Talking Zags: Former Gonzaga guard Alex Hernandez on Bulldogs' start to WCC play
Former Gonzaga guard Alex Hernandez joins Talking Zags to recap the celebratory weekend and the Bulldogs' 2-0 start to WCC action
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 - Gonzaga Nation, talking Zags,
00:08 episode 13 with myself, Dan Dickow,
00:11 and co-host Adam Morrison.
00:13 Today's special guest, former teammate of mine,
00:16 I believe Adam might've been on the coaching staff
00:18 with him for a year or so.
00:19 We'll get into that a little bit.
00:21 None other than, I don't know if we can call you
00:24 some of your nicknames on air,
00:26 but we'll just say Alex Hernandez.
00:28 How you doing, bud?
00:29 - I'm good, how are you?
00:30 - I can't complain too much.
00:31 Thanks for joining.
00:32 - Hey, thank you for having me.
00:33 - Absolutely.
00:34 Well, let's quickly talk about reunion weekend
00:36 before we talk about the current team.
00:38 This past weekend, two games,
00:42 one at the arena, one at the McCarthy.
00:45 They honored the '99 Elite Eight team,
00:47 and then they honored the program
00:49 and former players in general.
00:51 How fun is that to be able to connect
00:53 with former Zags from different eras for you?
00:56 - Oh, it's amazing.
00:57 You know how Gonzaga's bringing back old guys to reunite,
01:01 and it's amazing what they're doing for the community
01:04 and the love and the brotherhood that is shared here.
01:07 It's very special.
01:08 - Awesome, yeah.
01:09 No, unfortunately I wasn't able to be there,
01:11 but we see each other quite often at the gym.
01:15 We see each other quite often,
01:17 or text about different things here and there.
01:19 So it is really unique to be able to connect
01:22 with guys from different eras.
01:24 Mo, was there one guy over alumni weekend
01:26 that you saw and you're like,
01:27 "Man, I haven't seen that guy in a long time,"
01:30 or maybe spurred a memory of a story?
01:32 - I think just Axel Dentsch was kind of like,
01:34 "Oh, I forgot he played for us."
01:36 Like, he was good, obviously,
01:37 but like one of the first European-type players,
01:40 of foreigners, that had a big role for Gonzaga.
01:43 So we interviewed him on the broadcast during the game,
01:46 and it was cool to talk to him.
01:47 - Yeah.
01:48 - Yeah, I was just like, "Oh, I forgot about, he was good."
01:50 You know, Axel was really good.
01:51 Like, pick and pop five,
01:53 before there was pick and pop five.
01:54 - Yeah, Gonzaga did that before anybody.
01:56 He is a pick and pop five, as well as Jeremy Eaton.
01:59 - Yeah. - Pick and pop fives.
02:00 That was something that was unique back in those days.
02:03 But, Gonzaga's back on track.
02:06 They won both games after losing to San Diego State.
02:09 I thought a big part of it,
02:11 and we'll get into the three-point shooting,
02:13 but I thought a big part was Graham Ekay.
02:15 - Yeah.
02:15 - Had some unbelievable stretches, just dominant.
02:19 Is that what you saw?
02:20 - Yeah, I think he's on three straight games at 20-plus,
02:23 and then he had 19 the other night.
02:25 So, basically, four straight games, 20-plus.
02:27 I think when he gets deeper touches, angle baskets,
02:32 it's much better for him, and then, obviously, the club,
02:35 the double-team package doesn't bother as much.
02:38 But I think in the San Diego State game, we saw it.
02:41 He was kind of like the first guy to be pushing other dudes
02:44 and kind of talking.
02:45 I think Coach Few probably went up to him and said,
02:47 "We need to have you be kind of a vocal leader, as well,
02:51 and kind of an enforcer inside."
02:53 And he's really had a better mentality.
02:55 Because if you remember the Yukon game,
02:58 if you watched it closely, obviously,
03:00 I was right next to it, but Few, he was on him
03:02 the whole game, and he only played like 12 minutes.
03:05 I mean, like frustrated on him.
03:07 And I think that was kind of the turning point,
03:09 like, "Hey, you have to play better."
03:10 But he's been fantastic, and he's kind of lived up
03:14 to what we thought he could be, coming from Wyoming,
03:16 being Player of the Year in Mountain West.
03:17 - Yeah.
03:18 You see him, Alex, as maybe the key, or what are the,
03:22 who's might be the key? - Yeah, I think when he's,
03:24 when he's active, I think you could see,
03:26 you could see the impact he makes in the game.
