Foster and Friends
Foster and Friends
Foster and Friends Vol 132 "A Week Worth Remembering"
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Bud and Mac reflect on one of the more memorable weeks in NCAA Tournament History. From the Michigan win to the "handshake controversy" with Geno Auriemma and Dawn Staley. Not to mention the UNC surprise hire of Mike Malone.
This episode also features a Virginia Tech Spring Football update with Bud and head coach James Franklin.
Welcome to Foster and Friends. Send us a text message. Bud and I would love to hear from you.
This is Foster and Friends, former coach Fred Foster and his co-host Mac McDonald.
SPEAKER_11Had a five-hour meeting, had a great meeting, and uh my wife Jocelyn and I, we had a uh we were up all night, got up early, talked about it, thought it through, and I just kept on coming back to this is North Carolina.
SPEAKER_10Foster and friends, it's presented by Envision. Locations are in Christiansburg in Salem, Virginia. For the best in eye care and fashion, it's Envision. By the River City Distillery in Radford, makers of Win vodka, it's a good day to enjoy a win. And by Brick House Pizza, visit our Radford location in the Brick House Garden featuring live music in the best in comfort food. Brickhouse Pizza means good times.
SPEAKER_05There were six pounds called that quarter, all of them against us. I'm not making excuses because we haven't been able to make a chat. But this is ridiculous.
SPEAKER_10Now, from the NSB Radio Network, Foster and Friends. Here's Bud and Mac.
SPEAKER_07Welcome in. It is Foster and Friends and uh a Master's Weekend, which we will touch on, Bud Foster on my screen, which is always good. But now I always say it's good to see your face. That's kind of our anyway. Welcome in. It's a week worth remembering, which we will uh talk about. How was your Easter?
SPEAKER_06It was good. Uh, you know, we had a great weekend here. Saturday was beautiful, broke the seal on the boat. That is the earliest I've ever been on my own boat uh this time of year. How about that? Yeah, you know, I've got a pontoon now. You know, I had a had a ski boat before that, you know, we got tore up with uh Helena. But uh so the pontoon with the outboard, man, it's just like a it's like a lawnmower. You can crank that in it. It started right up, and uh, but then it was beautiful. And Sunday was uh on Easter day. It was uh a little rainy and cold here. So it was just uh it was a nice relaxing day. My my kids and grandkids went to their in-laws and and that type of thing. So we Jesse and I just kind of had a quiet uh That's good. You know, it was cold, rainy, snuggly day a little bit.
SPEAKER_07I'm guessing that your on your boat engine it doesn't say echo or tour. No, no, no.
SPEAKER_06Hey, it's a Mercury 150, man. I got you. But it purrs like it purrs like a kitten, and uh, but it started right up. But it uh you know, it was nice to be out there and um you know, probably made I probably thought of you a little bit down there. You know, it was about 78 degrees, 80 degrees. Yeah, it was pretty nice to be able to do that. What's Mac doing right now? Yeah.
SPEAKER_07Well, we're getting weekend. Yeah, but no, it was good. It was low-key. It was uh, you know, just one of those. My wife's a nurse, and so I never see her, you know, uh on holidays now. You know, she was so it's uh it was all good, but had plenty of time to watch a lot of basketball and get caught up. But what was your uh what was your thought about the final four? And Michigan when I watched the Michigan, Arizona game, and we talked about this before we started recording today. When I watched Michigan, Arizona, I went, this is this is a pro game. These guys, 24, 25 years old, Dusty May has figured out the model. This is the these guys were men that were playing on scene.
SPEAKER_06They were grown men, and they were they were, I mean, the games were physical. They were um, I mean, Michigan kind of came out and dominated that game. Uh, you know, the um uh the Yukon, they kind of played it ugly and and you know, kept them themselves in the game. But Michigan, they showed why they were the number one team majority of the year this year, you know, until Duke, uh until Duke beat them uh towards the end of the year. But uh what a really good basketball team. But yeah, as you said, Dusty may have found uh the right model. I guess that was the first uh team to have their five starters, were all five transfer portal guys. There was not one holdover, you know, which was uh was it was unique in its own self. But between that and then I did catch a little bit of the women's final, and uh wow. And you know, who would have thought UCLA would have dominated uh, you know, the game like they did. But uh yeah, it was a great weekend for basketball, and uh, but um yeah, congratulations to both UCLA and and Michigan. How about that? The Big Ten wins the men's and women's basketball uh tournament and the national championship football. I think that's the only second time in the history of all this that uh it's gone that way.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, I can't I can't throw UCLA in the Big Ten. You know, I'm just gonna I can't I can't fathom that, you know.
SPEAKER_06But I know the big horse gone.
