Season 2, Episode 24 feat. Chip Walters and Ta'Mia Scott

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[00:00:41] Welcome back to another episode of the Blue Raider Podcast. I'm your host, Jake Bolden, and in today's episode, we're going to be recapping another exciting week in hoops action with your favorite voice of the Blue Raiders, Chip Walters. Talking all things hoops, we'll even reflect a little bit on football on the back end of today's episode after last week's interview with head coach Derek Mason. And then in between the hoops and football talk, joining us will be Lady Raiders basketball star, potential player of the year, question mark.

[00:01:10] TaMia Scott will be joining the episode once again as she returns from the summer series. So exciting to talk with her and all the success that the Lady Raiders are doing this year. And again, thanks to you for tuning into today's episode. I know this isn't our typical release date, so thanks for staying tuned on our social media platform so you didn't miss that announcement. And of course, if you aren't already, do so on our Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, all of the above. You can make sure you don't miss out on any of those future announcements. And also, if you're listening to us on YouTube, take the time to go ahead and hit that subscriber button.

[00:01:40] We're getting closer and closer to that 100 mark, and I would appreciate it greatly. But before we bring in Chip Walters, I want to take just a second to thank our sponsors of today's episode, beginning with the Conseco Group. Since 1987, the Conseco Group has been turning dreams into reality. Whether it's pre-construction consulting, construction management, design build, or renovations and improvements, we're here to exceed your expectations. At Conseco Group, we don't just deliver. We deliver with passion, precision, and unparalleled quality.

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[00:03:06] Again, thank you to the Conseco Group and Mighty Dog Roofing Nashville East for sponsoring today's episode. Now, as I preface at the beginning, returning to us here at the Blue Raider Podcast is Voice of the Blue Raiders. It is Chip Walter. Chip, how's it going? Doing good. Doing good. You know, it's always good when you're coming off of a win. And as this will air, we will already be out in Las Cruces.

[00:03:34] Our travel was changed a little bit this week. Coach McDevitt wanted to get out of town. You know, especially when you go to the Mountain Time Zone, it's a little different. So we left on Tuesday night, Tuesday afternoon. And so they'll have practice Wednesday and then, of course, a game day practice on Thursday before playing the game at the Pan American Center. So, kind of in two places at one time, I guess.

[00:04:04] As a man that's done that trip a number of times now since New Mexico State has entered into Conference USA, tell me a little bit about this trip. You already talked about the quarries of not only going to Mountain Time, but this is also the highest elevation they're faced by a very large margin. I'm sure that adds a little bit to it. And then, like you touched on, getting there early, maybe. I don't know if that's a part of the acclimation process that McDevitt likes to have. But, you know, what is that road trip like?

[00:04:30] There's a lot of history in both of those arenas that just create such a good home atmosphere that's tough to play in. I mean, they're, you know, they are in cities that are, you know, they're the only show in town in Las Cruces and in El Paso. And, you know, I hear people talk about, oh, you know, it's such a long trip or whatever.

[00:04:54] You know, you have an hour and a half flight to Dallas and then it's about another hour and a half after you change planes. To me, and this is just me personally, it's one of my favorite trips in the league because of what you mentioned, because both places do have a great atmosphere.

[00:05:15] Over time, it built some friendships in, you know, both of those towns with their radio guys and other folks that have become friends. And plus, it is such a different area of the country than what we're used to. I mean, you go out there and you're basically in the desert for a few days.

[00:05:38] And, you know, the Pan American Center, you know, it all started with what Lou Henson did on two occasions as their head coach. And, of course, when you get to El Paso at the Don Haskins Center, the building, the address of the building is whatever the number is, Glory Road, which, you know, harkens back to the movie and the 1966 Miners of Texas Western.

[00:06:08] Yeah, so much history there on the West Coast swing and a lot of action. But before we kind of dive into what to expect with the Raiders, I want to take a quickly to recap this last weekend. The Raiders do split Thursday. They lose at home to La Tech 85-74. Sean Newman Jr. has what I would describe as the game of his life with 23 points, a guy that averages 10 a night. Another little note, too, he had 11 free throws. I believe he was perfect.

[00:06:34] And going into that game, I had written on the boards that the man he got to beat is Daniel Boccio. And a guy that in his career against MTSU, played him four times, has averaged over 20 points in those games. I believe he had a double-double in three of those four. The one time he didn't was in last year's first-round matchup of the Conference USA Tournament. Obviously, that was a recipe of success. And then Thursday night, you hold him to 10 points and one rebound. And if you told me going into that matchup that Boccio's going to have 10 points, one rebound, I think, oh, great.

[00:07:04] We're going to run away with this one. And that just wasn't the case. And really, it was that second half because the first half had a lot of shadows of Bowling Green last Saturday, right? Every punch that La Tech threw, we had a counterpunch. And it showed there getting late in that half. We had overcome two pretty substantial deficits. But they had a counterpunch right out the gate of the second half. And there was no escaping it, really.

[00:07:29] The 11-point margin doesn't even really show that for the majority of that half, we were down 15-16. And really frustrating as a fan, certainly, because you're coming off the high of Bowling Green. But I'll turn it to you. What did we see that second half? Where did we go wrong? Well, what we saw was the team that was predicted to win the conference championship this year in the preseason.

[00:07:53] And we saw a team that has Sean Newman, who is the number one or two assist guy in the country, who decided to take on a scoring role the other night. And also, Daniel Boccio is just going to draw attention. And he is the number three field goal percentage player in the country at, what, almost 70% or something like that. But it was a battle with him a year ago.

[00:08:22] And I look back, Jake, and think about going back into the Sun Belt days and everything. Of all the schools that we've had to face year in, year out through these two leagues, the Sun Belt and Conference USA, the one that has been the thorn in the side of the Raiders probably more than any is Louisiana Tech. You know, they played two games back in the 80s when Bruce Stewart was here.

[00:08:49] But then, you know, obviously became regular opponents once the Sun Belt days have been here. And they, you know, they, as of now, they have a 17 to 8 lead overall in the series and have won six of 11 games played in Murfreesboro. So it's just, it's for whatever reason, it has been a tough matchup for years. And, you know, did Middle have a bit of a hangover after the Western game?

[00:09:19] Maybe. But, you know, they're really good to start with. And, you know, you would love to have played better. But, you know, everybody is, everybody in this league, as we have seen night in and night out, has the opportunity to beat everybody else. And Middle's gone on the road and won a lot of games this year, as much as anybody in the league. And, you know, they're facing that task this week.

[00:09:47] But, you know, had a nice bounce back on Saturday. But Louisiana Tech is just, you know, they have a collection of athletes year in and year out that, you know, you go back to Eric Kunkel when he was head coach. And even prior to that, they have almost always kind of played the same style. And, you know, they don't call themselves the Duncan Dogs for nothing. It kind of reminds me of Murray State. You know, Murray can change coaches, can't change players.

[00:10:17] They play the same way and have done so for a long time. And that's a credit to what they've built in Ruston over the years. And, you know, they're starting to peak at the right time. You know, Jacksonville State might be tailing off a little bit. And I know our coaching staff here is trying to make sure that they, to steal a phrase from Kermit Davis, they're trying to get the team right at the right time of the year. Trevor.

[00:10:47] I'm glad you bring up, you know, the part there about Jack State included. And I don't, and people will call me an apologist and maybe rightfully so. But let me, before we get into the Sam Houston State game, just to really, to talk about the lay of the land here that is Conference USA with La Tech in particular. Obviously that loss on Thursday is disappointing. It doesn't, I think everyone would agree. Nick McDevitt would say that was disappointing. The players would say that was disappointing. So I don't want to sit here and say that. Should they have won? Maybe so.