03:28 You know, sometimes he goes off the ball,
03:31 and you don't see him.
03:32 He's in the game for five or 10 minutes,
03:34 and you could just tell the impact when he's active,
03:38 and he's pulsing up deep touches,
03:40 and they're going inside and out.
03:42 I think that he's, the team is way more effective
03:44 when he's a lot more active.
03:46 - We'll get back to talking more about the current team,
03:48 but that just reminded me of something.
03:50 You came from Wyoming, I think you played
03:52 at Casper Community College.
03:53 I had a chance to interview Graham
03:56 before the season started, and I asked him
03:57 what his first thoughts of Spokane were,
04:00 and I don't know if you've heard this one yet, though.
04:02 I said, "What's it like?"
04:03 He goes, "Man, it's like L.A. coming from Wyoming."
04:06 (laughing)
04:07 Give me, give me, you went from Vegas to Wyoming to Spokane.
04:12 What were your first thoughts of Spokane?
04:16 Wasn't L.A., was it?
04:17 - It wasn't quite like L.A., but it was pretty close.
04:21 It's definitely different than Wyoming.
04:24 I know Mo, his dad coached up there for many years,
04:29 and that's how I met the Morrison family,
04:31 and it's definitely a big change coming from Laramie
04:35 to Spokane, for sure.
04:38 (laughing)
04:40 - So, three-point shooting, we kind of drilled it last week
04:44 about the frustrations everybody has,
04:46 and I had talked to Brian Michelson,
04:49 and he's like, "It's coming.
04:50 "It's slow to develop.
04:51 "We're repping it out.
04:52 "We got good shooters, they just haven't shot it."
04:55 It finally turned the tables and had two good
04:57 back-to-back three-point shooting games.
05:00 How key is that?
05:02 - Well, I think it's huge.
05:03 You gotta have guards that can make shots.
05:06 That'll open up the inside, obviously,
05:08 and I was talking to a friend of mine,
05:11 and the foundation of Gonzaga,
05:14 which we got away from it a little bit,
05:16 is point-to-post, and it comes with recruiting,
05:19 who you're recruiting.
05:20 We always had bigs that run down, carve up space,
05:25 and then you play off that, and then they sag.
05:29 That's when you gotta make those three-point shots,
05:31 and we're kind of lacking in the last few games of that,
05:36 but I think we're coming along, slowly but surely,
05:40 but yeah, those guards gotta make threes
05:42 in order for us to go deep.
05:43 - Yeah, I mean, it just, obviously, like Al said,
05:47 it just opens up so many more things
05:49 you can do offensively, and like I said before,
05:52 we were just trying to get the good.
05:54 We weren't even that good.
05:55 We're not gonna be elite three-point shooting team,
05:58 but we gotta just get the good,
05:59 and the last few games, that was 8-19.
06:01 That's what, 41%, 42%, and then 10-23 against San Diego.
06:06 Obviously, that's 43.5%, so it just allows us
06:10 to play more our traditional style,
06:14 wave action, dribble handoff.
06:15 If people can't sag, then those driving lanes are there.
06:20 Obviously, when Graham's getting double teamed as well,
06:23 if you can't punish that, then they're gonna go to it more,
06:26 so it's a great equalizer.
06:29 I've always said that on my broadcast.
06:31 It's a great equalizer in college basketball,
06:33 and it's a great divider, too.
06:35 Like, if you can start knocking down shots,
06:36 we can really blow teams out,
06:39 especially in the West Coast Conference.
06:40 - Gonzaga defensively took away the best scorers
06:43 from each of the last two opponents.
06:45 I mean, Pepperdine had three guys that,
06:47 you know, one of them, Javon Porter,
06:48 is talked about as being a potential NBA guy.
06:51 They got rid of his impact early,
06:54 and then Deuce Turner was coming off
06:55 a 34-point night against St. Mary's.
06:58 He didn't do much when the game was in its early stretch
07:01 where you kind of impart your will on it,
07:04 so that shows how important that is,
07:06 but Alex, when you look at this team,
07:11 you mentioned EK's a big piece,
07:12 but with not having a wing like Steel Venters,
07:16 'cause you were a wing, your roles were different.
07:19 You were more of a slasher, finisher.
07:21 He's more of a shooter,
07:22 but that impactful minutes at the three,
07:24 Dusty's been good,
07:26 but you need more production from the three.
07:28 What do you see there?
