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Jimmy Buckitts: Hello, basketball fans! Jimmy Buckitts here with Roberto Gurgone, the General Manager of Linndale. Roberto, thanks for the time. We have a lot of topics to cover; where would you like to start?

Roberto Gurgone: We lost a championship series we fully expected to win. We were too cocky and confident. It started at the top with me. Pio [Pio Reina, head coach] and the staff tried to straighten me out, but I wouldn’t listen. The team picked up on that. That’s all on me.

JB: Well, I appreciate the candor, and I’m sure our fans do as well. I’d like to ask about the finances; it’s been noted not a single player was added last season, and that’s very unusual given your history of churning the roster with the back end guys and players who may be deemed no longer necessary for success. Now we see the sale of Jozef Siuta; what gives?

RG: I felt we could run that squad back, win the league, and get back to D3. We all thought that. Pio felt we should win it all, but he wanted the team to work for it. I felt it was a coronation waiting to happen. We needed that promotion cash. We had to make Jozef Siuta or Gao Rongjing available; we could lose one and it didn’t matter which one. We didn’t want to lose Siuta, but we were well positioned to do so.

JB: Talk about the young players on the team, specifically the 1st and 2nd year guys. What does the team see in Bernie Craig?

RG: His big man skills were ready to play from the second he arrived. He’ll only get better with time. He’s a guy that doesn’t need the ball to be effective.

JB: Stuart Grubbs is a guy that would not have made the team in years past; why was he able to stick around?

RG: He’s got range, he can handle it a bit and drive, and he can defend the paint. We like his upside. His skill set is intriguing.

JB: What about the rookie, Luis Isarre? How does he fit with Ercan Uzek aboard?

RG: We think Isarre is a point guard with size, and he can pass the ball. He’s raw, but we like what we’ve seen so far. Uzek is a bit bigger, and to be honest, we’re not sure if he stays at point guard. He could be a 1, 2, or 3. We’ll have a better idea of what he’ll be at season’s end.

JB: You and the coaches have stressed versatility. Why?

RG: I don’t claim to speak for the coaching staff, but from my perspective, the more versatility you have, the easier it is to withstand injuries. You’ll have to ask them what they think about it, but I think they like knowing they have at least 2 defenders you can put at any position on the floor and not worry about.

JB: You’re talking about Walt Pasman and Joy Beko.

RG: Defense wins championships. We didn’t win the championship, so we’ve got to be better on defense.

JB: Who’s better?

RG: Pasman is the best perimeter defender on the team. Beko is the best interior defender. The difference between the 2 in each area is surprisingly small. I suppose it depends on the day of the week and who had what for breakfast.

JB: Where else do you think the team needs to improve?

RG: I’ll just say that we are constantly evaluating and are prepared to make changes as needed, but they have to make sense.

JB: Does that mean the back end of the roster is open for churning again?

RG: We’ll see, if the right move presents itself.

JB: What move would you like to make?

RG: You’ll find out when we make it.

JB: That’s our time with Roberto Gurgone, Thanks for your time, and I hope we get to talk again soon. Back to Happy and the guys in the studio!

Happy Ourer: Thanks, Jimmy; that was a solid interview!

Joshua Doe: What you mean, Happy, is that is as solid as you’re gonna get from Roberto. He didn’t say a whole lot.

Sam Dunkley: I think he said quite a bit, Joshua. He admits the team was cocky last season, and takes the blame for that. He is literally saying that he was responsible for that attitude, and the head coach was fighting against his boss on that. He’s admitting he was wrong for that. You never hear stuff like that.

HO: Exactly! I think you underestimate what Roberto did there, Joshua.

JD: I saw a GM taking heat off of his coach there. That’s what a GM should be doing. The man went 19-3, then went to a full 3 games in the finals. That means they had a chance to win it all. It’s ok to be disappointed, but that was for the fans who wanted to fire Pio Reina. He was telling them that isn’t happening.

SD: I’ll give you that, but there was a lot more he said. He admitted the team was low on funds, hence the sale of Siuta. He also indicated that Siuta was a luxury and not a necessity.

JD: Where’s the lie? Go on…

HO: He in effect said they are looking for more defenders and the back end of the roster will change at some point.

