[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign.
[00:00:03] Speaker B: The following program is brought to you in living color on elliot gazette.com or wherever you get your podcast.
The Gazette News Group presents the Parting Shots Podcast.
[00:00:15] Speaker C: Now here's your host and shot.
[00:00:18] Speaker B: Thank you Scott Geezy, and welcome to the Parting Shots Podcast, available wherever you get your podcast. Subscribe today. Thanks for joining me from the Party Shots Podcast studio in Schenectady, New York. We have another great show for you. But before we talk about who's coming on the podcast this edition, I just wanted to say what a great Seattle Seahawks defense. They just annihilated the New England Patriots. And just an incredible performance by the Seahawks in the winning Super Bowl 60 on Sunday. And an incredible performance by Bad Bunny. I not really had not listened to Bad Bunny. The only thing I remember about Bad Bunny was in one of those beer commercials with Snoop Dogg, but his performance was great.
I don't know why people are hating on it because he's Puerto Rican. So what? Guess what? Puerto Rico is part of the United States. It's the territory. He can vote in the national election. So everybody got wound up over nothing. And then that other alternative concert was horrible. You know, Kid Rock lip syncing.
[00:01:20] Speaker C: Really.
[00:01:21] Speaker B: We're in the 70s, 1970s again. Everybody lip syncing? Nah, take bad money any day and every day. So great performance and very unifying message on that halftime show Sunday.
Now let's talk about who's going to be on the podcast. Of course, we always do our union men's and women's hockey previews. The men are home. Back to women home. It's doubleheader hockey this weekend at MNC Bank Center. The men take on Colgate at 7 o' clock Friday and then host Cornell at 7pm on Saturday.
You heard from head coach Josh Hauge on Wednesday's podcast. We're going to talk with forwards Brandon Byrd, defenseman Nick Young and goaltender Braden Gillespie. Gillespie. I focused on my story in Thursday's edition of the Daily Gazette and
[email protected] game number 13 for him as a union career was not good. It was a rough one.
First rough one he's had all season.
So we don't know who's going to start on Friday against Colgate, but if it's Gillespie, we'll see if he bounces back and has a good game.
On the women's side, we're going to talk.
Excuse me. I got a cold here, so I had a sneeze there. I put that sneeze down. Hopefully you didn't hear it, but the women playing their final regular season games of the season. They'll host Dartmouth at 3pm on Friday and then take on Harvard on Saturday at 3pm they're basically locked into a road game in the ECAC hockey tournament first round game. Doesn't matter what seeding they'll have, and more than likely they'll probably be at the number 12 seed. Very, very disappointing year after finishing ninth last season in Tony Macy's first year.
I'll speak with head coach Tony Macy and the five seniors on the team as they get set to play their final home games. Stephanie Bourque, Amanda Kwan, Greta Crop, Mallory Morocco, Emily Evans, also beyond so we'll talk get their thoughts about their four years. Most of them have four years. Mallory Morocco, just two years. She transferred from Quinnipiac prior to her junior season. But we'll get to ask them all their thoughts because they went through a lot with the program.
We'll talk with Cordell Head coach Casey Jones, his first year as the headman, the former Cornell player and former Clarkson head coach. Of course, he came back to Cornell last season after Mike Schaefer announced that he was going to retire at the end of last season. And Jones served as the associate head coach and head coach in waiting. So he's taken over that program. We'll talk to him about how things are going with Cornell. And then as we do this every year around the NBA All Star Game, it's the NBA Roundtable.
Mark Kesser, the voice of the NBA on ESPN Radio, will join me. We'll talk about what's going on with the league. We'll talk about the new format for the All Star Game and talk about the trade deadline. Some other issues going around the NBA. Tim Reynolds, the AP writer for the NBA, normally joins us as well, of course, Indian Lake native, but he's over in Italy covering the Winter Olympics, so we'll allow that for right now.
So Tim's enjoying that as well. So coming up, we're going to talk union men's and women's hockey. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
[00:04:50] Speaker C: Timeout.
[00:04:51] Speaker B: All right. Remember, we're a team that plays together.
[00:04:55] Speaker C: Listen, the winning will take care of itself.
[00:04:57] Speaker B: We just have to get everyone involved in interscholastic sports. We celebrate what makes every one of us unique. And in the pursuit of a common goal, everyone in the hudd, in the bleachers and in the community comes together.
This message presented by NISFA and the New York State Athletic Administrators Association.
Welcome back to the podcast. We're going to talk Some Union men's and women's hockey as we do every Thursday here on the podcast. Let's start with the men's team. They're going to be home for actually start off a four game home stand. They'll play Colgate on Friday, 7 o' clock followed by three 7 o' clock game Saturday against Cornell. And next week they'll close out the home portion of their regular season schedule when Harvard and Dartmouth comes to M and T Bank Center. We'll talk about those teams next week.
Union finds itself tied for seventh place with Clarkson with 21 points apiece. Clarkson is the seventh seed right now because of winning the tiebreaker over Union five points to one.
But here's a chance for the Union to maybe get some space between themselves and Clarkson. Because of a scheduling anomaly, the Clarkson golden knights along with St. Lawrence are off this weekend. So Union has a chance to game get, get ahead of Clarkson and make things tough on the Golden Knights as they head in the final four games next weekend of the season, the final two weeks. So it's their big gains. The last time Union played Cornell in Colgate, they tied Colgate and won a shootout to get that extra point and dropped a 2:1 decision to Cornell. At that game the Union Union just had 19 shots on goal. Really did not give a great effort in that game. And we talked a little bit about that with Josh Algae on Wednesday's podcast.
As always, on Tuesday it was media availability day at MNT Bank Center. Had a chance to speak with forward Brandon Burr, defenseman Nick Young and goaltender Braden Gillespie. Here's what they had to say on Tuesday.
Guys. It was really a strange week up in North Country. A 41 win at St. Lawrence in the wild 87 game.
Brandon, start with you. What did you learn from that 87 game? Obviously a tough loss and a wild affair. The defense struggle, both teams.
[00:07:16] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean I guess it shows we can score a lot of goals. I mean we already knew that but yeah, we just need to figure out maybe a little more defensive side of the game. Not at those chances be giving up anymore.
[00:07:27] Speaker B: Nick.
[00:07:28] Speaker A: Yeah, I just, I think at the end of the day it comes down to our details and every little thing in the D zone is super important and guys have to. Everyone in the locker room has to take that super serious. Whether it's stopping inside the house, like which guy you're picking up on a track back. You know, there's, there's a lot of things that go into it. But all those details need to be heightened for sure.
[00:07:48] Speaker B: How tough was it?
[00:07:49] Speaker E: Me.
[00:07:49] Speaker B: You're going back there and you lost your edge here. I mean, you know, that overtime goal. I mean, how. How frustrating was that?
[00:07:53] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, it was, you know, after killing the penalty off, I was. It was a long shift. We're trying to get out, and I was trying to, you know, put some pressure on him to try and deter it from coming to the net and just lost the edge, try and recover, and it was a little too late. So that definitely was unfortunate.
[00:08:08] Speaker B: Braden, for you, that was your first really tough outing this year, getting pulled. What do you learn from that? How will you apply it? Obviously, we don't know who's starting on Friday here against Colgate, but how.
What lessons did you learn from that game?
[00:08:21] Speaker F: Just obviously, like, it's a tough game. Like, I just wish that I could move on from that and bounce back for whenever next game I get the opportunity to just go out there and do my thing again. I mean, it's. It happens to everybody. Everybody goes through that. It's gonna happen again. Hopefully not this year, but it will definitely in the future. So just. It's how you respond, and I think I'm gonna respond pretty well next game.
[00:08:40] Speaker B: Yeah. How do you not lose your confidence? Because you've been playing well. You're. Like I said, this was the first time you've had a. An off night to get pulled and. But how much does this affect you? Does it at all affect your confidence?
[00:08:52] Speaker F: No, I don't think it affects the confidence at all. I mean, as I said, like, it happens to every goalie at one point in their career. So it was just a minor setback. And, I mean, going into practice this week, it's just finding that rhythm again and going back out there and helping these guys win a game next weekend.
[00:09:06] Speaker G: Nick, a massive four game stretch, really, for you guys. Coming up all at home, all against team, teams above you in the conference standings. How much of an emphasis are you guys playing on this these next couple of weekends?
[00:09:16] Speaker A: Well, yeah, it's. It's huge.
[00:09:18] Speaker F: There's.
[00:09:18] Speaker A: There's a big emphasis put on it. But the one thing that we're trying not to do is overlook anybody or overlook any period or any shift. So we're kind of taking it one game at a time, one shift out of one shift at a time. Like, win your shift and come back, cheer your guy on to win their shift and keep that momentum going.
[00:09:33] Speaker B: And Brandon, for you, I mean, this is schedule. Thanks to a scheduling quirk, Clarkson doesn't play this weekend. So you, you have two games in hand. You're tied with them right now for seventh place, although they have the tiebreaker. So how important is it to be able to get six points this weekend, get some separation from Clarkson, maybe move up into a spot where you can still challenge for a first round bye?
[00:09:52] Speaker D: Yeah, six points would definitely be nice, but again, as Nick mentioned earlier, we've just got to focus on one game at a time. So start with three and then go from there.
[00:09:59] Speaker B: Nick?
