Latest / Scene Projects Sports Network / NBA, WNBA, and NIL Chaos: Preseason Storylines, Rivalries, and College Sports

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NBA, WNBA, and NIL Chaos: Preseason Storylines, Rivalries, and College Sports · Scene Projects Sports Network

0:37
Welcome into the Scene Project Sports Network.
0:39
You are here tonight for the rim report.
0:42
I am your host, Bubba Starts, joined as always every Wednesday with my guy, Selly.
0:48
What's going on, Selly?
0:50
Bubba, I'm doing well.
0:51
Can't complain.
0:53
No.
0:54
We had a great show last night talking football.
0:57
Big news over there today.
0:59
We might talk a little bit about that.
1:01
I'm sure a guy that you saw a lot.
1:03
I know you're a j e t s jets jets jets fan, but hard to be around when you were a kid without
1:10
hearing OBJ's name.
1:12
We'll save that for a little later in the show, though.
1:14
WNBA playoffs in full swing.
1:17
The NBA preseason heating up.
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Sixers just did some really fun stuff with their preseason activities.
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Selly, what, what are we looking forward to the most as we approach the beginning of of the NBA
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season?
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For me, just looking forward to the East matchups, the rivalries coming back like we
1:41
talked about last week with the Knicks and the Sixers at the top.
1:44
That's probably my main storyline along with, the Spurs with the Thunder.
1:49
Who's gonna who's gonna compete with them in the West?
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Who's gonna be the third team to crack the top two?
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Can anybody crack the top two, or is it just gonna be dispersing the thunder for the next
1:59
couple of years?
2:00
But, like, all these different rivalries, matchups that are developing, they all look
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really fun.
2:05
And plus, LeBron with the sixers, Is this gonna be...
2:09
It's gonna be the biggest soap opera drama of the whole season whether it works or not, and
2:14
we're, we're gonna have a fun time following it.
2:18
Yeah.
2:19
The East is back, and and I think they've kind of been...
2:23
It it hasn't been great.
2:25
And I don't know if it's directly correlated to, you know, LeBron not being in the East and
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being out West and and how much that changes things.
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You you know, I hate to put so much of the league kind of on King James' shoulders.
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It obviously has an effect, though.
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And now you have the champs are also in the East with with the New York Knicks that it
2:48
really brushes by.
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How far are Philly and New York City from it?
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It's, like, three hours or less.
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They're, like, right there?
2:54
Right there.
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In fact, I think LeBron is actually...
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I thought...
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I don't know if this is true or not because this was the rumor in the summer that he was
3:02
gonna live in New York and then, like, helicopter to games and practices.
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So, like, it's really close.
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Like, Knicks fans take over the Sixers Arena all the time.
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Like, that's how close it is.
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So, like, it's it's not really far.
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Oh, it...
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Helicopter in for practice.
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I mean, it's the old Kobe thing, right, to beat the traffic.
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If you can do it, I guess you can do it.
3:27
Yeah.
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Well, it works until it doesn't.
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Right?
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Rest in peace, Kobe.
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Yeah.
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The black mamba.
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Yeah.
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Really looking forward to seeing the East kinda rise again.
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Obviously, growing up a bulls fan, though...
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Those matchups were were king.
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You know?
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And we talked a lot about that and our kind of early childhood basketball memories, at least
3:50
for me early.
3:52
You know, you still are a very young man and in the first part of your life.
3:58
But you've you've had a chance to to really dig in now, since we started the show.
4:04
And I know you're an NBA guy before, but, you know, in digging into these teams, so much
4:10
talent, out in the wet...
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Or in the East rather, but you have two really strong teams in the West.
4:17
Do you think there's anybody that would be a surprise out there that could stun a, you know,
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nuggets like the like the Minnesota Timberwolves did last year and kind of, you
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know, have some rivalries building out west now that you have LeBron leaving the Lakers.
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Are the Lakers gonna be maybe that team with it just being, you know, Lucas' team now?
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It's gonna be interesting to see how this all shakes out.
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Yeah.
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I think in terms of a team that could make some, like, real noise to the top two that
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maybe people aren't expecting, maybe the rockets with, the return of Fred Van Vliet, who
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injured...
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Who tore his Achilles before the season started last year, which really crushed their chances.
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They played without a real point guard for...
5:03
Throughout the whole season.
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He's coming back.
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You add...
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Obviously, Kevin Durant's still there.
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Age...
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Year 20.
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Unbelievable.
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He's still dropping 25 a game, so good for him.
5:15
You still have a man Thompson.
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You still got Shangoon, then you have a great coach, an Eme Udoka.
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So they might be actually the team I would pick to make some real noise.
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A sleeper team that might surprise...
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Might be a surprise to some people.
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I would take maybe the Utah Jazz, considering they haven't been trying to really win for a
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couple years.
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They've been kinda tanking to get one of those top three picks.
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Finally got it, though, last year with Darren Peterson.
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And, for my money, when, he was healthy and he...
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With...
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Without all the nonsense that which happened in McHansans, he was, the best player when I was
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doing my draft evaluations.
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A lot of comparisons to Kobe Bryant, which crazy comparisons to comparison weight to one
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of the greats.
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However, one of the easiest 20 per game guys I've I've seen in college.
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He...
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When he was playing, it was an easy 20 points, twenty minutes and 20 points type of thing.
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Had 40 games, had 30 games when he was healthy.
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So I I would pick Utah because I think, the collection of talent they've accumulated over
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the years with...
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In the...
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From the lottery.
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And now coach Will Hardy, who was with the Boston Celtics before, can finally show what he
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can do coaching wise.
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Yeah.
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Plenty plenty to watch and and plenty to be excited about moving in.
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What?
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Season starts next week?
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I think we still got another week.
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'20...
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The twenty first.
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No.
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Twentieth.
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October 20.
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Okay.
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So, yeah, just just under two weeks left in there.
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We also have the WNBA playoffs, in full swing right now, which really great planning by these
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leagues now.
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I don't remember it always being like this and if the WNBAs kinda shifted their season.
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But what a great, you know, a great call to kind of put their season ending right as the
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NBA is picking up and getting those extra eyeballs on it.
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I I don't know if we can attribute some of that to, you know, the the game.
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It feels like it's really grown this year.
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Right?
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The WNBA...
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The w as they call it, I had a great talk today with a big basketball guy.
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We're gonna see if we can get my guy, Diami Starks, on with us next week.
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But he's coaching a bunch of basketball camps and developing players through through a league
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in Iowa, which is part of the Nike, like, AAU league.
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So he's had a couple of his girls that have come through there and are playing and, you
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know, some that have gotten drafted or are now playing in the league.
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And so I've gotten to know the lingo a little bit and and getting more involved.
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And I...
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Honestly, Sully, we talked about it a little bit last week too is that, like, it's nice for
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me to have the show because it kind of makes me be committed to at least tuning in and checking
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the stats and checking it because I've just been so kinda tuned out of the NBA for a a long
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time, and I needed that commitment to say, no, man.
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Like, you have to pay attention to this.
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And it's mostly because it's just the way we consume TV is so much different.
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I don't have cable, so I'm not just flipping on ESPN and and watching the games, and and it's
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just on in the background as it used to be, it's just different.
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I really have to commit to watching any game that you want to.
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Right?
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And and that's been a big part of, you know, it's just changed.
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Right?
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When when it was only on the big networks and that's all that was on and and you only had
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three channels, I know you don't remember a life like that, but I I still do.
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Maybe not three, but a half dozen and all the things were there.
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It's just so hard now.
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You gotta have, like, 17 subscriptions just to watch, you know, one team for the entire season
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and to catch every game, which, you know, we we can talk about that, you know, tonight or at a
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later date of, you know, if it's helping or hurting sports, but we're probably only five
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years away from every team having their own media company saying...
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A big middle finger to all of the bigger streamers, and everyone just kinda has their
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own little slice of the pie, and that's it.
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Because usually, you only wanna watch one team anyway.
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Right?
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Like, for me, baseball, I watch the Cubs.