SPEAKER_07Oh, Big Ten, we are all Big Ten. Anyway, we have a mixture today. The show's called A Week Worth Remembering because, and we're gonna dial back to Friday, the Gino Don uh drama, uh the soap opera that is. We're gonna get into that. Michael Malone becomes the new head coach at Carolina, and Bub's gonna walk us through a little uh a couple of James Franklin thoughts regarding uh putting together spring, you know, the spring practice and preparing. I've uh I've never well, that's not true. The really good coaches are so organized, and there's no doubt in my mind that James Franklin's got to be right there. He's got to be one of the more organized uh coaches in the world. So we'll get into that too. All right, let's go to break. We'll come back. The handshake that was there, but not there. We'll touch on that subject when we come back. Welcome in. Foster and friends and the NSB Radio Network.
SPEAKER_06Hi, this is Bud Foster for Envision. For over 30 years, my good friends, Dr. Scott and Becky Mann, have built a practice that truly cares about their patients.
SPEAKER_00I can just remember being pregnant with my first son over 30 years ago, and we bought the practice from Dr. Henry Stewart, who'd had it for 50 years. Which scary, but we moved forward and we're actually in the same location, and now we're up to seven doctors and over 25 staff in the two locations.
SPEAKER_15The technology is amazing. Uh we used to take pictures on literally Polaroids, and now we went to digital, now we have widescreens, and um we can do things today. Ten years ago were only images you could only generate maybe at a teaching hospital. And now we can do those chair side when our patients come in.
SPEAKER_00We joke about it, it's been an overnight success in 30 years.
SPEAKER_06Go see your award-winning Envision team. They have two locations, Salem and Christiansburg. They will meet all your eye care needs.
SPEAKER_14I'm choosing to stick to the task at hand. At some point, everything's going to be addressed. Today, this weekend, won't be one of them.
SPEAKER_10The River City Distillery in Radford is proud to present Foster and Friends. Visit the tasting room at 305 Main Street.
SPEAKER_07It is Foster and Friends, NSB Radio Network, button. I have a lot to cover today. Uh, Michael Malone, the new head coach at Carolina, we're gonna touch base uh with him and also James Franklin with the familiarity. It's it's all there with offense and defense. We'll get into that as well. Also a little bit on the Masters today. Uh, we're gonna dial back to Friday night. I mean, I just I watched with interest, and then of course it became as a as a journalist, Bud. Uh well, I don't know if you can call me a journalist, but as somebody who's really interested in covering stories and being a storyteller, I was just in awe of what was going on. I I tried to decide who was right, who was wrong. You just heard Don Staley talking about distractions. That was prior to the UCLA game, but just talked about how the how the Bruins kicked him. But Don and Holly Rowe postgame after the handshake snub and the argument, and uh Don Staley was a little emotional.
SPEAKER_13What went wrong on the sideline right now? I I have no idea. But I'm I'm gonna let you know this. I'm of integrity. I'm of integrity. So if I did something wrong to Gino, I had no idea what I did. I I guess he thought I didn't shake his hand at the beginning of the game. I didn't know. I went down there pre-game. Everybody on his staff, man. I don't know where he came with after the game, but hey, sometimes things get heated. We move on.
SPEAKER_07We and they did move on and played like uh there were some issues. But did you see it on Friday night and did you follow any of it, or was it just too much soap opera for you to stand?
SPEAKER_06No, I did, you know, I I caught a little bit of it. Um and uh but um yeah, I you know, I don't know. I think uh Gino was and I saw just even the videos, and I've gone back and dissected it a little bit, but he was standing there waiting for you know the for the handshake and and Dawn never came. They were in their huddle, you know, probably whether that was gamesmanship, you know, on her part, I don't know. Um but obviously, you know, Gino was upset for for a variety of things, you know, probably for the handshake, but more importantly, how they played, you know, and and that they didn't play up to what they had been. I mean, they just won 54 straight, you know, which is phenomenal.
SPEAKER_07Right.
SPEAKER_06Um you know, they had dominated this team they'd played before, or you know, they played before this, and uh, but um, you know, it was a combination of things. I think he he felt like he he just the officiating didn't go his way, a variety of things. And uh but I I'm sure uh and at the end, you know, he apologized, and but I'm sure in the in the heat of the moment he felt a little bit disrespected and you know, but obviously was upset with just how he is.
SPEAKER_07Well, naturally, I think about I I shouldn't admit this, but I think about you a lot, okay. Gotten to know you through, you know, we're in our fourth year, all the things that happened on the sidelines with Bud Foster and Frank Beamer and all the success you had. Were you ever snubbed?
SPEAKER_06Um you know, I don't know if I was ever snubbed. Um, I was always one of those guys, you know, I I hated to lose, but I was always going to be respectful and go across the field and shake a guy's hand.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_06Uh the only time that I can ever say anything negative was um when we we we beat Tennessee in the Chick-fil-A bowl. And um Lane Kiffin was the head coach, and he was upset with me at the end of the game. Now I didn't talk to him. He said something to come.