[00:11:16] When you look at La Tech's record, probably they should have won. But here's the reality. And you said it there at the beginning. They are preseason favorites. And that wasn't on accident. They didn't have any injuries. This is still the same team that fielded from all the way back in October to, that got that preseason favorite to here. That was a team that, again, could win when we get to Huntsville in March. And I will make that same argument as we saw on Saturday with Sam Houston, that any team in this conference could potentially win it.

[00:11:43] And when I dive into this stuff and I asked Coach McDevitt in our press conference on Saturday about the three-point shooting, and we saw an example of that with Sam Houston, about how they were able to catch fire, Lamar Wilkerson. But this conference, top to bottom, it could be anyone, any given night. And we saw a great example of that when La Tech returned to Bowling Green on Saturday. Western, after getting their butts handed to them by MTSU and Sam Houston on Thursday,

[00:12:09] they pull a win in an improbable situation, staring down the barrel of a five-game losing street, and beat Louisiana Tech. And it's just, again, it just epitomizes how much this conference has parity. And any given night, you can't go to sleep. And even to bring up what's coming up this weekend with New Mexico State, a team who is 5-2 on the road this year, but is 3-4 at home. And that's not really an indictment on them and their home play.

[00:12:37] It's an indictment on you've got to be ready to play. Because even a team like New Mexico State, who is offensively handicapped, in my opinion, still finds ways to win on the road at the number one team in the conference every time they've been there. Us, you've got Jack State, they just find a way. So let's dig in to that Sam Houston game, 74-70. The one thing that really stood out to me was the 16 offensive rebounds. That wasn't the highest of the year, but it was up there, certainly.

[00:13:04] And that was every bit of the reason that we were able to stay into that basketball game, despite allowing Sam Houston to shoot 10 of 23 from three. It's the third highest three-point field goal percentage we allowed this year. Trey Green, a guy that has just kind of, I call him the designated hitter. He's a guy that will sit on the bench, call him on at the last second. He comes in and just hits a home run. And we needed every bit of those five home runs, those three-pointers that he hit, 17 points to lead the team. We needed every bit of it.

[00:13:33] And again, back to what we're talking about this conference, you just can't take any night for granted. You split the week. It is what it is. A win's a win. You're still in third place, but great showing by Trey. Big congratulations to Esom, 1,500 points. Big congratulations to Cam Weston, 1,000. So much to really, again, you pulled yourself up from your bootstraps. This week could have been a disaster. You were able to settle a hot shooting Lamar Wilkerson. And again, you come out one and one, no harm, no foul. You're still in third. Yeah.

[00:14:01] And, you know, it's interesting after the loss on Thursday and the win on Saturday, Middle ended up, you know, exactly where they were going into that night with the conference standings. We talked about how Louisiana Tech had been picked to win the league. Well, also, we have to have a little bit longer memory, too. Sam Houston won the regular season championship last year. And Lamar Wilkerson was one of the guys who got them there.

[00:14:31] They were picked third in the preseason. As a matter of fact, just ahead of middle. And, you know, they had won one game in the league until the previous weekend. And all of a sudden, they caught fire, just like Louisiana Tech had lost two games at home the weekend before. And they were playing in desperation mode on Thursday night here. And you had Sam Houston, who had gone to Western and won by 16.

[00:14:59] They were playing with a great deal of confidence. And, you know, I asked Coach McDavid after the game, you know, not after we'd gone off the radio, I said, how far out do you legitimately expect your guys to guard Lamar Wilkerson? Because at one point, he was five for five from three and ended up five out of six.

[00:15:24] And two of those five, I called 30 feet or close to it. And, you know, I think sometimes when a guy decides he's going to shoot it out there, you know, good luck, you know, almost. Because you don't want to warp your entire defensive effort when a guy's going to shoot a 30-footer 25 to 30 feet out.

[00:15:48] But, you know, that was just an example on Saturday of how good this league is. And you're starting to see the national pundits pick up on some of this and start to talk about it in particular on Twitter. And then when you look at the net rankings, Conference USA is still the ninth-ranked league in the country out of, what, 32 or 33 conferences.

[00:16:14] And that is up substantially from a year ago. And it's not that the top is any better. It's that the bottom is way better. And, you know, when you talk about getting to Huntsville and teams having, everybody having an opportunity to win, I think you've got a legit six, seven, you know, maybe even nine that could win the whole tournament.

[00:16:38] I just don't think FIU, while I think they're good enough on any given night to knock somebody out, I'm not sure they have the firepower to win four straight that they would have to do. But it's going to be, I mean, it's going to be a bloodbath down in Huntsville when this thing gets underway. And defenses are probably going to take over. Guards, as we've seen, everybody's got good guards. And Kennesaw is going to be scary to have to play with those two shooters.

[00:17:08] It's just, it's, you know, over the next four games, you know, Nick would never tell you, hey, let's go get a split on the road. You try to win, you try to gear up, win that Thursday game. And then you try to get greedy. And then, and take care of things at home because you'd be gearing up for a big, you know, game a week from Thursday at home against Liberty. But you want to do the things you need to do ahead of time to make sure that's a huge game

[00:17:37] in the standings coming up on the penultimate game of the season. Absolutely. And to take it even a step further, I don't, again, this episode is released on Wednesday and at the time of recording, and really for the last couple of weeks, Joe Lenardi has had the Conference USA favorite as a 12 seed. And I just couldn't help but think that poor five seed that's going to get matched up with the Conference USA winner. Because whether that is all the way down to the nine seed at Sam Houston, or that is the

[00:18:04] top seed, whether that's Jack State Liberty or ourselves, that's, that's a, that's a matchup nightmare just because you're looking at a 12 seed and obviously that that's the very, I think it's what it's 50%. Those games are 50, 50 in the NCAA tournament and Conference USA certainly inserted themselves into a real first weekend upset potential because of how deep this conference is throughout. But you talked about setting yourself up to make that Liberty game matter. This weekend is important.

[00:18:32] I really, this is kind of a swing that we've all talked about because UTEP has really, I don't want to say reinvented the wheel. They've done the thing that they've always done and that's play excellent defense, but they have brought a scoring edge to them that they really lacked the last couple of seasons. And then New Mexico State who really has been, you know, the surprise of the league outside of maybe Sam Houston being the nine seed, but they've been the surprise of the league. I've talked about how good they are on the road, but not necessarily at home.

[00:18:58] That's a team you really owe one to because they came here without Mustafa. They're not offensively talented. They are the lowest scoring offense in Conference USA. So you've got to find a way to, in my opinion, kind of reinsert yourself back into the discussion for the number one seed by winning that Thursday game. That is the upset night in Conference USA. I think that's the bigger one. And I think it's your better opportunity, in my opinion, just because I think Joe Golding

[00:19:26] and what he does with that minor defense at home is just a tough place to play. So if you had to circle one, that is the likely of the two. I think Las Cruces on Thursday is the better opportunity. But to break down this New Mexico State game, I've got to think with Mustafa back in, it's going to be a different outlook. I hope we don't leave that gem only scoring 57 points again. You know, I don't think that'll be the case. You know, that was the coming out party last year for Trey Green.

[00:19:53] If you remember, he had six threes in a game where, you know, a middle team that was sputtering nearly came out of there with a win last year. And I know that this team, you know, felt like they let one get away when Esom, you know, it seemed to me it was a night where everybody was kind of looking over their shoulder. Okay, is Esom going to come in or not?

