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Happy Ourer: Happy Ourer, Joshua Doe, and Sam Dunkley here for the Linndale basketball Pre Game Show, and in this pre All Star game edition, we have ourselves a very special in studio guest, Linndale GM Roberto Gurgone! Roberto, thanks for joining us!

RG: Thanks for having me!

JD: Roberto, I gotta ask this one right off. What kind of team should the fans be expecting to see?

RG: If you’re looking for style of play, I leave that to Pio Reina and his coaching staff. I’m not going to speak on that. If you’re looking for characteristics, we’re bringing back that hard nosed, smothering defense. We don’t want to just make things difficult, we want to make things miserable for our opponents. John Valentin’s recent performance against us spurred us to make some changes. At no time was he uncomfortable on the court. That can never happen again.

SD: You’ve remade the roster in a short amount of time. Take us into the thought process and tell us about the new players.

RG: Again, after the debacle against the Jumpstop Jumpers, it was clear that we needed to upgrade the defense immediately across the board. That actually started before that game when we got Joy Beko. He’s young, versatile, and can play any position and play them well. Staying in the frontcourt, Ondrej Lecian is a young player who is a capable defender. Walt Pasman is a defender in the mold of Joy Beko. One of those two is the best all around defender on the team, and we’re not sure who it is. Throw Cafer Enfes in there; he’s only been here a month. Another well rounded defender. Young point guard Ercan Uzek is a defender we’re excited about because with his size he can guard 3 positions, and he’s just a rookie. Leandro Leao is another young point guard; he’s been impressive. The newest point guard, Carlos Frias, is raw, talented defender. The perimeter defense has been improved dramatically and the interior defense has improved also.

JD: That sounds great, but they’re young, you can’t play everyone, and they need to learn how to play together. You also haven’t mentioned offense.

RG: You’re right, Joshua. They are young. Frias is the elder point guard at 22. Leao is 20, and Uzek 19. Enfes and Pasman are both 22, and Midas Kops, whom we didn’t mention, is 23. Joy Beko is 22 and Ondrej Lecian is 21. As for not being able to play everyone, we can. We have youth and versatility.

SD: Versatility can’t put that ball in the hoop. You need scorers.

RG: Sam, we still have Trenton Tovar. Frias we think will become a scoring option. Leandro Leao is on the way to being an option. Kops looks like he’s ready to assume that burden, and Enfes as well. Don’t sleep on MacNeur and Pemwieser, and when Beko gets his jumper to start falling, look out.

HO: Roberto, we still have to talk about the game tonight. At 5-7, Fort Wayne is in contention for a playoff spot.

RG: They have two of the top seven scorers in the league and the top assists man. They’re 5th overall in shooting, 2nd from beyond the arc, tops from the charity stripe, they take care of the basketball, they’re number two in steals, and they’re fifth in blocks. They take care of the ball, make shots, and don’t waste opportunities. They are definitely going to be a test for our newly constructed defense.

JD: Last question; you know I can’t let it slide. You said you were eyeballing San Dominica to unleash the new defense. Why them, and with so many moves is such a short time, will the defense be ready?

RG: San Dominica because we know them. We know they’re a test. If it plays well against them, we’re doing something right. Will the defense be ready? We’ll see. Tonight’s game should give us an idea.

Jimmy Buckitts: Jimmy Buckitts with The Basketball Times and the Linndale Basketball Radio Network, and I’m here for a rare one-on-one interview with assistant coach Byron Helm. Thanks for your time, Byron. Let’s talk about last night’s game. It was a different, and some might say unusual lineup used by Pio Reina. Why did Pemwieser get the start?

Byron Helm: We thought he would be able to help with spacing on offense with his outside shooting, contribute on the boards and inside offensively, and do a solid job on defense. When he hit that 3 ball with 15 seconds left, we thought we were going to overtime. He did what he was supposed to do.

