RUNNIN' VEGAS - The John McNamara Podcast
Talking local sports, business and real estate.
RUNNIN' VEGAS - The John McNamara Podcast
UNLV Is Reloading 👀 Football Transfers + Runnin’ Rebels Are Back
Hey guys, it's John America. We're talking locals, big business real safe. You guys like us, running both guys. I'll give my co-host, Mr. Run and Plum in the house. Jumping Unav Transfer Portal. Little running rabble basketball.
SPEAKER_02:Oh no, man. Monday, everybody wants passenger fire.
SPEAKER_00:Now we're gonna put a statue up for him. Seriously. Big things happen in the last 48 hours. But I mean, if you can't don't have a lot of energy after that intro, I don't know. You must be asleep out there.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, we gotta, you know, we gotta get the hypey for UV. We are we got a lot of good stuff to talk about today. So yeah. We're gonna start off ULV football, uh, transfer portals going on. And I kind of no, I didn't make a mistake, but I kind of I saw the dates for the uh for the transfer portal. It goes for two weeks. I thought like it was done. So we don't have like the full transfer class here.
SPEAKER_00:Right.
SPEAKER_02:Uh but we have the majority of it.
SPEAKER_00:But I mean them being able to opt in is is done, right? They just don't have the land yet. So we're at least the people that we have, we have. Yeah. Is that my understanding? Okay.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, there's uh yeah, so everybody who has officially transferred out, um, they are in the portal. Now they can transfer to schools. That can continue, but nobody else can leave their schools, move forward. And there's only one transfer porter uh this year where in the past there's been two. I think there was one right after spring ball, and that has gone away. So we have a good idea. So let's get into it. What were the top takeaways for Univ football in the transfer portal?
SPEAKER_00:Well, uh losing AC was was tough, especially when he can't came out and said, I'm staying in Las Vegas, this is where I don't want to mess with the transfer portal again. I really like Coach Mullen, and I believe my talents are gonna be best utilized here. So everybody's stoked, right? Everybody comes out and they're stoked, and then you know, a couple days later it's like, uh, never mind, I'm heading off to be a cornerhouse girl in Nebraska. So that was obviously a big hit when it happened because I think he was a crowd favorite. Everybody really loved watching him play. Uh but we got some kids coming in that are gonna be all alright. And as as I was hoping that it was closed, that means Orgy has not transferred out, right? I mean he's he's still here, so that's a good thing.
SPEAKER_02:That's a good question. Well, actually, we'll go into that later. We're gonna talk about the guy who transferred in. Transferred in. So, what were your thoughts with AC Levin Calandria, who is basically the MVP of the team? Right. I don't think I don't think we get 10 wins without him last year. I think that was a seven, eight win team.
SPEAKER_00:Well, I think even with him playing at 85% versus New Mexico, we would have won New Mexico had he been at 100%. So just seeing what he was like, even not a full capacity, that we couldn't beat that team really showed what he meant to the offense and to the team as a whole.
SPEAKER_02:So if you're Calandria, should you have stayed in Unal V or should you have taken that money in Nebraska?
