Jim Boeheim Talks Syracuse, Gerry McNamara & Tournament

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That St. John's went against Kansas on Sunday.

One of the great sweet 16 games in recent memory.

Tomorrow night with Duke against Rick Patino and St. John's.

We will be joined by legendary college basketball coach and basketball.

Hall of Famer Jim Bayhime in just a second.

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Joining us right now on the show basketball and college basketball royalty.

National champion of your Syracuse Orange ACC network zone.

The great Jim Bayhime coach.

Thanks for joining Nick Costos here on you.

Better you bet.

Happy sweet 16 round my friend to you and yours.

How's it going?

It's great and college basketball is in a great place.

This is really good basketball.

It was really good basketball played so far.

A lot of really good basketball.

And anything can happen more sold than ever before in the NCAA tournament.

So it's fun to be around and watch that.

Well, it's just fun to be around, you know, when you get to be over 80.

But I just think college basketball is great.

I did games this year and watch some of these teams.

One thing for St. John's fans.

I love Rick Bettino, one of the great coaches ever in college basketball.

And he did grow up a great play there at the end of the game, not.

But sometimes players win games, you know.

That's what happens there.

But Duke's a little bit down.

Those two players being out.

Really, I think makes him a different team.

It's hard for them to play with the same intensity without those two players.

Because they can routine guys, eight, nine guys.

And it, you know, it really worked when you get down to seven.

It's difficult.

Maybe they'll be a better full strength.

But I don't think they won't have the guard back, but they'll have the big guy back.

So I think St. John's has a chat here.

I think Duke is not quite what they were.

They're still really good.

And you have to probably make them a favorite.

But it's a little bit more up in the air than it was three weeks ago.

I love that analysis and tough to disagree, right?

And I think it's really fair to say.

And obviously like your former point guard and we'll get to Syracuse and Jerry McNamara in a second.

Duke has played like one good half in the two games last far, right?

And it was the second half against ECU.

So we have these incredible games tomorrow coach in the Eastern region, right?

With Duke and St. John's.

And then Yukon with Danny Hurley and Michigan State with Thomas.

So if I ask you right now, and this can be a pencil, not a pen answer,

you can make a case for any of the four teams.

If I made you pick right now, the final four participant out of those four teams in the East region.

Duke, St. John's, Yukon, Michigan State, who is Jim Bayheim taking and why?

I would probably take Duke even though they're weakened.

I think the best teams in the country and the other division are in the other regions.

I think they still like Arizona, Houston and Michigan.

But I think Duke is the best team left in this region.

Although it is paper thin, close.

Michigan State, you can't count how time is though.

I mean, look at the coaches here.

I mean, Danny Hurley, obviously proven to be the best coach right now in the last 10, 15 years.

Rick Patino for the last, how many?

40, 50 years.

And you know, time is all.

And John Shire is a great coach.

And Duke, I mean, you, you got four coaching matchups.

So that, they kind of steal the show here.

I think when you talk about Arizona and Tommy Lloyds,

where it goes, we talk more about their players, Michigan more about their players.

When you talk about this reason, you almost all the talk is about the coaches.

I mean, you got four coaches here.

They're going to be in the hall of fame.

You know, a couple of them already are.

And the other two will be John Shire is a very underrated coach.

He's really good.

But one thing I wanted to touch on there, I was talking to you before, listening to your show,

and you're talking about SGA.

Yep.

And I'm telling you, Muddy was up with them, and I was out there, and Shay wasn't playing.

He was in the locker room in the family room with his kid.

And his wife, he is the nicest guy.

I've been around a lot of NBA players.

The three Olympics and three world championships and stuff.

This guy is obviously a great player.

Best guard I've ever seen, again, his own shot.

Anytime he wants it from 15 feet.

Steph Curry can get it, but sometimes he takes it from 35, which is fine.

But he reminds me a little bit of Oscar Robertson,

who 99% of people listen, they don't know who Oscar Robertson is.

But he could get his own shot anytime he wanted.

But he was 65 to 20 back in the day when the other guards were 6 foot one.

So he just backed them in.

But Shay gets his own shot.

But what impressed me is he always has whenever he talks or does anything.

Just the nicest guy with no, you know, all these other guys.

I mean, they have something about them.

Some thing you'd say, he's big time.

He thinks he's big time, whatever.

He just doesn't have that.

He's that kind of guy.

And they got an unbelievable coach and team.

And when they're healthy as much as I like the next of Donner,

the Celtics now would take them.

When they might be the only guy.

Well, I want to ask you about that's where I was going to take this coach.

Because I mean, your basketball life is unbelievable.

And I liked it goes noted.

And you've earned the right to do this.

You and stuff.

This was like Seinfeld, yada, yada, yada.

Like, you know, all the team USA is in the world championships.

And stuff.

Like what a basketball life you've led.

You've seen so many great players both at college and the NBA.

And now in San Antonio.

We have like this like literal, I guess not literal,

because that would be really weird.

But a figurative unicorn.

We've never seen anything like this before.

How do you kind of rationalize what you watch when you see Victor Wembe?

But we have actually never seen this before.

But Victor Wembe and Yama is doing.

Yeah, and he's got people around him too.

I think that's the one thing they built in San Antonio.

You know, pop in San Antonio is a great, great organization.

You know, it's been great for a long time.

They suffered a lot, but they were building some of these young guys,

some of these other guys.

So that when the Wembe and I got there,

I mean, now they're really ready,

because these other guys have been through hard times,

and they're ready to be great.

And this guy, you know, there's nothing like him.

You can't even come up with a comparison.