JB: That was one of the bigger lineups we’ve seen Linndale use in quite some time. Two 7-footers, a 6-10 guy, a 6-7 guy and a 6-5 guy. Was that a design or just happenstance?

BH: A bit of both. We wanted to attack inside and control the boards. We controlled the boards. MacNeur was a monster, Pemwieser was solid, and Beko was a beast on the offensive boards. However, we gave up too many dunks and layups, and we missed too many on our end. Cleaning that up is a point of emphasis.

JB: Pio Reina, and in fact the entire Linndale organization, preaches defense, rebounding, and ball security. Why those three things specifically?

BH: It’s our thing. You don’t last here long as a player if you don’t do those things. We can control our defensive effort. We can control our effort on the boards. We can control the decisions we make with the basketball. Turnovers on offense work against ball security and the defense. Rebounding helps the offense, defense, and is a direct form of ball security. Defense leads to offense. It’s all related, but these are things we can directly control.

JB: With the renewed emphasis on defense, how tough was this loss to take?

BH: All losses are tough to take. This one hurts because things we can control cost us the game.
We make some free throws, we win this game. We make a few more layups or dunks, we win this game. We defend a nit better, we win this game. This one is tough to take. Seeing how hard the kids took it lets us know they’re all in on the message.

JB: Your defense gave up 34 points in the first quarter and 36 in the fourth. How would you grade the defense overall, and would you call it a successful outing?

BH: No one is calling a loss a success. Are we on the right track? Yeah, we are. The third quarter they scored 19 points. I want to see us do that more often, and I believe the talent is here to do it. I graded the defense a D overall.

JB: Your GM said that Enfes and Pasman were two of your better defenders. Why did they only play 11 minutes each in this game if you’re going defense first?

BH: They both have ball security issues we are working on. If you can’t play defense you don’t play. They played. If you can’t take care of the ball, that hurts the defense. Neither turned it over. They played their roles well.

JB: The lineup and rotations were quite different.

BH: We used a new lineup. We’re trying to find the best combinations. We had Frias and Kops at guard, Pemwieser at center, Beko at small forward and MacNeur at the power. We thought it was a good opportunity to get Beko on the wing. We wanted to get our best defenders on the perimeter.

JB: That’s not what the official score sheet says.

BH: Jimmy, watch the tape. Look at the defensive alignment. Use your head. What small forward is Pemwieser going to guard right now? Nothing in the rules say the guard you guard had to be the one guarding you. Defensive versatility is a weapon.

JB: Byron, I’d love to talk more with you. Come back again! Thank you for your time, and good luck the rest of the way. Folks, we’re out of time. See you Saturday on the Linndale Basketball Radio Network.

Day 13 (Saturday 13 January 2024) : Performances by (https://www.buzzer-manager.com)

Night results
Tasty Tardsicles 96 - Dragmort Dragons Utd 79
VileOnes 35 - San Dominica Warriors 114
Jumpstop Jumpers 57 - Lion Rebels 110
Super Sonics 114 - Shandong Golden Lions 125
Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️ 92 - F.Day Internet Lovers Club 111
Fort Wayne Pistons 116 - Linndale 114
Balls to the Walls 101 - Muffin Men 111
CB Bethesdorf 134 - 209’s MostWanted 124

Best collective performance of the evening
Points : 134 : CB Bethesdorf
Rebounds : 69 : Linndale
Assists : 38 : San Dominica Warriors
Steals : 13 : Shandong Golden Lions
Block Shots : 15 : San Dominica Warriors

Personal best performances of the evening
Points : 40 : I. Tabrizi (F.Day Internet Lovers Club)
Rebounds : 29 : J. MacNeur (Linndale)
Assists : 16 : G. Izaza (Fort Wayne Pistons)
Steals : 5 : J. Zhizhuo (Shandong Golden Lions)
Block Shots : 6 : Q. Yu zi (Dragmort Dragons Utd)