SPEAKER_00:So it it's always tough. As a fan, you want him to stay. And then you think, okay, you're gonna go to Lincoln. What does Lincoln have that I mean Las Vegas is is the entertainment and sports capital of the world, but I don't know that that's it. That is what it is, and I don't know. Two million dollars. You know he's always compared to Johnny Menzel. Johnny Manzel did not have a good NFL career. Um so we don't know what that next step and that next level looks like for him. So if he needs to kind of go make some coin right now, if he doesn't believe wholeheartedly that he's gonna be able to be an NFL quarterback and make some money at the next level, um you kind of you kind of gotta do it. I mean, as tough as it is for us as fans, but the kid has to look out for himself and his family and do what's best for him, and you can't blame him for that. I mean, coaches have been doing this for years, and now the players are doing it, everybody gets down on the kids, but it's it's a totally different ballgame.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I think where he screwed up was saying I think his heart was here because everything was lining up to be here, but when you really it probably came just down to dollar and six. That's right. Because, and I don't blame him. He may make the league as a backup in the future, but he's not big. He's six foot, right? You know, maybe 200 pounds, soaking wet. So, yeah, at best he's probably a backup quarterback in the NFL. Probably not, though. So I agree with you. Like he's kind of got that Manzel type ability, and he's fun to watch. But um, we'll see. I'm rooting for him at Lincoln. I hope, I hope he does great. I don't blame him. I think he actually made the right move. And we're gonna oh actually, before we go into that, just uh just a highlight, guys. The guys, the returnees have Jaden Thomas, a left tackle Will Thomas, right guard, or excuse me, uh, right tackle Austin guard, or Austin Boyd, who I think is gonna move to guard. Uh, wide receiver Lions McGee, a big return, Lucas Conti. Yeah, came was in the portal, then came back. That's huge. That was huge. That was actually the one I was concerned about the most because we don't have a lot of good defensive linemen uh that are returning. He's by far our best one. He still has, I believe, another two years of eligibility. And then I cannot pronounce the linebackers name. We got two kids from Hawaii. Caillou and Telamoto. They looked really good. Uh and then Jake Pope. Jake Pope didn't look good, but I'm I'm I'm glad he came back because we don't have a lot of returnees in the secondary. So let's have a little fun quiz here. Ooh. Would you like QBA or QBA? Let me list the stats.
SPEAKER_00:QBA or QBA is always a good one. QBA or QBB.
SPEAKER_02:Okay. Excuse me. All right, the first QB. 63% completion percentage, 32, 3,300 yards passing, 22 touchdowns, eight interceptions, 871 rushing, and 12 touchdowns on the ground.
SPEAKER_00:Okay.
SPEAKER_02:That's QBA. QBB. I should have gone one and two. Uh 62% completion percentage, 4,000 yards passing, 26 touchdowns, 20 interceptions, 500 rushing yards, two touchdowns on the ground. Which QB do you pick?
SPEAKER_00:Oh, that that's tough. I think consistency-wise, I would go with QB1 or QB, QBA. Um, upside seeming and just not throwing the interceptions because at least from last year, if we were playing last year's team, our defense wasn't strong enough to have to turn the field. We would need to make sure that we're our defense played well enough. We're turning the ball over left and right, that not may not have ended up very well for our team.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. So would you like me to review? I'd love that. Okay, so QB1 is Jackson Arnold. All right. New QB of UNLV football. And QB2 was AC prior to transferring in to UNLV.
SPEAKER_00:That's what and that was one of his biggest issues coming in from Virginia. And one of the reasons he got benched was he just did not make good decisions, turned the ball over left and right. And I'm hoping that, you know, uh what had what he did under Dan Mullen, he I think one, the defense slowed down a little bit, and two, he made better choices. So uh like you said, I'm wishing him the best in Nebraska. But going stat for stat, I'm I'm excited about Jackson Arnold.
SPEAKER_02:And I forgot to add this is Jackson Arnold played in the SEC. Right. Where AC played in the ACC. Big difference in competition. Um I think people, uh especially online, our fans, and our fans are crazy, I mean honestly. They really are. Um, they're freaking out. Calandria's, you know, I'm like, Jackson Arnold on paper looks like a better prospect. Calandria did it, so I get it. Like, I think all of us would want Calandria to stay, but on paper, I think uh uh Jackson Arnold has more potential. Uh what I've learned from him, watching the tape. He he's fast, he's got a big R, he's a little bit bigger than AC too. So there's more potential. The one thing about him versus AC, it seems like um Jackson Arnold is more conservative. Um so hopefully Dan Mullen can kind of uh you know get that out of him to make more bigger plays versus AC, wants to make a big play every single time and was able, like you just spoke about, was kind of able to get down on those interceptions and make smarter plays. So we'll see how it plays out. But I think, you know, if you told me five years ago Jackson Arnold was coming to ULV, how would you feel about it?