You know, with Michael Jordan, you could compare him to Kobe or,

you know, there's so many guys you can compare great players to.

But there is no comparison.

And he's going to be a hard, hard ask.

I think somehow when I watch him play,

I mean, if you can be physical with him,

maybe you can kind of knock him off his spots for a while.

But that's only going to be for another year or so.

I mean, in a couple of years, he stays healthy.

I mean, you're not going to be able to do that.

And he's going to be hard.

But OK, he has built such an organization.

You know, Sam Presti is, I mean, you just can't even quantify

what he's done.

I watched him play.

As Shay was out, Williams was out.

I think Herd and C was hurt a little bit.

And they beat a really good team.

The Cleveland had just gotten hardened.

And I'm there for that game.

And I'm thinking, this will be tough.

They want, I mean, guys are off the bench that never played, Joe.

As a Joe and Wallace get 25 and 24.

Between them.

And they beat Hardin and Mitchell play great.

It didn't matter.

Oklahoma City still won.

So it's going to be tough to beat them.

But I just have to talk about this.

Yeah, I'm just so impressed with him.

Overall, it's just a teammate.

He's cheering on the bench.

You know, can't play.

He's cheering on the bench.

He's in with his family talking to everybody.

It comes over to me.

I talked to him for 10 minutes just about, you know, talking about his high school career,

how we recruit him.

Of course, didn't get him.

I'm not good enough for a quarter.

But, you know, it's a super, super human being.

And it's fun to see guys like that.

There's a lot of them in sports a lot more than they are bad.

But, you know, the bad ones tend to get over publicized sometimes.

My experience is, I mean, I was in the Yankee locker or one sort of bad cherry with Gina.

And I mean, those super star guys, they're really good people.

It's fun to be around them.

I love that.

I love that.

A couple more minutes here with Jim Bayheim, legendary college basketball coach ACC Network.

With Nick Costos, you better, you bet on Westwood one sports.

Just to get this news in the wild story, coach, and this college basketball.

LSU is going to part ways with head coach Matt McMahon and bring Will Wade back from NC State to LSU.

So that news just broke.

So that's going to happen.

Just wanted to get that into the show in the couple minutes we have remaining here, coach.

Obviously, like, I think, I think I actually get fired if I don't,

if I don't ask you about Jerry McNamara getting hired as the new coach Syracuse.

And I, I said to you off, Aaron, I've said this on air also.

College bet, whether you, the person watching or listening,

whether you like Syracuse basketball or not, you have to acknowledge.

College basketball is better and healthier when Syracuse is really good.

And it's your former star point guard to help you guys win a national championship with Mellow in 2003.

Jerry McNamara, that's taking over the reins.

I'm guessing you're fired up by this developments.

We have a couple minutes here, Jim Bayheim on Jerry McNamara going back to Syracuse.

Well, he's the best competitor I've ever had as a six foot guard that just never,

never back down to anybody.

If he was hurt, he played.

He's unbelievably competitive, which is what most coaches are.

There's not any coaches coaching that are any good that aren't competitive,

but he's ultra competitive.

He understands the game from a point guard perspective.

He learned the game and understands the game.

And he did a great job coaching this year.

He won, it's not unusual to win a small, those conferences.

It's unusual when you don't have the best players.

I mean, he had two guys out for the year and another guy out right before the tournament.

So he can adjust and make decisions.

The biggest thing that we haven't done here, and this is, you know,

I'll take some of the responsibility.

We haven't done the NIL that we need to do.

That's the game today.

And we didn't get that done for Adrian.

And we need to get that done for Jerry.

You can't win if you look at the top four teams in the ACC

that the four teams have spent the most money.

Teams were bad last year, whether it's NC State or Virginia,

invested money in their programs.

NIL obviously have good coaches, and they're winning.

And that's the deal today.

You can coach all you want, do whatever you think you can do,

and be a good coach.

But you have to have NIL to get some players.

You kind of second one, so long time ago,

you know, what's the key to tell young coaches?

Get some players.

You know, you get some players, and you'll be all right.

And it's a funny story when Rick came back to St. John's

and my phone rang Sunday morning at 8.30.

And it was, hey, Jeremy, what do you think about Luke?

What do you think of what we've done?

And I said, well, Luke, I think you're on a great coach.

He was 98, 98.

I can call somebody when I'm 98 and talk about basketball.

Coach, I love it.

I have to tell you, and like I understand, obviously,

and this is not to relitigate Syracuse going to the ACC.

I just, as a New Yorker, I miss the old.

I miss the old Big East, man.

It was the best.

But obviously, I think, I would love to see cues get back

to that level again, just great for the sport.

And coach, you're great for the sport,

and you're selfishly, you're great for me.

And you're great for the show because you're fantastic.

Really, really, really appreciate the time.

I hope we get to do this again before the tournament concludes.

Thank you very much.

Anytime you want.

I've got nothing but time.

Great. Well, well, well, guess what?

We're going to text you next week.

So really appreciate it because this was an absolute blast.

The legends, Jim Bayheim joining us here on You Better.

How about coach, not just giving us sterling stuff

on the sweet 16 and Syracuse,

but also an excellent anecdote on Shae Gilges Alexander

and how likable he is.

And the Oklahoma City Thunder and the NBA.

What a basketball life.

Coach Jim Bayheim has led.

Really, really, really enjoyed that.

All right, our one done.

Our two for you coming up on the other side.

How about we go from one college basketball coach to another?

The great Steve Lapis joins us coming up next

to preview the sweet 16 rounds of the NCAA tournament

here with Nick Costos on Westwood One Sports.

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