Top 5 of the evening
Point Guard : D. Gay (Shandong Golden Lions) (34 Points, 3 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 3 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 30
Shooting Guard : S. Bachelier (Tasty Tardsicles) (37 Points, 2 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 3 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 30
Small Forward : M. Granja (San Dominica Warriors) (17 Points, 9 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 1 Steals, 1 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 30
Power Forward : J. MacNeur (Linndale) (28 Points, 29 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 53
Center : K. Brown (Lion Rebels) (30 Points, 11 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 0 Steals, 4 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 34

MVP of the evening
J. MacNeur (Linndale) (28 Points, 29 Rebounds, 6 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : 53

The bad performance of the evening
A. Pérez Ruiz (VileOnes) (1 Points, 2 Rebounds, 3 Assists, 0 Steals, 0 Block Shots) : Efficiency : -7

Triple-Double of the evening
A. Suprianto (Shandong Golden Lions) (12 Points, 11 Rebounds, 12 Assists, 0 Steals, 1 Block Shots)

All kinds of statistics
The player who forgot to remove his mittens : J. Graf (VileOnes), T. Hearn (Super Sonics), S. Fabis (Super Sonics), I. Kavoukas (209’s MostWanted) : 5 Turnovers

Player targeted by the referees : S. Huerta (Lion Rebels), Z. Levin (Super Sonics), S. Fabis (Super Sonics), T. Freeman (Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️), M. Coedo (Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️), A. Carečina (Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️), U. Jaén (Fort Wayne Pistons), S. Aranda (Fort Wayne Pistons), C. Rankin (Balls to the Walls), V. Hyötyläinen (Muffin Men), C. Pla Llorente (Balls to the Walls), T. Cartaxo (CB Bethesdorf) : 5 Personnal Fouls

The iron-man : Q. Yu zi (Dragmort Dragons Utd), A. Pakzat (Dragmort Dragons Utd), L. Miller (VileOnes), J. Valentin (Jumpstop Jumpers), L. Praznik (Jumpstop Jumpers), R. De Calice (Shandong Golden Lions), A. Suprianto (Shandong Golden Lions), L. Melucci (F.Day Internet Lovers Club), A. Guilla (Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️) : 48 Minutes

The shooter : G. Azheli (209’s MostWanted) : 8 Three points

The best performer : M. Watkins (Lion Rebels), S. Hollins (Lion Rebels), T. Freeman (Mindless Zombies 🧟‍♀️) : Rating : 17.5

The worst performer : L. Praznik (Jumpstop Jumpers) : Rating : 5.0

Post game Warriors vs VileOnes

Stephenson:
A good win. Allowed us to see what we’re doing well in terms of preparation and game planning. Last game against the Tardiscles, we the coaching staff didn’t give the team what was needed to finish the game and get the win. That was on me. We’re on the right steps I think in addressing that problem.

Sam Walsh:
What does this win mean for you guys in terms of the playoff preparation?

Stephenson:
This allowed us to stay a game ahead of Shandong. Assured us that we’re not yet at the point of having to push the panic button going into All-Star Week.

Sam Walsh:
We’ve seen some lineup changes during this session of interconference play. What is it you’re trying to find lineup wise?

Stephenson:
Most coaches will probably agree, interconference play serves two purposes: keeping pace and fine tuning your team. Hmm, everything leads up to the 27th. That date is circled. It’s the start of the final stretch of Big 8 play and cementing a spot in the playoffs


Last edited by Coach Stephenson at 1/15/2024 7:45:19 PM

Charles Sanborn:
That was Coach Stephenson’s post game interview with our own Samantha Walsh followng the Warriors 114 to 35 win over the VileOnes. I’m Charles Sanborn here with the legend himself Bret Rodrigues. And you are listening to the Strategy Room, where you get a bit on the recent Warrior game and a look forward to what the Warriors will do in the next game coming up. Not a lot you can learn from a game like this. It’s a game you’re suppose to win if you’re in a position like the Warriors and you’re suppose to win big. If this game had been close we’d all be asking a completely different set of questions and very likely would be pushing a panic button.