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I'm not watching any other baseball.
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Yeah.
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I mean, you're right.
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Like, just like the coverage of the w...
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The WNBA, like you said before, though, had a great year coming off the collective bargaining
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agreement, coming off their historic deal.
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I'm not gonna I'm not gonna lie.
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Like, I was only watching the WNBA before in the postseason.
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However, when Kaitlyn Clark came, I started to watch, like, all the time.
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Then once I started to really watch, I started to realize how great the league was, and I
10:06
started to watch the aces with AJ Wilson, Paige Beckers with the wings, the hometown New York
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Liberty who won a title a couple years ago with Brianna Stewart, Sabrina Unescu.
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The league is just loaded with great players, great talent, and these games are fun to watch.
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The intensity is, like, the intensity is no joke.
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They're honestly...
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They're more competitive than the men, if we're being honest.
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Like, these games can get really serious.
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I I guess the only thing I wish would change with the with the league is, like, I want...
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I wish the series were longer.
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We had a a couple of series in the last round, which you woulda...
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If you woulda had a seven game series possibly with, like, aces, fever, that's a lot of money,
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eyeballs, and woulda given a chance to even, like, get the sport even bigger, honestly.
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And even...
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And, like, now it's only a best of five.
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Last round, it was a best of three.
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And I kinda think, unfortunately, like, everybody loses.
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The players lose.
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The fans lose.
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The owners lose because they're not even making as much money.
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It's, like, one of the reasons why, like, the NBA still has 82 games.
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Baseball still has a 162.
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The NFL is trying to go to 18.
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Why?
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Because it's all about money.
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The owners just want all the extra money, and they don't wanna lose it.
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So I I just...
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I wish the games...
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They had more games because it would just be more fun.
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But it's still been a fun playoffs.
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Shout out to the aces, the liberty, the dream, the Valkyries for doing their thing.
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And I and I will...
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We're...
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They're actually playing right now, I think.
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A couple of the teams Yeah.
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No.
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Liberty are down just a point, 39 to 40.
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They've been on a little run here since I've even been watching.
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They've scored four unanswered now and and kinda making a little run on them.
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Five twenty left in the second quarter there.
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I got it pulled up in the background just so I can keep up with it.
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And, yeah, the the best of three...
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And I think right now, a big part of that collective bargaining too was kind of
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restructuring how things were done and publicizing.
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And I know there's been a lot of drama that's kind of brought the eyeballs to it, the stuff
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with Caitlin Clark and and some of the different things that have been doing it.
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I don't wanna say that it's been manufactured, but god, if it was, it was a brilliant plan to
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get people talking about talking about your league and bringing some attention to it.
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I think there's some really great women, and these athletes are completely...
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I mean, any of these ladies would kick my butt in basketball.
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Right?
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So the...
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This isn't your your...
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You know, the league when it started two decades ago.
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You can see now the generations that have been inspired by the fact that they can go on to not
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just play, you know, at a university and and bring that in.
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And now that you have, you know, NIL money, and I had a deep discussion with that with my guy,
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Diami, today who, will be getting on for an interview with the show, and then we're gonna
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bring him in to be a contributor, with the rim report as well.
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But I didn't realize how much money was being thrown around for some of these players.
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I mean...
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And you're talking about hundreds of thousands of dollars, some of these these women, and and
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well, that's not even gonna get into the men's football side.
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So it's totally it's totally changed, I I don't wanna say that it's for the worst because I
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don't know.
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I I feel like it starts to separate the wheat from the chaff a little earlier now.
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You you have to want it.
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And and you're...
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If you're just playing for the money and you're gonna hop around for who can give you the
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biggest buck, I think that's gonna show.
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And we talked about it a little bit in the, in football with the rise of, you know, Indiana
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coming out and winning the championship last year is that you had recruited people that
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wanted to win.
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They wanted to be champions.
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They weren't chasing money or or any kind of other, you know, perk to that.
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They wanted to be champions.
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And I think building that culture is gonna become important to players again because
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everyone's going to have a big pot of money to pull from and to be able to entice those.
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And it's not all about the money at the end of the day.
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Yes.
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Is it nice to have it?
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But, you know, I know, he had mentioned a a girl from Minnesota that had been recruited and
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chose UCLA over maybe some other programs because of the culture around the mental health
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of it and of, you know, that they wanted to win.
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Right?
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And the coach is now building a culture.
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So really interesting to see what continue.
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And, I mean, he...
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Like like Diami said earlier today with me, it's the Wild West right now with this stuff,
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man.
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There is no collective bargaining for these players.
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They are not coming together as one, and I don't know how you do that.
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Right?
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There's no union for these p...
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They're not technically being paid salaries.
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So what do you...
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You know, what are we calling it?
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It...
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It's definitely this...
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The...
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This crazy time in college athletics right now.
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And it's probably gonna be a decade before it all shakes out and really has some, you know,
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level of of formality to it and what is a cap and and how are you not gonna circumvent that.
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So I'm excited to watch.
15:18
I think it's created a lot of parody.
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I think it's created a lot of, you know, people that now see a future, especially in women's
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sports that they're were getting more of it, but, you know, I think historically, there just
15:36
wasn't a level above that.
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Right?
15:38
You could be an Olympic athlete, an amateur, but that was kind of the top of, any kind of
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female sports out there.
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So I'm really excited that, you know, the w is just continuing to ascend in popularity.
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I hope that these, you know, this this playoff run and what they're doing now and the level of
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competition that we're seeing brings more eyeballs to it and continues to grow that game
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because I I think that it's it's better for everyone.
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And especially someone like me who has daughters, yeah, you know, has a daughter and,
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you know, wants to see things continue to get better and for these young ladies that can be
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so lucky to go on and play professionally to at least have those opportunities.
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So really awesome to see it grow, and I'm excited for the future.
16:25
Yeah.
16:25
NIL is tricky.
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Right?
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Like, because you you don't...
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I still think college sports, though, has never been more popular.
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Like, college football is up.
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College basketball, women's college basketball, it's all up.
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They're actually trying to pass the protect college sports act.
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So, like, what you're talking about, and maybe try and put a cap on the the amount of money
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these players can make, which is kind of good and bad because, like, the players, they don't
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get to rep themselves.
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There's no there's no...
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This isn't collectively bargains.
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So I kinda feel bad for them because they might be the ones getting screwed in
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the first place.
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I definitely are, but they're getting screwed a little less than they were when they were not
17:08
giving them anything, and then the schools and programs are pocketing millions.
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It's true.
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I think for women, coach would obviously be able to speak better to it than me.
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But at least from, like, my point of view, it looks like for the most part, the the top
17:24
players are still going to, like, the Connecticut's, the South Carolinas, the the the
17:31
the Your MFU.
17:32
Who's Your UCLA.
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The schools you normally still see even before there was money, because I still think, like,
17:39
coaching...
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The coaching matters.
17:42
Maybe Michigan might be the only school that's not historically a great basketball school for
17:49
women historically, because I think they might be the number one team in the country next
17:53
year.
17:53
They're they're coming back, I think, their whole team.
17:55
They're coming back loaded.
17:57
And, obviously, Michigan just has the funds for any sport they want with their alumni base.
18:04
I I think, though, like, women's basketball, though, wise, like we said, like, the players
18:10
are still gonna wanna be coached by Gina Oriema, coach Don Staley, all these all these
18:15
people who, could, help their careers out in the long run.
18:19
So I I still think in their game, it's more about the the actual, school, the coaching, the
18:27
fit if...
18:29
In my opinion.
18:32
Yeah.
18:32
And I think that it's...
18:34
Culture is always a a pendulum.
18:36
Right?
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It it it has swings to it, and and it's going to go one way for as far as it can and then
18:42
come back.
18:43
And I had a I had a conversation, talking about that in, like, the content world where, we're
18:49
starting to develop more longer form articles.
18:52
And, obviously, we do a ton of long form video content, and not that we don't repurpose it
18:56
into short form content and different clips, but you've gotten down now, you know, on the
19:01
TikTok generation who have, you know, an attention span that's, like, three seconds or
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less.