[00:10:00] Speaker A: Yeah, no, it's. Our whole mindset is taking these little pieces and stringing them together to create the big pieces. So one thing at a time, one shift at a time, and kind of try and keep that going throughout the whole series.
[00:10:12] Speaker B: Braden?
[00:10:12] Speaker F: Yeah, same thing as what these guys said. Just take it one game at a time, and we win that one game and we just build off that for the next Brandon.
[00:10:20] Speaker G: Coach, how you talked about how these next four teams are, teams you're likely going to have to face if you want to get to Lake Placid. How important and how big of a test do you feel like these maybe next two weekends will be in terms of preparing you for what you're going to see in the ECAC tournament?
[00:10:35] Speaker D: Yeah, it'll be a big test. Like, these are great teams to play, and I believe in our group fully. So, I mean, it'll be nice to get a little game against them here.
[00:10:42] Speaker B: Colby has been a team that has won. They ruined your regular season finale at Messa last year. They won three of the last four at Mesa. What do you got to do to turn things around at home here at mt Bankster on Friday?
[00:10:54] Speaker D: Play to our game. I know that's cliche, but we just got to trust what we have and just do what we, we do best. That's when games, hopefully.
[00:11:01] Speaker B: Nick.
[00:11:01] Speaker A: Yeah, we just got to bring our energy and our effort. And like I said about the details, we're honing them in every single day here practicing. So I think if we start putting those three things together, we're going to start putting some teams away, which would.
[00:11:13] Speaker B: Be good for us and Braden.
[00:11:15] Speaker F: Yeah, same thing. Just come out, have a strong start, like for the first five minutes, and we just build off that and have fun out there.
[00:11:21] Speaker G: Nick, this team is still looking for your. Their first conference weekend sweep of the the season. How crucial would it to be. Would it be to have it come this weekend and, and maybe give you guys a little momentum going down the biggest stretch of the season here?
[00:11:32] Speaker A: Yeah, that's, that's all about momentum. True. Like right now, towards the end, like, that's what we're trying to catch and that's what we're trying to build. So it would be huge for the group and huge for the morale just to get that sweep and kind of use into our next home weekend. With Senior weekend coming up, too, is.
[00:11:46] Speaker G: There a spot in the standings you guys are kind of eyeing right now or still hoping for that 4 seed? Or is it kind of just, you know, win as many games as we can, see what happens?
[00:11:54] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, that's. We're just trying to win games, and that's something that, like I said before, not trying to look ahead and put a number on where we want to be. It's just, let's go out there and take it a game at a time. Win each single shift every period, every game, and then string them together.
[00:12:08] Speaker B: If there's one thing Brandon, you can take from the games this past weekend, you guys were shooting a puck. You scored 11 goals.
The week before against Dartmouth, he only had 19 shots on goal.
So how important was it to get that offense clicking again?
[00:12:24] Speaker D: Yeah, I mean, it's great to get that going again. I think we should get pucks towards that net. I mean, Dartmouth is obviously a very good defensive team, so they shut us.
[00:12:30] Speaker C: Down a little bit.
[00:12:30] Speaker D: But we just need to get pucks to the net and get our bodies there, because I think when we're creating traffic there, good things tend to happen for us.
[00:12:37] Speaker B: Yeah, I know you got Colegale on Friday, but Cornell, when you played him out there, they held you guys in 19 shots on goal and a 21 loss. What do you got to do to get better offensively against the Big Red?
[00:12:48] Speaker D: We gotta use our size against their big size and get right to the net. I think that's gonna be the key there.
[00:12:53] Speaker G: Brandon, is it difficult at all this time of year to not be looking at maybe what the other teams in the league are doing or not standings watching? I mean, do the coaches talk to you at all about.
[00:13:03] Speaker B: About that?
[00:13:04] Speaker D: I mean, yeah, you always look at it like. I mean, people would be lying if they say they don't look at the standings, but you just can't really pay attention to it. You just gotta ignore it. You just gotta play one game at a time, as we've been mentioning here.
[00:13:16] Speaker B: Now, let's talk about the Union women's hockey team. They're playing their final two games of this regular season this weekend, both afternoon games.
Union will host Dartmouth at 3pm on Friday and then close out the M and T Bank center schedule with a home game against Harvard on Saturday at 3pm it's been a disappointing season for the Garner Chargers. They got off to a great start, but once they got in league play, they just couldn't find themselves and they find themselves right now in last place heading into the final two games of the regular season.
They will play on the road next week for the ECAC Hockey tournament First round game. We just don't know the opponent right now. And Union sitting in, As I said, 12th seed right now, have an outside shot moving up. But it's going to be tough. They got to find a way to beat Dartmouth and Harvard in order for that to happen. Two teams they did not beat in their previous meetings. They lost at Harvard and played to a scoreless tie at Dartmouth a few weeks ago. So had a chance to talk with Tony Macy, the head coach on on Tuesday at M and T Bank Center. Got his thoughts on winding up the regular season. And there's five seniors who will be playing their final home games for Union. That's Stephanie Bourk, Amanda Kwan, Greta Crop, Mallory Morocco and Evely Evans.
Tony, that's last home weekend for the team. Obviously five seniors will be honored after Saturday's game. Let's talk about them. First, Stephanie Bourque.
[00:14:49] Speaker H: Yeah, Stephanie's done a great job here for us.
She's been a captain this year.
I think that outside of her record, she's done a great job moving the program forward.
Her points totals has definitely been something that we've been watching obviously as well, just with her, you know, chasing the record for the career. So, you know, she's been a big influence both on the ice, but also off the ice with, with our players as well as, you know, in the weight room and doing things the right way. So she's been a great, a great leader for us. Mallie Morocco, Mal's, you know, two year transfer came in, you know, when she got here, wasn't sure exactly what we were going to get. We knew she was a fun loving kid and was gonna, you know, work hard and, and that's what she's done. You know, she has fun with working hard and playing hard on the ice.
She knows she's not gonna get points every night, but she's gonna do what she can on the defensive side of pucks and help us try to win that way.
[00:15:54] Speaker B: Amanda Kwan.
[00:15:56] Speaker H: Amanda has been great for us both on and off the ice as well. You know, she does a great job in the classroom. She's our Mandy Schwartz nominee this year.
So, you know, she does a really good job with that kind of stuff. She's a good leader for the younger group as well when it comes to being able to do things both in the classroom and on the ice.
[00:16:17] Speaker B: Greta Crop.
[00:16:18] Speaker H: Greta has been somebody who again, has worked extremely hard to earn ice time and be consistent.
You know, she does a lot with her speed on the ice, off the ice. She's done a really good job with making sure, you know, the group stays together and, and kind of building that off ice family relationships.
[00:16:40] Speaker B: And finally, Emily Evans.
[00:16:42] Speaker H: Emily's just a kid that everybody loves. You know, she's somebody who everybody likes to be around every day.
She is a great teammate.
You know, she's worked really hard to get opportunities this year, you know, and then, you know, she's done well with those opportunities.
[00:17:02] Speaker B: Let's talk about the weekend, obviously past weekend, a couple tough losses at Cornell and Colgate. You get to wrap up things here, maybe try to improve your playoff positioning as you get ready for next weekend's first round game.
What's going to be the key this weekend?
[00:17:17] Speaker H: Well, I think it's going to be the same thing as what we tried to do this whole second half here is we have to defend well and take our opportunities to score. We can't let games get out of hand or, you know, try to chase games similar to what we ended up having to do on Saturday.
We've got to have it where it's similar to what we had on Friday. I think Friday was probably one of our better games we've played overall in the second half here.
Just came down to a little late face off, good bounce rate to their kids, stick. So for me, I really liked our game Friday. I think that if we bring that this weekend, we'll have an opportunity in both games to win.
[00:17:55] Speaker B: Getting back to seniors, they gone through a lot, went through a coaching change, closing out Messrnk last season, starting a new era here at MT Bank Center. How do you think they've handled all the transitions?
[00:18:10] Speaker H: I think they've done a great job. Like we're, you know, trying to move a program forward here. I think last year was a good step. I think this year, even though our record's a little bit different than last year, was another good step. We have a younger group and they've done a good job trying to help that group grow this year so that, you know, in years to come, you know, we'll see the, the effects of it. So I think they've done a tremendous job, not just on the ice, but with the culture of the team as well, with the off ice stuff. So it's a lot of stuff that maybe people don't see that's behind the scenes that they've really taken control of.
[00:18:46] Speaker B: And now let's hear from the five seniors. Stephanie Bourque, Amanda Kwan, Greta Crop, Mallory Rocker and Emily Evans.
Well, guys, for you, the five seniors here, the final home games for your career here. You guys been through a lot. Coaching change, closing out one arena, starting a new arena. I'll start with you, Stephanie. What are your memories of playing for Union College women's hockey?
[00:19:10] Speaker E: Yeah, I mean, all the memories are good. You know, it's not easy, and it's an accomplishment that we should all be really proud of. And we put everything that we had into this program and we're trying to leave it in a better place. And I think we did a good job doing so. But, like, all the ups and downs, now that it's coming to an end, you know, you kind of want those downs again, even if, like, you were sad or something. So it's just. Just enjoying every moment and just kind of. We're proud to leave it all out there on the ice for this program and hopefully leaving it in a better place.
[00:19:37] Speaker B: Also, you guys won a playoff series last year, so I mean, that had to be a memorable moment.