[00:20:21] And, you know, he had just, you know, kind of hyperextended his knee down at Louisiana Tech and needed that day to get better. He is a guy that really takes on challenges. I'll tell you a funny story about him in a minute. But, you know, he when when he likes to be challenged, he likes to, you know, have things put out there in front of him.

[00:20:46] And I told him yesterday or on Saturday, he was out there getting loose. And I said, hey, Warren, kids in the building. He was our original 1000 point 1000 rebound guy. And Esom grinned at me, said, did you tell him I'm here, too? And Warren was going to come out and play that day. But but Esom is a guy who has he's a very proud young man.

[00:21:14] And I think that he felt like this is just me talking. I think he felt like, you know, he let his guys down by not being available that night against New Mexico State. So I think he's going to, you know, I think you'll see a big night out of him going into Las Cruces on Thursday night. And and, you know, one of the other things you talked about Thursday being the upset night. Think about it.

[00:21:41] What which game of the week do you have more prep time for? And that's the Thursday night game. You basically have three practices to get ready, not including your game day practice. You have three real practices to get ready for that Thursday game where you have one real practice that's not very physical on Friday and then a game day practice on a Saturday morning, chances are.

[00:22:08] And so you're got that's one of the things that's paid off for middle this year is having an older team that's mature that will soak in a scout. And whether it be walking through in an arena or in a hotel ballroom, this team has been able to focus and and put itself in a good position right now. To go back on that ESOM topic, I do remember that Saturday after when we played UTEP, he

[00:22:35] was in the postgame presser with us, had a double double like he does just about every night, it seems, and did make it personal like that. You know, he felt like as you as you said, he did feel like he let his team down. He he said that I'll never I'll make sure that never happens again. And that it is a character moment for ESOM and what it means to this guy not only to be a teammate, but to win. And I think, again, I expect big things from him Thursdays got. I don't know that he has nothing to prove to you and I, but I think he has a lot to prove

[00:23:04] to himself about what's coming up with him in Las Cruces. I think he owes Filipovich, a guy who had a heck of a game here that I think, again, in his mind, you know, he didn't face ESOM, you know? Yep. And he also knows this is his last ride in college basketball and and that he wants he knows he's on a good team and he's on a team that can do some things.

[00:23:27] And and I think he wants to to kind of, you know, lead this group emotionally and and also be a leader on the floor and squeeze every ounce out of out of what is in this ball club. Absolutely. And let's move on to that that UTEP game on Saturday. You beat the Miners at home 71-68. If those that can think back just a few weeks ago, that was the 11 of 24 free throw shooting night again.

[00:23:56] The score, it was close. We did everything we could. It seemed to keep El Paso in that game because we refused to put it on ice with the free throws. I believe it was six of the last seven or seven of the last eight free throws that they had missed. I know it was three straight front end of one and ones. They just refused to do it. But you feel better knowing that if that number improves slightly, but you can't put apples to apples just because the play style is so different with this minor team. They could they can get in rock fights and they can win games in the 60s.

[00:24:23] But again, to a testament to how much this team has improved on the offensive end. And that game in Murphy Center, they had five players in double digits. Corey Camper Jr. was a guy that I'm really impressed with. He's he's a high flying athlete coming off of an ankle injury when he came into that swing in Bowling Green and Murfreesboro that I look to maybe take a step forward from what we saw a couple weeks ago. But the Miners are on a three game losing streak. They are just as desperate as in as is everyone that's in that four to eight spot right now,

[00:24:51] because going into this last week, UTEP was right on, I think, a half game behind the Raiders. And now dropping these two on the road this last week at Jacksonville State and Kennesaw State. They're really much like La Tech was this last week. They're very desperate. They understand that if they want to maintain a position in those top four spots and maybe even I think there is there are scenarios that they could find themselves back up there at the two. I could be wrong, but there still there still is vying for for those ideal matchups.

[00:25:20] And again, to go back on Conference USA, I don't know that there is an ideal matchup. I think I think you get what you get and you don't throw a fit because I don't know that there's a there's a team that I prefer to play, you know, maybe FIU. But I don't know that there's a team that I prefer to play in this tournament. Every every night is going to feel like a championship. But to El Paso and to this game that's coming up, it's going to be a bloodbath. I anticipate it. And I it's I envy you being there in El Paso because that's going to be one heck of an atmosphere. Yeah.

[00:25:50] And in particular, because they were that that city, you know, there's there's three million people out there when you include Juarez across the border in Mexico. But and when the miners are good, they they they packed that place. They had twelve thousand in there for New Mexico State and laid a gigantic ostrich egg that night, lost by 30 at home to New Mexico State.

[00:26:17] So, you know, what is it going to be like on, you know, Western Kentucky, I think, is going to be the one who really catches them in a desperation mode on Thursday. Uh, but for middle, it's it's a pretty simple thing, uh, with with them. And that is take care of the basketball and middle has been really good in the last couple of weeks, even in the loss at home of taking care of the basketball because UTEP, uh, is one of the top turnover teams.

[00:26:47] They they force you into turnovers, uh, in the entire country. They're number one in the league and they have been in the top five in the country most of the year. So, you know, when that that is number one, two and three, when it comes to bullet points, take care of the ball, take care of the ball, take care of the ball. And once you get them into into a half court situation, uh, then you, you, you know, hopefully you, you run your offense and in middle has been at its best when they can play an uptempo

[00:27:16] game. I think, you know, they would like to be able to do that before, uh, UTEP gets an opportunity to get set up and locked into what they're doing and, and try to, to, if, if the, uh, if the availability comes score in the first six to eight seconds of a possession. A lot of that comes to on the defensive rebounding perspective. When, when UTEP misses, make them one and done trips that allows you to get in that transition.

[00:27:43] I know we like to push that pace and yeah, I agree wholeheartedly. I think the pace, the pace of play is what can throw UTEP out of whack there. So I look, I look forward to that one. Um, much like, um, a lot of conference USA, every single night seems to throw a wrench into the plans of the post season. So, um, we're getting closer and closer to the end, much like, uh, the lady Raiders are, um, we'll go ahead and transition to, to lady Raiders. They get a good sweep on the road this, this last week. It doesn't seem like much.

[00:28:09] Um, but Louisiana tech, a team that, um, always seems to get the lady Raiders trouble on the road. Paris Bradley had 20 points here in Murfreesboro, but the, um, much like the Jalen Gregory assignment that is, if you're going to lead us in scoring, you're going to be guarded by Jalen Gregory the next game. And sure enough, she did help, uh, the freshmen potential freshman of the year candidate to six points. Um, bolder Rava 16 and 11. Savannah Davis has herself a career night with four made three point field goals. Uh, I think again, I don't want to say coming out part of we've saw, we've seen flashes,

[00:28:39] flashes of her game and we know what she can do. She's, she is the single game Tennessee high school three point, um, record holder for a reason. Um, but she is really stepped into a role on the defensive end, kind of taking pride in that. And then on Saturday, the score 59 46 against Sam Houston, a team that has really turned their season around here in February. I think they're up to five wins in conference USA after starting it out. I think one of one win in the first seven, seven conference games.

[00:29:04] So Scott gets back into her ways, 20 points, eight of 12 shooting her 20 or 20 11th time of scoring 20 plus in bolder Rava, a 19 and 14 performance altogether. It's a business trip. They took care of business. Law tech is always one that is scary because of the trouble went to overtime last year. You're just happy that they're coming back unscathed and they still have the potential, um, to move closer and closer to clinching that regular season title with another, um, sweep of a home series this week.