Brett:
Right, not a lot that the Warriors can learn from this game in terms of important questions. Has O’Brien figured out a way to stay out of foul trouble. Has Vrana and even Blanchet taken that turn that is expected from a Coach Stephenson point guard. We didn’t get any answers to that Saturday

Charles Sanborn:
Now I do agree with everything Coach said about interconference play and the importance of January 27, which for those of you who do not know, is when the Warriors go to the Speedway to take on Linndale. Why do I agree regarding interconference play? Well you can’t clinch anything in interconference play. You can make headway, you can fall behind but at the end of that second seventh game stretch nothing is clinched. You’re not assured a playoff spot. Now two games into that final seven game stretch things to start to fall in place and you have a picture of how things likely are going to end in the Big 8. Now I know some of you are like hey the Supersonics game tell us a lot and it can. But I’ll be honest. Stephenson would rather lose to the Supersonics and beat Linndale than beat the Supersonics and lose to Linndale. Now Stephenson would rather win them all if possible but he'd rather the former than the latter

Bret:
I agree with that assessment completely. Lose to the Super Sonics and that’s just a Redland loss. Linndale is Blueland. Blueland losses are way more damaging.

Charles Sanborn:
Right, first of all its the first game of the final seven game stretch. Warriors defeated Linndale to open conference play, they would go on a three game win streak and finished the first stretch 5-2. A repeat of that pretty much assures them a playoff berth. Second its Linndale. Not only because its a rivalry game but it is one of the few games where the coaching is completely neutralized. Pio and Stephenson, good coaches, know each other well. But they both know that no matter how well they scheme …

Bret:
that its going to come down to the play on the floor. And you’re right. With the exception of maybe four teams, Coach Stephenson usually thinks if we can do ABC it will lead to XYC and that will equal a win. The reason I think Coach Stephenson was so glad this rivalry didn’t go away was because Linndale is one of those four teams where ABC doesn’t always lead to XYZ and even if it does. It doesn’t guarantee a win. You can’t scheme a win against teams like Linndale, it just comes down to the basics. Our guys are either gonna make the crucial shots, make the crucial stops and win the game. And those are the games I truly believe he gets up in the morning for.

Charles Sanborn:
Yeah those victories are the ones he’s most estatic about. 739-277-4674 is the number to call. This is the Strategy Room with Charles Sanborn.


Last edited by Coach Stephenson at 1/15/2024 8:09:59 PM

Josh MacNeur (If he's still on the team!) (PF)

After a dominant performance in a loss, MacNeur is leaving the organization. We appreciate his contributions to the team. His rebounding will leave a huge void to fill, but we will press on.

Officially making my longest tenure in the tournament this season. Tough matchup Thursday with a recently relegated NBBA team, so not counting my chickens before they hatch, but we'll see.

Roberto Gurgone: I went out and sold MacNeur, then turned around and got you your scorer. He’s not finished. A raw, unfinished scorer, but he’s the best scorer on the roster effective immediately. Say what you want, but you ask for things and I deliver!

Pio Reina: You said unfinished. Explain.

RG: We need to bring him up to speed on defense. Air and Marshall will get it done. Marshall likes beating up on the guards.

PR: We need a defensive big. One who is a shot blocker.

RG: You wanted a shot blocker. You got one, your new scoring guard. Get Uzek trained properly and you got 2 in the back court. Frias has room to develop; maybe he becomes a third. Cafer Enfes of Kops could be that guy also. Pasman is promising, and there’s Beko, Lecian and Hatfield also. You have anumber of potential shot blockers already. I get you want a defensive big; we’ll get that addressed in due time. Pio, unless somebody comes available that fits our style and budget, we’re not making anymore significant moves. If that guy comes available, I’ll grab him, but it’s gonna cost us a player. You’d better have an idea about who. In the mean time, Air can work with Frias, Leao, Enfes, Kops, and Pemwieser on adding range. Enfes and Kops will prove to be scorers very soon. Pemwieser, too. Leao will be fine; just needs time. Same for Frias. I want that kid in every range drill we have. Offense will stop being a concern, and we have enough defense.