SPEAKER_00:I I mean I think you know the talent level is undisputed. He's one of the highest rated quarterbacks that Oklahoma ever pulled in. Uh, then you know he transferred to Auburn. He had some he had some difficulties, he got benched, but maybe he was just asked to do a little bit too much too quick. And like you said, ACC, uh big Big 12 defenses and SEC D defenses are a lot, and I'm you know using that kind of term tongue in cheek, a lot bigger and faster than Mountain West, especially where the new Mountain West is coming into play. So the game may slow down for him a little bit where he will be able to make bigger, uh bigger plays and um really showcase his ability, which is obviously um, you know, obviously there. I don't think he was necessarily like a you know a highly rated QB that ended up busting out. I just think he was maybe asked to do a little bit too much too soon. Yeah. And I'm excited to see what the quarterback whisperer Dan Mullen can do and make him a rock star.
SPEAKER_02:The stats are good. So I'm on paper. It sounds like he just wasn't winning games. So, and I think Auburn was just a complete mess, it seems like when he was there. So we'll see. You never know. We gotta play the game, stats are stats, and then we'll we'll figure out that on Saturdays uh this year. So excited about that. I'm excited for Jackson Arnold. Uh great guy. I guess my thought process too is five years. We've kind of gotten a little spoiled that you want to be. I'm just saying that to the fans right now because there's been a lot of hate in Jackson Arnold, and now we shouldn't pay him. And uh, I'm just you know, that's okay though. Right. Um, so who are we most excited uh that transferred in? Not named Jackson Arnold. Because that's obviously the easy one, right? We always pick the QB.
SPEAKER_00:So I kind of did a little bit, I did a big skill player, a linebacker, and then a tight end. So Troy uh Troy Statello, uh Stellato, excuse me, from Kentucky, just transferred in. Didn't isn't a big stat guy, but it looks like he's a physical wide receiver that can actually go up and grab the ball. Um D-crate and linebacker from Clemson, like you'd said, on that defensive side of the ball. Him and Jake Pope could hopefully be kind of um you know kind of a one and two uh depending on what type of defense we play. And then uh Keen Burnett, the tight end from Arizona and from Kansas, didn't get have a lot of catches from where he was, but he had to shift um offensive mindsets. Sometimes that tight end just doesn't get a lot of play in certain offenses, but the kid is huge. So I just think that maybe if like you you spoke perfectly that Jackson Arnold doesn't really necessarily want to make the big play, having a big tight end that you can kind of check down to going across the middle, maybe in the slot, um, is gonna help him out a lot. So those are the three that I'm excited to see, aside from uh, you know, the the the new general in Jackson Arnold. I love it.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, we got opposite ones, so these are great, and I like those picks. You picked the most upside players, and I did the ones that had the most experience that kind of have an idea. I like Silar, though. He went to Clemson too, by the way. And yeah, the tight end that you're speaking about, um Burnett, he's 6'6, super athletic. I like his upside. We had big tight ends last year. We saw them make big plays, and I like the D uh was it Creighton? Was his last name? Creighton from Clemson. He's got a lot upside. He could be the starting middle linebacker this year. Um, so the two I picked actually were Taz Reddick from Oregon State. He seems like he's explosive. He averaged, he had like last year 30 catches, he averaged 13 yards a catch. Um originally from Florida, the state, not the not the school. Um but once that was interesting about him against Fresno State, not that we're playing Fresno State next year, that the the conference is changing, but it's similar talent level. 11 catches for 158 yards. So I thought that was very revealing. That's a good point. Kind of reminded me of Ricky White when he had that game going off against Michigan. It translated well. Um, the other one is I picked a different linebacker. And I think both of these kids are gonna play. Cam Santee, 110 tackles from Holy Cross last year. Really reminds me of Jackson Woodyard.
SPEAKER_00:And that's that's the type of player that you want when you're gonna come up, right? I mean, we obviously have power five or power, however many conferences now coming down. You think, okay, they were good enough to be recruited by a Clemson and Auburn, and they're coming down, they should be able to play. When you have a kid coming up uh a league, like say from Holy Cross, those are the ones that you need to have that kind of diamond of the rough that Jackson Woodard was. Uh, you know, he was a walk-on starting at at Arkansas when uh when Odom got him, and then he just became just a beast. So I do like that play a lot, and I am excited to see what he can bring to the table.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I think, and we can talk more about this more. I think we're gonna see the defense uh revert back to a 3-3-5. Yeah. So I see actually both of these linebackers potentially being the starters, plus that um the kid from Arizona last year, Koahu, and the other guy. I think the four of those will rotate, but two of those guys are gonna come out of that. Um so what per what after the transfer portal so far? What position groups do you think we need to bolster the most?
