ROOT Sports announcer Greg Heister projects how Drew Timme will fare in his first season with the Milwaukee Bucks as he discusses the most undervalued players in Gonzaga men's basketball history
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - And Drew's one of the all-time greats,
00:09 if not the greatest Zag, for sure.
00:12 But there's so much talk, unfortunately,
00:17 early on in a player's career,
00:18 like is he a pro, is he not a pro?
00:20 And I don't think people, until maybe last year
00:22 when they knew it was the end,
00:24 really truly appreciated and understood just how good he was.
00:29 Would you agree with that?
00:30 Because people are always projecting out this guy,
00:32 she's gonna be here for two years.
00:33 - I think that's the case with a lot of dudes, Dan.
00:38 And maybe Drew's at the top of the list now.
00:41 Maybe he was appreciated, maybe he wasn't.
00:45 I don't know.
00:46 I mean, I think about a guy like,
00:47 and you'll laugh at me, but Josh Perkins.
00:50 - He was undervalued.
00:51 - Extremely. - By most fans,
00:52 I would agree with that.
00:53 - I mean, he played in the biggest games
00:55 in this program's history.
00:58 The all-time assist guy.
01:00 When Nigel came, Josh gave the ball up,
01:03 moved to another position,
01:05 which was the greatest zag thing
01:06 that I've seen in the years I've been around.
01:08 And so I think there's been a lot, like Mike Hart.
01:11 Like, think about what Mike Hart did in his career,
01:15 a walk-on and then ended up starting
01:17 for a top five team in the country.
01:20 And I don't think there's been a better rebounder,
01:23 maybe other than Domus,
01:25 maybe Brandon Clark because of his athleticism.
01:29 But Mike Hart was always in the right position.
01:31 He knew where the ball was coming off the rim
01:34 like nobody I've ever been around.
01:36 Shot goes up, Mike's always in the right place
01:38 to get the rebound.
01:39 He had an uncanny ability to do that.
01:42 Think of a guy like Kyle Bankhead.
01:44 And I remember breaking down tape all those years ago
01:47 with those teams, and I remember Billy Greer saying,
01:50 "Kyle's never out of position."
01:52 - Yeah, he never was.
01:53 - Ever, ever out of position.
01:55 So I think there've been a lot of guys.
01:57 Drew, just the most recent.
01:59 Drew, because he rose to such national acclaim,
02:04 All-American, and again, 25 years ago,
02:09 he's a first-round pick.
02:11 - Yeah, the game's changed.
02:12 - A year or two ago.
02:13 - And I know you watch a lot of NBA basketball,
02:15 as does Richard Fox, who's our third partner
02:19 with the regional games.
02:21 We have a text message thread that goes on all the time,
02:23 you're making random comments about different NBA players,
02:25 whether it's Jokic or somebody here, there, or the other.
02:29 What are your, I don't wanna say expectations,
02:33 but what are your hopes for Drew,
02:35 his first year in the NBA?
02:37 - Well, first of all, my hopes for Drew
02:41 is that he makes a ton of cash.
02:43 (laughing)
02:45 - Amen.
02:45 - I mean, he deserves a ton of cash.
02:49 And I know he made some money with NIL here in Gonzaga,
02:53 in Spokane, but we all appreciated and enjoyed him,
02:58 and he was loyal to us.
03:00 He could've left, he was loyal to us.
03:03 So first and foremost, I hope the dude makes a lot of cash.
03:06 Secondly, I just hope that sometime in his career,
03:12 maybe the game takes a step back,
03:15 and a guy like him can rise to prominence,
03:18 or need again, right?
03:22 Because the fact that it was in question
03:25 on whether or not he was one of the best 400 players
03:28 in the world, are you kidding me?
03:31 Did you see the feat?
03:32 Did you see his ability to finish?
03:34 And the guy's ferocious, his desire to win.
03:39 I can't imagine a better guy in the locker room,
03:42 a better guy to throw in there when you need a bucket.
03:46 So I have a lot of hopes for Drew Timmy,
03:48 as I do a lot of these kids that you get to know at Gonzaga.
03:52 Because credit to Mark Few and his staff over these years,
03:56 he doesn't recruit knuckleheads.