PR: If I gotta choose, it’s Hatfield. Lecian mostly provides what he does. The 2 year age gap accounts for most of their differences in ability. His ball skills aren’t as good, but he’s a far better passer. At age 23, he’ll be better than Hatfield is now, and we’ll have a big man problem to address. We’ll have too many.

RG: Get me that problem. I’ll deal with it then. In the meantime, tell Byron to kick things up a notch with the bigs. Replacing MacNeur on the boards is going to be a team effort. Bow look at the file on your new guard.

PR: I see three issues. Ball security, defense, and rebounding. You can’t be that size and not rebound.

RG: You don’t have to rebound if you don’t miss. 27 points per game on 50% shooting, and 51% from deep. Tell Shooter he’s got to step it up. Now you’ve got options. Why don’t you get to the lab and figure out how you want to use the new guy?

PR: I’ll do that. I’m coaching the scrimmage tomorrow also. I want to eyeball the new guy up close. Air’s gonna have his hands full with the ball security initiative. Pasman, Enfes, and Bolibok have a lot of work to do

3 hours before game time...

Pio Reina: Air, good work on the free throw shooting.

Air Allnite: It’s nothing; give me a few weeks and then you’ll be thanking me.

PR: You’re doing a nice job there; take the credit. Now, passing week is here again. How does the training rotation look?

AA: Frias and Bolibok, Uzek with Pasman, and finally Kops and Enfes for this game. Kops and Pasman, Frias and Enfes, Uzek and Bolibok the next one. We sort the scrimmage as needed.

PR: This week is going to go a long way for ball security. If we can get the guys a bump, that’ll be ab big help. Kops would be nice. Frias is necessary.

AA: They’ll all improve, but it’ll be rough.

PR: Let’s talk guard evals. I know the scouting reports, what my eyes see, and what the tape says. You’re the one with that group the most. I want your view.

AA: For the sake of this discussion, who are we talking about?

PR: All the guards, Kops, and Enfes.

AA: Remove Enfes and Kops. Enfes has got a ways to go before I’d call him guard material. He’s not a guard; ball skills. Kops needs to improve his ball skills, but we at least let him in the room; he’s close. Real close.

PR: Fair. On with the rest.

AA: Tovar. Not much really to evaluate; he is what he is. He has improved his inside defense, but he’s never going to amount to much inside. Still need his perimeter defense to get better; we may have just forced his hand.

PR: Oh?

AA: The new guy, Bolibok. Petey Buckets they call him. A lot to work to do there, but he’s got a lot tp work with. He’ll rival Tovar as the best shooter on the team. He’s not just a shooter. Kid was putting up 27 and a half a game in D III.6. We gotta work this kid hard. His defense, passing need to be better. At the end of the day that kid could make the fan base call Kyle Knowles the second best shooting guard in Linndale history. I’ve seen your tapes, and he’s a better scorer than you by plenty. Between him and Kops, if they develop the way we think, there will be limited to no time for Tovar. He’ll essentially become a shooting specialist. He has to pick up his defense to to get playing time.

PR: I saw the new guy in a couple of pickup games. When he is on, he is incredibly efficient as a scorer. He and Kops both were something to see in that first game. The second game, he showed how raw he was. Still, I liked what I saw. The kid is supremely confident and does not back down.

AA: Another thing you’re gonna like about this kid is he’s a shot blocker.

PR: I saw some ability there. I like. Now the point guards...

AA: Uzek is a rookie, but he’s got tools already. His defense is playable now. Ball skills and shooting are works in progress. Marshall and Byron will enjoy him. He’s got size and he looks like he’ll be a shot blocker. I don’t know if he stays at the point, but he’s got promise. Leao has no inside game whatsoever, but isn’t the shooter Tovar is. He’s not bad though. There’s something about that kid. He’s too smooth. It’s like it’s natural for him to run a team. Frias is the talent we need to get right. Shooting needs work and he doesn’t pass well yet. Defends inside and out. Attacks the rim on offense. Get that up to speed and there’s still promise with his inside game.