[00:19:41] Speaker E: Oh, definitely. I think that was a huge step for our program. And even winning Mares cup back to back, I think that was also good for our confidence and for our program. So I think those are two memories that are super important and that I'll keep forever for sure.
[00:19:53] Speaker B: Greta.
[00:19:54] Speaker E: Yeah, I have to give a step. I think the Mayor's cup wins or huge moments for our program and huge moments just to be able to win with my best friends.
And I'd agree, like, we're trying to leave the program in a better place than when we found it, but I think just past few weeks been focusing on enjoying every single moment with the times we have left and with our best friends. So I think that that's what is really important right now.
[00:20:14] Speaker B: Amanda?
[00:20:15] Speaker E: Yeah, I think it's really special. I mean, for all of us. At one point, we were just little girls who had this dream of playing D1. And to be able to. To live out that dream and say we've accomplished it is really something special. And like these guys have said, leaving the program in a better place, it's been really exciting the past four years to see it improve and hopefully it keeps going up.
[00:20:33] Speaker B: Emily.
[00:20:34] Speaker E: I think the Memories that I'm going to cherish the most are the little moments with everyone, whether it's just hanging around the rink or getting dinner or, you know, weekends, stuff like that.
It's been the past four years have really flown by and I hope I contributed to our program and left it in a better place like these guys said.
[00:20:56] Speaker B: But yeah, Mallory, for you, two years. But how important were these two years for you?
[00:21:02] Speaker E: They're awesome. And honestly, thank you these four for letting me come in and be part of their class because it's been the best two years of my college experience so far, that's for sure.
[00:21:11] Speaker B: Look ahead to this weekend.
You guys know you're going to be playing a first round game next week on the road.
Stephanie, how important is it to maybe get move up and maybe improve your playoff position? You got teams that you probably beat in Harvard and Dartmouth.
[00:21:25] Speaker E: Yeah, I mean, obviously we want to put ourselves in the best place possible for that first round, but I think it's just going back to playing the right way, sticking to our structure and focusing a lot on D zone. I think playoff road games aren't easy, but they're also going to be one goal game. So it's just going to be really bearing down on the details and I think this weekend's a good test for us and we'll be able to practice that for sure.
[00:21:48] Speaker B: You got a little bit of a test over the weekend, Mallory, at Cornell and Colgate. So what do you, what did you take for that and learn the lessons and apply it to this weekend?
[00:21:57] Speaker E: I think for sure, Colgate was a huge step in the right direction for us, especially in the D zone. And I think we need to work on just maintaining that consistency through three periods and I think it'll help us a lot.
[00:22:07] Speaker B: What's going to be like final home game, Amanda playing here, you know, it's.
[00:22:12] Speaker E: Gonna be really special. I know a lot of us have a lot of family coming out, so to really enjoy these last moments at home, the people we really care about the most and obviously spending it with the team. So we're really excited and hopefully we can end it on a good note.
[00:22:27] Speaker B: Coming up, we're going to talk with Cornell men's head hockey coach Casey Jones. He'll talk about his team and what it's been like replacing the legendary Mike Schwartz Schaefer as the head coach. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
[00:22:45] Speaker C: The ECAC Hockey Championship returns to Lake Placid, New York this March. Witness the first ever ECAC Hockey Women's Championship in Lake Placid on March 6th and 7th and the Men's Championship on March 20th and 21st. It happens at the legendary Herb Brooks arena, the home of miracles.
[00:23:01] Speaker I: You believe in miracles? Yes.
[00:23:04] Speaker B: Don't miss the the battle for the.
[00:23:05] Speaker C: 2026 title and an NCAA bid. Tickets are on sale now@lakeplacit Olympic Center.com ECAC Hockey the Educated Decision.
[00:23:20] Speaker B: Welcome back to the podcast. The Cornell Big Red men's hockey team will be in town this weekend, will be at RPI on Friday at 7 o' clock and then at MNC bank center to face Union on Saturday. Their head coach has them challenging for the regular season title. Just two points behind Quinnipiac, he is Casey Jones. And welcome back to the podcast. Casey, how are things going along?
[00:23:43] Speaker I: You know, it's just tough battle weekend last weekend with Colgate through her own home series with her travel partner. But overall it's in the dog days of February here right now, so we're it's a fun time of the year and but it's it's a grind right now, so get moving along.
[00:23:58] Speaker C: Moving along.
[00:23:59] Speaker B: Yeah. Most teams have six games left except for Clarkson. St. Lawrence, they have four. You guys are, like I said, two points behind Quinnipiac. You're tied with Dartmouth for second place.
It's been a while since we've really had a tight race for the top spot, hasn't it?
[00:24:14] Speaker I: Yeah, you know, it's just, it's a grind, right? I mean, I think the league's good this year. I think it's deep. I think we go really deep in a league this year. So it's been every night's a battle.
You know, it's one of those situations where I think coming out of COVID I think the league's kind of getting back in his footing there and then. Yeah, it's just provided good entertainment every night and got to be prepared. And every team's got players that can beat you and no different this weekend.
[00:24:42] Speaker B: Of course, you made the transition last year. You were behind the bench with as the associate head coach and the head coach and waiting under Mike Schaefer. Mike retired. He had announced that prior to the start of last season. He retired at the end of the year, the last season and then you took over. So how has the transition been for going from Mike and you helping him now to being the man in charge?
[00:25:06] Speaker I: Not much different for me. I mean, it was a year removed from Clarkson, but it's probably a bigger difference to the players. You'd have to ask Them in terms of how it's going for them. But, you know, the nice part was, is I got to know everybody last year with the players, Got a real good feel internally, real good sense of where things were at, you know, culture, and then also a chance to be a big part of the recruiting of the class coming in. And so it just enabled me to get my fingers and get attached to it. So there was familiarity with me from that. So that. That's.
That that was invaluable.
No questions asked. You know, it's a lot different than when you kind of get somewhere and you're spending the preseason, get to know them. And, you know, my off season was getting a staff put together, and, you know, we got three new people on staff, you know, but Sean was here last year and, you know, myself, so just. That gave common ground to kind of. To kind of starting point for the guys. And.
And, yeah, we just spent. We spent the preseason getting to know each other and making sure they knew, you know, directions. I want to go a little bit, and if there's not a ton of changes on Ice product, you know, we built teams similar, Mike and I, over the years, so we feel strongly about that and feel strongly about how you have to play to win, to ultimately win here at Cornell and the type of team you need to have. So feel good about that. It's. I worked three years prior to going to. Going to Clarkson with them, and, you know, and I know the quality of the student athlete that they've recruited here and the type of person that they get. So, you know, that. That hit the ground running from that perspective, and we think we, you know, have good leadership and older guys right now helping our big freshman class.
[00:26:39] Speaker C: What.
[00:26:40] Speaker B: What's it like coaching at your alma mater? Do you ever think when you were playing at Cornell that one day you'd be running things there in Ithaca?
[00:26:50] Speaker I: Oh, really? And I never really thought about as a coach either, because, you know, you ultimately, I. You know, I love Cornell. Like, I love my time here as a player, but it was just, you know, a real good confidant, mentor and friend, and you name it. That's Mike, right? He was assistant coach, and I was here. It was always in tremendous hands. So really never really thought about it, you know, just. Just didn't because you just, you know, you paid attention to your team. I'm coaching. I paid attention to Malma Mater. You know what I mean? He stayed in touch and watched the. Watch that. And watched the scores. And those are two teams you cheered for. You Know, it's just the way it is. It's the way I was for me anyways. But then that opportunity when they called me kind of sunk in. So it is what it is. It's because I had such a good experience here and you know, it's, it's easy to talk, to talk and walk, to walk. Right. So with recruits and with families and all that, that's what it does provide you an inside look at what the experiences were. I know what the guys are going through, so that, that does make it special.
[00:27:51] Speaker B: What did you learn about Mike last year that you maybe didn't know when you were coaching against him?
[00:27:59] Speaker I: Well, like I said, I worked with him for three years prior to going to, up to Clarkson, stayed in touch with him and all that, you know, so I, I got a, you know, that was, that was good and that got me. I, you know, I thought that was as important running for me, you know, being under him to, to, to be ready to be a head coach. So you get, you get, you know, he's, he, he has his pulse on having his fingers, you know, he, and he's, he knows, he knows what he's doing. Like he knows how to handle people, he knows how to manage his staff. He knows how to hold a staff accountable.
So that's, you know, that's. Those, those were three invaluable years for me.
What I learned when I came back with him was, you know, people don't realize how much people grow and change and move with the times and all that and how he goes about it and, and his practices and that. So I, I felt really, you know, I was eye opening for me that just the changes in Married man and how he'd, how he handled stuff and how he went about his stuff and it just was good. It was good to see that, you know, no matter where you are in your career, it's a constant, constant battle to get better and to learn and to develop yourself. Not only your players in your program, but yourself as a coach. He just was always open minded about that and that's probably why he was so successful for so long and ultimately, you know, made him the coach he is. He changed, he moved with the times and you know, he was, he's really good at that. That was probably the most eye opening for me.