JD: No. He said they want better defenders, and the back end could change. You guys have to understand, every GM wants better defenders, and every GM should be looking to upgrade the roster. That’s his job! Look at the defense on this team. I love Petey Buckets, but his defense is not up to the standard that Pio Reina and the coaching staff has set. If it was, he’d be a full time starter. Walt Pasman should be the sixth man off the bench. His defense plays everywhere, but he can’t shoot. The reason they can’t play Frias the way Pio Reina wants to is Leandro Leao isn’t up to the standard they want at point guard. Think about that for a moment. Leao doesn’t turn the ball over, he makes the passes, and he can score, but he’s not up to the standard? That tells me the point guard is an infinitely important position to the team, because the things Leao is good at is what point guards are supposed to be good at. The man is good at his job, and they think he can be better. They are demanding he be better. That’s saying something.

SD: Happy, I gotta agree with Joshua there. If you’re not looking to upgrade, you’re not trying. That is the job.

HO: I concede. We could go on about the interview, but let’s switch gears and talk about tomight’s game. We’ll talk more about the interview at halftime. What’s the key to tonight’s game?

JD: Limiting turnovers, defending the three point shot, and not letting John Bort go “Fullcourt” on us.

SD: Linndale is the stronger team inside. Take them down low and work them over.

HO: I think you both are right. I think if the Fiends are going to have a chance, Bort is going to have to have a huge game and he’s going to have to do it down low, or be incredibly hot from the outside, and I don’t see either likely. On the flip side, who’s going to be the star of the game for Linndale?

JD: If he plays, Gao Rongjing. If he doesn’t, I’m going with Cafer Enfes. This game is tailor made for Rongjing to dominate, but with the lineups we’ve seen, he’s not guaranteed to play tonight.

SD: Neither is Enfes, to be fair. I think it’s going to the coming out party for Bernie Craig. I don’t think Rongjing plays.

HO: Sam, that’s a bold call there. I think Joshua is correct. It’s gonna be Rongjing or Enfes. If Rongjing plays, he gonna snatch someone’s soul.

JD: It’s gonna be fun to see what he can do without Siuta next to him or in front of him on the depth chart.

FO: Folks, we have to go to commercial now, but when we come back we’ll go to Jimmy Buckitts courtside from The Speedway. We'll be back in 2 minutes.

Jimmy Buckitts: I’m here with Pio Reina after a 97-71 victory over the SLC Fiends. Coach, what was the secret sauce tonight?

Pio Reina: Jimmy, there was no secret sauce. We saw what we viewed as their strength, and we took it away.

JB: How do you think the team responded to losing Jozef Siuta?

PR: You tell me; Cafer Enfes played the power and had a double double. Our best defenders shut down the best offensive threat on the other team. Our bigs had 43 rebounds to 25 for theirs. We didn’t play our best big and our second best was playing out on the wing, so this wasn’t our “A” lineup. We wanted to get our work in and shut their engine down. We feel like we did that.

JB: Coach, you don’t seem pleased with tonight’s performance.

PR: I’m not. On offense we were disjointed. It didn’t flow. We weren’t smooth. On defense, we were too laid back. I didn’t see enough aggression out there. I want to see us attack defensively. Too passive out there on both ends. Also, give them some credit because we did not shoot well. There is a lot of work to do.

JB: Thanks Coach. Happy, I’m throwing it to you and the guys in studio!

HO: Jimmy, before you go, who in your mind had the big game?

JB: I have to say the SLC Fiend defense. It wasn’t the stoutest but it made a more talented group from Linndale work and threw off the rhythm and flow of that Linndale offense. Some of that was due to the lineup Linndale used, but some of that was SLC being better tonight than advertised defensively. Pio knows his squad has work to do.

HO: Thanks Jimmy! Good teams find a way to get it done even when they are not at their best. We’ll talk more about the team’s performance when we come back from break.

Pio Reina was livid. “That’s how this is gonna be, huh? You guys can’t be serious! You got outrebounded! You didn’t take care of the basketball! The things we are supposed to be able to control, we didn’t!!! Rebounding is effort!!! You werem’t smart of careful with the basketball!!! THAT WSA NOT LINNDALE BSKETBALL OUT THERE!!! THAT WAS NOT WHAT WE DO!!! Lecian, you tapped out after 10 minutes!!! What was that?!? Rongjing!!! I don’t know if you noticed, but Siuta ain’t here anymore. You get paid like a big dog to BE the big dog. You didn’t give Beko any help out there! Enfes, that was your worst shooting game we’ve ever seen from you! Only a few of you guys seemed to give any effort! Why are you guys wasting the time and resources of this organization and my coaching staff?”