SPEAKER_00:What do we need to bolster the most? Um, I think our our wideouts do need help. I mean, although the still Salado, um, Omorian Walker came in, and then Taz Reddick, like you said, losing Troy O'Meary to the portal, Day Day Reynolds, Jojo graduating out. Uh I just don't know if we have that big alpha wide receiver that can make a huge play downfield. So we've done a great job on the defensive end. I mean the defensive line. Well, who we brought in, the size and the size of those boys are just absolutely huge. And you know, Conti coming back is huge. So I think that's the kind of where we've really we've we've tightened up. I just don't know if we paid as much attention to skilled players as we need. I think with Glover and Jet coming back, running back, we're we're we're good. I would have liked to have seen maybe one stud wide out. And and like you said, maybe there's one out there that we just don't know about quite yet. But I think uh uh if we could get a bit just a big stud wide receiver, I think that would have really completed the class.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's it's interesting. I think they've we'll see if they bring in another one because I like the top three that we have in now, and then the like we mentioned, Saleto, Taz Reddick, and then they brought in Walker from Middle Tennessee State. He's 6'4, and he also played at Michigan. Right. So I think that's like their high potential receiver. That might be like that Troy Omir kind of type play. We'll see. Uh, but for me, I I think they need to bring in another tight end. Uh just having Burnett, I think you want two just in case there's an injury. For sure. Um they only brought in one defensive lineman, Herb Gray, and there's no edge. They didn't bring in one edge yet. So that is a concern. 3-3-5, you just really need one. I know they got the two young younger kids, Rudolph and um um, I'm trying to remember the other guy. But and some more interior lineman. Um, I do believe, you know, I think they did a good job of bringing in big linemen, as you know. I love the line.
SPEAKER_00:I know, that's what that's your your deal.
SPEAKER_02:Uh Jackson, he's from Cal 6'6. Olga from oh, excuse me, uh from New Mexico State, 320 pounds, and then the monster Thomason 6'8, 320-something pounds. Yeah. But I think Johnston and Thompson, they're gonna be competing for that right tackle spot. Um, and then I think they're gonna push push uh Austin Boyd in. I think Austin Boyd would be all first team, Mountain West, the right guard.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah.
SPEAKER_02:So I think that's the move. We'll see. Um, I like how they short up the linebackers, four defensive backs they brought in. So I think we're moving to a 3-3-5. And what are your thoughts? Because the former DC Mike Sheer, the linebacker coach, um what are your thoughts with the hire? And what are your thoughts? Because Paul Gunther was technically retained.
SPEAKER_00:Right. I I think that's the DC. Yeah, they dropped the interim tag, which I don't know if they've made an official announcement, but it doesn't seem like the interim tag is on there. So yeah, he's he's sticking around. And uh every single time I was on chatting with him, and even when we were texting during the game, the defense was always the the biggest question mark every single time we took the field. So keeping Gunther around was a little bit of a head scratcher for me. Um Coach Mullen is definitely much smarter than I am when it comes to football, so I will obviously uh take uh take his decision uh and and and run with it. But I just don't know if if the the players last year were recruited for for Zach's Arnett's defense and that was what different from what Gunter was gonna run. And now we brought some kids in that are gonna kind of help out with his scheme. So um, but Sheer coming back, I mean, I think that it's it's good because if something does go horribly wrong and there needs to make it make a change, who knows, midseason or at the end of the season, I think he could slide right back into that role and we would be possibly even a little bit better. So I think his his experience um in Las Vegas, recruiting to Las Vegas, and it's just coaching experience is gonna be huge for our defense, and then just having maybe another voice in that defensive um locker room uh to help out Gunter in a couple of the schemes and a couple of the play calls, I think it's gonna be big.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, I think so too. That is like the biggest question, Mark, for me going into the offseason because I'm wondering if Paul Conthur is gonna be more of like um you know, kind of figurehead in that position, so to speak. And then you have like Mark Sure making the calls or whatever. We'll see, but like in night and day the defense from last year to the year before. Right. Like if we had that defense from the year before with that offense we had last year, we may have won a Mountain Watch Championship. Right. So um, so we'll see. And credit, I know I've talked a lot about Punk Gunther, not a fan, um, not as a human being, but like just what has gone with the defense. It improved as the year went on, like this the the last third of the season, it seemed like things clicked better.