SPEAKER_07Lane was upset with you?
SPEAKER_06Yeah, well, at the end of the game, we the game was over. We had dominated him, and and and but in the at the end, he was still throwing the football, and I was just gonna play base defense, but he's still throwing the football, so I brought a few pressures and put their quarterback on their backside a couple times, you know. And I don't think he liked that, but I I didn't like the fact that he was still throwing the football, you know. Just go ahead and run the ball, take a knee, whatever the hell. But if you're gonna throw it in the middle, because the game was over.
SPEAKER_07You you guys had a big lead, right?
SPEAKER_06So yeah. And but I mean the game was over, right? We had a big lead and the game was over, but he's still throwing, so I mean, he's playing the ball game. I'm gonna play the ball game. You know, that was the only time that you know, ever anything that he said something to Coach Beamer about me, and I never did see him face to face.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_06Um, but um, you know, but I that was I was gonna I had our backups in and I was gonna play dead, so to speak. But I thought he I thought he was too, but evidently he's gonna let his guys go let mine go back.
SPEAKER_07That's a great story. See, I these are just questions I have, and that remind me never to get in a poker game with you. And and uh anyway, so Gino had to answer the reporters, and he tried to explain about the handshake and what was going on, and uh Gino slowly opened up about the whole Don Staley incident.
SPEAKER_08Don said post-game that the exchange had something to do with um her not shaking your hand pregame. Is that what you said to her post-game? And do you have any regrets about the way you handled that exchange with her and and your communication about her to Holly Rowe in the fourth quarter?
SPEAKER_04I don't have any regrets about what I said to Holly Rowe. Why would I? I've been coaching a long time. I've never had a kid have to change their jersey because somebody ripped it, and the official said I didn't see it. There were a lot of things that happened in that game. Unless you're on that sideline, you have no idea what's what's happening on that sideline.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, that rant during the third quarter did not help, and the fact that he dropped an S bomb through the whole thing, I mean all of that did not help. And then, of course, the handshake issue, part two.
SPEAKER_04For 41 years I've been coaching and I've been, I don't know, 30, 25 Final Fours. And the protocol is before the game, you meet at half court. Anybody ever see that before? Two coaches meet at half-court and they shake hands. Correct? You ever see it? They announced it on the on the loudspeaker. And I waited there for like three minutes. So it is what it is.
SPEAKER_07But there was pregame footage of them, Shay, where Don shook everybody's hand. And so again, if you're if you feel snubbed, you feel snubbed, but you you were also getting your butt beat, and you had uh the the calls apparently, according to Gino, were certainly lopsided during the third quarter when they were just getting uh blown away. Now, we will say, and from the past week, not one apology, but two. The first apology did not mention Don, it just mentioned South Carolina and the staff. Now, the second apology, he said, I was wrong, I wasn't myself, and uh he and Don have spoken. Don told him I want what's best for basketball, and uh Gino says, Well, yeah, I do too, so let's move on. God, I hope they play the opening game next time.
SPEAKER_06That would be awesome. That would be you know that I mean there's a I'm I'm sure there's mutual respect there. I mean, you know, you just I mean Dolan Staley's taken um, you know, done a tremendous job in her career, uh but you know, when you you look to somebody like uh Gina Ariama, I mean, my God, he just said he's been to 25 Final Fours. I mean, my God, I mean, you're talking about the winningest coach in the history of this of this sport. Yeah, and I don't care what side, you know, whether men or women, I mean, the guy can coach. And um, I mean, he deserves uh a certain amount of respect, in my opinion. And uh but uh but so does Dawn. I mean, without a doubt. And uh I'm sure there's two different styles right there, you know. And uh but there is a mutual respect, I'm sure. But there's also that that uh there's that competitive side you can see of both of them. They both uh want to win and they both hate to lose, and they both uh demand respect. So uh my guess is you and big time people.
SPEAKER_07And my and my guess is you and Lane have not corresponded since the No, I would be I would say this.
SPEAKER_06I I mean I I'm I'm intrigued by Lane. I don't have any issues with him myself. I would love to talk to him. I will, you know, I I I like what he does, you know, and what type of offense he does and you know, plays, and his kids play well. I would love to have a conversation with him, but we never have.
