Boomo Bugg Show 031126

[0:00] Now, get ready to roll, Shoals, Decatur, Athens and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Good afternoon and welcome in to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brent Beard. Thank you so much for giving us a free ride around the Tennessee Valley. Brent Beard, welcome in. Well, I think it's safe to say welcome to Christmas in March if you love yourself some college basketball.

Brent Beard, welcome in. And can you say, are you ready for a little stream music in the music city? Going to be a lot of it today. It actually started yesterday for some conferences. The SEC men's tournament just started in Nashville and Kentucky leads LSU 25-21 with about seven minutes to play. UNA women's coach Kenny Whitaker is leaving UNA to become the next head coach at Kansas City. And the voice of the UNA Lions, Benjamin Ray, is here to update us on a busy, busy week for UNA Athletics.

That is the man, Benjamin Ray. He is, to reiterate your point, the voice of the UNA Lions, Athletics Assistant AD as well. Ben, welcome in. How are you? You know, I'm at that time of the year where I don't know what day of the week it is. But I know basketball season finished up for us. We're full force into spring sports, baseball, softball rolling. So we're kind of on the downward slope of our athletic calendar right now. Let's start with some news that a lot of us from this side of the fence didn't see coming.

But nobody knows more about it than you do. And that is, A.D., Dr. Josh Looney officially announcing that Candy Whitaker will be leaving the UNA women's basketball program to head West Young Man to Kansas City. Your thoughts? You know, it's bittersweet. We hate to lose Candy Whitaker. What she did in two years was truly remarkable. This team, I don't think, is getting enough recognition for everything they overcame this year with losing four senior starters to injuries at various points throughout the season. And she still had them playing into the quarterfinals of the A-Sun tournament with a shot in the fourth quarter against a really good Central Arkansas team.

So she accomplished so much in two years and just got too good of an opportunity to pass up, to go home, almost an offer that she could not refuse under her family and her. We've seen that really exclusively the last eight years since we've gone to Division I. These coaches come to the Shoals area and they don't want to leave. But sometimes the offer's too good. You know, that's a special area to her. That school means a lot to her. Kind of helped launch her career.

And so she gets an opportunity to go back home. And so we're sad to see her go. But just like always, we're always happy when our coaches, our people within UNA, get those opportunities. So it's going to be great for her. And I think Dr. Josh Saloni has shown he's got a track record for finding good coaches. And I expect no doubt that he's already got his phone, his ear to the phone, phone to his ear. I'm sure he's been getting blown up right now. Benjamin, the UNA men's basketball and Tony Pujol is not going anywhere.

Unfortunately, he had a tough season. They lose in the first round to Florida Gulf Coast last Wednesday in the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament. And we're going to talk with him a little bit later today. But he doesn't give a lot of excuses. But I'll give one for him. They've had a short bench for nearly a month. They were able to get a couple players back late. But injuries just really decimated the team for a while. Did they play as well as last year at the end of the season?

No. But again, they gave it their best effort. But now, as so many of the other tournaments are beginning, UNA sitting at home. I know he is chomping at the bit to go out recruiting and have a better year next year. But injuries really derailed the season. You know, injuries. And I don't believe we played more than two, three conference games at full strength. You know, it started with the flu bug at the start of conference play, which every team goes through the flu bug at some point.

When you get that many people together, at some point it's going to go through your roster. And it hit UNA early, which is a blessing and a curse. And this team kind of dug a hole through some of that. And everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. Everything that they didn't need to go wrong went wrong. You lose Cannon Jefferson for all of February. Just as the team kind of really began clicking. And so it's going to be interesting to see what happens. I know this.

[5:16] Tony Pujol is one of the most competitive people I've ever met. And I believe it was year four. We had a down year. Not very good. And then what happened? Well, he went out and found some dudes. And the next three years were some of the best that we've experienced with UNA basketball in the last decade. Highlighted by the ASUN Championship game appearance last year. So there's no doubt in my mind that he's going to get things back on the right track. And it came this year at a time when the league finally showed UNA respect.

We've probably been the least respected team in the last eight years. We knew last year's team was going to be good. They didn't reflect that in the preseason poll. And media people like the preseason poll. Coaches do not like the preseason poll. This year picked first in the preseason poll. I imagine next year we'll be picked low. And that's actually what Tony Pujol likes is to be picked low. He likes his players to have a little bit of a chip on their shoulders. So I think it will be a re-energized group next year.

And there's no doubt about it. That staff will work tirelessly to get it back going. Because one thing that Coach Pujol has done in his eight years is he's worked and served in this community. And this community has supported UNA basketball. And you had a 12th-place team this year that led the league in attendance. I mean, that's unbelievable. And so he wants to do it for this Scholes area. And there's no doubt about it that they're going to bounce back. And you mentioned his community involvement.

I saw where he was out supporting the UNA softball team against Ole Miss. Before we get to baseball, let's talk a little bit about the schedule starting there with the softball team. Fresh and taking on Ole Miss. I mean, a lot of long-time UNA fans remember they were taking on all these teams from Arkansas, the Delta, Mississippi. And now you look, regardless of the sport, you're looking at taking on an SEC team. Let's talk about that, just the schedule and where UNA is now on the national map.

I mean, no disrespect to the Division II schools we played, but it's a lot more exciting when you bring in a Ole Miss on a Tuesday as opposed to a Union or Liberty on a Tuesday, right? And no disrespect to those schools. We have great relationships with them. But you're just bringing in a team that was into last spring playing in the College World Series for the first time ever in program history. I mean, that speaks volumes to Ashley Cozart's program, but that just shows you the conversation that this university is in now.

And there's a lot of factors to consider, but every year since we've gone to Division I, enrollment has continued to climb at UNA. And again, a lot of factors to consider, but there's no doubt about it. Athletics has played a part in that. Athletics is the front porch to the university. And the fact that Ole Miss has enough respect to come in, I mean, it's groovy. It's really remarkable in what it does. I mean, we had nearly 700 people come out on a Tuesday night when the weather was decent.

You know, the sun wasn't completely out. Daylight savings. Everybody's still dragging a little bit. But nearly 700 people came out to watch that ball game last night. So it just continues to show what it's done, not just for this university, but for the community as well. And listen, the UNA softball's been on a heater. The loss ended the seven-game win streak. I believe they're 17-5 and gave Ole Miss fits. Katie Simon had a tremendous showing against Ole Miss. But listen, they have had, so far, they've had a tremendous season.

But, you know, that game against Ole Miss, it was almost like they had Madonna at the plate in the seventh. And just with like a prayer, they hit the home run to tie it. And Katie Simon won't get the win. I think she got the loss. But that was one of the most remarkable pitching performances I've seen at UNA in some time. And we've had greats like Hillary Carpenter, local product, Megan Garsh, pitcher of the year. And what Katie Simon did against a very talented SEC offense was unbelievable.

And you just hurt for that team, the way that they lost that ball game. This team's good. I think it might be one of Ashley Cozart's deepest lineups at the Division I level. I mean, two through six, she's got a bunch there that they can really bop the softball. And they are one of the best hitting teams in the Atlantic Sun right now. And Riley Dover, a local product from Loretto, Tennessee, she's a third-year junior at UNA. I mean, right now she's in the conversation for Ace Sun Player of the Year.

And Ashley Cozart always has local products every single year, going back to when she started it in, what, 2013, I believe it was. And that just speaks to this region and, one, the support they have for UNA. But how good this area is in terms of softball. And she keeps the hometown talent here. And then you see what they did against an SEC team. It makes you really excited heading into conference play starting this weekend. That town of Loretto can turn out some pictures, I guarantee you.

[10:18] Just ask the Weathers family. Benjamin Ray hooking up with a fine voice of the Lions. Ben, I would imagine you and a lot of other folks are enjoying the new home for the UNA baseball team this season. Let me tell you, that baseball facility, Bank Independent Stadium, Mike D. Lane Field, it is top tier. In every school that has been here, the likes of UAB and others, they have all said, this is incredible. This is so amazing that a mid-major baseball program get this kind of investment from the university.

And Jack Bratniak's put together a really good team. Now you say, well, they haven't been playing good lately. Well, look who they've been playing. They played Southern Miss this past weekend, and Southern Miss will be hosting a regional at the end of the year. But he's got some big bats in his lineup, too, including, and you guys have been covering UNA for a long time. And he's got a third baseman that transferred in from Delta State. And I think that has got to be the first ever Delta State baseball player to transfer in to UNA.