[00:29:33] Well, you know, you know, they're on a collision course, uh, for, with a game, uh, at Liberty next week. And, and you have, you feel like they'll come home and play well against the, uh, against New Mexico state and, and, uh, and, and, and UTEP, you know, coach Gensel is always really good about giving them a reason, uh, night in, night out. And, and with New Mexico state coming in on Thursday night, you know, they've got a player

[00:30:01] who, uh, outside of, uh, Tamiya Scott and, and Anastasia Baldrava is probably the, the only other candidate for player of the year in the league. And that's Kaiser who scored 19, uh, in, in the first, uh, game against middle. So, you know, it'll be interesting to see, uh, what kind of defensive effort middle has against her, uh, I think with, you know, having two legit candidates for player of the

[00:30:29] year, uh, and, and to try to shut her down, uh, and we'll see what, uh, the, the, the coaches insul come up with for a defensive plan there, but, you know, you don't want to lose focus, but, uh, you know, again, fans can look ahead and, and say, okay, you know, they, they have, they will have an opportunity to clinch the outright championship. You know, if they take care of business at home, they can clinch the championship. On Liberty's floor next Thursday night.

[00:30:57] So I know that's a carrot that's out there, but, uh, you, you fans can worry about that, but players can't. Right. And I know how big of a deal that it, there's a lot of behind the scenes stuff that makes that opportunity of winning the regular season title on Liberty's floor, really just a juicy story in and of itself, but you're right. You can't take this week for granted for all the reasons you listed Molly Kaiser, a top 10 scorer in women's college basketball this year. I do think that you let her do what she does.

[00:31:26] She's, she's very, as we just saw this last weekend with Lamar Wilkerson, or if you're familiar with Jaron Pierre out of Jacksonville state, she can just do it all. She was the biggest surprise. And this conference, as far as returners, I thought for certain that she was going to go to a P four somewhere, but she stayed at New Mexico state and she's kind of been a big part of them. New Mexico state does have upset potential. They do have the lone win against Liberty outside of the lady Raiders. They've given every other team in this conference fits on a night in night out, including the lady Raiders.

[00:31:55] We did go to overtime there in Las Cruces. So again, that's not a game you can take for granted. And then UTEP, although they are at the bottom of the conference, UTEP in years past has given us trouble. This is not the same UTEP team, but I am very happy the New Mexico state game because of the ability to prepare for it is on a Thursday versus that Saturday. You can't overlook Molly Kaiser until that Liberty game of next Thursday night. So there's so much really, um, to, to that, that this week, although you can look past

[00:32:25] there, there's still got, there's work to be done this week. And, um, as we, as I look at some takeaways from this last week, I want to really pinpoint these and harp on these, something about this team that has been impressive. And maybe we take for granted as lady Raider fans. And we're so accustomed to seeing this defense powerhouse. That is Rick and so something that he has really stressed on this year. Um, this last weekend was 14 and 15th time this season. The team has scored less than 50 points, which is the most in a single season since Rick

[00:32:55] and so has been here. Um, and for the last five games, they've done that. And they're currently at 52.8 points per game, which is six best in college basketball. Again, barring, I know Sunday's a big women's basketball day, but you're still a top 10 scoring defense in the country. Um, you're only two points off the lead as, as we sit right now. So something about this team is so impressive. And I know at times I've always been upset with maybe the, the offense, but when a team can't, can barely eclipse 50 points, that means you got to get to 51.

[00:33:23] And this team really has no problem doing that. Even though at times they've had their issues and they've had challenges getting to 51. It's a done deal. This team is just so, so dominant on the defensive end. And it's really been something to behold. Well, it has in, in, you know, in the development, uh, uh, of Anastasia Moldreva, uh, being a, a true rim protector, uh, you know, as, has helped, uh, that as far as, you know, points in the paint.

[00:33:49] And then you've got a lockdown defender like Jalen Gregory, Savannah Davis coming along. And Tamia Scott, who, uh, you know, just has all the tools that you could hope for, uh, on both ends of the floor, her, her athletic ability, her, uh, you know, her, her basketball IQ, uh, you know, there, there's just, uh, it's like, uh, you know, they've got that kind of force field around that three point line and, and they, they make it very difficult for teams to score.

[00:34:18] I mean, you've had, you know, the first game at Western this year, you know, Western found, they found a little something there and took advantage of it, but middle was able to turn that back around and, and, and get that victory. But, you know, right now it's a three team horse race, middle Liberty and Western Kentucky seem to be separating themselves from the field, uh, in, in conference USA.

[00:34:42] And, uh, while, while the men's side has been, uh, you know, really good top to bottom, it has been top heavy a little bit this year. Uh, not to mean that, that on any given night, something could happen and we've seen it, but, uh, you know, right now, you know, you've got three teams. I think if you, if you ask people in their heart of hearts that are, that study the women's game, they're really basically three teams that will go into Huntsville with a chance

[00:35:10] to win the championship and middle would be the prohibited favorite. And let's be clear too. There's a lot at stake, not only getting, I'll say to the top two seed, because that does provide an extra day of rest. When you get to Huntsville, you play on, I believe it's the Tuesday. You sit the Wednesday if you win, and then you play Thursday. It's a, it's a, you play, you play Tuesday and you sit, or no, you play Wednesday and, and then you don't play again until Friday. Friday. That's right.

[00:35:36] So there's, there's a lot at stake, not only from that perspective, but you talk about this being a three horse race. There's a lot at stake for finishing in that one spot. I don't think that this team is scared to play anybody, but you do like the opportunity to get the least, the past, the path of least resistance to the championship is the one seed, because if you're the one, your Liberty and Western would effectively be on the bottom half of the bracket. So you're, and then they have to beat each other up on that Friday to then, you know,

[00:36:04] potentially again, barring you winning, get into a championship. If you can get that one seed, you're only going to have to face one of those two along the way. Right. Right. And then, and then again, I, where I sit now with the four or five, I believe I have to do some digging, but I believe right now it's projected that it's New Mexico state, Louisiana tech again, matchups that you feel pretty comfortable with because of your defensive capabilities, not, not to mention the eight, nine matchup you play in the first round. So again, I don't, I hate looking too far ahead, but a lot hinges on, on finishing in

[00:36:34] that one spot. So, uh, one thing I want to, before we switch over to this, to me, a Scott interview, this, this is the last homestand for the lady Raiders Thursday night. Six 30 against New Mexico state, but really it's Saturday, the one o'clock tip off at Murphy center. It is senior day. We're going to be honoring Boulder, Ava along with Gregory Jada Granham, I believe is also going to be partaking in the senior day festivities. So again, I can't encourage fans that are listening enough to be there because these ladies have done so much for this program over the last four years.

[00:37:03] I know Matt has put some stats out over on Twitter. This is the winningest four year run in coach Insel's history. And these girls, uh, uh, especially whether it's been on the floor. Or in the on, on, um, practice days. Jada has been a, an integral part of that as well. I don't want to take anything she's done for this program for granted so much that I think that these, that you fans need to be there Saturday to honor these girls for what they've done for this, for this team. Couldn't say it any better.

[00:37:28] I mean, they, they, this is a group that, uh, that lost a couple of, uh, superstars from a year ago and, uh, they bounced right back and put themselves in exactly the same position they were, uh, this time a year ago. And let's, uh, we'll take a break here and we'll be right back after this Tamiya Scott interview to talk a little football. The BRP is proudly partnered with Rivals Network affiliate GoMiddle.com.

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[00:38:23] Joining the Blue Raider podcast once again, it is junior shooting guard Tamiya Scott. Tamiya, how's it going? It's going good. Tamiya, interesting here. Uh, now that we have two podcast hosts sitting side by side, I know something you're kind of diving into a little bit. Uh, tell me a little bit about that experience there on the Glass Hoops podcast. Um, yeah, it's been, it was unexpected, but I've actually enjoyed it. And, um, I mean, I'm better than I thought I would be at it.