19:08
And and I think eventually that it swings back.
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I see it a little bit culturally because now people that were kind of a part of that
19:15
technological revolution, if you will, and have experienced that as young people and then now
19:21
having kids, that, like, I'm not handing my kid a cell phone and just handing it like the
19:25
babysitter.
19:26
Right?
19:27
Like, I don't...
19:27
They...
19:27
People are talking about screen time with these kids and, you know, my kids read a ton of
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books, so that's probably, you know, pretty, I would say, unique to us a little bit, but I
19:38
think they're I think there's a lot to maybe it coming back.
19:43
And and in the same way, I think that the NIL, you're you're having these big splashes now.
19:49
Eventually, the the the water kinda slashes back in the pool and and levels out, and it it
19:55
all becomes equal and becomes better for everybody.
19:58
And you have a lot of these athletes because, you know, every player on the team can get get
20:03
something, right, that you have people that even though they aren't they aren't the top
20:11
players on the team that...
20:13
And maybe it's only 10 or 20,000.
20:15
Like, that's that's a lot of money to a kid who doesn't have anything.
20:19
Even if you're on a scholarship, it still costs a lot to live these days, whether you're a star
20:24
athlete on a program or not.
20:28
Yeah.
20:29
I still think, it's all about, like, the transfer.
20:32
I think the transfer portal is more of the issue, I think, in terms of the NIL money.
20:37
Because I think, like, when you watch a team...
20:40
When you watch a school, you're not really focused on, like, what the player is making
20:44
unless the play...
20:45
Unless it's, like, a QB of a school and he's struggling.
20:49
Like, I know Bryce Underwood from Michigan, it gets brought up a lot because his NIL is,
20:53
like...
20:53
I think it's, like, $12,000,000 or something.
20:56
And he's...
20:56
He has a What?
20:58
It's it's something crazy.
21:00
Like, when they signed him for...
21:01
Out of high school, it was, like, over, like, a span of, like, four years, though.
21:05
So it's not not, like, per year.
21:07
So I think that it's, like, 3,000,000 per year something, I think.
21:10
I'll have to look it up again.
21:12
But
21:13
That is crazy, Selly.
21:14
I have been so tuned out of all of this.
21:16
Like, I know, but I didn't realize that it was like that.
21:20
That's Yeah.
21:20
That's crazy.
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QB, NIL money is, like, nuts, especially, like, at a top school.
21:26
Like, it's it's insane.
21:28
It's honestly better now.
21:30
Like, they used to say, like, oh, like, come back or why why come back?
21:35
Go to the league, right, if you were top five pick.
21:37
Now, like, people like Dante Moore of Oregon, who was probably gonna be selected by my Jets
21:43
second overall, came back to school because he was probably getting paid a ton of money at
21:49
Oregon.
21:49
Probably, like, 6,000,000, $7,000,000 even.
21:53
Oh, man.
21:53
And you're you're a king of Eugene when you're the the quarterback of the ducks, man.
21:57
Like Yeah.
21:58
To go...
21:59
No offense, but to trade that to go be in...
22:02
Play for the jets, I don't know if I'm doing that either.
22:05
They were able to sign, this guy, Dominic Raiola, and, like, it was, like, the same thing
22:11
they did with, Dante Moore where, like, paid him to be the backup knowing that, like, he'll
22:17
be the starter eventually.
22:19
But, like, they were still able to pay him, a crazy amount of money.
22:23
So instead of him, like, starting somewhere else, like, right now...
22:26
I mean, he's starting now because, Dante Moore had an unfortunate neck injury.
22:31
But instead of him, like, going somewhere else and playing, like, right away, he was like,
22:35
alright.
22:35
I'll be the backup for a year, and then, like, I'll be the starter.
22:38
That's how much money some
22:39
because I'm cashing 1.5 mil a year just sitting on the bench.
22:44
Right.
22:44
They can just pay some crazy guy an insane amount of money just to be a backup.
22:50
So, like, it's...
22:51
The transfer portal to me is more...
22:53
Again, it's like it's like NIL.
22:55
It's like good and bad.
22:56
It's the Wild West.
22:58
You're kinda rooting for the laundry at this point.
23:00
And so...
23:01
Because a lot of the times, even when I'm rooting for, like, my St.
23:04
John's team, you gotta, like, relearn a roster every year.
23:08
Right?
23:08
We used to make fun of Kentucky with John Calipari back in the day when he had a new
23:12
roster every single year with a bunch of those freshmen, but now it's everybody.
23:16
Yeah.
23:17
All the one and dones.
23:19
Teams rarely return the whole team, like, rarely.
23:24
Some some schools do, but it...
23:25
It's rare.
23:28
So so, like, I think, the transfer portal...
23:30
But like like you said earlier, though, it, like, it levels the playing field.
23:34
Indiana wouldn't have been able to win a national championship in football without the
23:38
transfer portal, without coach Acineti being able to bring all his talent from James Madison
23:45
with him, bringing, D'Angelo Ponds who plays for my jets now.
23:50
All these guys who, like, he won champions with at a lower level who wanted to prove themselves
23:56
at a higher level who eventually did prove themselves.
23:59
There's obviously no Fernando Mendoza without the transfer portal.
24:03
Well, I I think it's it's good and bad, but, like, I think the sport has never been better.
24:08
It's still fun to watch.
24:09
I still...
24:10
Every Saturday, I'm locked into college football.
24:13
When the college basketball season starts, I'll still be locked in.
24:16
Just having...
24:17
I'll just have to relearn the transfer portal up.
24:20
I'll just have to relearn who's playing where, just looking up the transfer portal rankings
24:25
who who has...
24:26
Now, like, we used to have, like, recruiting classes.
24:28
Now there's transfer, transfer classes now, transfer portal classes, who at the top rated
24:34
transfer portal class.
24:36
I know.
24:43
I know because Saint John's had one, like, last year where we were the top transfer portal
24:48
class.
24:49
Yeah.
24:51
That's that's just crazy how much things change in a short short amount of time, it feels like.
24:59
And exactly why I think I let everything go.
25:01
Things seem to be there was so much change going on in five years where I was like, I
25:06
can't keep up.
25:07
I just wanna let dust settle, and then I'll come back so someone can explain all this stuff
25:12
to me.
25:13
And I feel like the the dust is clearing now, and it's gonna be a lot easier.
25:18
Speaking of the Saint John's team, have you had a chance to kinda preview your college...
25:25
Your favorite college teams and get ready?
25:27
When do they...
25:27
They start November usually?
25:40
I can hear you.
25:41
Did you lose my...
25:44
Lose me, Selly?
25:49
Can you hear me?
25:50
I can hear you.
25:51
Yeah.
25:52
Okay.
25:54
Wait.
25:55
Hold on.
25:58
I can kick you.
26:06
Let me do this.
26:08
Yep.
26:08
I'm gonna give Sully a quick kick.
26:10
Let him tap back in.
26:12
Yeah.
26:13
You all will have to forgive me, and my lack of knowledge about, a lot of this stuff with the
26:18
NCAA and, you know, just basketball in general.
26:23
I'm just here to host the show and provide a platform for our guy, Selly, to talk with you
26:28
and drop his knowledge.
26:30
Obviously, once the NBA action gets back up and going, we're gonna have a a lot more to talk
26:35
about.
26:36
Do a quick score check-in on playoff game in the w.
26:41
Two zero seven left in the second quarter.
26:45
Atlanta's up on the New York Liberty 48 to 47.
26:49
So that's about the only basketball action we've got going on right now.
26:54
But, yeah, I was just asking, Selly, when, the college...
26:57
The NCAA basketball season kicks off, but I guess I could look that up myself too.
27:02
Like, maybe How's Saint John's gonna look this year?
27:05
So coming off a year where you had the top transfer, how far did they go?
27:09
They made the tournament.
27:10
Right?
27:11
Sweet 16.
27:13
Okay.
27:14
Made it
27:14
to the sweet 16.