We all know the old rivalry between North Alabama and Delta State. But he's been hitting the cover off the baseball. Petey Kraska over at first base, a sophomore, a team captain. He's on pace to have another all-conference caliber year. And the pitching staff, led by Jacob James, he's now the pitching coach at UNA, all-time leader in career strikeouts. David Mervis, the previous pitching coach, got hired by the New York Mets to go work in their organization. And that speaks volumes to the caliber of coaches we have around here that you lose a coach to the Mets.

But the pitching staff has been much improved. And so Jack Bratniak has really turned this baseball program around. And we feel like they've got a chance to make some noise in the A-Sun this year. Before we let you go, to have excellent and very good athletic problems, you've got to have some money. The top fundraiser for the year, coming up, the Lion Pride Dinner and auction. Again, let me remind our listeners and UNA fans, it's not in August. It's May 19th, which will be here next time we turn around.

The Wizard of Oz, Ozzie Newsom, tied in at Alabama, played at Cleveland. General manager with the Ravens for years will be the guest speaker. We talked to Megan Dye about this last week. Again, if you'd like to be a sponsor or get some tickets, I think individual tickets were going on sale this week. Tell us again about Ozzie Newsom, the Wizard of Oz, coming to the Shoals May 19th. I mean, how exciting is that? A homegrown product that, to me, probably doesn't get enough credit for being one of the best football people to ever live in terms of the caliber player he was in college and in the NFL.

And then what he was as a front office executive there with the Baltimore Ravens. I mean, I'm super excited. I've never met Ozzie. I've never heard him speak. I am so excited for this as someone who grew up in the Shoals area and has always heard the legends of him back in the day in Calvert County, what he did in Alabama. And so it's going to be an unbelievable night. And, again, if you're in the Shoals area, you need to be proud about what Ozzie Newsom has done.

You need to be proud about what UNA has done. And what better way to take in both by coming to the dinner and auction. Reach out to Megan Dye. I think her extension is 4615. With UNA, go to RoarLions.com. You can get some more information on that. But it's always the best night of the year. Normally it's in August and it's a kickoff event. This year it will be more of a celebration event. So either way, it's going to be a great night. Absolutely. But, yeah, I believe it's 256-765-4615.

But go to RoarLions and you can quickly pick that up. Listen, thank you for taking a few minutes out from an incredibly busy schedule. I always get amused at people who think, well, for sports, radio, and athletics in general, the fall is the busiest time. I think you might beg to differ on that. Tell us again as we're leaving the varsity out as far as broadcasting games. And, listen, that's changed a little bit. That's kind of universal now throughout the country. But where can we get online and also where can we get online to listen to the games?

Yeah. So over the next three months, we'll be wrapping up our broadcast schedule, our athletic schedules. We'll be on ESPN Plus with baseball, softball, and some beach volleyball as well. And then our RoarLions Productions, which streams on the Varsity Network app, which will be really big during March Madness. If you don't have that, you can download that and listen to pretty much every school radio broadcast during the NCAA tournament. You can catch us on the Varsity Network app. And then all of our social media handles.

[15:18] We're on Twitter, Facebook. I know it's X. I still call it Twitter. Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube. Something called Twitch, which the young people in the office have hooked us up on Twitch. I still don't know what it is, but we're on Twitch. And then you can catch it on RoarLions.com as well. So we want to be where people are, and that is on their phones mostly, and it's a great way to keep up with us. You sound busy, man. Listen, man, thank you so much for taking time out of that busy schedule and sharing some time with us today.

Keep it up, and thank you so much for your time, buddy. Hey, as always, we appreciate you all and what you do for you and A and the community. Thank you, bud. All right, back at you. Fine voice of UNA, Benjamin Ray. Coming up, talking about hometown boy doing good in Henderson, Tennessee. Coach Drew Statt next. Stay with us. T-Mobile has an exclusive bundle for customers 55 and up. I'm Sarah Bull. Yeah, I'm Frank Bull. A reliable network is key for us. And with T-Mobile, it's been wonderful.

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[20:25] Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 at the door, $9 for bundles of 10 or more, or $6 for children under 12. Tickets are available at Florence locations of Bank Independent. For more information, check out Kiwanis Club of Florence AL on Facebook. The score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back, kid. It is time to open the door and say hello to the man who knows more about Lions than anyone short of Barnum and Ring the Circus. Drew Stutz back in the day at UNA after a proud graduate of Mars Hill over at Northwest Shoals Community College, later at UNA, and now the head coach of the Lions at Freed Hardeman College in Henderson, Tennessee.

Coach Drew Stutz, welcome in. How are you? Yes, sir. I'm doing well. This is a busy time of the year, but just working and prepping for this weekend, getting ready to hopefully make a little run here in March. Again, we should say, Coach, you've already had a pretty good run. Talk to us about wrapping up yet another Mid-South Conference Championship title. Yeah, I mean, this has been just an incredible year. You know, we've got a lot of new guys this year, and so really unsure about how this season was going to go.

Going into the year, but we've rolled off 26 wins in a row and just finished winning our fourth Mid-South Conference Tournament Championship in a row. And just a great group of guys. This season's been super fun. You know, one of my favorite groups to coach. Our culture's really good. We play 10 guys, and I think we play a pretty fun brand to watch. And so when you put those things together, good people, some good ball, some special things can happen. So it's been a really fun year. I've just thoroughly enjoyed coaching these guys, and I'm excited for the success they've had this year.

Talk to us about something that doesn't make the stats cheat as much, in my opinion, as it should. Crue me if I'm wrong. In that win that wrapped up the title, you forced 18 turnovers. Any coach would love to know your secret to make that happen. And the other thing that I don't think gets enough attention is your bench. These guys practice just as hard as the starters and those stars. But when they have the right attitude and you can force 18 turnovers, you've got to love the formula.

Yeah, to be honest with you, I really don't even think about those guys as being bench players. You know, I understand the question. But, I mean, we've kind of got a platoon of five guys in, five guys out. And then later in the second half, we'll mix and match some of them. But, I mean, really, to be honest with you, we've just got two separate groups of guys that play and happen, you know, five of them happen to start the game and five of them happen to come in about three minutes later.

But we're a really deep team. You know, I think those guys buying into team and understanding their role. You've got a lot of guys on this team that could go play 36, 38 minutes somewhere else and be a star player. But they want to win. You know, that's why those guys came here. That's what we recruited them on was to win at the highest level and hang another red banner. And they've bought into that. And as far as the turnovers, yeah, you've got a little bit of time in between the conference tournament championship and the opening round.

And so I've had a chance to kind of look back at our numbers. We're forcing right at 21 turnovers a game, which is awesome. But when you couple that, yeah, I mean, you couple that with we're number one in the nation in defensive field goal percentage overall at 37%. We're number one in the nation in three-point field goal percentage and then number one in the nation in turnovers force per game. That's an extremely just rare thing. You know, usually if you're turning folks over 21 times a game, it means you're probably giving up some easy points at times.

But we just found the right, you know, the right guys and I guess the right strategy game in and game out to put these guys in areas where they can really defend and keep the ball out of the basket, but also be aggressive and create some turnovers, which lead to easy points. So, I mean, all that goes back to buy-in and guys playing hard, and this group has definitely done that. No wonder you're 29-1, ranked number one. Let me ask you about some of the players against Bethel in a game you won 72-64.

Phil Horton led the team in the 14, Rodney Henderson, 13, Jamarcus Powell, some dirty work, nine rebounds. Horton grabbed six boards, and again, it's across the board. Did you mention when you play that many players a game, believe me, a lot of college teams, Division I would love to be playing 10 guys and have a bench like that. Talk about some of the players and the personality they bring to the team. Yeah, I mean, that's the thing. You've got to put together a team that complements each other. At our level or even, you know, probably the low Division I level now, you've got to put together complementary teams.

[25:39] If you're banking on always hitting on stars and having one or two guys with the best two players, it's going to be a rollercoaster ride. You know, you're going to have years where you're going to have really talented guys on the floor, and you look really good as a coach, and there's going to be years where that talent leaves and goes somewhere else and gets paid a lot of money. And in those years, you look like you don't know what you're doing. So I really just try to build complementary teams, guys that buy into our system and our style, but more importantly, our culture.

And, you know, I think culture is just created with guys that are good guys, you know, guys that are high-character guys that want to do things the right way and be part of something special. So to me, you know, culture wins, and these guys have bought into it. I mean, you mentioned Phil Horton. I'll bring him up. You know, he's a fifth-year guy. That's rare. In college basketball this year, he probably had an opportunity to leave and, you know, go play at least high Division II or low Division I last year, and he chose to come back.