[00:29:35] Speaker B: It's good to bring that up because I remember the 2015 E.C. acock quarterfinals between Union and Cornell in game two. Union swept that series and they blitzed them seven nothing. And that was the year after they won the national championship. And I think Mike said. I asked Mike about the fact that maybe was that a turning point for his program to change the way he coach and with the kind of players, because he always had the big physical players and they would just grind you down and. But with a union team that had Mike Vecchione on it still and they were, the way they were flying all over the place. I think that, I don't think Mike would admit it, but I think that game maybe changed his philosophy a little bit. And you start to, you start to see some more skilled players and the fast players come in there. I mean, is, is, am I, am I wrong?
[00:30:26] Speaker I: Yeah. You know what? I'm not sure in terms of when, when, when things change. I just think for me it's the pace of the game and he adapts with his styles and all that. And you know, I think yeah, there's some times, one that you get sometimes in recruiting, you know, is, is at an Ivy school, maybe you don't get that top end stick, you know, so you gotta, you gotta really look to get those complete players and all that. We've been able to get that lately. I think, I think you just said, hey, you know what? We, we have to make sure we get that. We have to make sure we can score. We have to make sure we can push the envelope with that.
Ultimately, if you do want to win the big prize, it's hard to dictate that you're going to win a 21 or a 32 game all the time. You better get the five once in a while too, right? If you know. And that's just the way it goes. And I think that's having depth and getting the right people. So I don't think never a deviation on him, not one iota in terms of the character and the quality of person that he recruited that stayed that, that's been consistent and that that's why his teams compete night in and night out. Right. And that's, that's the one lesson I learned as you get that and you get that you're always in the game with the right type of player, the right mindset, the right mentality and then, and then you go, you build from there and you get those. The players that could put you over top. And anytime he's had, you know, during those years, he had some really good skilled players they contended for, for the big, the big prize.
[00:31:48] Speaker B: Your team's 12 and 4 in EC accuplay 17 and 6 overall. What do you like specifically about your team this Season.
[00:31:56] Speaker I: Well, we've come to play, you know, it's, you know It's. Haven't got 60 minutes all the time. We deviate a little bit from that with, you know, just with going and out sometimes get comfortable or not. But for the most part we like the game, we like to practice. We're coachable, you know, so. And we've come to play, you know, and that's, that's all you can ask as a coach. Right. We stayed stay within ourselves, stuck to the process.
Have some nights that you know, we deviate a little bit maybe from our identity like most teams do, but not far. We don't stray that far, you know, so it's just been intimate process. Our older guys have been good, you know, we got a good, good group of, with our leadership group in that, that are, that are high end players up that can, that can set the tone for younger guys and really how we want to play and they embody kind of how we need to play. So that makes it easy as a coach.
[00:32:48] Speaker B: Let me ask you about your freshman goaltender, Alexis Cornway. When I think of Corey, I go back to my youth when Corway for the Canadians was a star.
Yes. And first of all, any relation?
[00:33:03] Speaker I: I don't think so, no.
[00:33:04] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:33:04] Speaker I: We asked that before.
[00:33:05] Speaker B: I don't think there is the goaltender.
[00:33:08] Speaker I: I think I would know it if.
[00:33:09] Speaker B: There was just talk about his play this year. He says he's 14 and 5, 1.91 goals against average.923 save percentage. He's played very well for you guys.
[00:33:21] Speaker I: Yeah, big kid. He's common in that he takes up a lot of net and he's played well. You know, it's just, you know, so you know, you just, he settled in and done a good job. So you know, you just, you give him, give him kudos on that. And you know, I think we play, play a decent style in front of him and he's, he certainly allows us to play free and, and, and be aggressive, that's for sure.
[00:33:46] Speaker B: How would you describe your scoring attack? As balance? Is that the right way to describe it?
[00:33:51] Speaker I: Yeah, I would say balanced. I would say for sure. I think it's, you know, I, yeah, I would say we, we can, we can come out with a balanced attack and that's, that's the way we got to win.
[00:34:02] Speaker C: Right.
[00:34:02] Speaker I: We got to win with depth and you know we, we do have some players that are over a point a game which in college hockey isn't easy.
So we have some high end players up there. But I think we have some depth that they can come at you.
[00:34:15] Speaker B: You're going to take on RPI on Friday night. They've been an improved team over last year under first year head coach Eric Lang.
How tough of a game you think you'll have there Friday night at Houston Fieldhouse?
[00:34:27] Speaker I: Well, not only an improved team for last year, I, I think they're, I mean they're like what I've seen on tape. I mean they're improved this year, you know, so, you know that's, we figured that good coach, right? And a lot of new players, you just had to, they get, you know, I had a chance to watch that, that game, you know, with them play a couple of games here prior to this weekend and you know it's a, it's a different looking team than the first time we saw them. So, you know, I'm respecting. It's, you know, competitiveness is high. He's, you know, he's got him competing at a high level and, and they're executing at a higher level than they were previously. So it just, it's going to be a tough game. You know, we're at that stage of the season where everyone's tighter now. Everyone's playing, playing good hockey and it's, it's hard to put teams away at this time of the year.
They've got some ojo because they've had some success and they're, they're getting their traction underneath them as a team with, with their staff. And so expectations are. It's be a tough battle Friday night.
[00:35:20] Speaker B: And then you'll take on Union on Saturday at the new facility there, M and T Bank Center.
When you played them back in November, you held them to 19 shots on goal. This is a Union team that's really been firing all cylinders and to hold them to 19 shots on goal. What was the key that night in that 21 victory for you guys?
[00:35:39] Speaker I: Yeah, you know, it's shots on net sometimes. It's, you know, it is what it is. Right. You know, it's, you just want to. Obviously they're a team that I think they got really good depth. One of the better offensive teams in our league, no doubt.
You know, and then, and then throw in the factory top penalty killing team I think in the country right now. So they have a lot of weapons to throw at you. So I'm anxious to see the new rank, anxious to see Josh, you know, but obviously not going to be easy task going in there.
They can score and you want to make sure that, you know, you figure they're going to generate chances. So usually a mindset with a good offensive team like that is make sure they generate their own chances. You don't have to generate any four of them. So, you know, we'll just try to be, be cognizant of that and make sure that we don't, don't make it easy on them to generate offenses. Really, you're not going to. You know, we don't want to change our style completely. You know, we want to play our game and, but you know, just make sure that the game is managed properly.
[00:36:35] Speaker B: Is it fun matching which with your former associate head coach at Clarkson?
[00:36:41] Speaker I: Yeah, I just could like see him. I think his family might be going, I think they may be going to Quebec.
[00:36:45] Speaker B: Yeah, they are. Yeah.
[00:36:45] Speaker I: I don't know.
[00:36:46] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:36:46] Speaker I: Yeah, I won't see, I won't be able to chirp his young guys there, but.
But no, so I won't see the family there. But obviously it's just, yeah, just good to see him obviously from that perspective.
And then inside the 60 minutes, I hope he loses.
[00:37:03] Speaker B: Will it be, will it be strange not walking into Mesarinka and walking into the M and T Bank Center? I mean, what, what memories you have.
[00:37:11] Speaker I: Nice to see it. I think it's great for our league, right? Great for union, great for our league. You know, it's advancements and it's good. I'm excited. You know, they're a good home team and I've heard great things about the building and.
Yeah, so we're really excited to get there, kind of see it, but you know, we saw a little bit going up there last year so you know, we stayed right in that area, but so we're anxious to get a chance to get in there this Saturday.
[00:37:34] Speaker B: Okay, well, Casey, appreciate a few minutes. I'll talk to you on Saturday after the game and we'll have some fun.
[00:37:41] Speaker I: Sounds good, Ken. Thanks.
[00:37:42] Speaker B: All right, that's Casey Jones. Coming up, we're going to talk NBA with Mark Kaser, the voice of the NBA on ESPN Radio. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
[00:38:11] Speaker E: Speed, Skill, Physicality.
Home to college hockey's elite teams, coaches and student athletes.
ECAC hockey. Twelve programs competing at the highest level.
A league where champions are born and world class professionals are trained. Where history is abundant and a commitment to the cutting edge is unrivaled. The best facilities, the fiercest competition.
ECAC hockey. There's no experience like it.
[00:38:50] Speaker B: Welcome back to the podcast. And every year at this time, the NBA All Star Game coming Up Sunday and in Los Angeles. Actually, Inglewood is the new home of the Los Angeles Clippers. And of course, the game will be on NBC. And you also hear the game locally on 10, 4, 5, the team as ESPN radio covers the game. And of course, our good friend Mark Kessiser, the voice of NBA Radio on ESPN and Gillen High School graduated native as we do our annual NBA Roundtable. But, Mark, welcome. First of all, welcome. We're missing a person.
[00:39:22] Speaker C: I was gonna say our good buddy Tim Reynolds. I guess he has a D.
I don't know what time it is.
[00:39:28] Speaker B: No, I'm mad.
I'm mad at the associate press. They should know better. They should not assign Tim Reynolds to cover the Olympics. Well, he knows it's the NBA Roundtable. That's.
[00:39:38] Speaker C: You know, that's actually a very good point. If Mike Tirico can be on the field hosting Olympics after Super bowl and the next night be in Milan. Yeah. Then you're right. He could be on with us.
[00:39:49] Speaker B: Come on AP today. Yeah, come on ap.
[00:39:52] Speaker C: He's one of the most tireless guys I know.
So for him to be unavailable, you know, he must be overwhelmed with all the assignments and stories he has to cover.