07:29 - Yeah, I think we're definitely lacking depth,
07:32 and I think the young guy got just thrown in the fire,
07:35 you know, so that's kind of hard for him,
07:38 you know, to have that much on his shoulder
07:41 to, you know, perform well,
07:43 and doesn't really get breaks,
07:46 so it's kind of tough to play, you know, 30-plus minutes
07:51 and try to perform at such a young age, you know?
07:55 It's a lot on your shoulders,
07:56 but I think he's managing it well,
07:58 and I think, you know, having, you know,
08:01 you gotta have depth to get breaks,
08:03 and losing the Eastern kid
08:05 definitely hurts him a little bit,
08:07 but I think he's doing a good job of managing it.
08:11 - Yeah, I mean, he was, you know,
08:15 Dusty Stromer wasn't expected to probably play
08:17 38 minutes a night, 35 minutes a night,
08:19 so, you know, in his role this year,
08:22 he's had, you know,
08:24 he was gonna be asked to be a defender/slasher.
08:27 Now he's on the floor longer,
08:29 so then, you know, the shooting stuff is part of it,
08:32 but I think he's done an excellent job of finding his role.
08:36 Now, is he a better shooter than he showed?
08:38 Yes.
08:39 Does he need to take more?
08:40 I think so.
08:41 I mean, he only took three field goals last game, right?
08:43 So, like, when you're asking somebody
08:45 to shoot once every seven minutes, it's hard, right?
08:48 You know what I mean?
08:48 Like, to get in the rhythm.
08:49 So I think he's done fine,
08:51 but I think June is gonna have to play more,
08:54 just by necessity,
08:55 whether it's for Anton at the small three,
08:58 you know what I mean?
08:59 Or you move Ben Gray in a different direction,
09:02 but June needs to see the floor
09:04 just for depth reasons yourself.
09:07 But I think Dusty's been okay,
09:09 but Steele Venter's not playing,
09:11 just from a three-point standpoint.
09:14 What we thought, watching him play last year at Eastern,
09:17 definitely hurt us a little bit.
09:18 - Yeah, yeah.
09:19 Ben Gray was phenomenal.
09:22 I think he's gradually kind of improved,
09:27 you know, his impact on the game.
09:29 He's always impacted with his energy,
09:30 but I think it's starting to come out
09:32 and showing he's more comfortable making shots,
09:35 making different reads on the post.
09:37 You were an energy guy
09:40 that seemed to come up huge in the biggest games.
09:44 Do you see a little bit of that in Ben Gray?
09:46 - Yeah, I think he has that blue blood in him.
09:48 You know, I think he's definitely a true Zag.
09:51 You could just see it in his passion.
09:52 You know, he seems like a gym rat and loves the game.
09:58 I think when he gets in there,
10:00 I think he could see the different levels
10:03 that the Zags could play in.
10:04 He changes the different dynamic of it.
10:08 He's active on the glass, pulses up hard,
10:11 runs, can make, you know, trail threes, offensive rebound.
10:15 He definitely brings in something different
10:19 than the two starting bigs, for sure.
10:21 - Yeah, I mean, he's had, I think, a really good season.
10:26 He grew into this role last year.
10:27 That was supposed to be, what was the kid,
10:29 Efton Reed or whatever?
10:30 - Yeah.
10:31 - He was supposed to--
10:32 - He's playing well at Wake Forest.
10:34 - He is, yeah.
10:34 - Good for him.
10:35 But yeah, he kind of took that in that Purdue game
10:38 at the peak 80 or whatever it was.
10:40 But when he's flying around and doing all of his stuff
10:45 and, you know, like doing all that stuff,
10:48 like that gets our going, though.
10:49 - Yeah, it does.
10:50 - You know what I mean?
10:51 You need a guy like that.
10:52 And like when he gets a dunk, everybody gets hyped
10:54 and he's always talking.
10:55 Like, you need players like that.
10:57 He's been fantastic this year.
10:59 I think he can probably grow into more minutes
11:02 if he keeps shooting it well from the outside
11:04 'cause he gives us that aspect as well.
11:06 - Every team needs that emotional energy kind of lift.
11:10 You know, I mean, you provided some emotional lift
11:14 when you played, but you were also asked to score a lot.
11:16 So you couldn't do much of that.
11:18 Our team that we played on, we had two guys
11:21 that were tremendous emotional energy guys.
11:24 'Cause myself and Blake Stepp were kind of stoic out there.
11:27 You and Anthony Reason brought the energy
11:29 literally every game.