03:59 - They're few and far in between.
04:01 - Yeah.
04:02 - And a lot of times the knuckleheads realize on their own,
04:04 like this isn't for me.
04:05 - Like there's just no knuckleheads.
04:07 And they're dudes that you would invite over to dinner,
04:11 and sit down, and so it's been,
04:15 how's my hair, is my hair okay?
04:17 - Well you brought a brush,
04:19 first person I've ever seen bring a brush
04:21 in their pocket to an interview.
04:24 - Maybe we should cover it right now.
04:26 It's real, right, number one it's real.
04:30 Somebody told me the other day, like Heister,
04:35 so when you go on the air you ought to give it
04:37 a little push like this, just to make people think
04:40 that it is a piece.
04:43 - Well you've told me and Greg, or Richard Fox for years
04:46 that you do have a hair piece,
04:48 and to this day I've never seen you in a barber shop,
04:52 I've never, so I mean for all intents and purposes
04:55 you could have a hair piece.
04:56 - Yeah, how long did you own your barber shops
04:58 and I never went there?
04:59 - Almost nine and a half, 10 years,
05:00 and you've never once reciprocated as being a customer.
05:04 - I'm loyal to my guy Mort, but no,
05:07 so somebody lights me up on Twitter every year
05:09 saying that Heister's piece looks good tonight,
05:12 and I usually get in there and say yeah,
05:13 it's the best investment I've ever made.
05:15 - Speaking of social media and fans being able to--
05:20 - Attack.
05:21 - Access, attack people like ourselves,
05:24 that our opinions or our viewpoints of Gonzaga basketball
05:28 are out there for all to see.
05:30 Sometimes we make a bad comment,
05:33 or maybe, I can't say misinformed comment,
05:35 but maybe we haven't seen enough out of a particular player
05:39 before we fully form an opinion,
05:41 and unfortunately we put it out there
05:43 and we can be held accountable for it
05:44 two, three years later.
05:46 Do you look at that as a positive or a negative opportunity
05:49 to engage with fans, 'cause it can go both ways.
05:53 - Well, first of all, I'm the absolute wrong guy
05:56 to ask that question, because a lot of times
06:00 I'm saying things just to provoke thought.
06:02 - So you try to derail the broadcast.
06:05 - No, I say things just to get reactions.
06:09 I may not even believe it or think it myself,
06:12 but I'll say it just because I know you'll go like,
06:15 (groans)
06:16 or Richard's just shaking his head.
06:18 You know what I mean?
06:19 So there's a lot of those moments.
06:20 So no, I don't.
06:21 If people are talking at the end of the broadcast, Dan,
06:26 and you've known this too, for crying out loud,
06:30 you were first team All-American played
06:32 seven years or something in the NBA,
06:35 like this job will thicken your skin.
06:39 Like a good bacon, it will thicken your skin.
06:43 You have to have a thick skin.
06:45 And I know over the years, I've certainly come face to face
06:48 with a lot of criticism.
06:50 And usually what happens if it continues
06:52 is that I reach out to these people
06:54 and I'll invite them to lunch and I'll even pay.
06:56 - Really?
06:57 - Yeah, it's happened a lot.
06:58 So that we'll sit down and we'll talk things over
07:01 so that they understand, like I can deal with your,
07:04 and I'll tell them, I can deal with your criticism,
07:06 but get to know the guy that you're criticizing first,
07:08 because it's really easy for you to sit out there
07:10 in a black space and attack people that you've never met.
07:15 But understand that the person's real,
07:19 the person's got whatever.
07:21 And so it's crazy how a lot of times
07:24 that just deescalates a lot of that stuff.
07:27 First and foremost, I love the Zags.
07:31 Right, we're on a Zag broadcast.
07:35 So love me, hate me, whatever, I'm one of you.
07:40 I'm on the team.
07:42 - Yeah.
07:43 Well, you just opened yourself up
07:45 to a lot of extra criticism if fans know that,
07:47 hey, if I say something,
07:49 he's gonna invite me to lunch next week.
07:51 So you might have to ask KHQ for a raise this next year.
07:54 - Well, who knows, but it's all good.
07:57 (upbeat music)
08:00 (upbeat music)