SPEAKER_00:There were fewer big chunk plays that we gave up. We still gave up two or three a game, but not seven or eight like we were doing before.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah. So I will get credit because you brought up an awesome point. Reality is like he wasn't the defensive corner in the beginning of the year. They were gonna, I think they were gonna run a 3-3-5 or something like that. Um, or 5-2, I can't remember what it is now, but um, that defensive corner was lit go. He stepped in, he runs a 4-3 primary defense, a nickel like from NFL. So I I don't know if he had you know his guy, so to speak, but the way they are building, they're not getting a ton of edge players, they're getting like those tweener defensive linemen that are like 6'3, 275, where they're not really a defensive tackle, but they're not a D. You know, like that's usually a 3-3-5. Right. And they're bringing a lot of defensive backs again. I will say this though, one thing that was interesting about this transfer portal class, we're not seeing like an overhaul of seniors. Yeah. They're actually bringing in guys that are sophomores, juniors, like so. I thought that was interesting too. And I know like the transport portal, Dan Mullen can leave tomorrow and he can bring his whole class with him. But it also is a little tell, like maybe Dan Mullen is leaning for maybe a third year as of now.
SPEAKER_00:So I mean, I would love that, and that is the tough part about it, is that you bring these guys in last year, and the guys that we talked about just graduated and they played here one year. And when you say a kid played at you know, Auburn and Michigan and TCU, they're coming here in their fourth, third or fourth school, they're not gonna have a lot of eligibility left. Yeah, and so you're gonna have to just deal with the kids that are coming in from those higher-tiered schools, you're just gonna have to realize, okay, they were there, they gave it a go a few years, and we're not gonna have them for very, very long. So I do like the the kids that they're bringing in that have more eligibility left.
SPEAKER_02:Okay, and uh just uh heads up, guys, if you want to look at the Trans Reporter class, go to I it's called uh Scarlet Standard. It's on Twitter, check that out. They have a good and then Unal V247, that's not always update. But I know we just ran through a bunch of guys, so that's the best way to look at these pliers. And who's transferring. And that's where we get our information from. Alright. So week zero, U know V.
SPEAKER_00:Playing Memphis. How do we feel about it? So this is just going to be the way that we have to do things now. With the the new Mountain West not being nobody really knows what to think about the new Mountain West or the Mountain the I don't even know what we're calling it. The teams that have have remained. You're obviously losing juggernauts like Boise State, Fresno State, San Diego State. So we're going to have to play our non-conference schedule. We're going to have to play up. We're not going to get away with playing Idaho State anymore. So aside from Cal, there was really nobody else on the schedule that was going to give us a lot of bona fetus on the national stage if we're going to compete for a Mountain West Conference Championship and a spot in the college football playoffs. So I think this was a smart move. Week zero stings a little bit because it's like, you know, you're you're out there, you don't get that last week of practice that everybody else is getting. But you play with the, you know, you play with the team that you have, and um, at least there's not as much turnover as there was last year on the team. So I feel better about playing in week zero this year than I did with the complete unknown of last year. Yeah, we've almost lost Idaho State.
SPEAKER_02:You had our text, I'm like, this is gonna be a long year. Uh but yeah, I think it'll be a van in Junal V this year. Great point. Uh, because Memphis has a new coach and they're bringing a lot of new guys in that way. So I think it's gonna be a vantage unal V. Um, I love Week Zero, but I'm selfish. I want football as soon as possible, especially a home game. I get to go to Allegiant and watch. And Memphis in it Memphis is in a similar class as Unl V. So, I mean, a lot of people would consider them a better football program than UNLV, of course, because of history. But they're both top five G5 programs, in my opinion. So the other home game we have is Cal. We're away at North Texas and Akron. I'm not gonna dive into conference play, but the two biggest games on conference play are away, New Mexico, Hawaii. So just based off of that, what do you think of the schedule? What do you think it takes to get into the playoffs next year?