Pio take a deep breath, then continued. “What was good out there? Lecian, you were good for 10 minutes. I guess that was too much for you, huh? Frias, you weren’t bad, but you need to be better than that. Petey Buckets… we’re just gonna have to live with you. I want your defense to be on par with your offense, but it seems you score in bursts. That defensive effort you gave will keep you on the court. Keep that up, son. Kops, another solid, all around game. The problem is, we’ve expected more from you. We’re not getting it. Beko, we know who you are and what you bring. We’re going to get you some help. Gentlemen, this was a most disgusting display of basketball. There will be consequences and repercussions felt for a long time after this display. If I were you, I’d act as if my job were on the line. You’ll continue on somewhere, but it won’t be here. Unacceptable!”

Meanwhile, on the court…

Jimmy Buckitts: Coach Helm, can we get your thoughts on the game?

Byron Helm: Yeah. That team out there beat the brakes off of us. Losing Lecian was a game changer for us, but this team played like they expected to coast to a win. A few guys gave the effort we expect, but this was bad. This was unacceptable. Look, I’m not taking away anything from the other team out there; they played tough defense, they attacked the boards, they took better care of the ball than we did, and they made free throws. They did what we expect to do day in and day out. They took care of the things they can control. They out ussed US! Tonight we looked soft and lazy for the most part. The bigs are in for it. I’m gonna kill everyone of them, even Beko. Coach Marshall Richards is gonna crush the wings. Coach Air Allnite is going to be absolutely livid with the ball security and the shooting. Then, we’re going to sit down with our GM. He can’t be on board with what we saw out there. Changes are coming. We’ll get whoever sticks around where we want them to be, and the new guys up to speed. We will right this ship. Anyone not on board with that is gonna be gone. It’s one thing to lose a hard fought game, but we can’t get be playing our own game. That is unacceptable. A lot of people are gonna have to answer for this.

Jimmy Buckitts: Thanks for your time, Coach. That was associate head coach Byron Helm, and folks, the coaches are pissed off. After this debacle, expect changes. Happy, back to you in the studio.

Happy Ourer: Thanks, Jimmy. We’ll talk more about tonight’s game with Joshua and Sam, when we return from the break. There’s going to be a whole lot to talk about!

Happy Ourer: Joshua what does Linndale have to do to get back on track?

Joshua Doe: Knoxville likes to run and chuck it. Linndale has to defend the three ball, rebound well, and take care of the basketball. Pio Reina was livid after the team’s last outing and vowed there would be changes. Someone has to step up and lead on the floor. You’d expect and want that to be a point guard, but at this point I don’t think Pio cares who does as long as someone does.

HO: Now, let’s go to Jimmy Buckitts courtside!

JB: Thanks, Happy. I spoke with GM Roberto Gurgone this morning and he was disappointed that he was unable as of yet to bring in new blood, but he said the hunt will go on. I also spoke with Pio Reina, and he made it clear that there would be not only lineup changes, but role changes. When asked to elaborate, all he would give us is that the second unit will be highly unusual for a Pio Reina coached team. I’m not sure what exactly that means, as we’ve seen him run power forwards and small forwards at the point. We know the team has a history of running games where the backcourt is playing up front and the frontcourt in the backcourt. So we really have no idea what a highly unusual second unit will look like. I’ll just add that if the second unit is highly unusual, that might mean the first unitis also unusual. Just something to keep an eye on.

Sam Dunkley: Hey Jimmy, Sam here. My sources have told me that the team is looking for big man who can shoot it from deep, a wing who is a prolific scorer, and a monster rebounder. I’m also hearing that they might to make some concessions as to the type of player they get. What have you heard around the league about that?

JB: Sam, I should be asking you if you’ve heard anything! What I have heard is that team is looking for what they always look for, but maybe with a little less emphasis on defense. I know long time observers of the team who think they would never sacrifice defense for offense. Joshua, you’re uniquely qualified to provide a bit of insight here. You played with Pio Reina. Is that something he might do?