SPEAKER_07I love it. We'll have to dive in. I'm gonna have to make a note, and we're just gonna have to dive into get him on the show. Let's see how that works. Uh I that request will come right back. You remember Bud Foster? We do foster friends. Okay. Uh, we'll go to break, we'll come back. Uh Carolina Goes Pro. Once again, is it the new model? Mike Sheshewski thinks so. This is Foster and Friends, and this is the NSB Radio Network. We'll be right back. When you walk into a restaurant, say your favorite pizza place, what's the first thing you notice? The way it smells, the vibe, maybe the party atmosphere. If you're traveling in Southwest Virginia or lucky enough to live in the Radford area, hopefully you have visited Brickhouse Pizza, a staple since 1972. Brickhouse Pizza has become a legendary stop. Jeff and Diane's Main Street attraction features artisanal wood-fired pizza with fresh ingredients prepped every day. Brickhouse's pizzas are made with flour imported from Italy. Throw in the recipe for their homemade brew, and you have the recipe for fun. Brickhouse Pizza is open Tuesday through Friday at 3 30, Saturdays at 11.30, and the Sunday brunch begins at 10. Fresh food, cold beer, great times. That's Brick House Pizza, 311 West Main Street in Radford.
SPEAKER_11This is definitely embodies that.
SPEAKER_07What's his name? You know, from Chicago. Was he going to be there? You know, but it turned out that Michael Malone comes out of the woods and is hired to be the North Carolina head basketball coach, the 20th head coach at uh UNC. Um, and you're gonna hear, bud, in just a second, you're gonna hear Coach Kay talk about where he thinks Carolina is going. Do you feel, I'll ask you first, do you feel the heels now with Belichick and a Michael Malone hire, are they approaching a professional model to try to set up something for college saying, hey, the kids we're coaching now are almost pros, is a pro model the way schools are going?
SPEAKER_06Well, I think particularly in the revenue sharing sports, I I you know, uh I see that I see all programs or majority of the programs that I know of going in that direction. I mean, just like here at Virginia Tech, they're going in that direction with the GM and um, you know, that that model. But I think the work with North Carolina, what they have that's different than everybody else, or majority of the people, is that they do have pro coaches that have that experience now in those positions, you know, with Coach Belichick and now with Coach Malone. I mean, you have two guys that have won at the highest level. I mean, one uh world championship, you know, in both men's uh and in in the NBA and in the NFL. They understand you know that that part of it. And you know, as far as who's gonna handle the players and their financials and then who's gonna be the coach and who's gonna coach, you know. But they both have experience on both sides of that. So uh, you know, and that's that's the unique thing about I think what Carolina's doing. And uh but the way the sports are evolving right now, college sports, uh particularly the revenue-shared sports, it is going towards a pro model. And um, you know, I don't know is is it'd be interesting is if this is the the path that people will go, you know. And then or or two, as this goes forward, you know, are you gonna see more pro coaches also fall back into the you know college college ranks or is the college ads are are those pro coaches going to be more attractive than to uh you know the college programs? But uh we'll see. We'll see where that goes. But yeah, it's an interesting, it's it's interesting to see the hires that they've made. Um but uh but also it it is a model that I think most uh power four institutions, particularly because of the revenue share, are going to.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, that they you know, with it with the GM positions and so many advisors and and that kind of thing. Well, Mike Sheshewski appeared on the Pat McAfee show uh when when it was on the eve of of uh Malone being hired, and uh, you know, I think it was Monday, uh, and Coach Kay was asked the question about is this a good way to go? And Coach K saying, you know what, maybe Carolina's got something.
SPEAKER_12There's a learning curve. Whatever the reasoning is, then maybe they're they're changing you know they have now two pro coaches coaching in college. The infrastructure of their athletic department uh is it now gonna become more of a pro-organization? I think everybody should be doing that, and he knows how to do that, and and so does uh uh Coach Belichick. Maybe that's a sign that they're moving in that in in that direction organizationally.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, and I and by the way, I had a brain cramp. I was I was trying to think of Billy Donovan, I was trying to think of that name anyway, uh, who's having trouble with the Bulls. But getting back to Michael Malone, he won the title uh with uh the Denver Nuggets in 2023. He did develop the Joker. Uh Jokic is as really just an outstanding center. He thinks he can develop players, and the decision came on Easter Sunday.
SPEAKER_11To say the last 24 hours have been a whirlwind would be an understatement. Um, you know, Steve Newmark, Eric Cooch came to my house on Easter Sunday, had a five hour meeting, had a great meeting, and uh my wife Jocelyn and I, we had a uh we were up all night, got up early, talked about it, thought it through. And I just kept on coming back to this is North Carolina. You know, this is Dean Smith, this is Roy. Williams. This is Coach Guthridge. And um, you know, for me, I always want to be a part of something special and something much bigger than myself. And uh this is definitely embodies that. And to leave the NBA to come to college, there was only one job I would ever even think about leaving the NBA for, and that is here in Chapel Hill. So whirlwind, but I'm really happy to be a part of that whirlwind because I love where I'm at. I'm excited for the challenge, and I can't wait to get to work.