[00:40:01] Speaker B: Yeah. Of course, he's also the hall of Famer in the New York State Basketball hall of Fame. Of course, you'll be inducted in April. How much you looking forward to that?
[00:40:09] Speaker C: Oh, my goodness. I was on with our buddy Roger Weiland on his radio show recently and his co host had asked me about it and it had been a while since I had thought about it because, you know, someone who's on the radio in particular potentially speaks to thousands. You know, maybe in the NBA Finals we have, you know, upwards of seven figures or more of listeners, but I'm still not the most comfortable public speaker. So as much as I'm going to enjoy seeing everybody and connecting with old friends and meeting new friends, it's a little bit daunting. Yeah. To get up there and talk about yourself. So I am looking forward to it. I'm honored beyond belief, obviously.
But, yeah, I married my niece and her husband. I officiated. I shouldn't say I married them. I officiated their wedding a couple of years ago and that was one of the scariest things I ever did. So this should be fun. But it's only eight minutes, so what could possibly go wrong? Right.
[00:41:06] Speaker B: They'll be at the 24 second clock. Right. Does that go off?
[00:41:10] Speaker C: I will get the hook for sure. If anybody was going to get the hook, it'll probably be me.
[00:41:14] Speaker B: Randy keeps those things moving. Randy LaRue runs all the.
[00:41:18] Speaker C: Yes, he does. Very well.
[00:41:19] Speaker B: Yeah. So. Well, let's talk. We have a new format for the All Star Game, USA versus the world.
How is this going to work out?
[00:41:28] Speaker C: Oh, well, I hope it works out well.
Look, I understand that we've tried a bunch of different things and I thought the basketball last year wasn't terrible in the short format, playing to a score or Even just playing 12 minute games as we're going to play this year.
Last year kind of got bogged down and all the surrounding stuff, the quote unquote entertainment stuff that was around all the games and interestingly enough on the radio side, we kind of avoided all that, just kept it to basketball. So when I heard all the criticism afterwards, I was like, I thought it was, you know, decent basketball. And they pointed out, yeah, except for the 20 minute break we took, you know, in the middle of the championship game. And I'm like, oh, yeah, that. So I like, I do like us versus the world. I don't know if I'm in love with two US teams versus the world, but I get what we're doing here. We're trying to get four 12 minute games, simulating an entire game fitting into the format that's necessary for broadcast.
I'm a little obviously disappointed and you can't control injuries, but no Giannis Learning, no Steph Curry, no Shay Gildas Alexander. So, you know, that's three of the biggest stars, you know, on the NBA planet that won't be participating. I'm sure they'll be in Inglewood with us.
So, you know, I give everything a chance. You know me, I'm the eternal optimist. I'm sure folks won't be thrilled with it. I think those of us at a certain age will never be happy until it's east versus west and guys giving, you know, an excellent 15 to 20 to 25 minutes of action, which those days are probably completely gone. So, you know, it is, it is what it has become. I hope it's still entertaining. I hope the All Stars Saturday is just as entertaining. I love the three point contest. I think the Rising Stars game to me has quietly become very good because you get to see the young stars that are just emerging and for the most part, you know, they're playing hard because they want to make a name for themselves as well.
[00:43:38] Speaker B: I think, you know, here's the problem, they don't play defense anymore. I actually was thinking about this. I was getting ready for this I have to blame the NHL because they got away from playing defense.
And it seems like, oh, it's the Pro bowl. Got away from playing defense. And then just recently, the NBA. I think we did have a 200 point all star Game one time, right?
[00:44:00] Speaker C: We did in Indiana. I remember specifically in one of the timeouts when one of the teams was at 190, I said, I've been in this building a few times and, you know, I'm one of those weirdos that will notice strange things. And I said, I think the third digit is only for a 1. I don't think it's capable of becoming 2 for 200. And sure enough, those scoreboards shortly thereafter were covered up by like, you know, the black drapery they put over an upper deck when you didn't sell out enough seats. And I'm like, I think they knew that too. Yeah, I think we had 211, 211 points in an All Star game. And your point is very well thought out because you're right, that's.
I don't know, maybe it's become not cool to defend or I think in general, this generation, it kind of became not cool to, you know, give 100% for whatever reason. It's more of a showcase game. There's a million other things going on around All Star Weekend, whether it's parties or business opportunities, you know, wearing particular sneakers, you know, so the actual game itself, unfortunately, and this again is just my opinion, but I think we share it, is that it just doesn't become as important as it felt like it did. And even Major League Baseball, All Star Game, you know, you and I remember when we were growing up, the stars of the game played, you know, almost the entire game.
[00:45:26] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:45:27] Speaker C: You know, it was, it was a game. It wasn't come in, play an inning and head out.
[00:45:31] Speaker B: Yeah. And as much as I would like to blame the NHL, I think last year's four nations cup that they played and the intensity we saw in the usa, Canada fights, breaking out early in the game, that to me, that's what I want, that kind of All Star Game that I want intensity, I want hustle, I want guys caring, I want them playing defense. Especially, you know, it's, it's. That's what All Star Games should be.
[00:45:57] Speaker C: Yeah, that is awesome. That was awesome. Last year, I mean, the NHL hit a home run and I think the NBA, which it had long been rumored, you know, hey, you know, the NBA in its own right, you know, seeded basketball internationally decades ago. And then, you know, in the last 20 years or so, we've seen the international numbers skyrocket. And then every year when you look at the top players in the league, you look at the most valuable players of the league for almost a decade now are all exclusively international players. And in the Olympics, I mean, the United States, without Steph Curry going, you know, bonkers, probably doesn't win the gold medal in Paris. And we've seen the rise of these great European players, players from all parts of the globe. And so it almost makes perfect sense to try a us versus the world this year. I mean, you've got Luka Doncic, you've got Nicola Jokic, you would have had Giannis and Shane Gildas Alexander. I mean, that's a tough team. That's an incredibly tough team. Yeah. For either of these two United States teams. So I hope, yeah, there will be some, you know, pride on the line, if you will. America versus the rest of the world. When we get down to this, you know, 12 minute championship game. Once they finished up the round robin.
[00:47:16] Speaker B: On Sunday, is there any concern that this is getting lost in the middle of the Olympics?
[00:47:25] Speaker C: I think. I don't know if I've talked to anybody officially about concern, but I know the schedule is different. You know, we're going to be playing games pre prime on the East Coast. It's going to be five o' clock on, you know, on Sunday and Saturday also is an earlier start time and then in California subtract three hours from that. So, you know, I assume the arena is going to be filled at 1 o' clock on Sunday, 2 o' clock on Saturday.
People, you know, spend a lot of money to go to these things. And maybe there's an upshot to that because most times, you know, these things wrap up 10, 11, almost midnight and, you know, then the parties are first starting for some, for the rest of us, maybe dinner. And so, you know, maybe this is nice to have a little daytime action, good for the kids and then come back the next day. But I do think a lot of, you know, the Olympics are so dominant that, yes, a lot of the leagues take a look how to work around it. Now, this is interesting in that NBC is televising both, so it's kind of seamless. I think that helps. So from a television standpoint and, you know, Saturday's a tough TV day anyway though in a lot of the country it's cold, so maybe it won't be that big of a difference. Sunday at 1 o' clock is never really a bad time. I know Sunday prime You know, better than me. Sunday prime has become, you know, has always been an outstanding television timeframe. So they would probably rather do everything in prime time than do anything afternoon. So it is possible and it is an All Star Game, which also makes it a little less important. And the Olympics are going on. So I have to imagine, yes, there probably is some concern to what level. I'm not sure exactly yet.
[00:49:12] Speaker B: Speaking of NBC, they're back televising the NBA.
How do you think they've done so far?
[00:49:19] Speaker C: I think they've done pretty well. You know, change is hard and it's hard. I remember when TNT came on board in the NBA package and I'm like, I don't even know where TNT is on my cable system. That was before you could talk to your remote and just say like USA Network. And now you could find, you know, the US Women's hockey game, as I did yesterday. I'm like, I don't know where USA Network is on my, my cable system.
[00:49:41] Speaker B: You still have cable?
[00:49:43] Speaker C: I do. I'm one of the dinosaurs that remain. I still have that hefty bill every month.
But it is, you know, I, I think at first, like anyone, I think we all still struggle with streaming. Maybe the kids don't, or the younger people, I should say don't. But I'm now getting used to going to Peacock. I don't know which night. I do think the, the app I use not to drop a shameless plug here, the ESPN app is my go to for scores. They've done a really nice job at pointing out where the national games are, whether it's on Peacock or NBC. Obviously it's ABC, ESPN or Amazon. And so I've gotten used to that 30 second to one minute wind up so I could actually get to the game I want. And then I just curse to myself as I do, like, why can't I switch during commercials? I want to watch other games. Like eventually we're going to figure all that out and someone's going to make, you know, $10 billion doing it. But yeah, to your original question, I think they've done a nice job.
You know, they've got, in my opinion, like the preeminent national broadcaster in Mike Tirico is having the most amazing week of any, you know, broadcaster ever. And so it just has such a big feel. And even the other play by plays and analysts, you know, they've done a really nice job. They've taken a collection and so is Amazon taken. A collection of guys who used to work on, you know, I Consider Mike one of us, you know, because he was an ESPN guy for so long, or whether any of their talent that came from tnt. And so it still feels to me like the NBA is a little harder to find. It is. But in time, I think people have figured out where they have to go to get their NBA television.