JD: Pio Reina is as tough a competitor as there is. He’ll do whatever he has to in order to get a win, but I do not see him backing off of his defense first mentality. That’s who he was as a player. He didn’t care about his offense, he did whatever the team needed to win. I say that knowing his place in the Linndale record books as the all time scoring champ. Pio could fill it up, but he wanted to shut you down even more. Whoever they bring in, even if it is a gifted offensive player, had better be ready to get after it on defense.

HO: Thank you gentlemen! When we come back, we’ll have more about tonight’s game. Back in 2 minutes!

Jimmy Buckitts: Coach Helm, that was an interesting first half. What did you like out there?

Byron Helm: Our effort on the boards was good. The three ball is falling; playing them even on the boards and from deep is important. We’re keeping turnovers down but both teams are pretty good taking the ball tonight. Leao is looking a lot better than the score sheet would indicate, and our defense has showed up so far. A lot of ball left to play, and they are a dangerous team shooting the three ball. We have our work cut out for us.

JB: How about that second unit, Coach?

BH: We have to get more from the bench, but we like what Bolibok and Enfes are bringing out there. We’ll see how that goes.

JB: Thanks, Coach, and good luck in the second half.

BH: Thanks, Jimmy.

JB: Back to you in the studio, Happy!

Happy Ourer: Well we certainly didn’t expect to see Peter Bolibok at the point off the bench, but he’s clearly living up to that moniker of his.

JD: Let’s see what adjustments are made in the second half. I like the defensive intensity and the battle on the boards.

HO: Sam, what did you like?

Sam Dunkley: The team’s intensity. Let’s see if they can maintain it.

HO: We’ll go back to the game for the second half after a word from our sponsors!

Joshua Doe: Happy, that third quarter was huge for Linndale. You’re up by 14, but that was not a comfortable lead, and then you come out for the second half and drop not only a 41 point quarter, but you do it and more than double your lead. That was something Linndale needed. The defense showed up, and it was a welcome sight. The team brought an intensity tonight that had been missing. Now we have to see if this will continue to carry over.

Sam Dunkley: Joshua, I’m a little concerned about the perimeter defense and rebounding. I know Knoxville is a dangerous team from outside, but despite what seemed to be good defense, they hit over 40% from deep, and they played you even on the boards. That is not typical of Pio Reina led teams.

JD: It’s not typical of Linndale basketball, Sam.

Happy Ourer: They did limit turnovers and win the war on ball security. This wasn’t a perfect Linndale win, but it was what they needed. And how about the second unit. That was highly unusual to say the least!

SD: The starting five in and of itself wasn’t unusual, until you note that Leao started at the point, Frias at small forward, and Beko at power forward. Ball security and playing turnover free basketball weren’t going to be an issue with that unit, especially when you consider Midas Kops is pretty solid with the ball. That foursome makes it easy for Rongjing because you don’t have to ask him to handle the ball and he can just establish post position and rebound.

JD: And apparently hit the three ball! It was an interesting use of Petey Buckets on the second unit; I don’t know we’ll see him at the point anytime soon again, but he wasn’t too bad, either.

HO: I think Pio Reina might be concerned with Carlos Frias.

JD: I don’t know that Pio Reina is concerned. I though he had a decent game, but he was not very involved on offense. However, Midas Kops was, and our Jimmy Buckitts is with him right now!

Jimmy Buckitts: Thanks, Joshua. I’m here with Midas Kops who led the team with 25 points tonight. Midas, what were the keys to the victory?

Midas Kops: The coaches wanted us to come out and compete. We knew we couldn’t come out without any fire because that team over there can shoot it and crash the boards; if you don’t go out there and give an honest effort, they’re going to beat you. We wanted to make them work, and we did that.

JB: What did you think of your new backup point guard, Piotr Bolibok?

MK: I thought I was gonna get that role but Coach had other ideas. He didn’t do a bad job tonight.

JB: Last question, Midas. How big of a loss was Josef Siuta to the team?

MK: He was here and he was good, but he’s not here anymore so we’re not gonna dwell on what could have been. We’re gonna go with who’s here and do what we need to do, and continue to get better and win games. I think you saw that tonight.