PR: I’ve been impressed with Frias on defense. Best defensive potential, and best offensive?

AA: Offense, Bolivar. Defense, Frias. We have to make Frias and Buckets a priority. Too much talent not too.

PR: Agreed.

AA: What’s with the grin?

PR: Right now, you’re the most important coach here. Develop the guards, everything else will follow. We just need that one extra push before people take notice. What do we need most, aside from time?

AA: A tag team partner for Beko.

PR: Exactly. Let’s go grab Byron and Marshall. I think it’s time for a full court press on our GM.

Roberto Gurgone: Byron, give me your rundown on the bigs, but first, you need to see this. Nice win last night, by the way. This guy would have helped, I’m sure.

Byron Helm: I see he just trained on free throws, so he’s on our schedule. Gives us another talented big, immediate starter. What?!? He’s younger than Beko and better?!? Remember all those things I said about you that you didn’t hear because I kept them in my head when you sold off MacNeur? I forgive you and retract all of that evil! (laughs)

RG: (laughing) So we good now? I knew you’d like this move. When Pio brought you all in for that impromptu meeting, I had the impression you guys were going to have me drawn and quartered if I sat back and did nothing.

BH: Marshall’s gonna want to run some games and schemes with these two together. Looking at the wings, with Kops, Enfes, and Pasman he’ll have a ridiculous amount of ideas. Pio’s gonna need to share space in The Lab.

RG: Position versatility achievement unlocked! OK, give me the run down now.

BG: Hatfield needs to up his game with is inside offense and rebounding. Things we will address short term. Ondrej Lecian needs to work on his game also. Pemwieser needs to step up his defense and rebounding. Gonna skip Beko and the new kid; you already know. Best offense? Still Pemwieser. Best defense is Beko.

PR: (knocking on door) I hope I’m not interrupting anything. Got an idea I wanted to bounce off you. Oh, looks like I am. What’s going on?

RG: I wanted to get Byron’s input on something. Now it’s your turn. Read this.

PR: (looks up from file) Marshall’s gonna want to run some games and schemes with Beko and the new kid. This kid changes things a bit. For us, next season starts right now. Let’s see if we can get these guys to surprise some folks and finish with 11 wins. We’re gonna have to pull off a few upsets. Cool. I’m headed to The Lab with Marshall. I’ll let you guys tell him. (walks out)

Marshall Richards: (bumps into Pio, walking hurriedly) My bad, Pio. Excuse me. I’m so sorry.

PR: What’s the rush Marshall? I was just heading to The Lab and thought you’d like to go with me.

MR: Sorry. Yeah, sure… What’s going on? Something is definitely wrong here. I don’t like this at all!

PR: Marshall, take a deep breath. Get a hold of yourself. What’s wrong; you are freaking out.

MR: Air… (breathes deeply) OK… I was with the two-ways; we met briefly and were heading to the practice courts for some drills. Air is already there with a big I’ve never seen, putting him through shooting drills. You know Air; all of that get off my lawn energy. This was different. It was way more intense, and he was smiling. Like a huge, unconstrained smile. Pio, I’ve been around him a while longer with you. You can call Happy and I’m sure he’ll tell you the same thing. I’ve never seen Air smile like that before. It’s not normal and I don’t like it. Seriously freaked me out.

PR: In here. (Points to Roberto’s office.) Come on.

RG: (Looks up.) Pio, forget something? Hey, Marshall! We were just talking about you. (Sees Marshall’s face.) What gives?

PR: Marshall was off to drill with the two-ways and came across Air and the new guy, saw Air smiling and got triggered. You know ---

PR, RG, and BH in unison: A place for everything, and everything in it’s place! (chuckles)

MR: I’ve worked with him longer than you all have. Never seen that man smile like that before. It was not normal. (pauses) And who was that guy with him?

