[00:00:00] Speaker A: You're listening to the Whole Hog sports podcast.
[00:00:03] Speaker B: And now here's your host, Matt Jones.
[00:00:07] Speaker C: Today on our show, we're going to shift gears a little bit. We'll talk Razorback basketball in the summer, give you a summertime update on Razorback hoops. Plus, we'll have Colby Hale, the Razorback soccer coach, on the show as Arkansas gets ready to play a top 10 matchup against Duke this week over at Razorback Field. First word from Kendall King.
[00:00:23] Speaker D: At Kendall King, we're proud of over four decades of design.
We're continuing the legacy of great creative design by combining our brands of Kendall King, Soapbox and shop.
Together, these brands represent a new focus in marketing design with individual attention to specific areas. Through our design expertise, supported by a team of talented professionals, we showcase our best. We are Kendall King. We are Soapbox. We are Shopcart. We are design.
[00:00:49] Speaker C: Hey, welcome in Matt Jones along with Anthony Christensen. Anthony's our basketball guy. He's also our soccer guy. So I wanted to have him in studio today. Thought it'd be perfect for him to talk about these two sports. Razorback football. If you want to read about it, go to our website, wholehogsports.com we've got plenty of coverage there. We'll talk Razorback football again tomorrow and Friday on the podcast. But we took the podcast on hiatus for a couple of months this summer, and I want to catch up on what's happened with Razorback basketball.
There was an open practice in July that you were able to attend. I know you've been able to talk to John Calipari a couple of times. You've talked to some players.
We kind of have been able to piece together a lot of the schedule as you have had these conversations, and based on what we've seen and what we've heard, kind of what's your feeling heading into Razorback basketball? Because people might say, well, why are you talking about Razorback basketball? I don't know if people realize we're like less than a month away from the start of preseason practice. I mean, it's one of those deals like when kickoff for football season comes around, here comes basketball, and it sneaks up on you in a hurry.
[00:01:54] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, know, it's, it's that. That overlap season. It's fun.
But no, I think it's, it's. It's an exciting time.
[00:02:03] Speaker A: Right?
[00:02:03] Speaker B: I mean, there's a lot of. There's a lot of, you know, exciting pieces on this team. I, you know, having spoken to players and coaches, they're really excited about the defensive side of things. They're really thinking that they're going to have a physical team, especially on the defensive end. But, yeah, there's. There's a lot to be excited about. Obviously, the returning core, Carter, Knox, Trevin Brazile, D.J. wagner, Billy Richmond. I mean, those guys come back with, you know, experience. I think that's 60% of their scoring from last season coming back, which is, you know, which is huge. If I'm not mistaken, it's the. It's the highest number in the sec. So, I mean, there's a lot to be excited about if you're an Arkansas fan, I think. And, yeah, you know, just having spoken to players and coaches and fans and, you know, former players, coaches, you know, whoever, you know, people seem to be really excited about it. You know, John Calipari, year number two at Arkansas, and I think people are excited to see, you know, how the team performs with some, I guess, prolonged stability. Obviously, he came in during April of his, you know, leading into the Final Four when he was first hired. So it was, you know, a hectic time. And, you know, how does the team do with some more stability and, you know, not having to deal with, you know, getting as many players in through the portal. Obviously, a lot of those guys followed him from Kentucky, but it's still. You have to bring them in and get through all of that stuff and everything.
You don't have to hire a bunch of coaching staff members and stuff like that. So it's.
It should be. It should be an exciting time, I think.
[00:03:32] Speaker C: Yeah, there was a lot of talk out of practice about Trevin Brazile and that he looks different. And it's not just the new hairdo. It's. He looks physically different.
He looks like, you know, he just. He just trusts everything. You know, he had the knee issue there for a while. He just looks like he's back to being the Brazil. And we saw this at the end of the year in the tournament, even down the stretch, in a couple of games at the end of the regular season, where it's like, okay, that looks like the Trevin Brazil that we were expecting to see a long time ago.
And maybe it's taking him a little bit longer to find the best version of himself, but that we may be on the verge of seeing that for a full season this year.
[00:04:12] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean, he looks. Physically, he looks great. He's definitely added some muscle onto his frame and, you know, everything along. Along those lines. And I. I mean, you think back to, you know, how he finished the season Last year, obviously the, the SEC tournament game against Ole Miss aside, I mean, he was, he was really good. I mean, you think about that Vanderbilt game on the road, he was, he was outstanding.
And, you know, it's his, his last year of college basketball, so he's going to be playing for, you know, a professional contract and be that, you know, in the NBA or G League or overseas, wherever it may be, he's going to be playing for a professional contract. So there's, I guess, I don't know if it's added incentive to play well, but it's, you know, that's part of it. But yeah, he looked good during the practice. You know, he, you know, he, yeah, he looked good physically. He looks ready. And yeah, I think especially given how he finished last season, I think it's a, you know, there's, there's reason to, to be optimistic about what Trevor Brazile is going, going to do. And then Carter Knox also looks, looks really good physically as well. He slimmed down a little bit. You know, he looks, you know, he's another one who looks, you know, ready to take on the season, who obviously he went to. He went through the NBA Draf draft process, came back to school and, you know, scouts, you know, want to see him, you know, continue that form from, you know, the, the back end of the season, especially the second half of the season and into the NCAA tournament and when he was at his best and, you know, if he's, if he's able to play up to that standard and, you know, defend up to that standard as well, because I think people may forget just how good of a defender he was during the NCAA tournament. You know, he can, he can boost his draft stock and maybe get into that first round discussion.