JB: Thanks, Midas, and congratulations on the win. Back to you, Happy.

Last edited by Speedtraps at 7/7/2024 4:28:41 AM

Inside the GM's office, a meeting is in progress...

Roberto Gurgone: We’ve got ourselves another shooter. You each have the scouting report. I want to hear what thoughts you have. How will he be integrated into the team? Pio, what are you thinking?

Pio Reina: I see he’s played almost exclusively at the point. The handling, driving and passing aren’t up to standards. We do a guard boot camp to fix that. Frias, Leao, Uzek, Isarre, Pasman, Bolibok, Enfes, and Kops will all be included in various aspects. We’ll see if we can squeeze in Beko too. That’s short and long term. Immediately, I think he plays the 2 and some 3. My view is his ball handling needs to be better, and so does his passing to stick at the point.

RG: Air, your thoughts.

Air Allnite: Pio’s initial assessment isn’t wrong, but the numbers indicate he can handle the point just fine. I’ll just point out that if he’s running the point, he’s not the only ball handler on the court. We could initiate the offense from any number of guys. Using last night’s lineup as the example, we run this kid at the point with Kops, Frias, and Beko on the floor with him it won’t matter who’s playing the point. The ball will move, good decisions will be made, good shots will be had, and that’s what we want.

RG: Marshall, any ideas defensively?

Marshall Richards: Ask me again after we see who improves their inside defense. I have ideas, but nothing I can go with yet.

RG: Byron?

Byron Helm: Are we so deep that Craig will have to get his minutes in scrimmages and such? To integrate the new guy is going to have a ripple effect across multiple roles. It’s easy to see that Craig is the odd man out. Who else is getting bumped?

RG: It’s no secret that Craig needs work. His game is still pretty raw. While we’re mentioning it, we might have to make a choice between Uzek and Isarre soon. Boot camp could tell us a lot.


PR: Back to the starting point guard conversation, guys. Are you guys telling me this kid makes us better by playing the point? I see what the numbers say and the scouting report, but I don’t trust what my eyes haven’t seen yet. I don’t see it.

RG: I think he’s an option, yes.

AA: Play him, Pio. We’ll run the boot camp and get him where you want him to be. He’s already the best shooter on the team. Yes, better than you know who. Not a better scorer, but a better shooter. He learns to finish and things get interesting. If the other guy improves his defense and passing, we could have us a dynamic duo.

MR: Even if he’s not where you want him to be after boot camp, odds are that someone or maybe a few between Frias, Leao, and Kops will be. Any improvement from Bolibok, Pasman, Enfes and Beko will only help. We are in good hands at the point; it’s really close to being an embarrassment of riches.

AA: And that will extend to the shooting guard and small forward positions. We’re almost making them interchangeable.

PR: Air, where are we on development?

AA: Frias needs passing camp, Leao needs defense, Kops needs passing camp, the new kid, Bodura, needs ball handling, Beko needs ball handling.

PR: Run passing camp with Frias, Uzek, Bolibok, Pasman, Enfes and Kops. Run ball handling with Bodura, Uzek, Isarre, Pasman, Rongjing, and Craig. Run perimeter defense with Leao, Uzek, Isarre, Bolibok, and Grubbs. Byron, start working on your plans for big man boot camp. Also, check with me for any changes. If Roberto does something, we need to be able to adjust accordingly.

RG: As always, if something happens, you’ll find out from me directly.

PR: Thanks, Roberto. We appreciate that.

Last edited by Speedtraps at 7/7/2024 11:56:27 PM

Sam Dunkley: We’re here with Pio Reina, head coach of Linndale basketball. Coach, how are you?

Pio Reina: Thanks for asking, Sam. I’m well. How are you?

SD: I’m good, coach. I have to start with the following question. This is your second year in Division IV. Is this team ready for Division III and how do you propose to get there?

PR: Is this team ready to D3? Yes. How do we get there? We have to win. That’s the goal.

SD: You said you wanted to play Carlos Frias off the ball, but that would depend on the development of others. How is that plan coming along?

PR: We’ve been able to play him off the ball a bit, but not as much as we’d like. We have to get improvement from his teammates in some areas to help us facilitate that.

SD: Who do you want to see improve and where is that improvement expected?