SPEAKER_07Um, but the interesting thing too, of course, Malone's daughter uh was playing on the, you know, she's a Carolina volleyball player. He had seen some of the practices that Huber Davis had been running, very familiar with, you know, he had coached a lot of Carolina, Harrison Barnes, Antoine James, you know, a lot of guys that that he had uh coached as well. So he felt that he would fit. And uh when asked the question about, well, you know, what about your staff and what about learning the college game? And I think as you pointed out, you you surround yourself with people now that can do that. And if you're a pro coach and you're a really solid X's and O's guy, and here's I'll give you a stat that just blew me away. Do you realize Carolina hasn't won an ACC title, tournament tournament title, uh not NCAA, but ACC tournament title since 2016? Really? Yeah, and I no, I heard that today. I went, wait, because if you would have asked me, I said, Oh yeah, didn't they win a couple years ago, whatever? And so, anyway, and and here's the other thing I like about Michael Malone. Yes, we were together for a couple of years. He was with Pete Gillen in Providence, he was with Pete Gillon at Virginia as the director of basketball operations and became a real mainstay. You know, he won 500 games or whatever in the NBA. Michael Malone paid a lot of tribute to the heritage and history of Dean Smith and Bill Guthrie and Matt Doherty and, you know, Roy Wade. He mentioned those guys' names. And so I give I give Michael Malone a lot of credit. So at least right now in the press conference, he won the press conference and he said a lot of the right things.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, without a doubt. I mean, that that's smart on his part, too. You know, just for the alumni base that that knows he understands Carolina basketball. And it's cool for him to say, yeah, I mean, he's he's a successful NBA coach. I'm sure um, you know, he he was was out of basketball and and doing uh doing ESPN, but you know, it was just a matter of time before he would be rehired and to look at uh uh the college level but say that there's only one job that he would go to. And you're talking about one of the premier programs in the history of basketball and and you know, and college men's basketball, and and uh he understands the history. And I think he's gonna understand them once he's involved in it, that there's high expectations and high standards. And it'll be interesting to see though how he approaches this. Will he approach it like Dusty May, you know you know, or where it's all portal driven, or because Caroline in the past has been very much a high school and developmental, and and their best teams have been experienced guys that have been there.
SPEAKER_07That's a great that's a great point.
SPEAKER_06It's gonna be interesting to see if they continue with that model because I know this there's high school kids across the country, you know, they they want to go to North Carolina and play basketball. Now, are they are is that's kind of the new era right now, or the new model. Are you willing to take high school kids? Kind of like what Duke does. Duke's taking high school kids, but then they're a lot of one and done, but they're taking high school kids. Same way with UConn, they're taking high school kids. Now they they may have it put a transfer in here or there, but primarily they're building their foundation and their program and their culture with high school kids and then adding to it. Where, you know, it'll be interesting to see if he just goes all in like Michigan and it goes completely portal driven. And but that's also as long as it's the wild, wild west, you can do that in basketball. You only need a couple, you know. In football, I don't think that's sustainable because it's more of a developmental sport, uh, you know, um, where I think basketball, you can be the one in dunes, and but are you willing to pay for it too? Because I guarantee you we talked about it was a it was a man's game between Duke and or between Michigan and Arizona. Yeah, but that was probably two of the highest paid rock, you know, rock you know, not just you know, in the country. I'm talking not just in college basketball, I'm talking college football too.
SPEAKER_07So real quick, uh uh uh right before we go to Brett, we're gonna transition into James Franklin and get an update from uh the head coach of Virginia Tech now and and in this spring practice. Um, I know without naming names, you were on a committee. I don't want you to name names, but were there any were there any pro coaches that surfaced in the Virginia Tech search as far as the football program with James Franklin? Did any names like uh you know, if you guys are on the whiteboard or you're brainstorming at your committee meetings, were there any pro coaches that surfaced?
SPEAKER_06You know, there weren't any. There was I had people reach out to me, you know, Mike Singletary was one. Um John Gruden, did he? I mean John Gruden's name was thrown around, but you know, that it was just uh, you know, that just well, you know, it kind of there was no there was no substance there, in other words. No, no, not you know, uh, and I told you who all we were really imbued and finally who our finalists were, and they all were the top guys that got all those top jobs in the country, you know. So yeah, I think you know, I had guys like I said, Mike Singletary and Gruden were the two that probably were throwing out to us that you at least you had to throw them in front of the in front of the committee.
SPEAKER_07Hey, colleges are franchises and they have their models. And right now, uh, you know, it looks like Caroline says, all right, we're gonna go with a couple of pro coaches and we'll see how it works out. Uh, the the it's the the the decision is still out there for Belichick. You know, the well, how that's gonna how that's gonna play out. All right, we'll go to break. We'll come back. James Franklin trying to establish an identity both offensively and defensively. We'll get into that when we we come back, fostering friends, and this is the NSB Radio Network.
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SPEAKER_03This place has familiarity with how we typically run meetings, how we run practices. There's familiarity because Brent brought a lot of the model with him, so I think that's been helpful.