[00:38:51] It's been fun just to, you know, kind of talk to my teammates in a different way than I usually do and just, just get to know them a little bit more. Tell me about the learning curve there. It does like, I like sports, so I thought doing a podcast would be a fun way to kind of talk about it. So you're doing it in a different light, as you say, talking with your teammates. You learn a little bit about yourself, how you talk to people, how you ask questions and those kinds of things. So has there been much of a learning curve for you doing the podcasting thing?

[00:39:19] Uh, I mean, not so much. I just have to kind of learn how to bring up stuff when it's just completely different, you know, just kind of changing subjects and, and that matter. But other than that, no, not really. I can imagine it's, it is a little difficult because you know, all these girls outside of a podcast window. So how do you carry on new conversations that are, you know, enticing to other people? Yeah, I can imagine that's, that's a unique way of looking at it.

[00:39:45] But to me, one thing too, I know when I had you over the summer, we talked a little about you and your background, the art degree, still working hard on that. Uh, I know you had that six hour, a week class over the summer. How is, how is school going? Are we still able to handle it with the busy schedule of basketball? Yes, we are. Um, I'm just, I'm really accommodated to in the art department. So that's, that's an underrated blessing for sure.

[00:40:09] Um, they just work around our schedule, um, my schedule, you know, practice, but it's not too much right now. I'm handling it pretty well. It's just the same thing I said before, like the hands-on stuff is just hard to do because we're on the road so much. Um, but, and the work, it's a lot more, it's just a different level this year. Honestly, I mean, that's just how it is with design and art. It's just a new level every year. So, but I'm upholding pretty well.

[00:40:40] One thing you talked about too, is you were, I'm sure as you get into junior, senior level of classes, it starts to get a little bit more fine tune. Are you still finding yourself moving towards the graphic designs, uh, like Photoshop, Illustrator? Those are kind of some of your interests we talked about last time. Yeah. Um, I'm just like learning those programs a lot more now, digging deeper into just everything that I can do with them. Um, and, and just kind of exploring like what, where I can take, you know, this degree. Cause there's so much I can do with it.

[00:41:09] So I'm just kind of learning to personalize things more towards where I'm headed. Absolutely. Well, Tamia, let's get, talk a little basketball. I know that's what all the fans are tuning in to listen to. You guys had a great week this last weekend. You're really going down this final home stretch of four games. Tell me a little bit, um, where's your head at right now? I know you guys had, had an unwanted loss there in Bowling Green, but you guys have really turned for the better. The defense, this is one of the best defenses I've ever seen in this gym.

[00:41:36] And that's a lot, uh, to behold, but tell me where's your head at with these final two weeks of games? Um, I mean, I think coach said it best in practice today. Championships are one. And, you know, this, this last stretch of the season, we just have to be our best selves. Um, from here on out, we can't really have slip ups. Um, and if we do, we just have to cover, cover them up with just hard work and more effort. Uh, and that's pretty much where my head's at.

[00:42:04] Honestly, just making sure that we're better every single day. Um, because we know that, especially at this point in the season, people are going to give us their best shot as they've been doing. But everybody's just kind of at that point where you have to, you know? So, so we just have to play really hard and, uh, just continue to get better individually to be better as a whole. Now, you talked about this team being at their best. You know, have we seen that version yet?

[00:42:32] Do you think that this team is, has, we've seen the best this team has to offer? Are you guys still kind of peeking towards that moment? I think we've showed it in a quarter. I think we've showed it in a few minutes in a game, um, and maybe a half of a game, but not the full 40 minutes. And we definitely need to find that. And it's possible. And I think that we're headed, especially the start to this week has been really good.

[00:42:56] And I feel like a lot of my teammates heads, but head mindsets are like in the same place. So it's definitely possible to be, to show up, you know, to get those whole 40 minutes that I'm talking about. I want to circle back to my comment about the defense, um, for the 15th time this season, this last Saturday, it was the 15th time you guys have held a team under 50 points, which is the most ever in Rick Ensel's era there. What about this team defensively?

[00:43:25] It makes it so tough to score on. We are just really, really into our principles. We preach our principles every single day. And if you mess up, like they tell you, it's not, you can't just mess up and nothing happens because there's always consequences. And defense is a really, really big part to our game. Just keeping our, you know, competitors under a certain amount of points. Cause we're playing for something a lot bigger.

[00:43:52] So we have to make sure that, you know, some of that stuff will help us in the net rankings and, um, just further on down the season. Tell me too about your connection with some of these new girls. I know Savannah Davis is someone that's gotten more playing time this year. Something that coach Ensel had really talked about the defensive effort was what was going to see her more time on the floor or earn her more time on the floor. Or how does that message come across to some of these new athletes?

[00:44:19] Cause much like yourself coming out of high school, you were a very offensive, um, backed player, 2000 career point score. We knew what you had there, but defense is something that is like, as you said, it's the principles of what coach, um, instills in his players. How does that message get translated quickly? And you know, how, how quickly are these girls expected to pick up on these defensive principles?

[00:44:38] I honestly think actions speak a lot more than words in this matter because Savannah, we all know what she can do on offense. Um, but she still wasn't getting in the game until she got her defense to a certain level. And once she did, she's been really big for our team in these past couple games. And I feel like our younger girls are seeing that and they're saying, Hey, she's gotten better. So that means like, you know, it's just, it's just spoken for honestly.

[00:45:08] Um, it's just a really big part. You have to do it. And once you do it, you're rewarded. Let's talk about you. Now you, you, when you were on the show in the summer, I challenged you to kind of put yourself, um, what are your expectations? For yourself and you were coming off 12 points per game. You were the fourth leading scorer. Well, this year from a sophomore to junior year, jump your lead, the team in scoring. Um, I myself owe you an apology. And I was doing my preseason, um, roster breakdown.

[00:45:37] You know, we talk about Jalen, we talk about Anastasia, but for good reason, you know, it, it, this roster, it's easy to get lost, but you've kind of, the cream has risen to the top with yourself. Very impressed with your play this year. Tell me for you, what is, what has changed this year? What has taken you from that 12 point per game to 16 second in conference USA? Um, I mean, I just been, it's me versus me.

[00:46:01] And I've really just hit on that this season with myself because I know what I can be and I know what I can do. Um, and a lot of times I was just kind of stopping myself, whether it was like mindset or not enough confidence or, um, just not getting in the gym enough. So I've, I've just really taken pride in doing those things and getting my IQ up, watching a lot more basketball. Um, and all those things just make me better.

[00:46:26] And like I was saying earlier about just individually getting better for like the team as a whole, I've just really done that. Um, um, in these last few months and I mean, it's worked out for me. Is there any player in particular teammate, maybe a coach? I know Matt, you and Matt have a good relationship. Is there, what really pushes you? Um, it gives you that motivation game to game. What is your why? As some people may ask.

[00:46:55] Honestly, my potential, just knowing how good I can be, um, and how great it can get for me. And I mean, honestly, that's my biggest motivation is just knowing there's so much more for me and I'm not just like at my peak. There's just so much more. So it's like, why not find that? Um, why not work for that? And, you know, my teammates are just really encouraging. They, they're just always, you know, telling me what they see in me.

[00:47:21] And sometimes I'll kind of get down on myself and I won't see it so much. And they'll just remind me same with my coaches. Um, they're, they're motivating. You're playing a lot of these teams for the second time this season. Again, last year, you might've gotten lost in the shuffle being the fourth leading scorer this year that there's got to be, you've got to be top of the scouting report along with Boulder Ava. Tell me, you know, are you experiencing a little bit more heat this season on the defensive side?