27:15
So, hopefully, they're returning a lot of that team.
27:18
Were there guys that got drafted and depleted the roster again?
27:22
So they actually have, like, four players drafted.
27:26
One guy, Zubi, shout out to my man, Zubi, in the first round by the hawks.
27:30
Then a couple guys in the second round, they brought back, like, two or three players, and
27:37
then the rest were transfers.
27:40
A lot of international transfers because Patino has an international history from his time
27:46
coaching in Greece.
27:50
I think, though...
27:51
And then I don't know if you heard about this whole, like, controversial thing about, like,
27:56
players who went pro bringing them back to school with their fifth year because a judge
28:01
said, they could play.
28:03
It just became famous for, like, Lane Kiffin with the football stuff.
28:06
So we actually have a guy who played in the Miami Heat Summer League this year who was,
28:12
like, Auburn's, like, top player, and we signed him.
28:15
He's...
28:16
We're still waiting to see if he can actually play this year.
28:19
Because if he can play, he's gonna make a huge difference for us.
28:22
However, because this whole thing is still, like, a wait and see type of thing, we don't
28:26
know.
28:27
But I'm always in the stage of...
28:29
And Patino, trust.
28:31
We've won the Big East back to back years.
28:34
We, we won the Big East tournament back to back years.
28:37
He's changed how, people feel about St.
28:40
John's basketball.
28:41
It's unbelievable.
28:42
Like, when I was in school, during the Chris Mullen era, as much as I love him, the
28:49
basketball was not great when I was working in the athletics department.
28:53
I would meet with...
28:54
When I was working in the athletic department, I would meet with all these, like, older fans.
28:58
And, like, I just was like, if we could ever just have, like, one good team, like, these
29:02
fans are gonna show up because they showed up when the team was bad.
29:06
Coming to Karnesaka in our tiny, arena on campus, and I was like, these fans are just
29:11
really loyal.
29:12
And if we can just get one good team here and we could rock the garden, it would be
29:17
unbelievable.
29:18
And he showed up and blessed us.
29:20
Thank god.
29:22
Well...
29:23
And and it's like you said early that, you know, players wanna play for the the best
29:27
coaches.
29:28
And and, obviously, Rick Pettino has proved himself for years, you know, all those years at
29:34
at Kentucky.
29:35
Right?
29:35
The the first kind of iteration and then at Louisville.
29:39
I've always loved him.
29:40
I thought he was a great guy.
29:42
I definitely come from an old school.
29:43
I like a a fiery coach.
29:46
My dad used to coach me in ball and and was a little probably too fiery at times himself
29:50
coaching, you know, 10 year olds.
29:53
But, oh, man.
29:57
I I...
29:58
A great coach, a great basketball mind.
30:00
And as much as the game chain...
30:01
I mean, to the talent level, and we kinda talked a little bit about, that, the league,
30:07
but also in the NCAA.
30:10
The talent level is through the roof.
30:12
You have such a high turnover where these are...
30:15
You you know, you're not always putting 21 year olds out there on the court.
30:19
In many ways, nobody makes it to that age.
30:21
Like, if you're still playing in the NCAA at 21 years old, like, you're kind of a failure.
30:26
Right?
30:27
Because it is so much, hey.
30:29
You're in at 17, and you're drafted at 19, 20 years old and gone.
30:34
It wasn't always like that.
30:35
You know?
30:36
And, historically, it wasn't like that.
30:38
The teams that succeeded were the ones that had the experience.
30:41
You were...
30:42
You know, you had a a group of seniors that have been playing together for, you know, four,
30:46
sometimes five years, and that...
30:49
But it's just not like that anymore.
30:50
And I think for older fans, I I wouldn't I wouldn't call myself older necessarily, but for
30:55
somebody that's, you know, 50, 60 years old still trying to follow the NCAA, it's gotta be
31:01
very different because that's not what you were, you know, first of all, involved in
31:06
maybe.
31:07
You know, my dad played d three ball back in, you know, in the eighties and the early
31:11
eighties, and it's it's just...
31:14
It's different.
31:15
And it's always changing, and it's not going to, that's not going to stop anytime soon.
31:21
I wonder if they'll start to bring back because you have these players that are making...
31:25
That are getting the NIL money.
31:27
If you have more of...
31:29
Because right now, it's...
31:30
They have to be in for a year.
31:31
Right?
31:32
It's still the one and done?
31:34
Yeah.
31:34
One and done, one year post high school or post, like, eighteenth birthday type of thing.
31:42
I do think, the old school, though, college basketball is, like, making a comeback, though,
31:48
with the NIL.
31:49
Two perfect examples, Braylon Mullins, who's famous for his, three point game winner against
31:56
Duke in the tournament.
31:58
He was probably...
32:01
If this was, like, five, six years ago, pre NIL, he probably would have had to go because
32:07
he was gonna be a first round pick.
32:10
Now how high he would have went, I don't know.
32:12
Probably could have been as high as the teens, probably late twenties.
32:18
Yeah.
32:18
Late twenties because he was just a...
32:20
He's six six.
32:21
He can shoot, very athletic.
32:24
However, now because if you could pay him and I... From what
32:27
From what my, my coworker told me who was a Yukon fan, they gave him a good amount of money
32:32
to come back.
32:33
He came back for his sophomore year.
32:35
So I I do think him and Saint John's did the same thing with a guy, Tunde Iesofu, who was
32:41
gonna be in the same position as Braylen.
32:45
T...
32:45
Late teens, late teens, twenties...
32:49
In the twenties.
32:50
And then, typically, those guys, when I was in college, would have had to leave because you
32:55
can't say no to that kind of money.
32:56
However
32:57
Right.
32:58
Pay you an insane amount of money to come back, and you still got another year to develop.
33:03
And plus, the, elephant in the room, like you said earlier, is being the man at UConn, being
33:11
the man at St.
33:12
John's, like, instead of, like, being, like, the sixth, seventh man off the bench
33:16
potentially or even being in the g league, like, which one would you pick?
33:20
It's kind of a a no brainer.
33:22
Yeah.
33:23
And you're probably not talking, you know, top 10 picks.
33:25
You're...
33:25
If someone's projected in that, they're going to the league.
33:28
Right?
33:28
But it's those guys that are in that...
33:30
You know, if you're projected second round, you're definitely going back to school, and
33:34
you're trying to build your stock or, you know, see if you ever wanna lead to that.
33:38
I wonder if it has a long term effect, you know, on on the league.
33:42
If there's a gap that ends up happening right in in the talent that you have a few years
33:47
where you don't have as many younger players because of it.
33:51
And not that it's going to affect the the quality of product in the league, but I I I
33:57
wondered if it wasn't chewing them up and spitting them out faster than they could kind
34:01
of keep up with.
34:02
And and that you you you slow that role a little bit.
34:05
And I don't know that you...
34:07
I I...
34:07
The the toothpaste is out of the tube.
34:10
Right?
34:11
Like, can't go and say, like, oh, well, now guys have to stay for two years, and we're
34:15
gonna make that a rule.
34:16
I don't think you can do that, but you are kind of incentivizing the players a little bit to
34:22
maybe stay, maybe finish that degree as well while you're there and trying to cram it in and
34:27
and have that because I think that one thing that I've been...
34:31
That I've seen a lot now because on the RealBiz platform, I've I've hosted several guys now
34:36
that have gone on to play, whether it was NFL or or otherwise and have played pro, that, you
34:43
know, not having that degree because you never know what's going to happen.
34:46
Right?
34:46
Just because you were picked, you know, twenty fifth in the first round doesn't mean that
34:51
you're gonna have a ten year career in the league.
34:54
It it it it...
34:55
You...
34:56
That degree is still important, and I hope that these young people...
35:00
And I know that a lot of, there's a lot of experience now in the league of guys that have
35:05
kind of gotten in and been out, you know, blow out your knee in your in your third year and
35:09
you weren't really cracking the lineup, then it's over for you, man.
35:13
Like, there's somebody already in that spot waiting to take it.
35:17
What do you have to fall back on?