SPEAKER_07A couple of uh comments with him as he uh gets familiar with things. How would you say, uh, Bud that things are going at VT with uh Coach Franklin?
SPEAKER_06You know, I've I've watched every practice but a couple. I had a couple meetings that I was tied up in. I've actually even gone to a couple Saturdays, which that I said I was not going to do.
SPEAKER_07Uh but uh it's hard to stay away. Come on.
SPEAKER_06Well, and Jesse was out showing some houses, so it gave me an opportunity just to I'm not just gonna just go set around the house, so I got a chance to go. But no, I tell you what, there's um it, there's uh, as you know, there's a buzz in the air, but the buzz is real. Uh it's um James is 100 miles an hour. Um, but I I just like the energy, the intensity, uh, the athleticism that's on the field. There's a lot of competition. Um you know that's um it's it's fun to watch. And um and I'm anxious to see the sperm game. He he's encouraging uh a sellout or a full house. We're not charging, but it's a full house to and and I wouldn't be surprised if we don't get close to that. And uh but he wants the the the the players to feel the energy and what it's gonna be like game day for them, so it's not a surprise when we open up next fall when there's sixty-five thousand plus people in here and you know enter Sandman and just get that that whole feel. But you know, but from a from a organizational standpoint, from a leadership standpoint, um you know, you see a first-class CEO mindset, you know, uh as far as he's got his hands on everything. Um I mean every detail is it's every every I is dotted, every T is crossed, everything from the dining hall to the stripes on the field to the way the I mean it's just everything.
SPEAKER_07That's a Saban approach. Yeah, that's a Saban approach.
SPEAKER_06Very much so. And but that's how James has been, and and um, but he's extremely organized, he's got a great organization, in my opinion. Uh, I think he's hired an extremely uh talented staff, and right now the the the roster, our DNA has changed as far as the uh the athletes on the field, and then the and then he is creating competition, you know, and that's what he wants. He wants there to be competition because he wants a two deep. He said for us to to play a you know 15-16 game schedule uh for a for a championship, you have to have a two-deep and a third guy in the wings. And so he's selling that and creating that, and and that's building that culture too. Where so and James didn't have a lot of turnover, meaning the portal, when he was at Penn State. And I and that's what he wants here. Like we only I think he only signed maybe one or two guys that are one and done, you know, coming out of the portal. It's mostly guys that have multi-years that he wants to build this, build a culture, build a foundation, and uh let's do something for the long haul.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, sounds like true development too. Well, he talked uh last Tuesday uh after a uh a spring workout, one of 15 and the offense and the philosophy, he addressed it.
SPEAKER_03At Vanderbilt, although I had an OC and didn't call a play, I never called a play at Vanderbilt, I never called a play during our time at Penn State, but it was my offense. Then we go to Penn State and we build it and we're able to hire some people from the outside that got tremendous experience, and then it's always that fine line of stuff you discuss during the hiring process, what you want it to look like, but you've also hired guys with really good reputations, really good resumes you can push, but only so much, right? I I know ultimately you're the head coach, but coming here and hiring Ty, me and Ty had a a ton of conversations about what we wanted it to look like, um, the things that we thought were gonna be critical pieces philosophically. Look, I'm gonna be heavily involved, and are you comfortable with that? And he's like, Yeah, I I want that.
SPEAKER_07Yeah. So and as I say, when you when a coach is, you know, turning things over and said, I I and I I appreciate that. I said, Look, I never I never really called the offense, but it was still gonna be, you know, my the my ideas and and what would you know in working with an offensive coordinator. So you definitely and I and correct me if I'm wrong, but but you got to find people that are on the same page, especially on your staff.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, without a doubt. You know, and that's kind of the saving philosophy. I know a couple of guys that went down and worked for Nick, you know, on defense, and then again, they're gonna go in and put their install their defensive package, you know, and their terminology. And no, it's not. You're gonna install your you're gonna learn Nick's defense, his terminology, and you know, the the players aren't gonna learn, they're gonna you're gonna learn, and we're gonna do what, but you know, I think that's you know, and when we were going through the hiring process with James, I mean, um, I knew Ty would be the guy that was gonna come with him, and he's he's called uh uh you know games and and seasons for Penn State offense. But James did say the one thing that he wants to do is have a little bit more input in in that. He feels like that's that's his strength. Now that I think he's gonna be able to, I think with the new GM we were we were talking, the new GM situations, that he can focus a little bit more on football too, particularly in season. And um, you know, so I think that's one thing that's how he that's how he became who he is, you know, through being an offensive coordinator and uh and in the philosophies, and and you know, he has um you know he's gonna have their input. But it also goes back to the other side, knowing that he's got a an experienced guy, you know, uh on the on the defensive side who is you know called defenses in SEC games and called games in uh the Big Ten games and won a Big Ten championship and you know, all those things in Brent Pry. And uh so he can, if he's got, you know, if there's any inexperience as far as a play caller on either side, it's probably more tie, you know, because he's only done it for a couple years as opposed to Brett's done it for you know a dozen years and been a coordinator even before he was, you know, with James at uh you know at uh at Vanderbilt or Penn State.