[00:51:29] Speaker B: I mean, I was stunned. I mean, they were showing games in prime time on Tuesday nights. I mean, that's, of course, that normally was, you know, back in the day, turnover had Mondays and Thursdays. But having a game on a regular network like NBC during the week seems just strange to me because obviously you have it on Sundays, the Sunday night package, which started last week, but to see primetime games, regular season games on a Tuesday instead of entertainment program, it's just, just. That just blew my mind.
[00:52:03] Speaker C: No, it is. It is strange and it's good. It's a good development.
I'm not a big fan. I know they did it on purpose. You have prime window at 8 Eastern, prime window at 8 Pacific. But for those of us that want to watch that second game in the east and have to watch it on Peacock, which is fine. But 11pm like I remember they were trying, you know, we had the 10:30 TNT game that was really 10:50.50. Yeah, because they had the slide and games don't start when they list them anyway. And so they tried to get away from that because these games were ending 11 15, 130 in the morning on Turner back in the day. And, you know, so I see what they did because they want it to be on NBC over the air and you're going to maximize your audience. So Pacific Time, that's 8 Eastern Eastern Time, that's 8 Eastern. So you get that 11 o' clock game for the rest of us. But I think, I think it's a good development because as much as, you know, folks have cut the cord and the younger generation, I don't even think they even pay attention to when games are coming on. You know, if they're watching games or they're, you know, on an app that's watching somebody watch a game or just getting highlights. You know, it's so different how they ingest games now. But I think for me personally, and I think for the league in general, I mean, they have to be, you know, incredibly happy to have that extra over the air broadcast window. ABC Saturday night, ABC Sunday afternoon, NBC Sunday night, and then an NBC Tuesday. I mean, that's, that's great for the league. And I haven't looked at the numbers, but it seems like, anytime I get an internal email, most of the viewership is up this year.
[00:53:44] Speaker B: Yeah. Also about the trade deadline, which just passed last Thursday.
The biggest name obviously was James Harden getting traded from the Clippers to the Cleveland to the Cleveland Cavaliers, which seemed kind of strange because the Clippers been playing well late.
But the trade, James Harden, that seemed kind of a risky move.
[00:54:03] Speaker C: It came out of left field for me. It's like, hold on a second. You know, you're right. The Clippers had been playing as well as any team in the NBA. He's from Los Angeles.
You know, he and Kawhi seemed to have a good thing. But then like anything else, when you take the deep dive and the stories come out, you know, and same thing with Jimmy Butler last year going to Golden State. You're in the last year of a favorable contract.
He had a year next year, but it was only guaranteed partially. And, and so then it becomes, where can I land? Where? In Jimmy's case, He got the two year hundred and whatever it was, $111 million extension. And I assume Harden has that kind of a deal or arrangement or something in the works with Cleveland and he lands, you know, with a team that, you know, has a shot in the wide open Eastern Conference. But it just feels like it was more about, you know, what's good for James and, you know, how you can get another contract who's still playing really well at his age. I think he's 36 or 37, but still wants to make, you know, the big time money.
Which one would assume he would get in a guaranteed two year deal with Cleveland after this trade. But, yeah, that one caught up with me. I think that was one of the biggest surprises, Ken, and the fact that we only had one consummated trade on.
I think it was Sunday before the trade deadline. I was on a show and, you know, I was asked about is this going to be a really boring, bland trade deadline? And I'm like, yeah, it feels like it. I mean, there's only been one. And then in the middle of that interview, the host comes to me and says, hey, we just had a second trade. Like, oh, okay, there you go. So we're going to have two trades at the deadline. And I didn't see what was coming. And a lot of that is because of, you know, the new cba, very restrictive movement with the first and second aprons, which I'm not sure I still completely understand.
But from a financial aspect, a lot of teams were able to get out of, you know, those luxury Taxes and very restrictive parts, those two aprons. And that necessitated getting involved with deals. But yeah, the, the hardened thing, if you had told me that a couple days before it happened, I would have told you you were crazy.
[00:56:18] Speaker B: Yeah. The one player did not get traded and everybody thought would was Giannis Bucks hold on to him. Was that kind of a mild surprise?
[00:56:27] Speaker C: I think as we got closer, Ken, it appeared that it was more beneficial for the Milwaukee Bucks to wait until the summertime to get a better haul for Giannis. And it all came down to, you know, which teams might be desperate enough to give up a good NBA player and a bunch of first round picks. And I don't think that ever materialized. You know, the Knicks, I don't. Well, first of all, they don't have the draft capital.
The warriors didn't seem to have enough or were willing to give enough same for the Miami Heat. So it just came down to, I think, you know, an economic and draft capital decision.
And also I don't think Milwaukee was really in any hurry. You know, they're not, they're not going anywhere this year. Giannis has a concerning calf injury that I think teams that are trading for him, you know, that that should be some red flags.
So I think it all kind of made sense that it wouldn't happen.
But here we are again. We're going to be on Giannis watch as soon as the NBA Finals ends and maybe even before it ends, you know, there's going to be stories talking about it and going into summer league. So it's not by any stretch of the imagination over. It's just kind of, we, we put it in the background for now.
[00:57:45] Speaker B: Who won the trade deadline. Who's the biggest winner? Who's the biggest loser?
[00:57:48] Speaker C: Yeah, that's a good question. I would think you have to put Cleveland up there based on what we just talked about with James Harden.
Boy, biggest winner. I think a lot of teams got some pieces that they need. I thought the Lakers got a really good shooter in Luke Kennard. I think the Celtics with Nicola Vucevic as well as Anthony Simons had played for them as a six guy and, and he's still playing well in Chicago after the trade. I think Vucci bitch gives them a little something that's even more balancing for their lineups. And then there's teams that didn't have to make a trade because maybe something from the injury side is going to happen. And I don't know if Jayson Tatum is going to come back, but I was in Boston on Sunday and you know, we saw him and Alan Hahn and I were on the broadcast talking about that he's about to do some five on five drills with no timetable of a return still. And the feeling is two, two ways, is it worth it to bring him back this soon?
And is it worth it with a team that's playing so much higher above anticipation, you know, to try to work Jason Tatum, who's not going to be at all star level? Maybe you ramp him up and he gets there for the postseason. Maybe even if he's not at all star level, it's still, you know, be incredible to have a guy of his talent back on the floor. But that's also kind of a winning move without being a part of the trade deadline.
Yeah. So I think to me, those were, you know, part of the winners and losers. But I don't think he could beat James Harden coming to Cleveland. As much as I love Darius Garland, he just hadn't been healthy the last couple of years. And as much as I'm not the biggest fan of James Harden's game, his production is still top notch.
His playmaking ability is still excellent. I don't know what he averages on assists, but he's somewhere in the 6, 7, 8 range. And, you know, players love playing with him, especially when he's motivated. Yeah, when Jimmy Butler was motivated, you know, last year, Golden State took an amazing run into the playoffs before Steph Curry got hurt. So. So maybe that turns out to be the biggest one of them all.
[01:00:01] Speaker B: I guess. There's news broke on Monday that the Celtics assigned Tatum to its main G League teams to practice. So maybe there is some hope.
[01:00:11] Speaker C: Feels like it doesn't.
[01:00:12] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:00:12] Speaker C: I mean, you don't do that unless you think he's going to come back. And I thought it was an interesting story that I read somewhere in the summertime because I was in Madison Square Garden when he went down with the Achilles, and I remember seeing some of the Celtics broadcasters and, you know, we commiserated in, you know, that's going to be a year and, you know, you got guys that, you know, have contracts and the Celtics might be looking to move away from them and all that came to fruition.
But the one thing they pointed out was if you're going to have that kind of injury, have it in New York, where the best Achilles surgeon resides.
And the fact that it happened at like 10pm at night, and I think he might have had the surgery 7am the next morning.
So, you know, from a time frame perspective, to have the surgery that quickly with a guy who specializes in it from a sports perspective that if anybody's going to come back ahead of 12 months and some guys have come back, you know, in seven or eight, those are freakish nine months that Jason Tatum might be the guy in that department to be able to do that. So you're right. I mean, that indication that he's going to practice with the G League guys seems to me, especially before the All Star break, when maybe you don't expect to see him in a Boston uniform until maybe late March or given two weeks ramp up at the end of the regular season, April 1, that that he intends, at least intends to try because that's the other thing, too. Weren't we on this with Aaron Rodgers, watch that one year where he went out the first game of the season and then he had such a great recovery that, well, maybe he can come back late in the year and then it just never materialized. This is a longer period of time, but I always keep that in the back of the mind just in case.
[01:01:57] Speaker B: Mark Hesses are over. ESPN Radio joining us here on the NBA Roundtable, a part of the Parting Shots podcast.
Mark, what have been maybe two or three top storylines so far in the first half of the NBA season?
[01:02:09] Speaker C: Well, I think to me, one of the biggest storylines are the teams that are near the top or at the top of the conference standings.
You know, I knew Detroit was going to make a move. I just wasn't prepared for it to be 750 basketball and they're leading the Eastern Conference at the All Star break. And, you know, they have looked incredible this year. They're very tough.
You know, fight notwithstanding, that probably is going to cost some guys missing some games.
[01:02:39] Speaker B: Yeah, the bad boys.
Bad boys were back Monday night.