35:19
And if you're the, you know, twelfth or thirteenth man on a team and not a high draft
35:24
pick, I don't know what those contracts even look like.
35:26
I think it's really easy to hone in at the top and to go, holy.
35:30
You know, LeBron's making $12,000,000 per game or whatever it was at the height of his, you
35:36
know, contracts to, you know, a guy maybe making a $100,000 in the season and and not
35:44
cashing game checks for most of that either because you're not getting on or whatever.
35:49
I I don't know if if basketball is different than football.
35:52
Like, those game checks in in football mean everything.
35:55
If you're hurt, you ain't cashing a check.
35:57
So it it matters, and you hate to see guys kinda leave that away.
36:03
Quick score update, fifty six forty...
36:06
54 Atlanta at the half.
36:09
That's game two.
36:11
That's over on ESPN.
36:13
You guys can watch that.
36:14
I won't be, but I'll be tuning in and checking the score.
36:19
No.
36:19
I I think you're right.
36:20
We were talking last week about, like, the nineties basketball and if it was actually
36:25
better than today or if it was worse.
36:28
One of the benefits was...
36:30
Or how it was played, obviously, was, like, guys stayed in the league.
36:34
I mean, guys stayed in college for four years.
36:37
MJ was in college for three years.
36:40
Chris Mullen stayed at St.
36:41
John's for four years.
36:43
People came out, they were older.
36:45
So it made the league better because you're not 18, 19 year old kids coming into the league.
36:50
I think for the longest time, pre NIL, there was a time when kids were just making the jump
36:57
when they weren't...
36:58
When they clearly weren't ready.
37:00
And it annoyed everybody.
37:01
It annoyed the fans of the teams of the schools.
37:04
It annoyed the GMs, the coaches because, like, these guys just weren't ready.
37:08
And it's lit...
37:09
I mean, draft picks are a lottery ticket anyway.
37:12
But, like, when you're trying to bank on an 18, 19 year old kid, you have no idea what they're
37:16
gonna develop into.
37:18
When they stay in school and they play longer, it gives them more time to mature.
37:23
And then, like, they're just more pro ready when they come out.
37:27
The warriors, they're one of the teams who, like, they they draft older.
37:31
They drafted on the actual...
37:32
Yeah.
37:33
Lendeborg, who...
37:35
Out of Michigan, who was a champion, obviously, with the Michigan Wolverines last year.
37:39
He's, like, 24 years old, I think.
37:42
But, like, he's pro ready.
37:44
He's strong.
37:44
He's mature, and and they're still in the win now mode, obviously, with Steph.
37:51
Like, I I just think it just works better when these players just stay in school longer, and
37:56
it works out for everybody in the end.
37:57
It doesn't hurt anybody.
37:59
Yeah.
38:00
And, honestly, I I feel like the need for NIL came out of that.
38:04
That look.
38:05
The...
38:05
These kids are just chasing that generational money, and it's kinda screwing up the top
38:11
leagues.
38:12
I don't know if you had as big of a problem with that in football just because it's such a
38:16
different a different game and there's a lot more players to go around.
38:21
But I hope that it kind of fixes the problem in basketball, and you're bringing these kids back
38:27
and, you know, giving them an opportunity to still build a little bit of wealth off of their
38:33
physical skills and to have that, you know, and maybe help their families out.
38:38
You know, basketball, I think more, you know, historically that these kids are coming from
38:43
poor, you know, families and and and areas of the country.
38:49
So it it provides them an opportunity still to go out to support their families possibly,
38:55
still get to stay and get an education, and then and then be more prepared for the league
39:01
when they do get there at 21, you know, maybe, you know, twenty twenty one, 22 rather than 18,
39:09
19 years old.
39:10
I mean, e...
39:11
Even LeBron who's, I mean, one of the the greatest athletic specimens to ever bless this
39:17
world of sport.
39:19
Right?
39:19
I don't think there's any argument there.
39:21
They just don't...
39:22
They don't make them like that.
39:24
Right?
39:24
And then you have someone who is committed to, I wanna be the best and and take care of my
39:29
body for a long time.
39:31
You know?
39:32
Like, I look at myself in the mirror, and then you look at him and he's like, we're the same
39:36
age.
39:36
Right?
39:37
Like, I never looked like that, not even when I was a teenager.
39:41
But even he wasn't ready to play against grown men at 19 years old.
39:47
Right?
39:47
Like, it just...
39:48
It wasn't there.
39:48
Kobe had the same same issues.
39:51
Right?
39:51
And did they grow into those?
39:52
Yes.
39:53
But how how much more could they have grown being in a college environment for a couple of
39:59
years, seasoning themselves there, gaining that experience, and and maturing as human beings,
40:06
and then moving on?
40:07
And that's not to say that either one of those men weren't the epitome of what it means to be
40:12
a pro athlete, but it...
40:14
It's just, you know, hindsight.
40:16
And and I think that it's changing for the better and and NIL being a part of it.
40:21
For that reason, I feel like it's a good thing, overall.
40:26
Yeah.
40:27
I mean, like you said, just the development of players coming back.
40:32
Because, like, what would you rather have?
40:34
A player...
40:35
Drafting a player than them probably not being ready to play in your top nine.
40:41
So having them play in the g league or going back to...
40:44
Or having Braylon Mullins go back to school and get coached by Danny Hurley for another year,
40:49
get coached by Rick Pettino for another year, get coached by Tom Izzo for another year.
40:53
I mean, no offense to the G League coaches.
40:55
I'm sure they're good guys, great coaches in their own right, but, like, other guys I
40:59
mentioned, they're hall of fame basketball, geniuses, royalty.
41:03
And you'd rather have them coach these...
41:06
The next generation of player, and it's just better for the sport, like I said, better for
41:11
the teams just to just draft older guys.
41:14
And the sport...
41:15
College basketball is just better when it's older, when players are just seniors, juniors.
41:23
Just have them there knowing how to play the right way.
41:28
No dumb mistakes is why when you watch the tournament, a lot of those Kentucky Calipari
41:34
teams, they would lose to schools they had no business losing to.
41:38
No timeouts when you don't have any timeouts?
41:40
Was that a shot at the fab five?
41:41
Was that a little...
41:42
I don't
41:45
Yeah.
41:46
Like, I remember when, the last game of coach Cal's career when they...
41:50
I mean, at Kentucky, when they lost to...
41:51
Was it Oakland?
41:53
I think it was Oakland.
41:55
Like, they had no business losing to that team.
41:57
Like, their best player was this guy Jack.
42:00
I forgot what his last name was, but he...
42:02
People made fun of him, said he looked like a like a gym teacher.
42:05
Right?
42:05
But, like, they were older.
42:06
All those guys were seniors and cows rolling out a bunch of freshmen, albeit very talented
42:11
freshmen who ended up playing in the league.
42:14
However, when you're just experienced, experience is always gonna, for the most part,
42:19
trump, talented players, especially in pressure situations when it's one game and you're out.
42:26
Well...
42:27
And that's something that playing in the g league can't replicate either.
42:30
Being in a packed stadium, whether it's a home game or an away game, the pressure of that
42:36
environment, the level of competition, I don't think it's even comparable from the g league
42:41
to, you know, some of these top college programs playing against each other.
42:46
There's nothing like playing in an NCAA tournament win and go home situation.
42:52
I I mean, that that's the kind of thing that builds legends, and it it builds players up to
42:58
a level of, you know, greatness.
43:01
Right?
43:01
And and that's where some of the biggest stars in the league and in history have played in
43:07
that tournament and have been very successful it.
43:10
Right?
43:11
And so definitely...
43:13
There's there's definitely something to it.
43:16
I appreciate it.
43:17
And I guess I hadn't thought about the way that the NIL affected having that little bit of
43:22
money and that financial security available for some of these players enticing them to stay
43:27
that extra year or or maybe two, right, or maybe finishing their their entire career and
43:33
and staying around until they get a degree and maybe they get it in in a third year and then
43:39
moving on.
43:40
I think it makes everything better.