11:31 Do you remember it that way?
11:33 - Oh yeah, we knew our role.
11:35 We knew, you know, you were you, you know?
11:38 And we knew we needed to change the dynamic
11:41 when we got in the game.
11:42 And that was our games, probably our DNA
11:45 is get in the game, make an impact, you know,
11:48 go from four points to 10 point leads, you know,
11:51 and make an impact.
11:53 And that's what, you know, Ben Gray does.
11:56 He kind of changes the game.
11:58 They could be down six.
11:59 Once he gets in the game, change the momentum,
12:02 you're up 10, 12, and that's what he brings.
12:05 And that's what, you know,
12:06 Anthony and I used to bring sometimes.
12:08 - So Al, you obviously coach there.
12:12 You and I coach together and we've seen a few, we do,
12:15 how do I make sure I describe this the right way?
12:19 Like talented guys, preferably their freshman year
12:23 kind of yo-yo them a little bit.
12:25 What do you think about Brayden Huff?
12:26 'Cause he's been fantastic in a lot of games, right?
12:29 And scoring and playing 14 minutes, he'll score 14, 15.
12:32 And then some games he plays like three minutes.
12:34 From your experience, what do you think that is?
12:38 Why is Phewy doing that?
12:40 Or do you think there's a reason or?
12:42 - Well, I think-- - From a coaching standpoint,
12:45 you get what I'm saying?
12:46 - Yeah, I think they have a lot of bigs.
12:49 So you gotta manage playing time with the bigs,
12:53 having, what they have, five bigs, six?
12:56 - Four, four that play, but five could play, yeah.
12:59 - Yeah, so it's hard to have four bigs, you know?
13:02 And try to--
13:04 - They've done three for a while.
13:05 - Yeah.
13:06 - And it's easier to sub that way.
13:07 - Yeah, it's easier to sub and Huff's gonna be great.
13:10 I think he's probably one of my favorite players.
13:12 He's so unique, you know?
13:14 Great footwork, soft touch, pulses up, you know?
13:18 Obviously he's so young, but yeah,
13:21 managing four bigs is tough, you know,
13:25 to put in the rotation.
13:27 And that's why they have Watson at the three,
13:30 to try to, you know, obviously they don't have guards,
13:33 but when Watson's at the three,
13:36 that's when you could bring in Huff
13:37 to kind of like, you know, play more minutes.
13:40 But I think, you know, managing four bigs
13:43 is definitely tough on Phewy.
13:45 Glad he's doing it, not me.
13:47 (laughing)
13:49 - Well, you guys spent that one year,
13:50 was it one or two years coaching together?
13:52 - It was two.
13:53 - Two, I think.
13:54 - Yeah, two years.
13:55 - Yeah, what was it like,
13:57 we've talked a little bit about kind of learning
13:58 that side from Coach Phew.
14:00 What was it like and what was the determining factor
14:03 to not keep going on that coaching path?
14:05 - For me?
14:07 - Yeah.
14:08 - You know, coaching is tough.
14:10 It's definitely time consuming.
14:12 It's definitely people say, oh, you know,
14:14 coaching's fun, but it's a grind.
14:16 You know, you're in the gym
14:19 probably 10 months out of the year, you know,
14:22 and it's a nonstop battle
14:24 and you're away from your family a lot
14:27 and you sacrifice a lot.
14:29 And it's not for the weekend, you know,
14:32 it's definitely a tough, tough deal,
14:35 but you know, it's definitely enjoyable.
14:38 You know, if you're a coach, you love it.
14:40 And it's definitely a grind though.
14:42 It's definitely a grind.
14:43 - What was the biggest difference,
14:45 Coach Phew as a, playing for Coach Phew
14:48 versus being on staff,
14:50 like how long did it take you to get comfortable
14:53 like bringing up an idea or a thought of something you saw?
14:56 'Cause everybody sees the game
14:57 from a slightly different lens.
14:59 - Playing for him was a little tougher, you know,
15:03 'cause you didn't really communicate with him.
15:07 As far as I didn't communicate with him as much,
15:11 it was either his way.
15:13 And yeah, you probably had more of opportunity
15:16 to say what you wanted to say and change different things.
15:19 As a coach on the staff,
15:22 it was a little easier to talk to.
15:24 You could, you know, have your input
15:27 on recruiting or, you know, strategy wise.
15:32 So it was a little easier when you're on the staff
15:35 than playing for him, for sure.
15:38 - What was his strength as a coach that year?