[01:02:43] Speaker C: Bad Boys 2 against Charlotte happened. So to me, the way the Pistons have played this year, we talked about the Celtics in the East. I think Detroit and Boston are, you know, my two big surprises. And then the two in the west are San Antonio and Denver. We'll put Oklahoma in a different conversation. Oklahoma City. But the spurs have taken that Pistons like step, maybe even a year ahead. Detroit, this is like year two for San Antonio. Feels like, you know, year one of making, let's just make the playoffs. You know, they haven't made the playoffs in so long. And not only that, I mean, they may make the conference finals and they may even get to the NBA finals, you know, the way San Antonio has played. And the other surprise in the west is Denver.
[01:03:24] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:03:24] Speaker C: Because they got their depth back.
Murray. Jamal Murray. Who's going to be in his first all star game this weekend, has played his best basketball. And even without Jokic, they were able to hang on. So San Antonio and Denver have been my two big stories in the west. Detroit and Boston in the East. And then I think, you know, the third story would be the Thunder because they look like they were going to win 80 of 82 games early in the year.
[01:03:51] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:03:52] Speaker C: And you know, it hasn't happened now. They've had a bunch of injuries including Shea, Gildas, Alexander heading into the break.
But I just got the sense when they lost a couple of after the 20, I think was 24 and one at the NBA cup, they lost to San Antonio and then they dropped a couple of surprising games and maybe that just took the pressure off a little bit. Like I really think they weren't putting 73, which is the record or 74 to break it on the wall. But hey, the indication I got was we just take this one at a time. So if it's there, you know, heck yeah, we want to have that record. And I think maybe subconsciously those losses, you know, with, with Jalen Williams never really being fully healthy yet coming back from his wrist surgery, I think that kind of, you know, put out the, the smoke or the fire on having a record breaking season and maybe put them in the mindset of let's just be at our best when you know, the, the green light goes on on April 15th. You know, not that they're going to be a 500 team between now and then. Heck, they're 4, 41 and 13 as we speak today. But it just doesn't seem like they need to bring that 100% effort now that could be masking the fact of, you know, maybe they're just not as good as they were last year. They were incredible last year. One of the best teams in the history of the NBA. So that's, that'll be an interesting storyline to watch post All Star.
[01:05:15] Speaker B: Yeah, sort of. I was going to make lead into the, you know, talking about the both conferences there. I mean as you mentioned the Thunder.
To me the spurs are the Thunders crypto. Like the way they've been able to handle them this year and I mean you mentioned it maybe a year early, just the fact that, you know, Pop's not there anymore. I mean just the job that's been going on there.
Are you pleasantly surprised what the spurs have done?
[01:05:39] Speaker C: Yeah, 100%. And I had a chance to meet their head coach, Mitch Johnson. We did a Spurs game last year And I had never met him. P.J. carlissimo knew of him because of his Seattle ties. Mitch's dad, by the way, was on the 79 Seattle SuperSonics and won a championship with that team and played at Stanford. Had a. Though he'll say it wasn't a great career. I pointed out to him like you're number two all time in Stanford assist. It could not have been that bad. But he's young, he's filling in incredible shoes to step in to pop shoes. Maybe it helped that they've had this down spurt, you know, ever since everything kind of bottom bottomed out in San Antonio and he comes on as Victor when Yama comes in and Stefan Castle comes in and they acquire de' Aaron Fox. But still with that comes expectation and they've met it all ahead of schedule. He seems like an incredibly smart guy for all of 37 years of age and he's going to be coaching one of the US Teams in the All Star Game this weekend. So I think they've got a good thing going in San Antonio. Their role players are guys you never heard of, but they, they play incredibly well. And as long as Wembanyama stays healthy, I mean, they hit a home run with Castle last year. Back to back Rookies of the year. Dylan Harper was the number two pick they got from Rutgers. You know, he's done an excellent job as a rookie. So, you know, they seem set up. And you're right, they're a little bit of kryptonite to Oklahoma City. At least they have been earlier in the regular season. I'm sure OKC will use that and channel that if we have some kind of meeting in the postseason coming up down the road. But they're a very deserving number two seed and they've got people believing in spurs basketball again in San Antonio. It's a great fan base when it's, when it's got a good team.
[01:07:35] Speaker B: Is there one team? Let's, let's start with the West. Is there one team under the radar that we should be paying attention to?
[01:07:43] Speaker C: Yeah, I think. I don't know if they can compete for a championship. I mean, Houston, obviously. My first answer, because I think they've got some good talent there. Phoenix has surprised many. That's the one I'm thinking of where I'm not sure they're. I'm pretty sure they're not championship quality, but they could be a thorn in somebody's side. I would have said the Clippers because that had been a first, tough first Round matchup, but they've kind of pulled the plug on that. Golden State can't really get healthy.
Minnesota has had its struggles this year. The Lakers have great talent, but haven't seemed to put it together and don't play good enough defense to be a championship team. So I think the answer would be Houston. And to a lesser extent, you know, Phoenix has been giving good teams problems this year. So those, those are kind of the two teams in the west that are off the radar that could, you know, give some of those top teams in trouble.
[01:08:35] Speaker B: How about the Eastern Conference?
[01:08:37] Speaker C: The East? You know, no one talks about Toronto. Let's just suggest Detroit, Knicks, Celtics, Cavs. To me, that's the class in the East. And then there's a little drop off there.
You know, the Raptors have played really good basketball this year. They're young. I put them in that Phoenix category. Like, don't know if they're championship quality, but they're young, they're athletic, they're tough, they're playing good ball.
Your 76ers. I have no idea what the heck the big guy's been drinking Embiid of late, but he's dialed back the hot tub time machine to a few years ago, maybe to his MVP season. I love Maxi. They got, you know, great draft pick in Edgecomb, so. And even with Paul George, you know, being suspended.
[01:09:22] Speaker B: Selfish, selfish self. Selfish. Paul George.
[01:09:25] Speaker C: George, yes. Not playoff P. Selfish P. Right. In this instance.
And I said it, when it happens that I still think Philly competes even without him. I don't think it's. I don't think it's that detrimental, you know, can they win a championship? Probably not, but I really like their team. A biggest disappointment to me, and a lot of it has to do with health, is the Orlando Magic. They just haven't been healthy this year. And the team, and we talked about it earlier, I think we mentioned it with Detroit and Charlotte and the fight on Monday night.
The Hornets, that's that team that if they get out of the play in or somehow make it to the six seed, that's the team nobody wants to play. You know, you probably beat them in the best of seven, but nobody wants to play.
[01:10:05] Speaker B: What about the Knicks?
[01:10:07] Speaker C: The Knicks are interesting to me because it's an Eastern Conference champion or contender. Last year, right, they were in the Eastern Conference finals.
They didn't make a whole heck of a lot of changes except the head coach, which is a big change.
But I think Mike Brown, you know, did the smart thing and some of the adjustments he made coming out of the summer into the start of the season. He backed off on about a month in and they really took off to win the NBA Cup. They survived that Rocky 11 game stretch to now win nine of their last 10. I think that's just. Look, that's a scrappy team that easily, you know, behind Jalen Brunson, who still is a basketball wizard to me at his size and his ability to score and you know, Karl Anthony Towns if he stays out of foul trouble and stays healthy. And we can go on and on with their parts. And I think Jose Alvarado was a good second team pickup from them from New Orleans. You know, probably should have been in the finals last year. If it wasn't for Tyrese Halliburton probably would have been in the finals last year. So I don't know how long this window is for them. So if there is a year to get it done, I think this is the year.
I think it'll be interesting to see whoever ends up playing Detroit, if Detroit makes it to the conference finals.
The question will be, is the. Are the lights too bright for Detroit? Knicks can bring that.
Cleveland if they get rolling, I think can bring that. And whatever you think of the Celtics, you know, playing in that building and having the way Jalen Brown has played this year and maybe getting back Jayson Tatum, you know, that could also be a very, very white hot light for Detroit to play under. So all of a sudden, you know, we still talk about the east being wide open. Becomes very, very interesting here in the final whatever it is, six, eight weeks of the regular season.
[01:12:00] Speaker B: Do you think the Knicks, I mean, it's.
Are playing a more relaxed style under Brown as opposed to the Tom Thibodeau who's very intense and maybe gets under the skin of his players?
[01:12:12] Speaker C: That's a good question, I think. You know what, I think those players really liked Tibbs. Now did they like some of that pressure? That I don't know, but I think they fed off it. And I think the aspect that's beneficial to the Knicks for me and Mike Brown's willing to play a lot of guys. He's willing to play young guys, you know, that might keep some of the starters minutes fresher. It might also, you know, give an opportunity not many people know of. Mo Diwara, who never heard of him. You know, there are a lot of teams that were unaware of him coming from France. Very raw French rookie. And he's giving them some really good minutes this year. You know, Landry Shammit shooting ability Some of it's by need and nature. They've got injuries. Those two guys have been getting a lot more playing time, but they were in the rotation anyway because Mike's going to go, you know, 10, sometimes 11, maybe even 12 if he has to. And things tighten up as we get to the postseason. You know, you're only going to play seven, eight guys, but the fact that you've played your ninth guy, your 10th year, 11th, and that they have that confidence to get in there and deliver, maybe that's one of the differences that will benefit, you know, the Knicks with the change. Because I know there's still a lot of people that are still sore, but they made a head coaching change after their first conference finals run in a quarterback quarter century.