SPEAKER_00:I I I do think we have to win out. I mean, I think there's no being at a lower tier conference, we don't get the automatic bid. We have to be the top top ranked or well, we're going back to the analytics again like we did the end of last year. But I think, you know, just for our rankings, we have to dominate and we have to there's no room for error. Um because the the big, like I said, the juggernauts of the old Mountain West aren't gonna be beaten up on one another and think, okay, maybe we can get in with one or two losses. Definitely not two, but uh a loss. I I think we have to win out, and I think we have to win handily because we're now the you know the crown jewel of the Mountain West, and there's gonna be a lot more expectations on us, not just to win, but to dominate the conference. And so um that's what I think we're gonna need to do in order to be in contention for a college football playoff berth.
SPEAKER_02:Um before I forget to really good points, by the way. Big Mountain is making an announcement on YouTube today. Uh, looks like Mountain West is gonna be potentially expanding to two more teams. Oh, nice. I think it's gonna be North Dakota State and Charlton. Uh, but they're breaking news later today, so that would be already broken when people see this pot. So shout out to them. I like their information too. They do a lot of pack and Mountain West football and basketball. Um, yeah, I think we go 11-1. I think they're in the playoffs. Uh, there is a possibility. Like, this is not again, not enough, not a tough schedule. I think we technically most likely will be better. That's not guaranteed, but on paper, it's looking that way. We're gonna play lesser talent. The thing is, Memphis and North Texas obviously had good seasons. They both have new coaches. Cal is the most interesting, but it's at home. So we'll see. At New Mexico and at Hawaii, those are tough. Um, they should be better too. So I don't see us winning out. I I feel like there's this possibility, but I think if we go 11 and 1, I think we would get in. But again, it depends on so many.
SPEAKER_00:That there's a lot of factors, so many known unknowns when it comes to that stuff. And you know, waiting to get to the end of the season is gonna be it's it's a long ways away.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, history would tell us it's uh in the mark in in college football has changed a lot, but issue would tell us that 11 win you're typically in season. But um 12 you're basically guaranteed, um, no matter what. So that would be amazing. But we're not gonna dive into schedule, we'll have it to own pod on that one. But it's kind of fun to look ahead. Excellent for Memphis. Let's dive right into Unileag basketball because we're running low on time, as always.
SPEAKER_01:Run around us.
SPEAKER_02:So about 48 hours ago, everybody was calling for Pastor said, He needs to be fired, and now we're in love with Pastner. So uh big win, Unileague basketball beat at Logan. First time in 10 years, by 10 points, uh, Utah State. So your thoughts on the game, what you saw, what you think about the season so far, hit me.
SPEAKER_00:So I apologies to any Utah State fans out there, but their their crowd just gets me. I've actually I've I've been up to the spectrum, and it's it was uh it was during winter break, so the herd wasn't there, which was kind of a bummer, but probably better for my blood pressure. Uh the the game started out like, oh, here we go again, and then we battled back and we're able to you know tie it up at halftime, and then going down 14 midway through the second half, you think, okay, here we go again. And then for them to be able to battle back and then make it a 24-point swing, end up winning by 10 with the foul trouble, uh, with guys Wally Brown stepping up, playing big minutes. Um I just thought, you know, that the that's what I do like Passener because I I, for one, was not calling for his head. Uh I like Passenger, I like his energy, and I like how he's this first year, all he wanted to do was develop a culture of grit and hard work and high pressure defense. They're doing that. Uh we you know you and I were talking a little bit before. If they had one more like consistent scoring option, I think a couple of those suspect wins or excuse me, suspect losses would have been great. And I don't think the refs, I'm not really a guy that complains about the refs, but the refs really didn't help him all that much with the foul trouble. One of my favorite parts of the game was when Gibby was playing defense with his hands behind his back. Like, you're not gonna call you're not gonna call me for a foul because I'm playing with my hands behind my back. And so I just I thought you know the team they battled back together, they they're they're doing it, and we are starting to gel at the right time, so it'll be interesting to see if we can win three games in March and do something big.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it's uh I was uh not calling for passing his head either. It's been an interesting, and I understand the frustration behind it, but it's year one. Like, and you and I talked about Mike, it's gonna be a rough year. He's got what like it was basically a brand new team, so I think he had one return. One return, Jacob Bernardi. Yeah, it was actually played pretty well. I was completely wrong with Jacob um the beginning of the year. Um, so I'm glad to see he's been a really good utility. I love the take with Brown too. He came in and played well. We were hoping I think he could be a really major contributor to this team. He can keep playing like that. But gosh, Jones and Gibbs, man, stars.