And, you know, Phil's been with us and has developed. And so I'm super excited. He was the MVP of the tournament. I'm super excited for him to, you know, see the fruits of the labor that he's put in for the last five years because he's a really hard worker and a great kid, and it's great to see him have success. Coach Drew Stutz, Fred Hardeman University. Coach, I know the regular season, the conference title's great, but I'm just guessing that the work's not done. Talk to us about the next hurdle.

Well, you just got to take it one game at a time. NAI basketball is a lot higher level than probably what a lot of people know, and there's a lot of really, really good players and teams across the nation. One thing I love about NAI that's a little different than Division II, it's a national tournament. You know, you've got teams from one coast flying to the other coast, and it's a true 64-team tournament nationwide. And so this weekend we've got some good teams coming in, a team from Chicago, a team from Kansas, and a team from Louisiana.

And so three really good teams. We'll start with a team from Illinois, Gov State, 22-7 on the season. And, you know, the way you do it is just keep doing what you've been doing all season and take it one game at a time because as soon as you start looking too far ahead or worrying about who your next opponent is going to be, you know, one of these 16 seeds or nine seeds will upset you. So all eyes on Gov State right now and just trying to get ready for them and if we're fortunate enough to win that game, then we'll move on to the next one.

Well, it is a very good brand of basketball. It has been for many years. And congratulations again on incredible success. Harold and I hear from some of your biggest fans on a routine basis, and you've got a lot of those in North Alabama. A lot of people know your background at UNA and some of the other things that you've done. Listen, I know we know you're busy. Thank you so much for coming on with us. We see the absolute best of luck, obviously, this week in the postseason.

And I hope it's another national championship for you. I hope so as well. And I appreciate you guys' time. North Alabama is home for me in a special place. And, you know, I hope to be on the phone with you guys here again in a few weeks. And maybe we've got another red banner and another national championship. We have your number. You have our number. Let's do it, Coach. In the meantime, all the best on the hardwoods, okay? Thank you so much. You guys have a great day.

You do the same. Coach, Drew Stutz, Freed, Hardeman University, NAI basketball is good. You remember K.O. Willis over at UAH? Oh, yes. He took UAH out to Kansas City one year to the national tournament. The sports director for our work was Jim Bonds. He went out and covered it. He took a resume to take with him in state. He got the job. The station lost Jim Bonds to the NAI tournament. Coming up, the search is all for you in another championship in Tuscaloosa run. You are next.

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Welcome back in. He is a busy boy these days in Tuscaloosa. Rodney Orr is the founder and editor of TiterInsider.com. His book is called Bigger Than Bama. Rodney, welcome in. Do you need more than 24 hours to keep all the balls juggling in the air in your backyard? How are you? Doing pretty well, Harold. How are you? How are you guys? Probably not as busy as you, man. You got a thing called basketball. They're rocking and rolling. And word is football opened up a can this week.

Rodney, I love this question this time of the year. I don't know what you can find out from a team wearing a bunch of shorts. But, Rodney, what are you hearing so far in camp? Well, I mean, it's been kind of quiet, obviously, because, you know, it has been closed so far. We do get a viewing period later this week, tomorrow, in fact. Right. Be brief. So, it's kind of hard to tell much. I mean, obviously, they do send out video. They do send out pictures, photos that we can look at.

Whatever you can deduce from that. Not a lot. But, I'll tell you, it does sound like, so far, they've really had a good attitude. They had a great off-season, fourth-quarter program, and a lot of new faces, Harold and Brett. I mean, tons and tons of new faces. That means a lot of question marks, obviously. You know, of course, there's a few tidbits trickling out, but it's just so early that how can you make much of it? And that's the point. It's the sweet and sour stories of not.

When you have new faces like that, to me, I'm not much on potential. I'd rather you show me what you got. I've kind of got some Missouri in me. Show me what you got. Look at Indiana last year. They didn't have a lot of cachet coming in, but they squeezed all the juice out of that orange. But on the other side of the coin, sometimes it takes away a lazy approach because you know that if you don't show up to your job, the next guy up is going to be getting that job.

[36:11] And you have open competition like that. Your thoughts on that, starting with the quarterback room, I think there's a strong assumption that just because of, as far as time with the staff, that Mack may have the inside track. Or, not so fast, my friend, because if Russell is as good as advertised, it's going to be hard to keep that kid on the bench, is it not? Yeah, I think, you know, you kind of laid it out there pretty well. I think, you know, Austin Mack obviously has been in the system.

He's going on year number four. You know, so he's got that experience there. Of course, he doesn't have a lot of playing experience. Right. But I will say this about Austin Mack. Obviously, he's really gifted himself. I mean, clearly, you know, Keelan Russell, we've heard about all the tools and how good he can be, the potential. But I think Mack has a lot of potential, too. Plus, the things you hear about Mack's ability to kind of manage the offense, make calls that he has to make, whether they're offensive line protections or different things that you have to do as a quarterback to manage the offense.

And I think Mack has a little bit of an edge there simply based on that experience. Keelan Russell just loaded with talent. I mean, but again, is he ready to be the guy? You know, who knows? We don't know that yet. But I would kind of, if you just want to go on giving somebody the edge based on the experience and being able to manage the offense right now, I think you would go with Austin Mack. But there's a long way to go. I mean, you've got a lot of practices.

This spring's still left. What, 13's still left? And then you've got all of fall camp before they're going to make a decision, I think. Right. Ronnie, again, we talk about this a lot. You win games at the line of scrimmage. Alabama brought in a lot of these guys on the offensive line. Jabin James, Michigan transfer, Ty Haywood, who a lot of people thought was coming to Alabama a year ago. But Michigan opened up the bank account. Kane Strayhorn, Nick Brooks. I think a lot of people think Ray Sondale Gaudi from Cal Poly will eventually be the center.

Kane Strayhorn is also good. And on the defensive line, I think the secondary may be the best in college football with their length and their athleticism. They've got some big boys now on the defensive line. Terrence Green at 6'6", 330. Devin Tompkins, 6'5", 290. Kendrick Bingley-Jones, who've got another year of eligibility. And then, as you and I both affectionately call him, Desmond Hugh from South Carolina. But, again, I know when I want to talk about quarterbacks, Alabama's got some talented skill positions. But, Ronnie, as we know, this team's going to get more physical.

You win the line of scrimmage, you win football games. Exactly. And I think that's where a lot of the new faces are going to be. And I think that's where you have to say there's some uncertainty. I mean, Michael Carroll comes back as your leading returning starter in terms of the number of reps he got last year. And then, William Sanders is out at left guard this spring. And he was your second leading returner in terms of reps. So, you've got a bunch of new faces.

You've got a bunch of guys that weren't even on your roster last year. And you mentioned several of them. And, you know, Jackson Lloyd, I think, has been running first team the first couple of practices at left tackle. We know that Javin James, the transfer from Mississippi State, has started nine games at left tackle. For them last year, he's going to certainly really push for that job as well. Ty Haywood, the transfer from Michigan, could push. Or he could also play guard. You know, we'll see if they experiment a little bit with him this spring.

And then, you mentioned Delgatti at center. I think he's a real key there. Straight horn can play center, whether it's a backup or, you know, kind of a swing guy. Certainly could push for guard. Nick Brooks right now is running two at left. I'm sorry. Running with the ones mostly at left guard is my understanding. Even though practices, like I said, have been closed. And then at right guard, you've got Casey Poe. And that's a guy that is a, you know, Saban signee from a few years ago originally.

Yep. That a lot of people kind of counted out. But now he looks like he's trying to at least, you know, be in a position to compete to start. And then, of course, Carroll at right tackle. And then you mentioned the defensive lineman. I think that's where you have to have, you know, some guys come through. So, just a lot of new faces up front on both sides of the ball. And that's going to be a real key for Alabama. Well, on your tighter insider.com, one of the jobs of that line is to do what couldn't happen last year.

And that's open holes for the running game. How much of it was on the line? How much of it was on the running game itself? And I still believe Ty Simpson took a lot of hits and a lot of criticism because of that reality. In your opinion, where is the room, the running back room now compared to last year coming in? And you would assume Daniel Hill might have the front spot there. But the question is, there's Kevin Riley and others, but the question is, Crowell is all that in a bag of chips in high school.

[41:31] How serious of a push will he put on this team? In your opinion, it's all we got here in March. If he lives up to his potential, where will Crowell? Probably the beginning of the year, we know where he's going to be on the jump charts. Where do you think he'll be mid-season? I think he's got a chance based on, you know, some things I hear coming out of the building. They certainly are really, I think, pleased with the off-season that Kevin Riley and Daniel Hill have had.