[01:13:32] Speaker B: Are we surprised about the drop off of the Eastern Conference champions, Indiana Pacers?
[01:13:38] Speaker C: No. I mean, yeah, you know what? I say no, because Tyrese Halliburton. But yes, because the record's been so bad.
[01:13:45] Speaker B: Yeah.
[01:13:45] Speaker C: And they, they also had a string of injuries early and that thing just got out of hand and you know, it's. It. Yes. So I guess overall, yes, without Tyrese Halliburton, like the Celtics without Jason Tatum. And even, you know, even though he's never suited up and played a game with the Trailblazers, you know, Damian Lillard, you know, the Blazers have had a little modicum of success and we already have detailed the Celtics, you know, who traded away, you know, two starters and lost a third to injury for the year, are sitting third in the Eastern Conference. So I guess with the backdrop of all of that, 13 and 40 is an incredible disappointment.
And then it becomes. If we discuss tanking here at the All Star break, I haven't noticed it from them, but if you're last in the Eastern Conference and I haven't looked at the standings lately, I think they are maybe second worst or third worst record in all of the NBA. You know, you're gathering up all those ping pong balls for a very strong draft coming up. And if you pick the right guy and you add that to an already veteran team, you know, they're making trades. They're going to get Tyrese Halliburton back for next year. Indiana could be set up for next year.
[01:15:01] Speaker B: Who's working with the game with you on Sunday?
[01:15:05] Speaker C: I've got my old pal PJ Carlos Simone, who left us for television three times so far this year. He's so popular, but he'll be there with me. George Sedano will not be with us Friday night. I think he's doing the celebrity game and then we'll have him for All Stars Saturday. As I have to gear up on how to call a slam dunk contest. And the Shooting Stars has returned this year. I like the three point contest that I can do. Math can get a little troublesome for me, but I enjoy that. So it'll be the three of us and then obviously the All Star Games, the round robin tournament on Sunday.
And looking forward, looking forward to it all. I forget how many All Stars this is. For me. I think this is number 22 or 23.
[01:15:53] Speaker B: Wow.
[01:15:54] Speaker C: Mostly as host, and I think it's my 10th as the play by play guy. So. So, yeah, it's. It's. Every once in a while I'll have the rare person who comes up and says, point, you made the slam dunk contest sound somewhat exciting. I'm like, I'll take that as a problem. Thank you.
I wish it was like figure skating when they know the routine. If you just tell me that some guy is standing on his shoulders and jumping over Shaquille o', Neal, just give me a heads up. That'd be a nice thing. But usually we figure it out in real time, which is problematic, especially when it's like pop culture references, you know, musical artists popping out from their chair and they're looking like, you know who that guy is, right? And I'm like, never seen him in.
There's a fan standing in the lane and Jackson Hayes is going to jump over him.
[01:16:40] Speaker B: Crazy. Have you been in the Clippers new arena?
[01:16:43] Speaker C: Only once. We did a playoff game there last year.
And it's unbelievable, the stuff that they've got built into that building.
I know. I think it's mostly known, if your fans don't know, for having, I think, the most bathrooms in any arena anywhere in the world. So there won't be many lines. And that's good. Back to action.
So if you have to relieve yourself, that's the place you want to be.
But it does have some cool functions. Unfortunately, the media, unless you're network television, is at the roof of the stadium. So it's one of the highest places I've ever called a game. But better news for NBA All Star. Now, I won't believe it till I get there, but for All Star, we're usually on the floor right next to the television broadcaster this year, NBC. So I'll get a different perspective. I won't have any vertigo this year when I call a game at Intuit Dome, hopefully.
[01:17:37] Speaker B: So maybe I get to see you on tv. As a mail replays.
[01:17:42] Speaker C: I will. I will wear a tie and a coat. I have a new policy. If we're up in the air, no tie. If we're downstairs. Yes. My boss, the retired John Martin, the chief, who, you know, gave me so many great opportunities at ESPN Radio on the remote side. I learned from him early. You know, you dress the part, even if you're on radio. So, you know, Alan Hodd asked me. He's like, hey, it's gonna be a cold weekend in Boston. You know, it was like minus 20 wind chills. And he said, what are you wearing? He goes, I'm wearing a turtleneck with a sport coat. And I'm like, I got a shirt and tie on, man, and a coat. That's just the way I was raised. I have to do it. I said, you wear the turtle. I'm like, I'll freeze and you'll be nice and warm. And I don't think we were on TV at all, even though we were in the second row broadcasting the game.
I try to stay with the dress code.
[01:18:28] Speaker B: Well, Mark, I appreciate you coming on. And Tim Reynolds missed a good time.
[01:18:32] Speaker C: He's on the clock, 2030.
I'm not sure where those games are being staged, but the next winter day, I think they're in France, so we might have the same problem. The key is I hope we're all still alive and are brains are functioning and we do this again when he's in France and. And we'll. We'll start a campaign a year out to make sure he's coming up.
[01:18:51] Speaker B: And if I'm not retired by then.
[01:18:54] Speaker C: Good point. Or they may retire me before then.
[01:18:57] Speaker B: So that same here possible. They retired me once here before. It doesn't mean they could do it again.
[01:19:02] Speaker C: We'll start a GoFundMe at that point in 2030. Hey, I've been paid in a few years.
[01:19:07] Speaker B: Yeah, Listening Mark is always a pretty. Appreciate a few minutes and we'll talk soon.
[01:19:14] Speaker C: You got it, Ken. Have a great day.
[01:19:15] Speaker B: You too. Thanks. That's Mark Kester. We'll come back, we'll wrap up the podcast and have the final winners in the Daily Gazettes you pick them. Football contest. You're listening to the Parting Shots podcast.
To every referee, umpire and judge in high school sports.
[01:19:53] Speaker C: We want to say we see you.
We see everything you do for us that goes unnoticed.
[01:19:59] Speaker B: We see the positive role models that you are are.
[01:20:03] Speaker C: We see the way you get unfairly criticized just for doing your job.
[01:20:07] Speaker B: The truth is, we couldn't play without you.
[01:20:10] Speaker C: So thank you for investing your time in us.
Thank you for protecting the integrity of.
[01:20:15] Speaker B: The game no matter what.
[01:20:18] Speaker C: We hope you always know how much.
[01:20:20] Speaker B: We appreciate you because without you, this is just recess. It's not really a game.
[01:20:27] Speaker C: Thank you for always, always making it possible for us to play the sports we love.
Want to serve the students in your community?
[01:20:36] Speaker E: Sign up to become an official in new
[email protected].
[01:21:04] Speaker B: Back to wrap up the podcast the Week 22 winner in the Daily Gazettes you pick a football contest was Peter Bubb of Schenectady. Peter wins a $100 price Chopper Market 32 gift card. Congratulations Peter. The VIP winner is Nick Platel of Grand Premier Tire. The season winner was Tom Bushnell of Gansvoort. The VIP winner was Alison Kim of S and G Roofing with 212 points.
I did not defend my title just like the Philadelphia Eagles, but I came close. I tied for second with Nick Platel with 205 points. Jim DeMarco of Terry Morris Four was fourth with 201 points. Paul Little was fifth of Emerick Sales and Service with 198 points. Andrew Crowns and John Keller tied for six with 196 points. Dwayne Leach of All Season Equipment was eighth with 193 points and tied for ninth. Scott Lucher of CapitaLand GMC and Will Springstead, the Daily Gazette's executive sports editor.
Just a big thank you to everyone who participated and hope to see you back when the season kicks off in September.
Well, while the UFO Football Pick' Em contest is over, the Daily Gazette's auto racing contest gets underway.
Select five drivers each week and predict the order of finish. The fan with the most points for the race gets his or her name in the Daily Gazette and their name mentioned on the Parting Shots podcast and the winner gets a $50 gift card and Daytona 500 comes up Sunday. So get on dailygazette.com and click on the Auto Racing Contest banner.
Just because COVID 19 mandates are easing, that does not mean you should relax. Be vigilant. If you have not received a booster shot, please do so. Or if you have not gotten vaccinated, please do so. Do it for yourself, do it for your family and do it for your friends.
Don't forget to download the Daily Gazette app and sign up for our E Edition so you never miss a headline. Subscribe today at www.dailygazette.com. we have a lot of great specials going on when Credibility matters. Trust the Daily Gazette.
This week on the Stan and Shen show. The pair talk about all the food deals available at the upcoming Schenectady County Restaurant week, more than 25 great places offering lunch and dinner specials. Subscribe to the Stan and Shen Podcast on all your podcast listening platforms.
That wraps up another edition of the Pawning Shots Podcast. I want to thank Brandon Burr, Nick Young, Braden Gillespie, Tony Macy, Stephanie Bourk, Amanda Kwong, Greta Crop, Mallory Morocco, Emily Evans, Casey Jones and Mark Kassiser for being part of the show.
If you have questions or comments about the podcast, email to me at shot that's s c h o t
[email protected] follow me on X Threads and blueskylapshots.
The views expressed on the Parting Shots Podcast are not necessarily those of the Gazette News Group. The Parting Shots Podcast is a production of the Gazette News Group. I'm Ken Schott. Thanks for listening and I'll catch you next time from the Parting Shots Podcast studio in Schenectady, New York. Good day, good sports, Sa.