[00:47:49] Even though your scoring would lead me to believe that that heat isn't enough, but are you experiencing that heat from these other teams? Um, there, I've definitely like had some challenges in some games where I wasn't, I wasn't expected, like I wasn't expecting to be guarded as heavily. Um, and sometimes I'll just find myself just in and around kind of, and I, that's something I definitely need to work on.

[00:48:14] Um, because like I'm the leading scorer and teams are definitely going to scout me. Um, but offense wise, I mean, like scoring wise, it hasn't really, I don't, I don't really see a difference. I mean, I feel like I still get the same stuff that I want to get. Uh, if I'm not, if I'm not doing good offensively, it's because of me. Yeah. No, I was going to say, I know the other night, I can't remember which game it was in particular. It was two weeks ago. I do remember that.

[00:48:43] Um, when you guys were at home, um, you talked about how you were, you know, you were unstoppable. You were able to get the shots that you were able to want. You got there. Your teams, your teammates set you up. Well, obviously there's a lot of play design to get you open, get you to the rim. Um, um, a lot of high, high ball screens from Boulder Rava talk about the dynamic of you and Boulder Rava, someone that I know everyone talks about. She's, as I said, top of the scouting report with her given size. Um, I like to draw the comparison here that there's a potential battle for, for player of

[00:49:11] the year, um, between you two being second and third in the conference and scoring. Is that ever a conversation between you two, uh, or even on a scoring basis, you know, who gets more points? Um, no, I feel like it's just unspoken. And we don't really, we don't really mind. We're not really too mindful of that. Um, we just both play and we both do like good things. Um, but, but talking about Noss, she's just a, like, she just opens the floor up.

[00:49:38] She's a really big advantage for drivers like me because the, like people double her and that leaves shooters open. Um, and it's just, it's really good playing with her, honestly. And then, uh, on the defensive end, we were talking about this earlier in our, um, hoops podcast. She, um, she's just kind of our safe. Like if we get beat, she's at the rim there.

[00:50:06] And, um, we just help each other a lot on defense and offense. I'll get ahead of my, my line of question here as you bring up Noss. She's a senior this year. You've got other seniors on the team, Courtney. You've got Jalen. You also have Jada Granham who are all going to be honored this Saturday at senior day. Tell me about this group in particular, what they all mean to you've played multiple years with all four of them. Alina Arike also, she's the, the other addition who's new. Um, but tell me about this group. What makes them so special?

[00:50:34] So currently you're already the winningest, uh, group over four years span, 106 games. You still got guaranteed five games left. What about this? This group in particular is so special. I think it's experience. Um, they, they have a lot of experience and a lot of different types of games and just a lot of knowledge on not, not even basketball in general, but middle Tennessee. Cause you know, Jalen, she's been here. Jada, she's been here for five years.

[00:51:04] Um, and then E she's, she spent a lot of time at UTEP, which was still in our conference. So she's still knowledgeable on that, in that matter. Um, I think that's the biggest thing they bring in. And I see that when we play, um, and it's just easy because they've, we all have like chemistry that we've just built over this time. Um, but yeah, biggest thing is just experience that they have. Absolutely. And again, to the fans that are listening, that is this Saturday at 1 PM.

[00:51:33] We're going to be honoring all five of those seniors this evening. Again, winning is, um, program or winning is four years span 106 games to NCAA tournaments to WNI or one WNIT final four. And they've only experienced seven conference losses thus far. So again, big accomplishments for them to me. You've been a big part of that as well. As we go down this final four game stretch, you've got New Mexico state UTEP this week, but a lot of eyes are on that Liberty game next Thursday.

[00:52:00] I don't want to get you out of the headspace of your business trip this week, but as you eye that conference championship next week, and then potentially down in Huntsville, tell me about yourself, this team. What do you need to see from your teammates to really pull through and get these two championships coming up in these next three weeks? Um, well, first of all, just take it game by game. New Mexico, they gave us a lot of trouble.

[00:52:24] Um, last time we played them and then Liberty, they, they're a contender for, you know, what same thing we are. And they have a lot of the same aspects that we do. I feel like as a, as a basketball team. So I think we just have to play our ball and not get too into, um, what they're trying to make us do on defense and, and things like that really just, um, play ourselves and just be ourselves.

[00:52:53] And I feel like that's when we strive the most instead of getting out of whack and just doing uncharacteristic thing. Yeah. Um, that we usually do when we just kind of get, get confuzzled with their defense, you know, just stay on track is the biggest thing. Absolutely. Staying on track. The lady Raiders will be again this week, New Mexico state on Thursday, UTEP on Saturday for senior day at one o'clock to Mia, uh, leading the lady Raiders in scoring this year. Excited to see what you do down the stretch, especially there in Huntsville.

[00:53:23] Thank you for taking the time, uh, this busy schedule. I know you're dealing with podcast hosting, scoring buckets, taking all these art classes. Um, thanks again to me for stopping by. Oh, thank you. I enjoyed it. Did you know the blue Raider podcast has an online store? You can now support your favorite podcast by checking out our selection at our website, blue Raider podcast.com and stay tuned for new merchandise releases as we collaborate with athletes and NIL partnerships.

[00:53:56] And we're back, um, with Chip Walters. We're going to be talking a little bit of football now. Uh, luckily we had coach Mason take a second with us last week. Um, amidst his busy spring schedule, he's got all these recruits in. And if you listened to that episode last week, and if you haven't, I will encourage you. Um, if you're listening on YouTube or if wherever you listen to us at, it will be in our most recent episode. Um, coach Mason, very complimentary of this signing class for a lot of good reasons.

[00:54:22] And I want to go back to our conversation we had last time you were on here. We were talking football. Um, you made the comment that Mason had signed that class sight unseen. I think that's the perfect way to put it. I don't know that he would put it that way, but I think, I think that's the perfect way to put it because, um, the guy that was missing, um, from football for a whole year from a coaching perspective, um, didn't have any guys on his whiteboard. He has to come in, fill these guys in late.

[00:54:49] Um, but now these, this is a whole cycle of recruiting. He loves this high school class is very complimentary, but I can't say enough how happy is whether it was portrayed well in our interview or not. But I can definitely say when we got off the air, he's very complimentary of the offensive line that he's put together. He has so many options, which is a good, a good thing to have along with some added weapons there in the backfield. I think there's so much to, to, to look forward to along with the return of body auto. So, well, uh, exactly.

[00:55:18] And, and, and, uh, and I think those who've been around, you really want to see Nick fatty auto play with a good offensive line around it because he, he is, uh, he's a guy who is, uh, you know, I saw him over the weekend. He was, he and his family, they were, they were out for basketball, but Nick is such a good guy. You want to see him succeed. And, uh, in, in this, you know, the one thing, you know, when you look at the high school

[00:55:45] class and as well as the transfer class that they've brought in, uh, I'm no judge of talent, uh, especially when looking at something on film. What I can see is when they list the heights and weights, that middle has gotten bigger across the board, whether it is a lineman, whether it is a defensive secondary, whether it's linebackers, they have gone for size, uh, in their recruiting class.

[00:56:14] And, uh, I know one of them I'm, I'm really excited to see is, is, uh, is Otto van Rinsburg who, uh, out of East Tennessee, who, uh, I had in, uh, in the, he's out of Alcoa, I think, isn't that correct? Severe County. Severe County. I had him in, in the, uh, five, a championship game down at the blue cross bowl and his Severe County team, uh, steamrolled page.