And then A.K. Deer has a lot of tools. I mean, but the thing is, you know, you've got to do everything else besides just carry the ball. And so that's a big thing with him. Crowell is extraordinarily talented. I mean, 5'11", I think he measured at 5'11", 220, 221. Perfect. Big, speed, power, all of those things. You know, here's the thing, Harold and Brett, just let's put this into perspective real quickly. Here's a 17-year-old guy that should be going back to school for his senior year in high school.

Having problems. You know, we've got you and I and all the rest of us are talking about, you know, can this guy be the guy? Can he, you know, can he step in? Just a few years ago, Saban had him stacked up three or four deep that had, you know, experience. And this is kind of how this situation is now, the difference in it. You know, it's hard to get those guys and keep them in your program nowadays. So, you know, the running back room is not quite what it used to be.

But I do think that, you know, Crowell can certainly help this offense this year. Ronnie, I mentioned the four linemen transfers that came in. But I'm going to be curious to see, again, we know London Simmons is going to be out. But Isaiah Faga, Jeremiah Beeman, Edrick Hill, Steve Em, and Henry, I'm going to be curious. Those guys have got some time under their belt, SEC games under their belt. Yeah, I hear, you know, there's certainly a lot of potential there. But I'm going to be curious to see a lot of eyes on the transfers.

But some of these guys have been here for a year or two. This is a big year for them. I think so. I mean, I thought the defensive line made some improvement last year. Of course, you lost some of those guys, quite a few of them, three of the starters, in fact. So it is a huge year for those guys that you mentioned that have been in the program that have a chance to really take that next step. Whether or not any of the true freshmen will contribute, I don't know, because you're not bringing in guys with that size that are ready to play.

Now, maybe a guy can play on the edge or something, but I don't know that they've got anyone that can play on the interior that's young. So the guys coming back, along with the guys in the portal, really important. Those guys have to take a big step. You know, they've been solid, but, you know, no one's really kind of stood out. And I know when you mention some of those names, especially like Steve M., you know, look, he's got incredible potential. He's a great athlete. He's 300-plus pounds, but, you know, now it's time to take a step.

It's time to, you know, see some development. Rodney, you remember the old, back-in-the-day music guy, the artist formerly known as Prince? Well, talk to us about the man formerly known as Ryan Williams, who used to wear number two. Let's talk about Ryan Coleman Williams, wearing now number one on his jersey. And according to the Street Report, he's, quote, on another level. Rodney, are you hearing the same thing about Ryan Coleman Williams this spring? Well, just, you know, the feedback we got yesterday, kind of we put it in our little notes.

We have some notes. And just that he has started out really, really well. Looks like he's back on track to what he was doing early in his freshman year in terms of catching the ball, you know, making some plays, all of that. And, again, it's been early, but I think they feel like he's got his confidence back and not really sure exactly what happened last year. But it does sound like he started off pretty well, and I know that they're very encouraged with that. Rodney, again, another transfer that gets overlooked a lot, maybe because he was the first one.

And I really like this guy, Josh Ford, from Oklahoma State, all of 6'6", 260. CJ Dupree, Josh Quavis, how productive they, Quavis in particular, in fact, that hurt Alabama in November. Rodney, we'll see. But, man, does he have the size? Stats were not impressive for several reasons, but I know you were high on him. Boy, he is a good-looking dude. Josh Ford? Yeah. Yes. He is. You know, last year when, I guess, early September, late September, when the guy at Oklahoma State, Gundy, got let go, whatever happened exactly with him.

[46:56] You know, Ford hit the portal right away. So, he got in there early. Alabama got in on him early. Yes, physically, he gives Alabama a presence up front at his size, 6'6", 260. Really good athlete. I think they're extremely pleased with where he is right now coming in. I think they feel really, really good about him. Mm-hmm. Rodney, is anyone talking about Alabama basketball? And does Nate Oates get enough credit? Are we getting to a point in his tenure that it's almost like taking for granted that today the tournament gets rocking and rolling.

Alabama doesn't play today. They don't play tomorrow because they had a good regular season. They're the number two seed behind a team probably on the Boston Celtics that's going to beat the Florida Gators. But your thoughts about this Alabama basketball team heading into the SEC tournament, well, yet to be determined opponent. Well, you know, they've hit their kind of peak at the right time. Obviously, they won nine of their last ten in the SEC, which is pretty amazing, actually, the run that they've had. And, you know, Georgia just kind of caught them at a good time, I think.

They might have won all ten. But, yeah, I mean, I think with the guard play that they have, the way they shoot the basketball, you know, the high-scoring team in America, those types of things, I mean, they're a challenge for anybody. And I think the emergence of Aidan Shirell on the inside has been really big for them. You know, again, Harold and Brett, it's hard to gauge right now. I think it just all depends on what your draw is, who you go against the matchups. It's such a game of matchups.

And, you know, eventually they would run into a big physical team or a team that can handle them in the paint. And I think that's the biggest concern to me. But, listen, they're playing right now at a very high level. So, you know, there's a chance they could make a really good run. Ronnie, I still say this is not his best team since he walked in the door in Tuscaloosa. But I think it's his best coaching job to be able to navigate all of the injuries.

We had Brian Passink on the show earlier this week, the basketball analyst on the Crimson Tide Sports Network. And he said this team may be healthier right now than they've been all year. And if they can get a little bit out of the bench, London Simmons had 11 against Auburn. Mallett does a lot of very good things. We'll see. But you're right. They are hitting their peak when the time they needed to do it. Where can we get online and get the best coverage of Alabama sports 24-7 message board, some recruiting, spring practice updates, basketball, the whole nine yards for a very nominal price?

Right. Tidereinsider.com. It's only $48 a year. And you can get instant access with your credit card if you prefer. There is an address there to send a check. And that gives you all our premium information. But also the All Sports Forum, which is what you alluded to, the nonstop discussion there. We've had a lot of, you know, good mixture there right now. Basketball, obviously. Spring football. A lot of, hey, how about that softball team? There you go. 23-0. And baseball started out pretty well also. So it's pretty much nonstop right there on Tidereinsider.com.

Rodney, you got it all covered. Put some more lead in your pencil and keep it up. And thank you so much for your time today, buddy. Appreciate it, guys. Take care. Thank you, bud. You are Tidereinsider.com. BB, what's the latest in Nashville at the SEC basketball tournament? 24-24 remaining. The Kentucky Wildcats, 49. The LSU Tigers, 47. There you have it. We'll update that and a whole lot more coming up in the second hour. We'll talk about, speaking of that, Mr. LSU himself, Ron Higgins. Judy Armand is going to be on board as well.

And Tony Poole looking in the rearview mirror at UNA's basketball season. And a sneak peek ahead. And it is all ahead in the second hour of the Boomwell Bug Show. Stay with us. Got wine? Offering 10% off six or more bottles of mix-and-match wine and an unmatched selection of nearly 1,000 different wines to suit any budget, the Carriage Wine & Market is your one-stop wine and craft beer destination in the heart of downtown Florence. In the mood to relax and wind down? Indulge in our bar service featuring fine wines, wine cocktails, and craft beers, all paired perfectly with house-made small bites and charcuterie and served with a smile in our cozy living room-style atmosphere.

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Instead, Murphy says he's going to focus on flipping one of the two U.S. House seats here in Alabama that is currently being held by Democrats. Murphy is also endorsing U.S. Congressman Barry Moore in the Senate primary. Moore is up against Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and former U.S. Navy SEAL Jared Hudson. I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this. Some of the greatest blessings is just having people that care about you, to have someone that's just going to love you and make you feel important.

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The NWS will be looking for signs of tornadoes touching down, as well as extreme wind damage. No injuries or fatalities have been reported from those storms. Alabama native Jesse Holmes is going to go for a repeat win in the Iditarod race in Alaska. Holmes won the 1,000-mile sled dog race last year after starting with dog sled racing back in 2018. The Iditarod has been conducted since 1973 with dog sleds racing from Anchorage to Nome. The Underwood Elementary School in Lauderdale County is being closed for the next two days due to high levels of sickness and subsequent absences of student and staff.

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[57:34] Call for details. Valley Broadcasting Corporation, WITK-FM, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, The Shores. Sports Radio 93.9 The Score. This is March Madness. Richardson against Padula straightaway. Gets a screen from Kohler. Dribbles left. Turns the corner. Up to the rim. Lays it in. Spartans by two. Great offense. They got Dre Davis on the switch. And he beats him to the rim with ease. Michigan State outlasted Ole Miss last year to deliver Coach Tom Izzo his 11th trip to the Elite Eight. Stay tuned for Westwood One's exclusive coverage of this year's NCAA Men's and Women's Tournaments right here.