RG: Sit down and let us tell you about your newest two-way...

Last edited by Speedtraps at 1/23/2024 5:51:41 AM

Pio Reina: Air, where do we stand for training?

Air Allnite: Currently, Frias at 37 and Bolibok at 32. Uzek at 16 and Pasman at 11. Start Enfes and Pasman, Frias and Bolibok to back up. Frias should be done tonight, maybe Bolibok if we catch a break, though Pasman and Bolibok might be too close to call. Uzek and Enfes go for the scrimmage Might need Pasman or Bolibok to back them. That should give us Frias done after tonight’s game, Pasman needing about 10-15 minutes Thursday, Enfes needing about 15 Thursday, and Uzek clear his Thursday. That’s if we can clear Frias, Bolibok and Pasman tonight.

PR: Run with it. Marshall, game out small forward with who’s left.

Marshall Richards: Kops would be available, but I suspect there may be other considerations. Byron, thoughts?

BH: Are we trying to win or develop guys?

MR: Who says we can’t do both?

BH: Ok; Marshall’s got a scheme for this. Beko and Stojakovic are in their usual spots?

MR: I wanna tweak that. Give me Beko and Kops tonight. Play with your big rotations. Pio, you’re gonna like this one!

Esben Knudsen: (knocks on door) Excuse me, but I’ve got WINO radio on the line. Says that the pregame spot is up in 10 minutes.

MR: Thanks. My turn this week. Byron, you sitting down with Sam?

BH: Maybe. That may wait awhile.

PR: Air, you wanna wear the wire tonight?

AA: They better have a dump button. I’m not paying the FCC fine on that.

BH: Make it good and we’ll cover it!

AA: Have I told you lately how much I hate the lot of you? I really do, and I want you all to know that. Sincerely.

PR: Esben, let the guys know Air’s wearing the wire.

EK: Will do!

AA: I’m off to get wired up.

BH: I’ll call and have the dump button disconnected!

Ten minutes later...

Happy Ourer: Happy Ourer back with you on the Radio Pregame Show, and today we get to visit with an old friend, Marshall Richards! How are you, Marshall?

MR: Doing well, Happy. How are you?

HO: I’m well, thanks. We’ve seen a lot of roster changes recently. What can you tell us?

MR: Carlos Frias is almost everything that Coach Reina demands from a point guard, and might be more. Leandro Leao looks really nice and Ercan Uzek is an intriguing rookie pickup; it will be fun to see him develop.

HO: Tell us some more.

MR: Keep your eyes on Piotr Bolibok. The guys have already named him Petey Buckets. We’ve never had a guard with his offensive game before. He just needs some fine tuning.

HO: Sounds exciting!

MR: We’re really excited about Walt Pasman and Darko Stojakovic. Walt is defense first and might be the best all around defender on the team. Depends on the day. Darko has the skills we were looking for to complement the versatility of Beko. Defends inside and out, and is a shot blocker. Ondrej Lecian is another two way guy.

HO: Marshall, explain what that means in Linndale parlance.

MR: Sure! When most people say that, they mean a player who can play offense and defense equally well. We have a different view of it. When we call someone a two way player, we mean they can defend the perimeter and the paint. We have a point guard there and may have another soon. Midas Kops is close, Cafer Enfes and Walt Pasman are there. They join Darko, Beko, Lecian, and Hatfield.

HO: That sounds good on the defensive end, but how about putting up points?

MR: Coach Reina, and Linndale, have traditionally been defense first. That doesn’t change, but we expect big things on offense from Carlos Frias, Trenton Tovar, Piotr Bolibok, Cafer Enfes, Midas Kops, Darko Stojakevic, and Pascal Michel Pemwieser.

HO: And here’s where we have to take a commercial break. Marshall, it’s great to see and talk to you. We know you’ve got duties to attend to; don’t be a stranger! Back after the break! This is WINO radio, on the Linndale Basketball Radio Network!