15:41 - Well, Mo knows the game, you know,
15:43 and he knows development, he knows strategy,
15:47 he knows how to win.
15:48 He's been a winner his whole life.
15:50 So it's easy.
15:52 And he knew, you know, guys' games.
15:55 He know who's coming through that door
15:57 and could tell by walking,
15:58 oh, he's good at this, he's good at that.
16:01 So he was good at just characterizing guys
16:05 and knowing their games and kind of implementing it
16:08 to the roles of-
16:11 - I said like three things that whole year.
16:12 - Did you really?
16:13 - Yeah, I mean, I was a grad assistant, like, you know,
16:16 I mean, we didn't, I mean,
16:18 Al did a lot of the developmental work.
16:21 I think I'd said like two things to Domus,
16:24 like, don't go over anybody's back.
16:26 Good job, buddy.
16:26 You know what I mean?
16:28 - You said more than that, man.
16:29 - No, I know, but like, he was just so good.
16:33 It was just like, try not to foul.
16:35 You know what I mean?
16:36 Like, that's all I really did that year.
16:37 And I worked out some of the,
16:39 who was the redhead kid that transferred?
16:41 Lucas.
16:42 - Oh, Lucas, yeah.
16:43 - He was from Tacoma, wasn't he?
16:45 - Yeah, I think so.
16:45 - Yeah.
16:46 - We used to work out like Angel and those guys.
16:48 So yeah, but yeah, it was fun.
16:50 Different experience.
16:51 You have to really love the game.
16:53 Obviously I do, but you have to love it to like,
16:56 watching film and the boring parts of the game.
16:59 I mean, it's really boring sometimes.
17:00 - Oh yeah.
17:01 - People don't understand, like,
17:02 it's not all just having fun at practice.
17:04 Like you are watching bad basketball of other teams
17:08 and like literally grinding, grinding, grinding nonstop.
17:11 It's hard.
17:12 - Yeah, it's definitely hard when you're in a room
17:14 with just me, Mo, Phiu, and all the staff
17:18 for four or five hours on the road,
17:20 just breaking down films and talking
17:23 and then going to bed and doing it all over.
17:25 It's definitely a grind for sure.
17:28 But it was fun.
17:29 - Well, Tommy Lloyd was a young assistant coach
17:32 when we were obviously playing together.
17:36 He grew into Coach Phiu's right hand man.
17:39 You knew he was going to get an opportunity.
17:42 Mo and I have talked about this a number of times.
17:44 Neither of us are surprised with what he's doing.
17:47 Were you surprised that one, he left for Arizona
17:52 and two, are you surprised with how good
17:54 of a job he's done so quickly?
17:56 - Well, I'm not surprised at all.
17:59 Tommy was a very smart guy, knows the game.
18:05 You could tell he was on his way.
18:07 And he was, when I was on the staff,
18:11 pretty much another head coach.
18:13 He had a lot of power.
18:15 He had the willing to listen and to recruit,
18:20 obviously was his bread and butter,
18:25 bringing in guys and knowing what we needed.
18:29 And that kind of took him over the top.
18:34 Of his success and made him what he is right now.
18:38 And I think that's, he was great at it.
18:41 - People ask me this all the time.
18:45 They probably ask you too, 'cause they know,
18:46 a lot of people know you and Tommy were tight.
18:49 If Arizona were to win a national title before Gonzaga,
18:53 would you be frustrated?
18:54 'Cause part of me goes both ways.
18:56 Like Tommy, I'd love for him to win one,
18:58 but do I want Gonzaga to win one?
19:00 Of course, who do you want to win first?
19:02 That's kind of such a tough dynamic.
19:04 - I'd be happy for my friend.
19:06 I wouldn't really care if they beat us to it.
19:08 I mean, Tommy's earned it and he's had a lot to do
19:10 with our success here.
19:13 So he's got it going down there.
19:15 It's an easy, I don't want to make it sound bad,
19:19 but it's like a pretty easy place to recruit.
19:21 You know what I'm saying?
19:22 - Yeah, yeah.
19:23 - Weather, all those sort of things.
19:24 - Yeah, it's just like weather.
19:26 And then if you just walk around campus,
19:27 it's beautiful and all that stuff.
19:29 And so it's the perfect place to get successful again
19:34 that Arizona was before,
19:36 but like really get high level players.
19:38 And then I think they're good on the NIL side.
19:41 They got bigger donor base.
19:45 So they have a chance to really be super successful.