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Tonight showers and thunderstorms overnight with a chance at up to 25 mile an hour wind gusts and a low near 40. Tomorrow sunny and windy with a high around 60. Tomorrow night clear with a low near 35. And for your Friday sunny with a high around 70. Your weather from 93.9 The Score. Now, get ready to roll Shoals, Decatur, Athens, and all of northwest Alabama and southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tide. Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC.

Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Welcome back again. Now, it's here to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg, alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us a free ride around the Tennessee Valley. I'll tell you what. Coming into this SEC basketball tournament happening even as we speak up in a place called Nashville, Tennessee. Kentucky fans probably thought, well, it's Kentucky and LSU stinks this year. But at last report, Kentucky fans probably right now are starting to chew some nails up there, BB.

Well, it's 64 to 62, 11 minutes, 48 seconds remaining in the second half. LSU's been playing better basketball as of late, and I think a lot of these games in the next two days, in particular, are going to be close. Your thoughts, what happens? Can you imagine, heaven forbid, of all the years, first of all, Kentucky never opens a can of the SEC basketball tournament. Translated, you didn't have a good year if you're the opening act. The Rolling Stones never came out first, BB. LSU has been, at least reputation-wise, a doormat all year, near the bottom, if not at the bottom.

Can you imagine if Kentucky bows out early in the tournament? Number one, the fans are not going to be happy, and the merchants up there are not going to be happy. Because if you've ever been to one of these things and have seen Kentucky show up, you know they bring the most loyal fan base of any team in the SEC. It's not going to be a good Wednesday night for Mr. Pope if Kentucky winds up on the short end here. Well, yeah, I can assure you the motels and restaurants in Nashville want Kentucky to have a deep run every year in the SEC tournament.

McKinnon of LSU at 20 points, that kid reminds me a little bit of Pete Maravich, the way he plays the game. But, yes, if Kentucky were to lose this game today, Olway has got 16 for the Cats. It would not be a good week. Now, Kentucky's going to make the tournament. Right. They're going to be a sixth or seventh seed. But, yeah, Kentucky fans are a little irate right now. Well, and especially in this NIL era, I mean, they went out, they broke the bank, put this roster together.

And I think it goes back to what Coach Drew Stutz said earlier from Freed Harmon, a Shoals native who's doing doggone good up in Henderson, Tennessee. And he said, basically, in effect, you've got to get complimentary players. Translated, as he put it, and I totally agree with this. How many of these coaches get caught up in getting this five-star and that five-star and then basically just fill out the roster and the budget with players that might or might not hit? I agree with Drew. Go out and get guys who are going to play as a we, not a me.

Get 10 guys. You go to the bench. You keep everything fresh. Everybody can go to the stat sheet after the game and say they contributed. To me, in this modern era, it's always been that way. But especially in this modern era, if somebody's making $5 million and you're making five cents, it's hard to have a team spirit, BB. Well, Kentucky reportedly has a $20 million roster for basketball. Yeah. The return on the investment hasn't exactly been there yet. And as Drew Stutz mentioned, he had a player who's been with him five years.

[1:02:54] Dallas Howell has been with UNA for six, which is a real rarity. But that's the reason why you've got to be careful with these mid-majors. A five versus 12 seed, some lower seeds. Harold, these guys have been playing on the same team with the same grade for four to five years. They're veterans. They've seen it all. You've got to be careful playing some of these mid-majors. And they know how to balance life. A lot of these kids get caught up in their names and lights, and they fail to live up to their potential.

They have a good night or a good show. But then after that, they get caught up in the headlines, and they don't always deliver. And I think by the time you reach this stage of your life, 22, 23 years old, you've had enough bumps in the road. Now you know how to kind of balance things out a little bit more. And if you think you're going to do that in your 20s, just wait until you get on up in the years. You're really going to find out how to take that road grader out there and smooth things out.

But, B.B., you mentioned Coach Tony Pujo. Obviously, an effort to hook up with him. He's had a little bump in the road there. He's got a busy schedule. But after this game, Auburn and Mississippi State. This is not a glamorous matchup unless you're an Auburn or a State fan. But I'll tell you what, if you're an Auburn fan, this game has so much riding on it, B.B. Well, Stephen Pearls mentioned all week long, his team's going to have a sense of urgency. Again, they lose.

I don't believe there's been a team with 16 losses who's ever made the NCAA basketball tournament. And if they lose to Mississippi State today, it's going to be a rough offseason. One of his keys is going to be how many of these kids come back. But Mississippi State's already done this. Again, I know a lot of Auburn fans are looking at this as a revenge game. But Josh Hobart, obviously, is going to be the number one target in trying to hold him down. Again, he scored 35 against Auburn in the first half.

The first, when they played him and finished with 46. But again, Auburn's got the advantage, I believe, inside. Pettiford is a great player. He can hit the three. The two Keyshawn boys, it's going to be critical for them to have a good game. So if things, even if they win this game, there's a class of folks out there who said the odds are still against them barring and getting hot and winning the tournament. Then you've got an automatic bid, of course. But if they do miss the tournament this season, BB, where are you objectively going forward with this basketball program?

And the reason I say that is everybody's going to be throwing darts at Stephen Pearl. And he's had his, like any first-year coach with that kind of resume as far as head coaching experience. You're going to make mistakes. You get that. But you give the reality of what his dad gave him. And when he gave it to him, things just basically had to fall just right for Stephen Pearl to have the year that would meet the expectations. That did not happen. So where are you as far as being able to make a level-headed decision, factoring all the things that he inherited going forward?

Because at the same time, if you're in business, sometimes you've got to make that tough decision. Is he the man to get Auburn basketball back to the standard? I think we'll know more next year. Again, when Bruce Pearl decided to retire about three days before practice began, John Coyne had no relief or no recourse but to, again, let him coach. They couldn't bring in another coach that late in the game. But this was a Bruce Pearl schedule. These were Bruce Pearl players. And their biggest problem, and every time you and I talk to an Auburn beat writer or media, they keep saying the number one thing with this team.

They can't play defense. And the Rodney thing about it is they played one of the best games in college basketball defensively when they beat Florida. And they defensively have not been the same team. I've mentioned several times that maybe an aberration. Now, Stephen Pearl's got to go get players that fit his system. But a lot of this, I think John Coyne will certainly let him have one more year. Certainly, maybe two. But next year is going to be a key year. He needs to go get the players to fit his system.

When you listen to Auburn fans, Big John's name gets invoked a lot because you look at this program, not just taking a slice of the pie called Auburn Men's Basketball, but you look across the board to football where it's been over the last few years. Your thoughts about the state of the Auburn Athletic Department overall. Right now, the saving grace seems to be the Auburn baseball team. Well, Butch Thompson is a good coach. And if they can stay healthy, they're hitting the cover off the ball.

[1:07:54] The McCrane boys are hitting the ball very well. They've got tremendous pitching. Now, they're going, you know, we'll see what happens with them as they enter SEC play. But, see, Bruce Pearl more or less set a standard for basketball. They obviously haven't lived up to that this year. I mean, they've been to the Final Four with Bruce. They've won a lot of games. They've had some upsets, and particularly Yale upset them a couple years ago. But, really, overall, for Auburn Athletics, a lot of the fans are disappointed.

Football was a dismal failure with Hugh Freeze, and they finally ended that experiment. Basketball certainly has been a disappointment. But, yes, baseball has done quite well. Back to your point about what Bruce did. In a way, Bruce had a mitt for his right hand, and he handed his son a mitt for the left hand. That just wasn't a good fit for his style of play. The bloodline's there, but I don't think the players matched up to his scheme. BB, let's stay with the SEC basketball tournament.

We mentioned Kentucky and LSU in a dogfight, in this case a catfight up there. Auburn and Mississippi State this afternoon. They'll take a little bit of a break, and then tonight, a game that Alabama fans are going to have a close eye on, Texas and Ole Miss, because Texas and Ole Miss take on each other in the early evening game. The winner there will take on Georgia, and then the winner of that game, Georgia, against this winner, Ole Miss and Texas, will face, I'm out of breath, Alabama on Friday.

First things first, Texas and Ole Miss tonight. Texas really needs to win this game. They really don't have a lot of bad losses, but that would be a devastating loss for Texas. They really need to win this game. I think they need to win two games, certainly one today, to get in the SEC tournament. They've got a good team, a lot of size in the post. They did beat Alabama. They played very well that night, but this is a game, Texas. This is a must win for the Longhorns.

To me, one of the more interesting matchups is in the nightcap with what many believe is you're talking about two teams going in opposite directions. Oklahoma right now seems to be the proverbial team that's on fire, the most fire down the stretch against South Carolina. Wouldn't it be nice if you're a South Carolina fan, if the men could learn from South Carolina women, baby, on the hardwoods? Well, Lamont Paris is coming back for another year. They really like him. I know they've had some injuries. It was just not there.