43:42
And, I think it had to be it had to be monetarily and financially incentivized because
43:48
that was the that was the pull to get up into the pro sports league.
43:54
Right?
43:54
As you're like, look.
43:55
I...
43:55
You know?
43:56
And I'm using a a reference that there's probably a a bunch of these, and it's not, you
44:01
know, considering, but, you know, you you have a kid that grew up poor, inner city, probably a
44:09
person of color who probably grew up in a single family home, and you're giving him the
44:14
choice of going back to college for no money and watching his mom struggle or being able to
44:20
get drafted even if it's in a later round and having a paycheck to come home with, that...
44:25
That's that's kind of a nonstarter for a lot of these young men that maybe come out of those
44:31
situations.
44:32
Right?
44:32
And and as talented as they are, probably not being ready for that next level, but not really
44:39
having a choice.
44:40
You're backed into a corner a little bit.
44:42
It's like, man, I gotta...
44:43
I I played this game to get to that level, to get there, and for the reason of the financial
44:49
security.
44:50
So I think this...
44:52
In that way, I think as the the wild west of it kinda settles down and we start to have caps on
44:58
this and some more regulation, if you will, about, you know, how much people can get paid
45:03
and how much money these programs can bring in and dish out, that's...
45:09
We'll have it go...
45:09
I already know that the cap's going up next year from what I've been told from our guy,
45:14
Diami.
45:14
So, I mean, what did he tell me?
45:16
It was, $2,022,500,000 dollars or something that they can raise or some crazy
45:21
Yeah.
45:22
I mean crate bananas.
45:25
A lot of these schools have collect...
45:26
I mean, it's way worse than football.
45:27
Football doesn't compare to, like you can't compare any other other sport, even basketball
45:32
to football.
45:32
Like, a lot of these schools have collectives, and I forgot, like, it was going around when
45:38
Ohio State won the championship, like, what number they dropped to actually win the title.
45:43
I forget what it was.
45:44
It was...
45:45
I don't even wanna make up a number, but it was something when, like, they brought it up.
45:48
It was like, how much did they pay for the roster?
45:50
Like...
45:51
So, like, it...
45:52
NIL, there's good.
45:54
There's bad with it.
45:55
But I think the good, can't deny, is that you you see a lot of your favorite players in
46:00
college stay another year.
46:02
Football, maybe instead of going out after three, if you were a fringe player, you stay
46:09
for your senior year.
46:11
Basketball definitely is coming back for your sophomore, junior year.
46:15
And I think it's just, it's made the sport better, like, no no doubt.
46:20
I I just did a quick search of Ohio State because that's what we were talking about.
46:26
So the the number from 2024, which I think that was the year that they won it Yeah.
46:33
Was around $20,000,000 to their Buckeyes football players.
46:37
This year, for the 2026 NIL roster market, it says the estimate was 67.2, and that was fifth
46:47
nationally.
46:48
So you're talking about insane amounts of money that are flowing into these programs just to
46:56
pay players.
46:58
And I pay is probably the wrong word.
47:00
Right?
47:00
Distribute to players.
47:01
I don't know.
47:02
Right?
47:02
Like, they're not getting salaries, but they're definitely making money.
47:06
So it...
47:07
It's...
47:07
That's wild.
47:08
I didn't realize it was like this.
47:10
Like I said, I haven't really, bang...
47:12
Been paying much attention, but that's wild, man.
47:17
That's that's just crazy.
47:19
Yeah.
47:19
Man, why...
47:20
I should've.
47:21
Well, they didn't have it when I was a kid.
47:23
Maybe in another life, Sully.
47:25
Maybe in another life.
47:26
Yeah.
47:27
Like, explaining it to somebody who, like, either doesn't know about it or hasn't hurt.
47:31
Because, like, I...
47:32
Normally, like, when I have to explain it, it's like professional athlete salaries.
47:36
You're, like, trying to explain. It's
47:37
It's like it's like, wait.
47:39
How much did Juan So to sign for?
47:41
Like, $500,000,000.
47:42
Was like, yeah.
47:42
$500,000,000.
47:43
I was like, what?
47:44
Like, yeah.
47:45
But, like, when you have to explain it for, like, a college kid and it's like it's like,
47:49
Jeremiah Smith makes how much money or Archmanny makes how much money?
47:53
It's like...
47:53
It's it's different because it's a college kid, and they're a lot younger.
47:58
And who knows what they're even doing with that kind of money?
48:01
Yeah.
48:02
I hope there's a lot of financial advising.
48:04
They'd...
48:05
Somebody better never give me that amount of money, although it would be nice to just, like,
48:09
drive just one time.
48:10
Just one...
48:10
A million dollars one time, I can make that rollover for me.
48:14
I'm pretty confident in that.
48:15
If I've been doing what I'm able to do with $0 and scratching and clawing along, I I think we
48:21
could do very well for ourselves in the future with a little bit of a bankroll.
48:25
But, Selly, I I I think those times for us are right around the corner.
48:29
And, man, I I can't tell you how big of a part I think you're going to be of that.
48:36
I I love the insight that you bring.
48:38
You're so well versed, in really every sport.
48:41
You're probably gonna jump on our hockey show at some points as well.
48:44
I don't know how much you know about hockey.
48:46
I don't think you knew anything about soccer really besides it's played with a ball with
48:50
octagon squares on it.
48:52
Right?
48:52
But you jumped right in, and we're willing to, you know, talk with our guy, AJ, every Saturday
48:58
on the penalty spot.
49:00
We got you on Tuesday nights being a regular contributor and soon to be, you know, regular
49:05
cohost possibly with us on tailgate Tuesdays, obviously, here with the RIM report.
49:11
So I just...
49:12
I'm glad that I sent you a message and and reached out to you and that you responded.
49:18
And we've been able to build, you know, a a friendship now and a kinship around sports, and
49:23
it's gonna be a really fun ride, man.
49:26
I'm looking forward to it.
49:27
I know that the, you know, the the crowds aren't, you know, here right now.
49:32
I know that they're going to be one day, and I can't wait till we're able to produce some of
49:37
this stuff in person together.
49:38
Because I tell you what, it's a lot of fun doing the tailgate show from the tailgate, the
49:44
energy and having that available, and then, you know, sometimes being able to just walk to the
49:49
stadium and go right in.
49:51
Hopefully, those are with media credentials soon and being able to, you know, really invest
49:56
in all of that.
49:57
It's gonna be it's gonna be a really fun ride, man.
50:00
And your family has, many, many reasons to be very proud of you and everything that you're
50:05
going to accomplish.
50:07
Thanks.
50:08
I appreciate it, man.
50:08
You came into my life when I needed it.
50:11
Like, people ask, like like, I think...
50:13
I don't know if it was my mom.
50:14
Maybe it was her that she was like, how did he find you?
50:16
I was like, I don't know.
50:17
But it doesn't matter anymore.
50:18
Like, I'm having a great time.
50:20
Like, I...
50:21
This is something I always wanted to do, and I never thought I'd have the platform to do it.
50:26
So, like, I'm just grateful that we have this, and I could even just talk ball or just talk.
50:32
Because I just...
50:32
Anybody who knows me knows I I just love to talk, honestly.
50:36
So, like, the fact that, like, I just get to talk to somebody about, like, stuff I love is
50:39
just great.
50:41
Oh, you know what?
50:43
They say god works in mysterious ways, so does the LinkedIn algorithm on who it sends me to
50:48
connect with.
50:49
And if you wanna say that, you know, behind that is some divine power, I I think there's
50:54
something to that.
50:56
I knock a lot of doors.
50:57
Not everybody responds, but a high, you know, high volume of those people that do and we
51:03
start to build a relationship with, you know, have become big parts of my life.
51:07
And it's it's weird that this podcast has become that to me.
51:12
It is like, I've cycled over my whole Rolodex.
51:15
Right?
51:15
And you're too young to know what a Rolodex was.
51:17
But, back in the day, you actually had to, like, physically roll it around and it was your
51:21
contact cards.
51:22
So, like, your phone, but you had to physically roll something.