[00:56:40] So, uh, and they did it with a, with a good offensive line, uh, gave a quarterback a lot of time. And so the things that I saw out of him really excited about, uh, you know, they've bolstered, uh, the, the running back room, they have bolstered, uh, the quarterback room and, and, uh, and the, the size that they have pulled in, in the secondary, uh, you know, it's, it's, it's not the five, 10, one 85 guys.

[00:57:07] I mean, they're, they're getting corners who are six, three, six, four, which, uh, you have to have in this era and this style of the way the college game is played. To cycle back to the body auto conversation. And I know he is his beginning years here was at the tail end when stock, when Brent stock still was here. Um, he, can you find anyone that just epitomizes a high character player? Like he's just a guy that you, you root for him, not just because he's a good football

[00:57:36] player because he is, but he's just such a great kid for so many reasons. And I, and I, again, I hope now that he's coming back for this fifth year, um, again, you hope you just think that this is a line that's going to really, we're going to really see, we've seen good body auto. And I would even argue that he is the best returning quarterback in conference USA this year, that we finally see a good piece together season. And I think there's a lot of potential this year with a good offense that he could put up some, some record record numbers. Well, you know, very well could be.

[00:58:05] And, and, and, and you're, you're right. There's not a, uh, you know, there've been some, some really good kids who've played quarterback, uh, here over the years, but, but, uh, Nick is, is right there with the very best. Uh, you know, I, I think about, you know, I'm in a, I'm, I'm fortunate to be in a position where I'm around some of these kids, uh, in, in, you know, times when, you know, things are good times when, when times are not so good.

[00:58:35] And, uh, and, and, and I, and the thing was, I, I, the one thing about Nick that jumps out at me was last November after the FIU game, uh, he stops me, uh, after the game, we're getting on the buses, ready to head to the airport, wanted me to meet his dad and his brother was there. So, uh, and, uh, and, and basically told me right then, he goes, I can't wait to get

[00:59:02] back, uh, after Christmas break and start getting ready for next year. Uh, so he is, you know, he, he has taken on that leadership role, you know, even before coach Mason got here, he had, he had started working into that. And obviously that's going to continue to grow the older you get. And, uh, you know, he is his, his, the players around him, uh, you know, they, they are better because of him as well. And, and, uh, he, he is, he has all the leadership qualities you want.

[00:59:31] Uh, and I think, you know, we're going to go into a schedule this year that in, in my opinion is probably one of the better balanced schedules we've had, uh, in, in the league in particular, uh, in the way that where games fall, things like that. So I think this team will have a chance for some success this year. And, uh, and I know that they, they, you know, you want to win them all when you go out there, but, uh, you know, this team is coming off of a three win season.

[01:00:01] And, uh, you know, I know they want to, they, they want to, you know, come out, put on a good show early on and, uh, you know, in going through spring ball will be interesting because the whole makeup of spring practice. And that's a, that's another great show for Derek to talk about sometime is, is where does, where is his vision of what is going to happen to spring practice? Because you hear more and more people talking about spring games are going to go away, uh,

[01:00:30] for a lot of reasons, uh, and expect it to go to more of an NFL model where you have, you know, maybe a couple of different sets of OTAs, uh, based around where the transfer portal dates move and all that. It's, it's way more than I want to keep up with, but it's, uh, but, uh, you know, right now is the here and now is that spring ball is going to happen. And, uh, they're already doing stuff.

[01:00:56] Matter of fact, Saturday, I was walking in the building, uh, at, uh, about noon, getting ready for the basketball game and Nick's it, that he, that he, I was walking out and, uh, and I said, what did y'all have meetings this morning? He goes, no, we had optional lifting optional being the, uh, the word there. And he had made sure he had gotten in there for optional lifting. So, you know, uh, uh, I want them to win for a lot of reasons. And, and Nick Vatiato is one of them.

[01:01:24] I remember in my high school baseball days, we, our coach would say you have, uh, optional workouts because in, you know, preseason in January, you, you couldn't be around coaches. You give optional practice practices, but just, just do note that, um, if it's optional practice, so is your playing time. So, so obviously they're, they're in there getting, getting the work in that they need to get done. Uh, the spring game is something that's weird up in the air. I know Mason, when we were off air kind of touched on, um, the spring game that they did last year as, as much fun as that was.

[01:01:53] And I did enjoy it. And, and a lot of the, I know the, the, the behind the scenes, um, battling for the, for the homemade steaks is always fun, but they may change things up a little bit this year. I don't know if they, they're, if they've made an official announcement, um, but something to stay tuned into coming up, cause that will be coming up soon as far as having some sort of family day there. You have some insight into this. Well, not, not really, but the, the one thing, you know, that in, in coaches, we'll talk about

[01:02:17] this amongst themselves a lot is that the one thing fans have to remember is they have 15 practices. They have 15 dates for spring ball. If you play a game, that is one less practice, one less, uh, skill development session that you have. And basically back that up to the 14th when, well, you've almost got to use that 14th

[01:02:43] practice to prepare for the spring game. So the, you know, you ask any coach, they'll tell you that they find more value in having regular practices on those 14th and 15th days. So it'll be interesting to see what they do come up with, whether there is, like you said, some sort of family day or whatever it is.

[01:03:08] But I think the, the days of a true spring game, uh, are, are if not quite a thing of the past yet, it's heading down that track for sure. I can already see it. People talking about, oh, they brought the spring game back and they're taking it away. But I think the value, as you've already touched on there's, there's way more value in a coach to have these skill development sessions versus having an arbitrary spring game.

[01:03:37] That doesn't matter to really anything, um, necessary. And I think Mason is going to play in that game. Who, you know, yeah. Are you going to play Nick Vatiato for 60 minutes? I don't think so. And, uh, and, and so are those other three quarterbacks that are in the quarterback room, are they going to get more value out of many more reps in a practice or two practices than they would in a spring game? You know, that's, and, and, and that's, you know, that's one of those things that over

[01:04:05] the water cooler can be, can be argued all day long. No, I think, I do think it is the better plan. And I also think the idea of doing as Mason does a great job as far as marketing to the fans and having a more personal connection with them, doing some sort of family fun day, open practice style thing may be something that I think would still interest the fans still gain some level of, of attention to them in the spring. So I look, I look forward to seeing what they come up with, um, in the coming weeks.

[01:04:32] I'm told that we may hear something soon, but segue back over to the schedule, as you talked about, um, and I Mason, I know, as I said to him, a lot of meat on that bone, seven first year coaches, technically seven first year to division one head coaches. Uh, you've got Marshall is the one non-conference and then you have six in conference first year head coaches, uh, including Delaware and Missouri state who has their first season in division one football.

[01:04:59] So those aren't first year head coaches, but it is as much as we saw with Kennesaw state, it is a new beast. Same with Sam Houston two years ago. It is a new beast, um, to come right into FBS football in your first year. So a lot of fresh meat on that bone that I think Mason, again, he feels so excited about this group because again, of how favorable this, this schedule is to him. Um, the season kicks off August 30th against Austin P we already know that the rest of the

[01:05:25] non-conference Wisconsin, Nevada, um, and more forward to hear in Marshall is the final one at home. I'm glad that Marshall one's at home. I feel again, favorable that you can even in that, that non-conference stretch at three and one, but the conference slate in particular, again, that midweek, I roll my eyes at this midweek schedule. I understand it from a TV contract perspective. I do. I understand why conference USA needs to do that to pay the bills. And same goes for MTSU because they are the beneficiaries of that midweek, um, TV contracts,

[01:05:53] but you're not playing three games in 15 days. You've got this big long break, which does have its, its hiccups at times, but I would much rather be playing off of a long break versus turning around five days later, um, to play Jacksonville state. Like you had to do this last year. So, and the other part about this year's midweek schedule is all three midweek games are on Wednesday. It's not like you're playing a Thursday, then a Tuesday, then a Wednesday.