Now, they played a lot of close games. But, yeah, Harold, he is coming back for South Carolina. Now, the baseball team, Palmineri, is struggling. The football team did not have a very good year either, even though Alabama was lucky to pull that game out in the last minute of the game. But Paris is a good guy, and they want to give him one more year to see if he can get it done. But I'm telling you, Oklahoma is hot. They've won four consecutive games, six out of the last eight.

Porter Moser has basically turned that team around. They're defending very well. They're shooting the three. They may be the most improved team in the SEC in the last month. Bobby Bowden back in the day, and I still remember the words he said, it ain't what you've done, it's what you've done lately. And right now, Oklahoma's getting it done lately. Just quickly on this, are you a little bit perplexed at where the eggs are in the basket at Oklahoma and Texas because they've got money, but it looks like from the surface anyway, they put so much money into their football program.

Are you a little surprised that they're not a little bit better in both Oklahoma and Texas when it comes to basketball? Well, I think they're going to probably keep him, particularly if he wins a couple of games in the SEC tournament. I think Porter Moser is going to be able to come back. You know, we'll see where that goes. Darian Reed is another player for Oklahoma who was in Alabama for a year, and he came back. I think both basketball programs, now Texas has got the best baseball program in the country.

And I think that will continue, but I think both Oklahoma and Texas for basketball next year is going to be better. When you said he played at Alabama at one time, when you hear the broadcasters in all these games and talk about all the transfers, a lot of folks says it's kind of like growing up in a small town. At the end of the day, you end up dating everybody, right? Before it's not said and done. At least once, maybe not twice, but at least once.

Coming up, the voice of the LSU Tigers when it comes to the man behind the scenes, Ron Higgins, checking in next here on the Boomo Bugg Show. Stay with us. It's not March Madness. It's Mad Marchness at Sam's Sports Grill in Florence. Every game, every bracket buster, every unbelievable buzzer beater, all on wall-to-wall TVs. Fuel your picks with quality food, ice-cooled drinks, and game day energy that hits harder than a full-court press. From crave-worthy favorites to unbeatable drink specials, Sam's is where Florence comes to watch, cheer, and win.

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Remember, Big Lou's like you. He's on meds too. Call 800-568-2790 or BigLou.com. From the University of Alabama, this is Crimson Tide Today. It's a daily update on Bama sports and it's brought to you by Conecuh Sausage, a true southern flavor since 1947 and the official smoked sausage of the Crimson Tide. Order online at ConecuhSausage.com. Hello again, everybody. I'm Roger Hoover. On yesterday's edition of Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR, we were joined by Alabama baseball outfielder Bryce Fallon. I get a text from Torres and he was like, yeah, I'm coming back.

And then Brady's coming back and I'm like, I think it's a no-brainer at that point, especially with that core group. Like, we had a good squad last year. You bring these guys back and then go get the pieces you need out of the portal or Juco or wherever they were getting the pieces from. I think it was a no-brainer. So, I legit remember calling, texting Coach Vaughn and I sent him the, there's like a little gif on text message of the Alabama elephant and he's like dancing in the stands and I sent it to him and it's just like roll tide.

And he was like, he was like, let's go. So, it was just, it was great, man. You know, obviously super close with those guys. But once it kind of, like I said, once it started, it was just a domino effect and it was kind of like a no-brainer for me to just come back in one last year and enjoy it. I'll have more in a moment. Hello, Tide fans. This is Chris Stewart for Conecuh Sausage. Conecuh's an Alabama fan favorite we all know and love. It's made from the finest cuts of pork, their patented blend of seasonings, and smoked over a pure hickory fire for that true hickory smoked southern flavor.

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The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. The Score. Welcome back in, folks. We really appreciate you joining us. Please keep your eyes on the road while we keep an eye on the sky. BB, severe thunderstorm warning. Bottom line right now, if you have any plans heading west, young man, say it over Iyuka, Corinth, up to Savannah, net neck of the woods. Please be aware it's looking kind of like a rainbow over there on the radar, BB. Harold, a lot of the schools in the shows let out early, and I'm glad they did.

Yeah, it's the thing you used to say. It looks like a Christmas tree coming in these line of storms. Again, the air, it's been muggy. I've been saying this. It's too warm for early March. But, yeah, please be weather aware because there's a pretty tough system coming in. And, by the way, Kentucky's beginning to pull away from LSU a little bit, as our next guest knows. 6.25 remaining in the game. Kentucky 77. LSU 68. Who knows more about LSU, whether you're on top of the mountain or down there, than Ron Higgins, Hall of Fame columnist, Shreveport Bossier General.

[1:18:53] Ron, welcome in. How are you? I'm good. How are you, man? Much better than the LSU basketball team this day, this season. Ron, where do you start talking about the LSU Tigers? Well, goodness gracious, it's starting, you know, there's spring practice late. I think it's March 23rd for football. Which, I think, you know, every coach has their own way of doing it. Some coaches like starting their practice, and then they have spring break, and they come back to practice. Some coaches start their spring practice after spring break, which is what Tiffin is doing.

I think it's a good idea not to break it up. And I think everybody's just looking forward to seeing their team on the field for the first time and see how the pieces fit or begin to fit. So, they're excited about that. Baseball team held a little losing slump last week, but they're back winning again. They're on the basketball. I mean, they're on the basketball. They'll host a region. We'll see how far they go. And men basketball probably at the end of the road today, unless they rally here.

And that's the big question right now, Baton Rouge is, will they get rid of that big man? Yeah. Can they find enough booster interest to get the money to buy him out and the staff out? And that's kind of like the deal. I think five years is enough. I know he had to dig out of a hole a little bit because of the Will Wade stuff. It's ironic that LSU fans won't go Wade back badly. That's right. Exactly. What's the likelihood of that, Ron? I'm not discounted at all.

No. I'm not discounted at all. No. Will Wade was a good coach. And the only thing he did wrong was, way before his time of NIL, he went and bought players for legal. You can't cheat now, though, because there's no such thing as cheating, Ron. Yeah. I mean, like I always say, he bought better players illegally than Matt McManus bought legally. And they'd like him back. I think now when you look to hire a coach, probably in football or basketball or men's basketball, I think you have to have a coach not only who knows how to win, but knows how to inspire donors.

Which is why, you know, they hired Kiffin, they started getting donations everywhere. I mean, people never donated before, started donating money. I think it's kind of something the athletic director has to consider now. It's like, you know, okay, I love this guy. It's an experience. He coached. He's a coach. Can he inspire people to donate money for NIL purposes? Will Wade's that guy. This fan base loves Will Wade. They still love him. You know, he's passionate, enthusiastic. You know, took his team to the NCAA tournament every year except one.

I think his first year that went to NIT, even the last time they're in the NCAA except for the COVID year. Yeah. He made out with us every year. They like him, but whether they can shake him loose from North Carolina State is another deal. Whether he'd like to come back is another deal. But there's always this. When he left McNeese, the president of McNeese loved him, and that president of McNeese is now the president of LSU. What would that be like, Ron? When you got Wade and Lane Kiffin, when it'd be a Spicer-athletic department, that's got to be a reporter's dream to have those kind of personalities off the field and court and what they can do potentially on.

But you mentioned Lane. How, what kind of, your wordsmith, what kind of adjective would you use on this spring compared to springs of past in Baton Rouge? I'm curious, optimistic and curious. Yeah. It's funny, you know, people talk about Lane's personality. Lane's personality is more comfortable with social media than it is in front of a microphone. Yeah. If you're watching him in front of a microphone, any kind of, you know, we had him on signing day, we had him, like 30 minutes, and he was, he was almost uncomfortable behind, like, almost like shot behind a microphone.

[1:24:09] You can't control it for one thing, like he can't social media. He's a control freak in that sense. Yeah, and he just, it's not, he just really measures his words, and it's just like, it's hilarious because you get on social media, like, oh yeah, I'm on the ripper, I'm just ripping word here. That's unusual. That's the difference between he and Will. Will couldn't care less about social media. Will's, if I get him out of microphone, he's face fine. But yeah, it's interesting about Lane. I knew that about him anyway, but when you see it up close and personal, it's like, wow, he really is hesitant or shy, which is how you describe it.

But they don't care because, you know, he wins games. You know, it's, it's interesting about it. I was reading some story today. I forgot, I don't know what writer I wrote, a respected guy, and he went behind the scenes and talked to a lot of coaches off the record about Kiffin and, you know, most of the head coaches he talked to want to see Lane Kiffin lose. I'm just like, because he left Ole Miss when he did. And I want to say to those coaches, you don't think you do the same thing.