51:26
They were they were the bee's knees in the eighties, dude.
51:28
They were really cool.
51:29
If you had one, you were somebody, man.
51:32
Like, you were you were somebody if you had a Rolodex.
51:36
And then it was full of really awesome people.
51:38
So but, yeah, I I...
51:40
Not that I don't have old friends and people from, you know, high school and stuff that I
51:44
might still talk to or, you know, throughout my life, but this podcast has completely just, you
51:51
know, flooded my life with really amazing people new relationships, and I'm forever
51:57
grateful for that.
51:59
I say it on the tell...
52:00
All the time on the on the podcast.
52:02
It's like, you would have told anyone in my life that I was gonna find a way to make a
52:07
living running my mouth, they would have believed you.
52:10
They didn't know how, and it didn't matter how, but we were gonna find a way.
52:14
And, you know, now we're kind of on the cusp of that as more sponsors come in, you know, to our
52:20
midst and provide us the opportunity to go and do what we love to do.
52:25
And I'm looking forward to, you know, maybe starting to broadcast more live events, maybe
52:30
broadcasting games for some of these, you know, probably starting off with somewhat whatever.
52:36
You know?
52:37
You you name the lower leagues, right, and ECHL hockey.
52:39
Like, I don't care what it is.
52:41
Well, we'll go do g league games.
52:43
Maybe we'll start covering the g league just to get our feet wet and and to, you know, come
52:48
into that, but it it it all has to start somewhere.
52:51
And I think, you know, sometimes it starts with a a message on LinkedIn and grows into
52:56
something really awesome from there.
52:59
Yeah, man.
53:00
Like, I can't even tell you how many...
53:02
How much support I've gotten even with, like, the last pod we did with the first one.
53:06
Hearing from people I haven't heard from in forever, just, people telling me how, like
53:12
like, how excited they are for me.
53:14
I had a coworker today who was like, dude, I'm gonna be listening today, so don't mess up.
53:20
Another coworker just telling me to just...
53:22
She wanted to post our podcast over the intercom at school.
53:27
Mind you, this is elementary school.
53:28
So it's it's just funny how things work.
53:31
Like you said, like, I'm just, like, really grateful to be here.
53:36
Just just happy.
53:37
Like I said, never thought I would ever work at the US Open and do what I did there.
53:41
Now doing...
53:43
I...
53:44
The dream peep...
53:45
Because people always ask me with my sport management, what was the goal when I was in
53:49
college.
53:50
And if I'm being honest, the goal was always to, like, talk on television and talk sport.
53:57
However, like, I never really thought it was a realistic goal.
54:01
So it it kinda just transitioned into, like, working for a team.
54:04
Like, oh, I work for the Yankees.
54:06
I work for the Mets maybe.
54:07
Work at the US Open.
54:08
But, like, I never really thought, like, being like Nick Wright was, like, ever a thing that
54:14
was gonna happen for me even though my mom always said I had the knowledge.
54:18
I was always better than all those guys on TV.
54:21
I'm always grateful for my mom for always believing in me because she she would always
54:25
tell me...
54:25
Even though sometimes she would get mad at me, but she was always one of my biggest believers.
54:30
I'm just...
54:30
Like I said, I'm just grateful to be here.
54:33
Well, all of her faith, obviously, not misplaced.
54:37
They...
54:37
They've identified that talent that that I saw very early.
54:42
It it took a conversation, a simple conversation to know that you are gonna be
54:46
great on camera.
54:48
Love the way that you do your homework and come in with a wide base of knowledge, and you're
54:53
always willing to learn.
54:55
And I think that's the key.
54:57
That's where this, you know, program and building these are at.
55:01
And, yeah, it's really crazy because the scene projects, you know, the sports network is maybe
55:07
the YouTube channel I created before I really had anything to put on it.
55:11
I just knew that, like, this is something.
55:14
I want it to be something, and then it's just slowly kind of evolved.
55:18
And in many ways, it's, at this point, kind of has a life of its own.
55:22
It's create create the show and the branding for it and and then, you know, find the talent
55:28
that wanna talk and to come in and do it.
55:30
And, you know, Brev's a great example of that too.
55:32
I I met Brev, you know, through the Skullfest guys, and we started talking while we were
55:38
hanging out.
55:39
And another young man like yourself, I think he said, what, he's 26 years old, he wanted to
55:44
write.
55:44
And now he's kinda doing his dream job writing about the Minnesota Vikings, but that's not
55:49
like...
55:50
It doesn't take all of his time.
55:51
There's more he could be doing and, like, well, hey, man.
55:54
I think you got great takes.
55:56
I think you're...
55:57
There's...
55:57
I would rather listen to you and Brev talk about sports than I would rather listen to
56:02
Colin Cowherd.
56:03
Right?
56:03
Like, all of these all of these guys that have been doing it forever, their time...
56:08
Their primes are past them.
56:10
They still have something because people still pay attention to them, but there is a...
56:14
There is an opening for us to build something.
56:17
And and for me, it's really been about recruiting people that are ten, you know,
56:23
fifteen years younger than me that are just beginning in their lives and being able to to
56:27
kind of, you know, bring you along, teach you what I know.
56:30
You're gonna far surpass me as a broadcaster and and whatever you want to do in the sport.
56:37
But if I can kinda help you and and other people along and to mentor that next generation
56:43
and and be someone who kind of sits back the the Dave Portnoy of our, you know, little thing
56:49
here.
56:49
Right?
56:49
Maybe not exactly like Portnoy, but, you know, in that role, that I I would be more than happy
56:57
to sit top of that and to look at all the things that you all go on to do and continue to
57:03
do for a long time after I'm gone.
57:06
Yeah.
57:07
Shout out, Brev.
57:08
Brev was awesome.
57:09
Listening to him yesterday even before I entered with you guys, like, he's just
57:13
knowledgeable and just, like...
57:15
Just even his tone was just great.
57:16
Like, he's just dropping facts, just cold hard facts with, like, just the most, like,
57:20
monotone, just straight.
57:23
I loved it.
57:24
It was it was great.
57:24
It was good.
57:26
Like I said, I I watched, like, all those shows.
57:29
Even Colin was maddening as Colin could be at times.
57:32
I watched him, and I learned from him.
57:34
Nick Wright, Bill Simmons, Bomani Jones, all these guys.
57:38
I watched them, like, literally every single day.
57:41
Like, every...
57:42
It gets a little harder with the school schedule, but, like, I watch those guys every
57:46
single day, just trying to learn, what would I do, what wouldn't I do.
57:52
So, like like, yesterday, for example, I didn't get to do it, but I always told myself if I
57:56
ever had a platform, one thing I was gonna do, I...
57:59
One thing I was gonna do...
58:01
If I was wrong, I was gonna admit it.
58:02
So I came on the Vikings pod and was like, don't worry.
58:06
Kyle is gonna figure it out.
58:07
I don't know.
58:08
Whatever.
58:09
Now I'm like, I don't know.
58:10
I might have been wrong.
58:13
Like, if I'm wrong, I'm just...
58:14
I'm gonna admit it.
58:15
Because I...
58:16
One thing I hate about some of the guys on TV is, like, they'll have a take, and, like, if
58:20
they're wrong, they'll just, like, never move on.
58:24
They'll just never talk about it again.
58:26
But, like, don't let them be right.
58:27
If they're right, they'll they'll remind you, like, 20 times.
58:31
And I...
58:31
I'd never wanted to be that kind of guy.
58:33
If I'm wrong and if if I if I was just, like...
58:36
Because I...
58:37
Like I did, I did think...
58:38
And it's still early.
58:39
I still might be right, but at the same time, I could be wrong.
58:42
I thought they were gonna beat the Vikings.
58:44
I mean, I thought they were gonna beat the Dolphins by, like, I don't know, 20 points.
58:49
They still have an opportunity this week against the Saints, so, hopefully, I'm right
58:52
I'm right this time.
58:53
But, like, I just wanted to be knowledgeable, never be too emotional about my takes.
59:00
Just, just be positive.