[01:06:21] So the thing there is you're, you're able to keep your preparation, uh, pretty, you know, pretty normal throughout that, that midweek. And, you know, I don't have the numbers in front of me, but, uh, conference USA, uh, you know, gave those out to the schools that the midweek games, uh, are a, a, a viewer bonanza

[01:06:46] compared to, uh, being caught in the clutter of the Saturday TV games. And that, that, you know, that it's, it's not as great for tailgating things like that, but I'll always go back to, uh, uh, something when, when there was, you know, talk about, you know, you know, what about this as opposed to, well, you know, well, Matt, Maction has, you know, they've got the midweek games. I promise you, I would rather play midweek games in conference USA cities in October

[01:07:15] than play midweek games in max cities in November. So come on out. Oh yeah. You got, you got two, you got two home games, one road game, uh, during those midweek sections. So, uh, you know, just come out and make a good time out of it. Embrace. Um, I'm sure that's the word that, that Mason would say. And again, for good reason, I talk about October, October around this time and around this area, that's nice weather. Like you can't ask for better weather. That's trick or treating weather really.

[01:07:44] Um, so I don't want to get too much into the details here about this schedule as well. I mean, we'll wind down. I know I talked to Mark Owens this week. They plan to do their media day there at the end of fall camp, which I'm super excited about because that was a great hit, not only for the blue Raider podcast, but it was a great media blitz, um, for, for the players and coaches alike there at the end of fall camp. Um, so I look forward to really breaking down a lot more of that stuff, but I guess chip, as, as we wind down here, kind of gauge your level of excitement.

[01:08:12] I know I've kind of, I've shared it last week with Brett Walker after talking with coach Mason, I have my level of expectations very high, but kind of give us a gauge on where your expectations, your, your excitement for this upcoming year. You know, I'm, I'm not one to, to put out, you know, predictions or whatever, but I think, uh, you know, you hear a lot of teams and a lot of coaches talk about, you know, improving

[01:08:36] from game one to game two, I think from year one to year two, or as, as Derek, uh, Mason likes to call it year zero to year one, uh, with, with in particular, when he's talking about a recruiting class, I think, uh, again, the, the favorability of the, of the conference schedule, the way that it is, you don't have to fool with Liberty. Uh, you, you, uh, you don't, you're not playing UTEP this year.

[01:09:03] Uh, you do have to go to New Mexico state on the last weekend of the season. You'll have Missouri state at home. You'll go to Delaware. Uh, you'll go to Kennesaw. Uh, but it is, it's a, it's a, I think it's a manageable schedule. Wisconsin is its own beast, but outside of that, uh, you look up and down the schedule and, and you think, okay, there's 11 games that are in play here.

[01:09:30] Uh, and at least from a, from a fan perspective. So that in itself excites me, uh, as old as I am, I'm, I'm, I'm excited to go to a couple of new stadiums I've never been to before. Uh, three, as a matter of fact, Kennesaw will be one, Delaware will be one and, uh, Nevada will be one. So, uh, I can, uh, scratch those, uh, off the list. And, uh, you know, again, with players who are returning, look forward to see their development.

[01:09:58] How, how, how, how much better is Nick Vatiato going to be? How good is this offensive line going to be that they're putting together? So, and can, can you put together a run game that is, uh, uh, that can be dominant? Uh, again, that all starts with the offensive line. So a lot of things, uh, uh, up in the air right now, spinning in my head, uh, about the excitement, but, uh, you know, when football season gets here, I'm always excited about it. So, and that'll be no different, uh, than in the past.

[01:10:29] I think you're going to break some sort of travel record. I'd have to imagine you're going up to Wisconsin, you got New Mexico, Delaware. Um, that, I mean, you've kind of, you're kind of hitting all the bases as far as the climates you can, that you can reach this upcoming year. That'll be three different time zones we'll play in this year. Uh, but, uh, you know, when you, when you throw in a trip to Hawaii or somewhere like that, or, you know, you're going to, you know, don't forget New Mexico state. That's a, that's going to be a Thanksgiving trip.

[01:10:59] So that's a, that, that's a, about a three hour flight. Uh, the trip to Reno will be three, three and a half, uh, up there. So, uh, the Delaware, uh, I was looking at the map actually on that one. When we go there, uh, the Delaware campus is only about 40 minutes from the Philadelphia airport. So for fans who are kind of looking ahead, what would be a good road trip? That one's a, that won't be an easy in and out because you can get to Philly, get back

[01:11:28] from Philly. And, uh, and, uh, again, it's, it's less than an hour drive from the airport. So a lot of, a lot of stuff going on and we'll look forward to a fall camp just like you are. And to, to note on that Delaware trip, you know, you, you mentioned that look into it. Also it's a Wednesday game. So your flight's going to be relatively cheaper versus a Saturday, um, um, matchup. And also it's early October or middle October. So maybe we'll, maybe we'll get a re maybe we'll get a read blank by Blankenship sighting

[01:11:58] while we're up in that area. That'd be nice. Yeah, absolutely. Uh, flash that Superbowl ring. Absolutely. Well, Chip, he's, I appreciate you as always for taking the time to join us talking hoops, talking football one last time, you know, before we hang up, uh, I know you got, um, um, obviously your WG and S stations and your classic hit station to plug. I know, but you know, some things I know you do outside of radio. We didn't take the time to really mention them at the end of last episode, but obviously

[01:12:25] you're a man of many hats and I want to give you the opportunity to kind of plug some of those. Well, I mean, our, our, our blue Raider, uh, network games for men's basketball, uh, are, uh, primarily on, uh, uh, totally hits 93, three in Nashville, 95, one in Murfreesboro, uh, WG and S carries as many as they can because they're the primary outlet for women's basketball.

[01:12:50] But the thing to look ahead here, as soon as basketball is over, baseball will move on to WG and S as well. Uh, but the other thing too, for folks, if you're watching this podcast, you're probably tech savvy enough to grab your phone and download the blue Raider app. If you have not done that already, because on these Saturdays right now, where you've got men's basketball, women's basketball and baseball all going on, you can toggle between

[01:13:19] radio broadcast of the games. So, uh, there's all of that. Uh, and of course, uh, my real estate business, which, uh, is, uh, has been very, uh, very good and, uh, ready, uh, is, as we wind down basketball season. Uh, it is going to be that time of year where people, uh, may have moves coming up, whether they are coming here or moving somewhere else, or, you know, your family's gotten bigger and need that bigger house.

[01:13:47] So choose chip.net is my website. And, uh, you can always find me, uh, at exit realty, Bob Lamb and associates here in Murfreesboro. Absolutely. Chip, once again, thanks for taking the time to join us and until, um, you know, next time I hope to see you again. Well, I'm glad you survived, uh, sitting next to us, uh, in Bowling Green. So, uh, you, you probably got a little bit of an education that night, but, uh, I appreciate the time, uh, and then having me on again. Absolutely.

[01:14:17] Again, thank you to the listener for watching today's episode. If you're not already, make sure you're subscribed to our YouTube channel. Again, getting closer and closer to that hundred mark. It would mean the world to me if you took the time to do that. Follow us on all of our social media accounts, uh, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, of course, on YouTube as well. Um, next week we will be talking with Trey Green of the men's basketball program. Joe Fisher will be joining us to talk about a little lady Raiders basketball. Again, more hoops as we wind down closer to conference USA tournament in Huntsville.

[01:14:46] Once again, thanks for tuning into today's episode and until next time, go blue.