I mean, you sank the money to the son of the guns. You don't think y'all do the same thing. If you've been in a place six years and this offer came along and you wanted to say, you know, and you've never been on that level before of pressure and you wanted to test yourself. You still think you would do that? It's interesting, you know, all of a sudden this guy's the absolute villain of college football. You know, I mean, everybody wants to see LSU get beat.

Everybody hates LSU. It's funny. It's just like you hire one guy and all of a sudden LSU's hated because they did something and nobody else did. They went and got the guy they wanted and paid for him. And the guy left at a time where, again, Ole Miss forced a hand. Kiffin was willing to coach Ole Miss in the playoffs. And they said no. So what's the guy supposed to do? Sit around? And then win the playoffs over to sign a contract? He signed a contract.

And it's just kind of funny. It's just like, I mean, you know what? I don't think it bothers him. I mean, and people say, well, you know, he's under pressure. He's like, you know, have to go to playoffs this year. You know, he's under pressure. All the players he bought. He knows that. That's why he came here. He wanted to see what it was like in a place where there was pressure every single day to win. You know, a place where I'd put in 102,000 people in games, not 60-something thousand like Ole Miss.

You know, LSU has more pressure to win than Ole Miss does. They just do. And I think he wanted to find out what that level was, and that's why he's here. And the people just don't get that. They think it was strictly for the money. The money was part of it, but this was a chance at 50 years old to find out, okay, this is my chance to see what I got at a place like LSU. It must be interesting to be a member of the LSU media.

You've got Lane Kiffin now. If Will Wade came back, and then you've got Kim Mulkey with her Elton John outfits, you never know what you're going to hear in a press conference. With Kim, you're always going to have something honest. Because she's, you know, if you've seen some of her halftime interviews, you know, she'll say, this is just a terrible game. You just want some streetball going out here. We're playing streetball. I think you'll get, and Will was like that. Will was honest in what he said.

I think Lane's probably a little more reserved to measure those words. Yes. It'd definitely be good. I mean, we have Kim. We have a baseball coach who's a really good interviewer. He may not be quite as outlandish as, say, Will Wade or Mulkey, but Jay Johnson is good with the, you know, the media. And I think he even quoted the Miami Tropics. Yeah, even he quoted Jackie Moon, he quoted Jackie Moon after a game last year. So, but I do think the modern-day AED has to look at hiring a guy.

[1:29:18] They used to call it winning the press conference. Now it's called winning the boosters. And I think it's crazy how it's evolved that way, but you want to get somebody who inspires boosters to believe this guy's dynamic. Figure he's going to win. Let's get money to go buy good people. And I think that's part of it now. Yep. Yep. Absolutely. I'll say one thing for the LSU men's basketball team. McKinnon is fun to watch. He's got 27 points and four rebounds. Kentucky now 81-76 lead with 226. McKinnon's got a little Pete Maravich in him, Ron.

I've enjoyed watching that kid play. And particularly when he goes to the rim, you never know how he's going to do it, but he's been a lot of fun to watch this year. But where can we get online and get all of Ron Higgins' good stuff? Well, you know, of course, Max has been watching my basketball tape on how to shoot the ball, so it helps. That's right. He's the only thing they've really got, honestly. I mean, he's been really, really good all year. Ron Higgins, you go to streetportbojourjournal.com, bronhiggins.org, on Twitter or exit Ron Higgins, and on Instagram at SEC Ron.

Ron, listen, man, it's always good to hook up with you. Thanks so much. Kick back and enjoy, and let's do it again soon, okay? All right, guys. Take care. We'll see you. Thank you, Ben. Ron Higgins, streetportbojourjournal, and these ADs now, Ron laid it out there. It's kind of like these political parties selecting a candidate who can raise the most mojo, baby. You got the inside track. Coming up, Rudy Armas got the inside track. Cross the board. He's on deck. Stay with us. Have you ever seen those halftime scholarships where you have to nail a 40-yard field goal?

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We're doing all right. Drew, a lot to get to today. We know you're ready for March Madness. But before we talk about what's going on on the court, your reaction to the news of a young man from our neck of the woods who has unlimited potential. You know where I'm going with this. The former Buck from Buckhorn High, Caleb Holt. A lot of folks thought Alabama had the inside track. Maybe some of the other ACC schools. We know it's been a long time since he was at Buckhorn.

He's that good. All these all-star high school programs across the country have been courting him. And he's gone to some of them. But this week, committing to U of A, but not the University of Alabama. The University of Arizona. Drew, your reaction? Two. Yeah. Caleb Holt, I believe his name. Yeah. Didn't talk about him this morning. So, good luck to him and his family. Great player. Alabama spent a long time recruiting him. He's been chasing money since he left Buckhorn back, you know, two years ago.

He chased the money to Grayson, Georgia. He chased it to Prolipic Prep. He's still chasing it now. And, you know, he's certainly a great player on both ends. And I'm sure he'll help Tommy Lloyd in this program. But he's about as dead to me as Trendon Watford. Well, obviously, in this day and time, it is a business decision. But the other side of that coin, Drew, is you look at what Nate Oates did and you look at the numbers. And Nate Oates, I mean, it's still expensive, but it's all relative to the competition.

Alabama didn't spend as much money as a lot of folks thought to put this team together. And they wind up with number two. As a coach, when you put together a roster, you've got to sit here and say, do we want to go after this guy and spend money for his potential? Or do you want to do what we had Coach Drew Stutz on earlier today from Freed Hardeman? And I don't care if you're playing at Freed Hardeman, if you're playing at Duke, the principle is still the same.

Get a good roster that wants to play as one. Your thoughts about Nate Oates' strategy? Well, I mean, I think he's done as good a job as anybody in the country at building rosters, certainly. The portal class this year wasn't as productive as they'd hoped. Some of that had to do with injury. But I think the kids' attitudes, like Noah Williamson, have been good. Like Jaleel Bathea. Certainly, Bull Bowen got banged up. And it hasn't worked out with Keaton Bristow. But they're far from the only ones that have not hit on every portal target, certainly.

And you can ask Auburn about that. That happened to them some this year. It's a tricky process. And, again, certainly no ill will toward Caleb Bolt. He made the business decision that he felt like was best for him. And certainly it's a great program right now in Arizona. Tommy Lloyd's done a great job. They've been number one, number two in the country. They whipped Alabama and Birmingham. They beat Alabama two years ago. But I'll just say this. Alabama's been to more Final Fours than Arizona in the last 30 years.

[1:39:56] And they haven't been back since they won it all in 1997 under the great Lute Olsen. And they won his only national title. But they're certainly more of a basketball school, even though I think Alabama is a championship school. That's what I would call them. I think Nate Oates has proven that he can win at the highest level in college basketball. He's been to a Final Four. He's been to two straight Elite Eights. Certainly Tommy Lloyd's been to an Elite Eight. He's got that program going in the right direction.

But, again, I don't think, you know, and I mentioned Trendon Watford. And the reason I mentioned that is he was a great, great player. He's in the NBA. But Alabama was just fine. And the thing is, Trendon didn't have a lot of success against Alabama with his LSU team led by Western Union. And so they were really good. But Alabama was better. And I still think Alabama's got a really good class built in the top five in the country. And they've set themselves up, as Nate Oates says, to be, you know, one of the best programs in the country.

He said today, with the money that's going to be delivered through both Redshare and NIL, we're in as good a place as anybody in the country. So, you know, while you're not getting Caleb Hull, it allows you maybe more money for retention of your roster. Maybe Amari Allen comes back, as I know a very fine line did. And, you know, maybe they've retained more of their roster this year. In the last couple of years, it's been more like keeping a core of four or five or six.

Maybe more is kept this year. We don't know. But I know they've signed three. And I would expect them to add at least maybe three pieces in the portal. But I still think they're going to have a very good roster next year. And good luck to Caleb Hull. But I think Alabama basketball is going to be just fine. And to put this in perspective, Alabama spent $8 to $10 million. That's right there with Ole Miss and Mississippi State. Kentucky, by comparison, $22 million. And they're in a dogfight with LSU right now.

So, that kind of puts it in perspective. Alabama's near the bottom as far as spending on their roster. So, that tells you something about the coaching there. But your thoughts, speaking of that, Alabama's had a good regular season. Drew, where are you with Alabama heading into the postseason starting Friday night against yet-to-be-determined opponent at the SEC tournament? Certainly not an easy draw. I mean, unless Ole Miss pulls a rabbit out of a hat, you're going to get Georgia or Texas. And if both of them beat you, and we will see, you know, what place Alabama's in roster-wise going into that game.