59:03
Be negative when you have to be, but, like, just just do the homework and just tell people
59:09
how I feel about it.
59:10
That's pretty much it.
59:11
Because sometimes I feel like people in this industry just feel like negativity is the way
59:15
to go.
59:16
And for at least for me in the sport industry, I'm not really a negative guy.
59:21
I don't like to be.
59:22
Even with the Jets, as difficult as it can be, I feel like a lot of Jets content creators,
59:28
they feed on the negativity.
59:30
And and, like, I was talking about it with a coworker today.
59:33
It's like, us Jets fans, we all want the same thing.
59:35
We just don't know how to go about it.
59:37
We all want different things.
59:39
Even though we the organization, Selly.
59:42
We want the same result.
59:43
We all wanna win.
59:44
We just, like...
59:44
It's, like, one one side is like, we need to fire the coach.
59:47
We need to bench the QB.
59:48
We need this.
59:49
We need like...
59:50
Well, at the end of the day, like I said, I, I just wanted to bring my perspective into
59:56
things, do my homework.
59:59
And just like like I said, I do this for fun.
1:00:02
I'm...
1:00:03
My weekends are literally...
1:00:04
Right now, we're in football season.
1:00:06
So my my weekends are literally college football on Saturday, postseason baseball,
1:00:11
watch the postseason baseball, NFL on Sunday, postseason baseball.
1:00:16
That's literally it.
1:00:17
Then I'll repeat the same thing next weekend, like, until basketball starts.
1:00:21
Then it'll be college basketball, NBA, NFL.
1:00:25
Like, this is literally what I do for fun.
1:00:26
So it's not even, like, this isn't, like, work for me.
1:00:29
This is something I do anyway.
1:00:32
This is my free time.
1:00:35
So little score update.
1:00:37
Atlanta went on a little run here and up 75 to 67 with about two minutes left in the third
1:00:45
quarter now over the New York Liberty.
1:00:47
So
1:00:47
We got a big baseball game here in the Northeast, the Yankees Rays.
1:00:51
So I'm actually locked in on it right now.
1:00:52
Rays are actually up.
1:00:54
Well, the game, as we speak, they...
1:00:55
They're about to...
1:00:56
The game is tied one one.
1:00:59
So big base Yankees can't lose or their fans will lose their minds.
1:01:05
The difference in payroll is about, I don't even know, $200,000,000.
1:01:12
I got a...
1:01:14
I got...
1:01:14
My coach's kid is playing in the race.
1:01:18
Might be on the team right now.
1:01:19
He might have got a call up.
1:01:21
Just a crazy speedster, so I might have to check the Tampa Bay Rays.
1:01:26
They...
1:01:26
They're not the devil rays anymore.
1:01:27
They they dropped that a while ago.
1:01:29
The rays.
1:01:29
Although they they do bring back...
1:01:31
They brought back the the uniforms, though.
1:01:35
Yeah.
1:01:35
They have Nice.
1:01:36
They have they have devil ray uniforms now, and they wear them.
1:01:39
They sell the gear.
1:01:42
So they they brought it back.
1:01:47
So kind of alluded to it earlier, and I feel like this ties into our conversation about Brev
1:01:52
and our mutual kinda...
1:01:53
I don't say disdain.
1:01:55
That's probably a little strong.
1:01:57
The...
1:01:58
Our our disbelief maybe, our unbelief in Jordan Addison being one of the top receivers in the
1:02:05
league, and the Vikings go out and sign Odell Beckham junior to a practice squad this week,
1:02:13
today.
1:02:14
And, you know, what I kind of alluded to...
1:02:18
And everybody immediately went to, like, oh, well, is Jefferson more hurt than we know, and
1:02:22
this is an emergency signing of this.
1:02:24
I think it comes down to this is a player that became available because he got cut, and fills
1:02:33
a role that this team doesn't really have.
1:02:37
Right?
1:02:37
In many ways, I feel like OBJ becomes the...
1:02:42
Who who is the tandem in Philly?
1:02:45
AJ Brown.
1:02:46
And who is the other one?
1:02:49
Devonte Smith.
1:02:51
Yeah.
1:02:51
Yeah.
1:02:52
So in many ways, your your OBJ becomes that kind of Robin, which just Jordan Addison isn't.
1:02:58
I I I think Jordan Addison is much better suited in the slot as a wide receiver three,
1:03:05
and then he becomes he becomes infinitely more dangerous to me.
1:03:08
Right?
1:03:09
I think it's nothing against the player.
1:03:11
I just think the role in that slot makes him more dangerous because you create matchup
1:03:18
problems at that.
1:03:19
Now you're either putting a nickel or, you know, in some cases, maybe a a linebacker ends
1:03:25
up matched up on him because of, you know, adjustments that you're able to make and moving
1:03:30
people around.
1:03:31
I think it's I think it's something.
1:03:34
It's not nothing.
1:03:36
And and people saying that he's washed.
1:03:38
Like, I just went back and watched his highlights from the preseason and the couple of
1:03:42
games with the Giants already.
1:03:44
Like, they just just because he doesn't have a quarterback that can't get him the ball doesn't
1:03:49
mean that he's washed.
1:03:50
The man is still, I would say, probably feared, especially by some of the younger DBs that grew
1:03:56
up watching him at his height.
1:03:58
Is he the same guy he was a decade ago?
1:04:01
No.
1:04:01
Not by any means, but the guy still demands respect and can still catch the damn ball.
1:04:08
So I'm I'm excited to see what it looks like possibly this weekend.
1:04:12
Hey.
1:04:13
That's my wife Danielle.
1:04:14
Danielle Selly.
1:04:16
Selly, my wife Danielle.
1:04:18
Hi, Danielle.
1:04:18
Nice to meet you.
1:04:20
At least virtual...
1:04:21
Through the chat.
1:04:24
She'll pop in at some point.
1:04:25
Sometimes she jumps in the studio and and says hi.
1:04:29
But, yeah, Selly, I I I appreciate you, man.
1:04:32
Everything that you've brought to us over the last few weeks, and, there's just a lot more
1:04:37
growth to come.
1:04:38
I'm really looking forward to it.
1:04:40
I enjoy talking with you.
1:04:41
I I know you're a lot smarter than I am, and and I love having those conversations.
1:04:46
I I I love sports.
1:04:49
I don't have as much time to dedicate to staying, you know, kept up with all of them as
1:04:54
much as I'd like to.
1:04:55
But maybe we get this thing rocking and rolling, and and I don't have to chase so many
1:05:01
spinning plates all the time.
1:05:03
And I'll have some more time to relax and watch some sports, and I foresee us getting to do
1:05:08
this for a a long, long time, Sully.
1:05:11
So appreciate you, brother.
1:05:13
Man, I appreciate you.
1:05:14
I've told you already.
1:05:17
Awesome.
1:05:18
Well, everybody join us back here next Wednesday, 7PM central.
1:05:23
I'm a let Selly go and watch his baseball game.
1:05:25
I'm going to, see if, my coach's kid is on the roster, and maybe I'll be trying to stream this
1:05:32
game too as CFO, Cooper Bowman, gets out on the field.
1:05:36
Selly, appreciate you as always.
1:05:38
Everybody, thanks for tuning in.
1:05:40
We'll see you back here next Wednesday.
1:05:42
Tune in with me and Brev tomorrow.
1:05:46
Keep your eye on the stream for the time.
1:05:48
You'll see the notifications.
1:05:50
Make sure you hit the notification bell and subscribe to the channel.
1:05:53
Yeah.
1:05:53
We'll talk some hockey tomorrow, and then we'll be back for the pregame show on Sunday.
1:05:59
The penalty spot, I think, will be back this Saturday, Sully.
1:06:02
So keep your eyes on your email from AJ.
1:06:04
I will.
1:06:05
Yep.
1:06:06
I've been watching.
1:06:07
We're back from break.
1:06:10
You got it.
1:06:11
Yeah.
1:06:11
She knows me.
1:06:14
Be good, everybody.
1:06:15
We'll see you.