PR: Leandro Leao needs to improve his perimeter defense. Ercan Uzek and Walt Pasman need to improve across the board. Piotr Bolibok needs to improve his perimeter defense and passing.

SD: Walt Pasman across the board? That’s surprising, coach.

PR: His offense needs to improve; he’s a good defender but that doesn’t mean he can’t get better. There is more in there.

SD: Speaking of Pasman, we’ve seen him some at small forward and we’ve seen your small forwards in the back court, including recent acquisition Roman Bodura. Is this an indictment of the guard play?

PR: No. We’re blessed with a multitude of players we can play in the backcourt. You’ve seen Midas Kops at the point. Bolibok was recently at the point, as was Bodura. Enfes has been at shooting guard. We want to push them so they reach what our standard is to play point guard. We have a higher standard of being a point guard than it being the position you’re listed at. We have minimum qualifications and standards.

SD: So who meets the standard?

PR: No one yet, but a few are dangerously close. We have a high minimum standard.

SD: We’ve seen Joy Beko run the point on occasion. How close is the power forward to that standard?

PR: Beko is closer to the standard than some and farther than others. He’s a matchup play for now. Can he do it? Certainly. However he does have is limitations, and we are cognizant of those.

SD: In the past, you and your staff have spoken at length about two-way defenders. Is the goal to get everyone to be a two-way defender?

PR: No. If you show you might have that ability, we’re going to try and get that out of you. Of our bigs, we have 2 who can play on the perimeter, but it’s not something you’ll see much because we don’t need them to do that a lot. We expect that from our small forwards, and Kops and Bodura are expected to be able to become two-way defenders in the near future. Uzek shows that kind of potential; we’ll see.

SD: Who do you consider to be your two-way defenders?

PR: Enfes, Pasman, Beko, Lecian, and Frias. We could have a starting unit of two-way defenders if we chose to.

SD: Let’s talk outside shooting. Your team takes the fewest three point shots by far, yet is 5th in accuracy. Do you need to have them shoot more?

PR: No. We need to get better. They know what I want to see.

SD: Tell me about the young guys on this team? How do you view them?

PR: Bernie Craig is a nice backup center; we like him a lot. Stuart Grubbs has some skills that are intriguing, but he also has some deficiencies that make it hard to play him. We have to be creative with him. Luis Isarre and Ercan Uzek will get a lot of run in our point guard boot camp. Isarre has some skills, and is a good passer. Uzek intrigues because he has a varied skill set and size. We’re curious to see if he sticks at point guard or moves to another position.

SD: That’s all the time we have. Coach, can we do this again soon?

PR: You're welcome on my radio show, but yes, we can do this again.

SD: Thank you, Coach. We'll talk soom. Happy, Back to you in studio!

Happy Ourer: Welcome to another edition of the Pio Reina Show. I’m Happy Ourer, he’s Pio Reina, and your favorite basketball team had things this week with 2 league wins, a BBM win, and a win in the National Tournament. Coach, what was the key?

Pio Reina: There wasn’t just one key, Happy. We forced turnovers, and we shot the ball reasonably well. Most importantly, we defended well. It all starts with defense.

HO: Who sets the tone for you defensively?

PR: Joy Beko and Walt Pasman. We have a number of quality defenders, but those two set the bar.

HO: What is the defensive identity of the team?

PR: We want to suffocate you. The saying goes, ‘Abandon hope, all ye who enters’. That’s what we want; to make the opposition abandon all hope.

HO: Offensively, it feels like the team is still trying to find itself.

PR: That’s accurate. That is the developmental part of the game plan taking precedence. The goal isn’t to peak now but to get better, it all makes sense. We’re just trying to get better so when the playoffs roll around we can be the best versions of ourselves. We’ll start showing who we are soon enough.

HO: If Pasman and Beko set the bar on defense, who then sets the bar on offense?

PR: Right now, it’s Midas Kops. That answer can change on any given night. We have a number of talented players, but again, our identity will reveal itself in time. That’s when you’ll have your answer.

HO: What do you want to be on offense?

PR: A problem. I want us to be able to score from the outside or inside when the defense is prepared for it. I don’t want our opponent to say ‘we have to take x player away’, I want them to guess who are they going to try and take away. Like a fastball pitcher, ‘here it is, hit it if you can’, but also ‘pick your poison’.