19:48 And he's obviously a great coach.
19:50 - Yeah, I agree.
19:51 - X and O's, he's one of the best I've been around.
19:54 His temperament's really good.
19:56 You know, like you said, he had a lot of power.
19:57 A few, he did a good job of giving him that power,
20:01 but he's more of a personable coach, if that makes sense.
20:05 So he's easy to play for.
20:07 - Yeah, I agree.
20:08 - So I think he's gonna be really successful down there.
20:11 - Mo mentioned NIL, like that must be easy down there.
20:14 - Easier.
20:15 - Easier, yeah.
20:16 I mean, I think very few places it's easy,
20:18 but you're seeing some places
20:20 that are just money's flowing like crazy.
20:23 Other places it's difficult.
20:25 You're just never gonna jumpstart it.
20:27 And so you're always gonna be behind the eight ball.
20:29 But rewind 20 years ago, you're in college.
20:33 You got a chance to get an NIL deal
20:34 with some place here in Spokane.
20:37 Where would it have been?
20:38 - That's a good question.
20:43 I don't really know, 'cause the whole NIL deal
20:48 is kinda a little confusing to me.
20:51 And I think it's kinda watering
20:54 the college basketball game a little bit.
20:57 And I think, yeah, players need money.
21:00 I agree.
21:01 You need some type of income,
21:04 but I'm not really sure how they're managing it well.
21:08 I'm not into the whole deal,
21:11 but if I was to be in this deal now,
21:16 yeah, I don't know, maybe Nike.
21:21 Nike would hook me up.
21:23 - I love it.
21:24 - I'd be like, "Hey, Nike, show me some money or something.
21:27 "Here you go."
21:28 That's what I would shoot for.
21:30 I'd probably shoot for the highest, right?
21:32 I think that's what everyone's going for.
21:34 - I watched a replay the other day,
21:36 'cause I didn't watch, I had a couple different broadcasts,
21:39 but I wasn't at the Pepperdine or the USD game.
21:41 So I went back and re-watched them.
21:43 I swear, Anton Watson is like 10 commercials a night.
21:47 - Really?
21:47 - Yeah, I don't know.
21:48 - It was back to back.
21:49 I think he had Walker's Furniture,
21:52 followed by- - Papa Murphy.
21:54 - Might've been Papa Murphy's.
21:56 He's getting good in front of the camera.
21:58 - He is, he is. - I wonder where
21:59 he's getting his coaching.
22:00 - Yeah, take advantage of it.
22:02 It's out there, might as well use it.
22:05 - Yeah, well, Gonzaga's missed
22:07 on a couple of their opportunities
22:09 early in the non-conference.
22:10 They lost to Purdue, lost to UConn,
22:12 which really was probably the only game they weren't in.
22:15 San Diego State, UW, et cetera.
22:18 One big test is looming outside the WCC,
22:22 and that's Kentucky.
22:22 I mean, they're top 10-ish right now.
22:25 They keep it going in the SEC.
22:27 That could be a top five team when Gonzaga plays them.
22:31 How big do you think that game is gonna be?
22:34 - Well, it's gonna be a huge game.
22:36 It's a game that I don't wanna say it's a must win,
22:41 you know, to give us a good resume,
22:43 but it's pretty high.
22:44 So Zags have to go in there and perform at its best.
22:50 And, you know, Moe have seen them more than anyone,
22:54 you know, so it's gonna be a grind to go in there
22:58 and try to steal one from 'em.
23:00 I know it's a hard place.
23:02 I don't think we've ever been to,
23:03 are we playing in Rupp?
23:04 - No, no, we're playing at Rupp.
23:06 - Yeah, so that's what, top four stadiums in the country?
23:10 Toughest stadium to play in.
23:12 So it's gonna be a battle,
23:14 and hopefully our guys are shining up their armor
23:19 and putting up their hard hats on
23:21 and ready for battle,
23:23 'cause it's gonna be a fight for sure.
23:25 - You will be at that game, right?
23:26 - Yeah, I think it'll be our last opportunity
23:30 to earn a pure quad one.
23:32 I mean, unless St. Mary's sneaks into that,
23:35 which I don't think, they're playing a lot better,
23:37 but they're not gonna be a quad one.
23:40 So it's a tremendous opportunity.
23:42 But it's also, if we lose that game,
23:45 it can't be skies falling again,
23:46 'cause this is like a true road game.
23:49 And a top five team.
23:51 The game we're gonna look back on is San Diego State.