SPEAKER_00:Whatever we need to do to keep Tyron Jones here. Uh and Gibby, yeah, for sure. I will uh I will go down and I'll work free on the weekends at Finley Toyota if we can if we can get a little bit more going. I'll be there with you.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, let's get that NIL money for Jones and Gibbs. Start building that now because they're they're both superstars. And yeah, I agree. I um I think the biggest thing for me, because gosh, sense of rice, we have really only had one to two stars every year, and we clearly have two stars right now. I would say Hamilton's that third guy, but again, beating a dead horse, so to speak. If that guy could just not get in foul trouble and we could play him 30-35 minutes a game, it would be phenomenal because he's a defensive stud. He's physical, and I love that he's physical, and I love the grit of this team and the culture that Passenger is building. So we'll see. Um, so the rest of the year, I mean, what do you think? Are we making a run? We got I'll say this about we're five and two. We are in the top six, and there's about all the top six are basically, you know, it's up for grabs right now for first place for the top six teams. We'll say this though, we haven't really played anybody except for Utah State in conference. And we got uh we're playing San Diego State twice. Uh we got a game against New Mexico, GCU, Nevada twice, and you another game with Utah State. We got I guess we got a lot of home games though, too. I guess our schedule looks pretty good.
SPEAKER_00:We we played a little, we we were kind of front-loaded on away on the schedule. I mean, so I do think that playing, you know, playing together, starting to play right. I think Passmar kind of has his rotation down now. Uh not throwing a bunch of other kids in. Um has a good rotation. Again, if you can keep Hamilton out of foul trouble so Wally doesn't have to come in off the bench. And I think you know, you just he played loose, but um, I think San Diego State's gonna be the big test on Saturday. We're playing him at home. We finally match up, I think physically, they've always been very long and athletic. Um, I think we're finally long and athletic, so I think we're built to compete against San Diego State. Saturday will be the test to see if we are a legit contention when it comes to the Mountain West Conference Tournament, or if we're just gonna be, you know, an up and down team like we have been for the majority of the year. Good take.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, if they it's a crazy game for this Saturday because I think you hit a nose. They win that game, we're technically like not maybe not first, but in that like realm, right? We beat the two best teams in the league. And one thing I've noticed in the last two games, I'm sure you notice this too, the shooting has improved just tenfold against Utah State and San Jose State. The shooting threes are hitting them. Free throws, insane. Free throws have been big. Free throws have been amazing. Yeah. So the free throws were interesting because San Diego State is the most, uh they foul the most out of not only in Mountain West, but in the NCAA. So if they can keep hitting those free throws, we're at home. We'll see. Hopefully a crowd shows up. You're going there. Absolutely. You're a true fan. So he's a better fan than I am. But um, yeah, so I think um I was kind of looking at it. We got five Easter games. I say they go eight and four rest of the year. Do you have a take on win total for the rest of the year or conference?
SPEAKER_00:No, I'm I it's so so bad because I really don't know what team's gonna show up. So I'm just I'm hoping for the best.
SPEAKER_02:Me too. Yeah, I think um, I think they're gonna I think the key to this though is for UNLV to get 12 to 13 conference wins. Typically, if you're 12 to 13 conference wins, you're in the top five, means you get a bye, gives you the best chance for a Mountain West championship. Do you think you're getting a Mountain West championship or no? No. I don't think so either. But we're gonna talk more about UNLV basketball next time. Ryan, thanks for being on, brother.
SPEAKER_01:Thanks so much. You guys see this guy, Thomas Mack, buy him up, being the guys are running back, and sticking ourselves today.