit on the pride at this point which is a great thing to be and I think coach McCaslin understands that better than any of us here talking or listening.
• 1:05:34
  SPEAKER_01: So the I I'm with you.
• 1:05:36
  SPEAKER_01: I think realistically I land where you are but I think we could be the Big 12 team that has the chance to be kind of like the special talk of the season especially out of the the newcomers and first year coaches kind of mixed into the same conversation.
• 1:05:52
  SPEAKER_01: So I I feel pretty dang good about the season and I think we kind of broke in the door in a really great way over a ranked team.
• 1:05:58
  SPEAKER_01: So I I I I'm I'm feeling good, dude, but I'm with you.
• 1:06:02
  SPEAKER_01: I think that's it's I don't want us to be disappointed if we don't make the tournament, which we ultimately will be, because you know, our passions will be riding high if the season's going well.
• 1:06:10
  SPEAKER_01: So um I'm probably over talking it, but I think I'm with you.
• 1:06:14
  SPEAKER_01: I I think we have the chance to be a strong bubble team and really claw our way in if things break right.
• 1:06:23
  SPEAKER_01: So I I that's that's the way I feel about it.
• 1:06:25
  SPEAKER_05: Hey, dude, I'm not saying that this team can't have a magical season.
• 1:06:30
  SPEAKER_05: They could.
• 1:06:31
  SPEAKER_05: You are very I very much hope that they do.
• 1:06:34
  SPEAKER_01: You said we're gonna be boo-boo because you don't want to be hurt again.
• 1:06:37
  SPEAKER_05: I didn't say that.
• 1:06:38
  SPEAKER_05: I didn't say six days finishing the Big 12.
• 1:06:41
  SPEAKER_05: That is not saying that we are boo-boo.
• 1:06:44
  SPEAKER_05: That's saying that this team right now, looking at it, I think they're gonna finish middle of the road in the Big 12.
• 1:06:50
  SPEAKER_05: And hey, that's pretty good because the Big 12 is freaking stacked and unreal, and you got a lot of good teams this year.
• 1:06:57
  SPEAKER_05: Kansas, Baylor, UT, K State, they're all good.
• 1:07:01
  SPEAKER_05: West Virginia could be a sneaky good team, you know.
• 1:07:04
  SPEAKER_05: You just had and oh, by the way, you added Houston.
• 1:07:07
  SPEAKER_05: So in Iowa State's always a Iowa State's always a threat.
• 1:07:11
  SPEAKER_05: I mean, you keep going down the list of these teams, and you're like, oh yeah, they're pretty good.
• 1:07:16
  SPEAKER_05: Oh yeah, they're pretty good.
• 1:07:17
  SPEAKER_05: So, you know, it's just a matter of fact that this conference is the best in the nation.
• 1:07:22
  SPEAKER_05: So, but what I think that this Texas Tech team is gonna be is gonna be that team that other teams hate to freaking play.
• 1:07:30
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I think like 2016 Texas Tech, like we made the tournament as like an eight or nine seed when we played Butler and lost in the first round.
• 1:07:39
  SPEAKER_05: But that team played hard every single freaking night, and every Big 12 team that was probably better talent-wise, did not like to play us because they were scared that this team was just gonna outgrind you and outbeat you um mentally and physically.
• 1:07:54
  SPEAKER_05: So um, I'm expecting that sort of team this year for Texas Tech.
• 1:07:59
  SPEAKER_01: And it sounds like that fierceness on defense that we've kind of become known for is still there.
• 1:08:04
  SPEAKER_01: And that's no matter what, every opposing team will hate to play that.
• 1:08:08
  SPEAKER_01: You know, they'll they'll hate to be grinding up and playing physical all night long.
• 1:08:12
  SPEAKER_01: So uh I'm with you, man.
• 1:08:13
  SPEAKER_01: Obviously, in the USA is no joke.
• 1:08:15
  SPEAKER_01: I think we have a reputation at this point without question as being one of the hardest places to play in the entire nation now.
• 1:08:20
  SPEAKER_01: So if we can get in there and defend the home court more than anything, I think you have a chance to make some really great things happen in year one.
• 1:08:28
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, and uh, you know, holding down home court, that's a huge thing for us.
• 1:08:32
  SPEAKER_05: It's something that Joey did very well in his first year at for the football team.
• 1:08:36
  SPEAKER_05: It's something that Adams did a pretty good job of.
• 1:08:39
  SPEAKER_05: Uh Beard did a good job of.
• 1:08:41
  SPEAKER_05: So um, yeah, uh, you know, got to hold it down for your home fans, man.
• 1:08:45
  SPEAKER_05: They they're gonna show out.
• 1:08:46
  SPEAKER_05: We built a great fan base for basketball here.
• 1:08:50
  SPEAKER_05: The student section gets wild, the entire you know, season tickets are sold out for I think the fifth straight year for Texas Tech.