23:54 I think we had a legitimate chance to win that.
23:56 U-Dub for sure.
23:58 But if you look at the Purdue-UConn losses,
24:00 you're like, those are pretty good teams
24:02 that are just different physically and lengthwise
24:07 and all those things than we have.
24:08 But it is a great opportunity.
24:11 It's cool that they're doing the series,
24:12 'cause we played them last year in the arena
24:14 and it was fantastic, and it's cool that we're playing.
24:16 I like true road games, the neutral sites.
24:19 I get it, it makes a ton more money,
24:21 but nobody does home and home anymore.
24:22 It's kind of annoying.
24:23 So I think it's a great opportunity
24:24 for us coming up in February.
24:26 - Yeah, now I've been to Rupp, it's awesome.
24:30 So hopefully, I don't know if the,
24:32 'cause the radio broadcast I was on for Westwood One,
24:34 we were way up high.
24:35 - Yeah, it probably was.
24:36 - So I don't know if you guys will be on the floor
24:38 or up high as well, but it is special.
24:40 It's pretty cool.
24:41 And Moe doesn't like this question,
24:44 is it a favorite gym you got to play in?
24:46 'Cause we-- - Favorite gym?
24:48 'Cause then I wanna hear your part,
24:50 'cause then I got a story about what I think
24:52 maybe your least favorite gym was.
24:54 - So I probably have to say when we played Tennessee
24:58 as a coach. - Okay.
25:02 - When we went down to play Tennessee as a player,
25:05 wow, as a player.
25:12 - See why I don't like this question?
25:16 - 'Cause you can go in lots of angles.
25:18 - Yeah, you can go home. - It could be a good win.
25:19 - Or it's just a gym, man.
25:20 - Yeah, it's like, it is a gym.
25:22 - It's just a gym.
25:23 - I don't know if I have a favorite.
25:25 - Want me to give you a hint?
25:28 - Yeah.
25:29 - New Mexico, the pit.
25:30 - Oh, no.
25:31 (laughing)
25:33 What's the worst? - I hate that gym
25:35 and you gotta hate that gym too.
25:35 - Oh, yeah.
25:37 But even, I do hate that gym, but we won that game.
25:42 - Yes.
25:43 - I think the good Lord was on our side in that game,
25:46 'cause when I got that technical,
25:49 it was, I think, Reuben Douglas,
25:51 was a 96% free throw shooter.
25:54 - Yes.
25:55 - And he missed both free throws.
25:57 - Yeah.
25:57 - Which is unheard of.
25:58 - Yeah.
25:59 - And even, what's the guy that used to coach, Priscilla?
26:02 - Fran Priscilla.
26:03 - Every time I see him, he's like, "Dirty!"
26:05 He stole the game from me.
26:08 He went to the free throw line
26:09 and missed both free throws on a technical.
26:12 - Yeah, I think what happened was there was a foul call
26:15 and you got the ball after it bounced off the rebound.
26:19 Actually, I think it was a charge.
26:21 - Yeah, it was a charge.
26:21 - And then the ball popped to you, you grabbed it,
26:23 you looked around, you slammed it on the ground.
26:26 - Yeah.
26:27 - Which you're gonna get at that gym.
26:28 - Oh, yeah.
26:29 - And Coach Phil was as livid a look as I've ever seen.
26:32 - Oh, he was so mad.
26:32 - And yes, they missed both free throws,
26:34 went to overtime, we ended up winning.
26:36 - Yeah, yeah.
26:37 - So we won that one, but then I agree with you
26:39 and I hate that gym, 'cause we lost the first round
26:41 of the NCAA tournament in the same gym.
26:43 - Yeah, well, yeah.
26:45 - So we'll both say that gym.
26:47 (laughing)
26:48 - For sure.
26:49 - And that's why I asked that question, bro.
26:50 - There you go, there you go.
26:53 - Where was yours?
26:54 You didn't pick one?
26:54 - I don't care, man.
26:56 I was just like--
26:57 - A basket's a basket.
26:58 - Yeah, 10 foot, we're out like Hoosiers
27:00 were measuring before the thing.
27:01 Like, yeah, no, they're all fun.
27:03 - Yeah, no, I think the gyms in the WCC,
27:07 some of them are great.
27:09 San Francisco is phenomenal.
27:11 St. Mary's is unique 'cause it's so small.
27:14 Santa Clara's cool, too.
27:15 - But then there's a couple like,
27:16 Janney Craig's been the exact same for 25 years
27:19 and they've never made any improvements
27:21 and there's no energy in the building.