SPEAKER_07So as he's talked about the defense too, it basically the message was we need to create stress and an identity.
SPEAKER_03Having really good conversations with Coach Pry and Ty Howe about that, and a bunch of the guys like Coach Rocco and Coach Conklin, we got a bunch of really good senior analysts, uh Warren Rogiro, obviously, Brian Christ. Um so I think we're doing a ton of things that cause a lot of stress, but again, we got to make sure that we can hang our hat on something, right? Like, you know, there's not a rush for that right now, but what is our identity gonna be on offense? What is our identity gonna be on defense? What can we hang our hat on? Uh same thing on special teams, and we don't need to decide that right now while we're still evaluating the personnel. Um, but you know, we're gonna have to know that probably after a couple weeks of fall camp.
SPEAKER_07As far as identity, correct me if I'm wrong, was not the Bud Foster defenses, weren't you guys always one of the leaders in the clubhouse as far as nationally uh just so very, very effective on third down defense. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06Actually, when I retired, we were, you know, uh when they started you know doing those statistics, we were number one in the country, you know, year after year after year, you know, on third down. Third down defense, yeah. Yeah, and that that's crazy, but you know, we were also known for on in our identity, you know, we had beamer ball, which basically was a hard-nosed physical running style football team, you know, that would take advantage and and beat you over the top with some explosive plays. We were gonna be who we were defensively, you know. We were gonna be physical, we were gonna, you know, the team knew that they were gonna be in a 60-minute fist fight. And then we were gonna win the special teams battle. We were gonna be dynamic in special teams, you know. But beamer ball was a system that it was great defense, great special teams, you know, and hard-nosed, tough offense, you know, with explosive plays. And that's gonna be what James is that what they're looking for. I think defensively, um the identity is gonna look closer to what you know we did when my time here. Uh Brent was, you know, cut his teeth with me. Uh, we spent a lot of time over the years talking what I've observed in practice. There's gonna be a lot of similarities of from a pressure and an aggressive style of play. I know in special teams, um, there's a lot of expectations here with beamer ball. And so the standard of special teams is always gonna be high here. And I really like uh the the coach that they they have and and uh and the way the staff is working. And then offensively, you know, I'm seeing some uh I'm seeing some a lot of different things that we haven't seen around here. And and some of us some NFL model type, but it's uh, you know, we're gonna be able to run the football. We're gonna be big and physical up front. And, you know, that's gonna be, I think, James's biggest deal that they want to be big, physical, tough, hard-nosed, disciplined, prepared, kind of like our group used to be. And that's that's kind of what Virginia Tech's model was in the past. And I think, but that's what the game demands to be successful. I don't care what level you're at. Those those qualities and characteristics is what it takes to be successful. I think that's what James is gonna, you know, instill in his troops here, you know, when it's all said and done.
SPEAKER_07Yeah, and no matter the score, if you're gonna, if you're gonna throw the ball late in a lopsided game, uh Bud's gonna, you know, bud and uh probably James Franklin's gonna knock you on your keister. So that's that's good to know that we we still keep that established. So all right, we'll go to break. We'll come back. It is a master's weekend, a couple of memories for yours truly, and uh we still got to get Bud to Augusta. That story and more coming up. This is Foster and Friends, and this is the NSP Radio Network.
SPEAKER_06Hi, this is Bud Foster for Envision. For over 30 years, my good friends, Dr. Scott and Becky Mann, have built a practice that truly cares about their patients.
SPEAKER_15Yeah, we just try to do everything with the patients in mind. Everything we do is from the patient's point of view, and we try to put them first and really have state-of-the-art equipment and technology and then old-fashioned personal care and attention.
SPEAKER_00Oh, well, I think it's mainly about the relationship and that we care. We care for them and they become family. When we've been in that office now for over 30 years, so it's it's more like a family environment and that we do care about providing the best vision care available.
SPEAKER_15Over 30 years ago, we started with one office, one staff member, one doctor, and we've just kind of grown from there. The community's been great in supporting us, and now we have two locations. Uh, we're getting ready to add our sixth and seventh doctors and about 25 staff.
SPEAKER_06Go see your award-winning Envision team. They have two locations: Salem and Christiansburg. They will meet all your eye care needs.
SPEAKER_04That's the privilege of having a two-shot lead. That's what I mean. You can afford to make that mistake and still win the tournament.
SPEAKER_15You know you can make five from there. You bet you can't, especially him.