• 1:08:56
  SPEAKER_01: So awesome, y'all.
• 1:08:58
  SPEAKER_05: It's great.
• 1:08:58
  SPEAKER_05: It's great.
• 1:08:59
  SPEAKER_05: Show up, show out.
• 1:09:00
  SPEAKER_05: I hope to make a basketball game in Lubbock this year.
• 1:09:02
  SPEAKER_05: By the time we move, I will be closer and we could potentially make one of those conference games on the weekend.
• 1:09:07
  SPEAKER_05: Um but hey, excited, watch on TV or watching live.
• 1:09:11
  SPEAKER_05: It's gonna be good.
• 1:09:12
  SPEAKER_05: The good sports back.
• 1:09:14
  SPEAKER_05: Basketball is back to provide us a little bit of relief.
• 1:09:20
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you.
• 1:09:21
  SPEAKER_05: Thank you.
• 1:09:22
  SPEAKER_05: And soccer.
• 1:09:23
  SPEAKER_05: Soccer, ladies and soccer, kicking butt.
• 1:09:25
  SPEAKER_05: All right, they're I think they're playing UT next.
• 1:09:28
  SPEAKER_05: Um in the in the tournament since we beat Cincinnati, which again was down to the wire and like one in the 90th minute off of that goal.
• 1:09:37
  SPEAKER_05: This soccer team is freaking electric, dude.
• 1:09:40
  SPEAKER_01: I love it.
• 1:09:40
  SPEAKER_01: I know, dude.
• 1:09:41
  SPEAKER_01: They're for real, man, and they they find ways to win, it seems, every single time.
• 1:09:45
  SPEAKER_01: It's not like they're just going in and and walk dog walking other teams, they're they're in the trenches and getting it done.
• 1:09:51
  SPEAKER_01: And I think that bodes really well for uh their postseason uh hopes here, which I feel pretty good.
• 1:09:57
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I feel like we got we're feeling pretty sky high in the locker room about what's gonna happen once we get out of this tournament.
• 1:10:02
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, after we get another trophy, of course, it makes a mystery.
• 1:10:04
  SPEAKER_01: But absolutely you hear me 100%.
• 1:10:07
  SPEAKER_05: All right, dude.
• 1:10:08
  SPEAKER_05: Anything else for basketball?
• 1:10:11
  SPEAKER_01: No, I think I think that does it for this spooky preseason preview.
• 1:10:15
  SPEAKER_01: I know obviously we'll take a closer look at the matchup as they come around.
• 1:10:18
  SPEAKER_05: Yeah, I mean, we still got eight days before the first game against AM Commerce.
• 1:10:22
  SPEAKER_01: Big one, big game, big game, big game, AM Commerce.
• 1:10:25
  SPEAKER_05: But no, we do have some big games in the uh in the non-conference that we haven't quite hit on, but we'll kind of get into that a little later.
• 1:10:33
  SPEAKER_05: Um, but yeah, very excited for basketball season, LFG.
• 1:10:37
  SPEAKER_05: Basketball is my favorite sport.
• 1:10:40
  SPEAKER_05: I do like the way they dribble up and down the court.
• 1:10:43
  SPEAKER_01: You know, my favorite sport is whatever tech's the best at in that moment.
• 1:10:46
  SPEAKER_05: Soccer's my favorite sport right now.
• 1:10:48
  SPEAKER_01: Soccer soccer's by far, especially women's soccer, is my favorite sport.
• 1:10:51
  SPEAKER_05: Favorite sport, easy, easy.
• 1:10:54
  SPEAKER_05: All right, dude.
• 1:10:54
  SPEAKER_05: Let's finish her off here.
• 1:10:56
  SPEAKER_05: The world's game song of the week.
• 1:10:59
  SPEAKER_05: Go ahead.
• 1:11:00
  SPEAKER_01: All right, dude.
• 1:11:01
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, I was thinking it's it's you know, uh vibes are weird in football right now.
• 1:11:07
  SPEAKER_01: It's Halloween, it's a weird vibey day.
• 1:11:10
  SPEAKER_05: If if by weird you mean bad, I mean sure.
• 1:11:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, no, no, I prefer weird over bad personally.
• 1:11:16
  SPEAKER_01: Nice, but I'm gonna go with a very well-written song about you know being being down in the weird and trying to get out of it, get out of the spet out of the spooks.
• 1:11:25
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm gonna go with spooky scary skeletons by Andrew Gold.
• 1:11:30
  SPEAKER_01: Andrew Gold for my song of the week to really speak to the people to you know to really set the times right here and get ourselves back on track with football and you know it put set the things right here for basketball coming up soon.
• 1:11:45
  SPEAKER_07: Spooky, scary skeletons, speak with such a screech.