Certainly, I think Alabama has been playing well. I thought they bounced back from a lackluster effort against Georgia to beat, you know, Auburn soundly. I don't think it was as close as the score indicated. But if they can win that game, potentially, you're setting yourselves up, you know, for a rematch with Arkansas. And, you know, and the best player in the league, you know, I think no question about that. He would have got my vote for player of the year. And he put on a show against Alabama in Darius Acuff.

He's a tremendous player. But I think a lot of people would like to see a second meeting with Alabama and Arkansas. And if you can get by that, then you're potentially maybe playing, you know, the Florida Gators. Because right now, I think Florida's, you know, a step above everybody in the league. And there's no guarantee. It's a very deep conference. But Florida's playing exceptional basketball. And so I just think it's going to be difficult to beat them. But if you're Alabama, you're trying to get to the third seed line.

And I think the best way to do that is to reach Sunday. It's not going to be easy to do. But you'd have a chance to beat two quality opponents. And if you're able to do that, then I think you could reach the third seed line. And if you do that, then you avoid a one seed like a Michigan and Arizona or a Duke or potentially a UConn or Florida. If Florida wins the SEC tournament, I certainly think they deserve a one seed. But it's not going to be an easy draw for Alabama.

But looking forward to them competing in Nashville. And it does look like the Kentucky $22 million Cats are going to win one game. D2, the bench. We know that that's another thing that Nadeau should have had a little more consideration coach of the year. They've been able to navigate a myriad of injuries with this team. Jalil Bethea, nine minutes against Auburn. An incredibly athletic putback. Went up, got the rebound, and put it back in one fell swoop. Houston Millett does so many little things. Can they get a little bit more at a Bo Bowen?

London Jimson had 11 points. When you're playing possibly three games in three days, you need a little help from the bench. Can they get it? Well, I mean, we would hope so. I mean, I think they've been getting a little more each time out of Jalil Bethea. You know, I think Jalil has really kind of, I think Houston Millett, who has been in and out of the starting lineup, but mostly coming off the bench, has really played, you know, his tail off. And I think his example has rubbed off on a guy like Jalil, who's kept a really good attitude.

[1:45:09] And I thought his nine minutes or so was very impactful against Auburn, including that Michael Jordan-type putback, because he has such great athleticism. Certainly, they need to get a little bit out of Noah Williamson, and they did against Auburn. We'll see if they can get more. And then Taylor Bo Bowen, who's been banged up. If they could get a little bit more out of him, I think that would be huge. Because I think he's someone that has been a guy that, especially on the defensive glass, that the coaches can count on.

So, if you could get eight, nine guys contributing, I think it'd be, you know, immeasurable. But we'll see. I mean, that's going to be a key. Nato just said today that nobody is injured. So, it looks like they're as healthy as they've been. We'll see what, you know, who's available on Friday. And we've also seen Kentucky move on, 87-82. And, you know, they could have easily been in the top four. But, you know, the last Saturday was a little crazy. So, they end up playing on Wednesday.

And they're going to be a very dangerous team. I mean, they're very talented. They played Florida tough twice. And so, I think it shows to the depth of the league. And it wouldn't surprise me, you know, if Kentucky got to the weekend. Live by the three, die by the three. We hear that always from a lot of national media about Nate Oates' philosophy. But Auburn took away the three. Alabama didn't shoot the ball in particularly well from the three against the Tigers. But they got to the rim with a lot of success.

Alabama is going to need to be able to do both, obviously. But 50-something plus points in the paint. And I know some of the shots, they were just not there for the three. But they did everything else. And, again, we know they don't have the size of Florida inside and some of the other teams. But they can go to the rim and they can be successful. Well, yeah, they had 58 points in the paint. You know, a big key in the SEC tournament is going to be the production.

Out of Aiden Sherell, you know, he needs to play well. He needs to be able to play inside and out. And especially be a presence on the defensive glass. I thought it was big in the game against Auburn to get Amari Allen going again. He had 16 points. He had had two off games. He certainly rebounded better and got to the rim and got on the glass and did a nice job with a lot of great back cuts to the rim and getting to the glass and going hard to the basket.

I think that's going to be a key. And certainly a Mo Barron's byline. If you're going to get to Sunday, he's going to have to play like what he is. He's a first-team All-SEC player and a guy that's a second-team All-American. He's had a tremendous season. He's going to have to be big time if Alabama's going to go on a run. You know, they're going to have to – and the strength of this team is the guard. They're going to have to get really good guard play from their foursome.

You know, of all those guys, they need to shoot the basketball well. And if they do, then I think Alabama's got a chance to be successful starting on Friday then going into Saturday, which will be a little bit of a quick turnaround. But Alabama will take it considering they've got the double bye. We're going to jump off, Drew. Coming up just shortly, the Auburn Tigers taking on those dogs from Mississippi State. What happens there? And as far as the future, what happens to Auburn? Well, I mean, I think Auburn definitely has to win this game to avoid, you know – and I'm not – here's the funny thing.

If they lost today, I'm not even sure they'd get an NIT bid because then they would be 500. That's right. You can get – you can get – I think you can get an NIT berth with a 500 record, but it certainly would – I don't – I'm not even sure they would take one, though. They might just, you know, go hire the general manager, blow this thing up, and go into Steven Pearl's second year with a – you know, a – much like this year with a almost completely new roster. They might keep three or four of these guys, but, you know, 75% of it would be new dudes, and I would think Rod Pettiford would move on.

I still think he probably will. I'm not sure he and Steven Pearl were ever on the same page, even though he's an outstanding player. But I think they need to win this game. I think they need to get to at least the semifinals to feel good about a potential first four or a berth of the NCAA tournament period. Now, if they get to Sunday, it's locked up. It doesn't even matter if they win because they would have beaten Florida twice, in my opinion, at that point.

And nobody's done that in college basketball. But I think they at least need to get to the semifinal round on Saturday. If Auburn can get three wins, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, gets them to 19, and I think they've got a really solid shot. I know some people say the SEC tournament doesn't matter, but in Auburn's case, I think it'll be huge, and it's going to start by trying to get a win today. And I think they can get one. They've just got to do a better job against Josh Hubbard.

[1:50:20] No question. The SEC tournament is very important for quite a few teams. The Texas Longhorns, for one, we'll see how that goes. Always enjoy the conversation. We're looking forward to Nashville and Alabama on a Friday and the SEC play throughout the week. Steve, where can we get online to get all the good stuff? Yeah, you know, you can connect with me at 977 ESPN for our station. If you missed talking ball, Scott Tyson's on assignment this week, but Steve Moulton's been with me. We'll have Joe Hunk tomorrow.

We actually had a great conversation with John Summerall earlier this week, who's settling in as Gator head coach. You know, and certainly we also had Antoine Pettway on with Kennesaw State bringing their team to Huntsville in this Conference USA tournament. They'll play tomorrow in the quarterfinals against Western Kentucky, so we're looking forward to that for the third straight year being the home of both the men's and women's tournament. You know, Jack State got a good women's win, had a tough one loss on the men's side, but still, it's going to be a great tournament.

They do a great job with Huntsville Sports Commission and the Visitors Bureau of putting on that event. They've just signed a three-year extension, but if you miss anything, you can certainly check out our SoundCloud page, pardon me, at ESPN 97.7 The Zone or 977ESPN.com. We always enjoy being on with you guys, and it's going to be a great tournament in Nashville. We look forward to being there on Friday and seeing the Crimson Tide in action and seeing if Nade Oates and crew can increase their seed line, if Auburn's still alive, and what's all going on.

I think Oklahoma, though, is the ultimate sleeper with the way they've been playing, and I think they'll beat South Carolina tonight, and we'll see what happens with Bucky Ball the next day. Same travels to and from. Thanks so much, Drew, for your time today, buddy. Thank you, guys. Thank you, buddy. You see Jon Sumrall's comments, B.B., he said, my wife is celebrating her 40th birthday or 15th year anniversary. We had planned to go to Italy to celebrate, but I've got too much to do here, so that's Jon Sumrall, the new getter.

Guys, keep an eye on the sky, particularly up in the Collinwood, Lawrenceburg, Waynesboro area. Just moments from now, it looks like you might get a pop-up there, so if you've got plans for traveling that area, make sure you keep an eye on the sky. And the radio right here is going to take care of this for now. On behalf of B.B., Greg, James Blair, the entire crew here, Harold Black, thank you so much for your time today. Let's do it again tomorrow on noon to two for the Bumble Bug Show back here on Sports Radio from 93.9 to score.