HO: If the playoffs started today, would your defense be able to play the way you want?

PR: No. We’re chasing greatness, and we are not there. Our defense should walk on to the court and make the other team lose all hope, and then back it up.

HO: Same question about offense.

PR: Same answer; no. We aren’t effective scoring in the paint. Our outside shooting needs work. Our work on the offensive boards is shoddy. We’re not efficient or effective offensively. We’re inconsistent. I think we’re a disaster on offense. I haven’t seen enough leadership from the point guards on that side of the ball.

HO: It’s no secret around the league you’re running a point guard boot camp. How is that going?

PR: We are seeing the first steps in the process pay off in a big way. Everyone that participated has improved. I’m excited to see how that shows in our games. We’ll have a better idea after BBM and Cup play, then when AMG comes in for a visit we should have a pretty good idea. We demand a lot from our point guards.

HO: You want to be great, but currently there’s one team in each conference better with a better record than Linndale, right now.

PR: Yeah, for now... We want to measure ourselves against the best. The day you don’t get better is the day you start getting worse. The only way to know you’re better is to beat the teams that are better than you. We know what we have to do.

HO: With that, we’re heading to a commercial break. When we come back, the phone lines are open. You ready to take some calls, Coach?

PR: Are you ready? I stay ready so I don’t have to get ready!

Happy Ourer: In the 5th home game of the season, Linndale gets set to face off with ever1. The question is what do we expect?

Joshua Doe: A beatdown. I don’t want to hear about respecting your opponents tonight. They’ve got 2 wins and no talent. We should be able to have guys like Ercan Uzek, Luis Isarre, and Stuart Grubbs get a minimum of 20 minutes each tonight, and the next game doesn’t look different either! You could get those guys training minutes easily this week. The question is will Pio Reina do that?

HO: Funny you should mention that, Joshua, because our pal Sam Dunkley has some news on that. Sam what have you got for us?

Sam Dunkley: Thanks, Happy. Joshua, I can’t speak to what Pio Reina has in store for the actual training; Jimmy night be able to help you out on that later. I spoke with Pio Reina earlier today and he told me we’d see a lot of Uzek, Grubbs, and Isarre tonight. Specifically Uzek and Grubbs are starting tonight and Isarre is coming off the bench. I was also told that Gao Rongjing, Carlos Frias, and Bernie Craig would not be active tonight. I’m gonna throw it over to Jimmy Buckitts. Jimmy!!!

Jimmy Buckitts: Sam!!! Guys, Byron Helms tells me we should get our first look at newcomer Rafet Ozver who will be getting the start at center tonight, and is the reason Bernie Craig is inactive tonight. I asked him for a scouting report and he said that he’s raw, but he solid defensively and has an incredible nose for the basketball. He said that Ozvet walks onto the roster and is immediately the best rebounder on the team. High praise from Coach Helms. He also said the young man has offensive potential to turn into the mythical unicorn they’ve been chasing. Helms said he has a versatile base to build on, and he’s excited to see what they can do with him.

JD: Jimmy, Joshua here. We know Pio Reina is running a point guard boot camp, and I’ve heard and seen good things with that. Have you heard anything about a big man boot camp?

JB: Joshua, I have heard of a big man boot camp being planned. I’d imagine based on the excitement of Coach Helms that they are in fact running that as well. I’d expect to see some interesting combinations in the meantime until they are done with both of those camps.

HO: Jimmy, Air Allnite has been strangely silent this season. Have you had the opportunity to talk to him at all?

JB: Happy, I have. He asked me to pass along a message to you that I cannot repeat on the air. All kidding aside, he says his working with the guards has kept him extremely busy, but he stated his displeasure with the amount of turnovers. He also said he is not happy with the shooting numbers. We know Air is the team’s shooting coach and Pio Reina specifically put him in charge of the team’s effort to fix ball security. It’s been a slow, but noticeable improvement there. He’s really got his hands full, but he said his next big project is to improve the shooting range on this team. He syas they have the ability but not the consistency, and he’s going to fix that.

HO: Thanks, Jimmy. We’ll see you at the half. When we come back from the commercial break, myself, Joshua and Sam will give you three keys to look for in tonight’s game. Back after the break!