• 1:11:51
  SPEAKER_07: You'll shake and shudder in surprise when you hear these zombies shriek.
• 1:11:59
  SPEAKER_04: Spooky scary skeletons.
• 1:12:02
  SPEAKER_04: It shivers down your spine.
• 1:12:06
  SPEAKER_05: Banger.
• 1:12:08
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's all it's only to rival Monster Mash from a couple years ago.
• 1:12:12
  SPEAKER_05: Monster Mash is still on the playlist, by the way.
• 1:12:15
  SPEAKER_05: Uh now you can add spooky scary skeletons to your everyday listening uh for the talk and tech songs of the week playlist on Spotify and Apple Music.
• 1:12:23
  SPEAKER_05: Um good plug.
• 1:12:27
  SPEAKER_05: My song of the week is going to be, I didn't do a Halloween theme, I'm sorry, but I did do a Charlie Crockett song, and it's the newest one off because of the movie, Killers of the Flower Moon.
• 1:12:39
  SPEAKER_05: I haven't seen the movie yet, but I've heard the song.
• 1:12:41
  SPEAKER_05: Um, it's fantastic.
• 1:12:43
  SPEAKER_05: I'm excited to see the movie.
• 1:12:45
  SPEAKER_05: I know it's long, but I'm excited.
• 1:12:47
  SPEAKER_05: Uh, Leo, fantastic, great story.
• 1:12:51
  SPEAKER_05: So, my song of the week, Killers of the Flower Moon, Charlie Crockett.
• 1:12:55
  SPEAKER_07: He went and got everybody killed my talk about the weather life.
• 1:13:04
  SPEAKER_07: Oh, the killers of the flower moon.
• 1:13:10
  SPEAKER_01: Soundtrack pick.
• 1:13:12
  SPEAKER_01: I like it.
• 1:13:12
  SPEAKER_01: Even for a movie I've not seen.
• 1:13:14
  SPEAKER_01: I'm thinking we're gonna catch that this weekend.
• 1:13:16
  SPEAKER_01: So we'll have to report back and see see what we what we think because our criticism very much matters.
• 1:13:21
  SPEAKER_05: I think it's like three and a half hours.
• 1:13:23
  SPEAKER_01: It's a score.
• 1:13:24
  SPEAKER_05: It's like a it's like a yeah, it's a Scorsese.
• 1:13:26
  SPEAKER_05: So that dude just doesn't give a shit.
• 1:13:28
  SPEAKER_05: And it's like run it.
• 1:13:30
  SPEAKER_05: We're not cutting anything, baby.
• 1:13:32
  SPEAKER_05: This is art.
• 1:13:34
  SPEAKER_05: I love it, I love it.
• 1:13:36
  SPEAKER_05: All right, dude.
• 1:13:37
  SPEAKER_05: Excited for basketball season.
• 1:13:40
  SPEAKER_05: I'm still ready.
• 1:13:41
  SPEAKER_05: I'm still gonna watch on Thursday.
• 1:13:42
  SPEAKER_05: I'm still hoping we can pull out a dub against TCU.
• 1:13:46
  SPEAKER_05: Um, I'm going to drink too much and be miserable on Friday.
• 1:13:49
  SPEAKER_05: It's just gonna happen.
• 1:13:51
  SPEAKER_05: Um, but very proud.
• 1:13:52
  SPEAKER_05: Very excited.
• 1:13:53
  SPEAKER_05: So you can follow both me and Tristan on Twitter.
• 1:13:55
  SPEAKER_05: Tristan's at Tristy Mick.
• 1:13:56
  SPEAKER_05: I'm at L underscore S underscore Rodriguez.
• 1:13:58
  SPEAKER_05: Follow the pod on Twitter and Instagram at talking tech pod.
• 1:14:02
  SPEAKER_05: Songs we playlist, Spotify, Apple Music.
• 1:14:04
  SPEAKER_05: We love you, appreciate you.
• 1:14:06
  SPEAKER_05: Always Wreck'em Tech.
• 1:14:08
  SPEAKER_01: Happy Halloween, Wreck Em Tech, baby.
• 1:14:11
  SPEAKER_02: Uh wow.
• 1:14:12
  SPEAKER_02: First of all, uh got a lot of respect for Steven and Tristan.
• 1:14:17
  SPEAKER_02: Uh their program, tough guys, just uh a lot of fun.
• 1:14:21
  SPEAKER_02: This is wild.
• 1:14:23
  SPEAKER_02: When I walked in and I knew this would be an awesome podcast, and these guys have been tremendous.
• 1:14:31
  SPEAKER_02: I love you, and I can't wait for this journey.
• 1:14:33
  SPEAKER_02: I would like to thank uh Steven and Tristan.
• 1:14:36
  SPEAKER_03: This is incredible.
• 1:14:38
  SPEAKER_03: These guys have a passion and a love for this school.