27:24 You know, LMU slapped some paint,
27:25 maybe changed it a little bit, but it's still the same.
27:27 - Portland's kinda bland, too.
27:28 - Yeah, Portland hasn't done anything.
27:30 So I get most disdain for that question at times,
27:33 but I'm gonna keep asking it.
27:35 - Go ahead.
27:36 - You'll keep answering it the same way?
27:38 - Yep.
27:39 - All right, last question, Al,
27:41 before we kinda wrap things up a little bit.
27:45 We played in an era that we're kinda dovetailing
27:49 off that '99 Elite Eight, then the '00 year Sweet 16,
27:54 and we didn't want it to end on our kind of watch.
27:57 We had some opportunities.
28:01 We played in the Sweet 16, lost in the first round.
28:04 We thought our teams were better,
28:06 probably in retrospect, than they really were,
28:08 'cause you gotta be great defensively.
28:10 We were okay.
28:11 We were good, not as good offensively
28:13 as I think we thought we were.
28:15 If there was one zag maybe that we could've added
28:18 to our team to give us a true legitimate shot
28:21 at a deep, deep run, who would that have been?
28:25 - I don't know.
28:27 I think we were solid.
28:28 I think our year, we were number one in efficiency,
28:33 offensively, I think we led the nation in rebounds
28:36 all year.
28:38 So I don't know if we could add anyone,
28:41 'cause we were pretty deep.
28:43 We probably could've added another, probably, shooter,
28:48 or another big guard.
28:52 So I'd probably say probably like,
28:57 or another athletic wing, like an Earl Knight,
29:01 maybe, would've helped.
29:07 Drew Timmy, probably would also help,
29:10 even though we had a lot of bigs that year.
29:12 We had Calvary, Spink, we had Zach Gord, Cory Violet.
29:17 So those guys are dominant.
29:21 So I'd probably say another big guard.
29:25 The kid that took us to the Final Four from UW,
29:29 what's his name?
29:29 - Nigel. - Nigel.
29:30 - Nigel would've been solid.
29:32 I loved his game.
29:33 So yeah, I'd probably say either Earl or Nigel.
29:37 - The biggest frustration or disappointment for me
29:40 was that Mario Cassou never was deemed eligible.
29:43 How good was he?
29:44 - Oh, he was special.
29:45 He was the first guy I've ever seen as a seventh letter
29:48 do a step back, you know, and dribble up the court.
29:53 He was unbelievable.
29:54 And if we would've had him,
29:57 we probably would've been a top contender for sure.
29:59 He was definitely special.
30:00 - Context for the people watching,
30:02 he was a NBA, got drafted in the NBA,
30:07 was gonna come to Gonzaga and couldn't get eligible,
30:09 but he was like a seven foot European step out.
30:13 Like this is in 2000.
30:15 But nobody had never seen it.
30:16 I remember coming to play open gym with you guys,
30:18 and like, who the blank is this guy?
30:21 He was so good. - So smooth.
30:22 - He spent two years on campus
30:24 because he wanted to play college basketball.
30:26 And Gonzaga did everything they could
30:28 to get through compliance, and they just never let him.
30:32 And yeah, you're right,
30:33 he was drafted without ever playing a game.
30:36 Flip it though, you know,
30:38 Gonzaga, we never would've got Roney if he was eligible.
30:41 So it's kind of you weigh both.
30:43 Roney became an iconic zag,
30:45 you know, went on to a great career himself.
30:47 So yeah. - Yeah, yeah.
30:49 He was definitely special.
30:50 - Awesome, nothing last, no last thoughts?
30:53 - Good seeing you. - Questions for him?
30:54 - Hey, nice seeing you.
30:54 - Big Al. - Thanks for having me.
30:55 Yeah. - Appreciate you joining.
30:57 Always good to connect.
30:58 I know everybody's schedules are so busy these days,
31:00 but appreciate the time.
31:03 Appreciate being a teammate all those years ago.
31:05 And you're welcome to join any time you want
31:07 with Adam and I.
31:08 - All right, well, thank you guys for having me.
31:10 And I love you guys' setup,
31:12 and continue to, you know, spread the word.
31:15 - Awesome.
31:17 There you have it, Gonzaga Nation,
31:18 Talking Zags, episode 13.
31:21 Adam Morrison, myself, being joined by Big Al,
31:26 Alex Hernandez.
31:27 (upbeat music)
31:30 (upbeat music)