SPEAKER_10From the desk of former coaching great Bud Foster, this is Foster and Friends on the NSB Radio Network.
SPEAKER_07Welcome back, Foster and Friends. You just heard the voice of Ken Venturi, who I grew up with. Um, it was 1986 when uh Jim Nance was 26 years old and he worked his first masters. And he was the one that said the bear has come out of hibernation, the Jack Nicholas comeback, his sixth masters, uh, the Vern Lundquist. I mean, there's just story after story after story. But but I just want to share with you, real quick, um, uh, and not to dominate the segment, but uh Ben Crenshaw in 1995, his teacher Harvey Penick passed away. I had an opportunity from a kid who was a kicker at Wake Forest, his name was Wade Tollison, and Wade invited me to come to the Masters. I had just lost the Carolina Panthers job. It had boiled down to me and Bill Rosinski, and I thought I had a great chance to get the Carolina Panthers play-by-play job. Long story short, did not get it. Was very uh very upset, very, and so, but I go to the I go to the Masters in '95, and Wade takes me and shows me around. And then to tell me that Wade's mom was dying of cancer upstairs, where we stayed at Wade's house. So for Saturday and Sunday, and then on Sunday, of course, Crenshaw flies back from the funeral, Harvey Penning, and Crenshaw wins on the final green in 95. To this day, a very, very special day for one Ben Crenshaw.
SPEAKER_02I just can't believe uh that I was getting the opportunity that week to do something like this for a man that we dearly loved. I mean, all of pupils that ever came under Harvey's influence. He was the kindest man that ever walked and uh many, many times thought, you know, anything I do is is not going to approach that. But having gone through something like that, God, I think about that all the time. And uh there was a lot of emotion wrapped up in it.
SPEAKER_07So the tournament, for and and for me, so what happens is I drive home that Sunday, and all of a sudden uh losing a job was not that important. A kid's mom and and and Wade's mom died a couple of weeks later uh from cancer. We've all had people, you know, but that was my master's moment in memory, and we'll never ever forget, and not to mention, I met James Brown's uh cousin because he was from. You know, Augusta. And it was so it was a very special time. And um every year, and I did this last week, every year I get out the 1986 Masters and watch uh Nicholas play that back nine and shoot 30 and win his sixth green jacket with his son on the bag. And it's you know, that's why I am glued to this every year. It is my week. You know, Master's week is master's week. So we have to figure out how to get you so we can go drink the dollar fifty beverages and eat a pimento cheese sandwich.
SPEAKER_06You know, we just you know that's that's definitely a bucket list, but you know, the cool thing, you're you're right. The the cool thing about the masters is the stories behind it. You know, last year Rory McElroy, that was his first time doing and then completing the the grand slam for the career grand slam, yeah. You could see how important that that win was for him and the emotions that took over him. But I I do remember that with Ben Crenshaw and how emotional he was losing his mentor in Harvey Lennick. And you know, that's just a proud moment for you know for guys like that. That there are those stories that um that's what you why you do what you do, man. And and the people that influence you um, you know, and and you want to go out and lay it on the line for, but also respect and you know, but those are always the the neat stories that are behind the scenes that that that that make this make all sport pretty special.
SPEAKER_07And not to, I mean, and not to mention, of course, you know, with all the things that are going on with Tiger, but it was 95. Tiger was an amateur, and he was still going to Stanford, and he was the low am, uh, but he had to fly back, and he said, you know, and he ended up staying at Stanford, and then he, you know, one more year, and then he he launches his his career in '96 and he wins the master's in '97, his first of five. So I mean, you know, it's uh it's uh it's really great. And the guy you talked to, Tony Austin, a couple of weeks ago. Well, I was in January. Uh, Tony goes every year and comes back, and he normally brings me a couple of beverage cups. So I'll do my best to try to get you some, uh get you a master's cup.
SPEAKER_06Give me at least something that associated with that.
SPEAKER_07We'll do that. We'll do that. So, hey, have a great weekend. It's good to catch up. Um, we got a lot of good stuff coming up in the next couple of weeks. So enjoy, and I will uh I'll see you next week, I promise.
SPEAKER_06Yeah, I'm sure we'll I'm sure we'll talk about an iconic weekend at the Masters. So looking forward to everybody. Okay, have a great weekend.
SPEAKER_07All right, for Bud Foster, I'm Mac McDonald, and that is Foster and Friends on the NSB Radio Network. Have a good one.
SPEAKER_10Foster and Friends is presented by Envision. Locations are in Christiansburg in Salem, Virginia. For the best in eye care and fashion, it's Envision by the River City Distillery in Radford, makers of Win vodka. It's a good day to enjoy a win. And by Brighouse Pizza. Brighouse Pizza means good times.
SPEAKER_09The bear has come out of hibernation.
SPEAKER_02The battle is going.