[00:05:49] Speaker C: You know, one of the issues, if you will, for Arkansas last year, I'd say it was an issue. I mean, when you look back at some of their losses, you say they didn't have the physicality that they needed.
[00:05:58] Speaker B: Their physicality and rebounding and everything.
[00:06:00] Speaker C: And it seems like there has been a real focus put on that in assembling this year's team.
[00:06:07] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, Nick Pringle is, you know, he's, he's on the last stop of his SEC tour, as I've heard it kind of explained. Obviously, he played at Alabama, he played at South Carolina and now he's at Arkansas. Also had a stop at Juco and at Wofford, if I'm not mistaken. So he's, he's been around the block, he's experienced you know, he's played in a final four and I mean he's, you know, he's a physical front course presence, front court presence and I think that's, you know, he's, he's going to be a big piece for them. And Malik Ewan as well. I mean, you know, people, I mean, he's, I, I think if you look at Malik Ewan's numbers, you can maybe get the wrong idea of the kind of player he is. You know, he's, he's physical, he's a rebounder. Yes, but he's really good with the ball in his hands. He's a good ball handler, he's a good passer and he's, he's athletic. He can have, you know, guard like moves. I'm not saying he's going to be your point guard or anything, don't get me wrong. But you know, he's, he's got a lot of skills that you want and kind of your modern big man. And you know, I'm not saying he's going to light it up from the three point line or anything, but you know, he, he's, he can rebound, he's physical and he, you know, he's, he's a good passer. He can, he can initiate the offense. He's a good, you know, if he gets the ball in the top of the key, he's not going to look lost. You know, he's going to be able to find different passes, find guys in the corner, find, you know, guys off the pick and roll and stuff like that. So I, I think he's, he's one who, you know, I think the staff is really excited about. Just in hearing, you know, how John Calipari has talked about him and in various different summer things that he's spoken at.
I think he's one they're really excited about. And then you have Paulo Semedo and Elmir Zafic who have both only just gotten to campus.
I'm not thinking that they're going to be immediate contributors. I don't think maybe they are, maybe they aren't. I think not having the this summer to get, you know, acclimated to their new surroundings is, you know, it's, they're a little bit behind the eight balls probably the way I would think it is right now, just because they didn't have that time. But I mean, you can see especially Paula Semito, he's big, he's strong. I've heard that he's got, you know, he's, he's A good inside presence who, you know, he's, he's physical and everything along those lines. I'm not sure that, you know, he's a shooter by any means, but yeah, I mean, those, those two guys are, you know, they, they, they add to the physicality, I guess I should say.
[00:08:31] Speaker C: So what do you think the identity is for this team?
[00:08:34] Speaker B: I think that the, it's going to be a lot about building on last season's defensive, I guess, principles. I don't know if that's the right way to put it, but I mean, last season I think the team's identity was its defense, which was kind of a little bit counter to what Kentucky was in John Caliperi's last season there. Because a lot of it was, you know, Kentucky can score like no one else, but it was a lot of, you know, but can they, you know, guard? Whereas this past season, you know, Arkansas would go through a lot of, you know, scoring lapses and, you know, kind of, you know, have some leads dwindle away because they couldn't, I guess, put the game out of reach, which we saw in a lot of their wins. And then obviously against Texas Tech as well. But, you know, the defense was always solid. I mean, finished with a top 20 defensive efficiency in the country last season. Offense, I think, was down in the 60s, if I'm not mistaken. So I think, I think just in my conversations with players, coaches, I think the defense is really where they're, at least over the summer, is where they're focused. And I think that's going to be a main, I guess, identity of this team is just being physical on defense and, you know, being willing to, you know, draw and draw and take contact and also, you know, be tough on ball defenders. I mean, you look at a guy like Billy Richmond, who, you know, he's always going to be, you know, ready to guard against anybody, you know, whoever, whoever that may be.
[00:09:56] Speaker C: He's ready to guard when he gets off the bus.
[00:09:57] Speaker B: Yes, exactly. So I think that's, that's the big thing I'm looking at. And I'm looking at, you know, does Carter Knox take another step as a defender? Is he going to be, you know, that all SEC caliber defensive player that I think, I think he can be? I think he thinks he can be. I think the coaches think he can be teammates as well. So I think there's, I think that's kind of at least at this stage where they're really locking in.
[00:10:20] Speaker C: I like Richmond, by the way. I mean, I just, there's Something about a hustle player. And that's what he, I mean that's.
And I don't want to like put him just in that box of, hey, he's just a hustle player because I think he can do a lot more than that. But the hustle plays, those are the ones that just, they stand out to you.
[00:10:39] Speaker B: Yeah, absolutely.
[00:10:40] Speaker C: And it felt like with him, whenever he got the opportunity, because he didn't always get the minutes, but whenever he did get the minutes, it felt like he was going to make one. But probably multiple plays that nobody on the court was going to give you the effort to make.
[00:10:56] Speaker B: Yeah, definitely. And I think when you look at a guy like him, I think where you really want to see his, I guess, next steps or progression is on the offensive end. You know, can he add more range to his shooting? I think everybody saw that he can drive, you know, can he add more of a, you know, a mid range in a three point game? Which I think maybe you started to see a little bit at the end of the season, you know, not, not a ton by any means. But you know, he, you know, ended up, I think finishing 2 of 16 or so from the three point line for the season, you know, so I think that's kind of where you want to see him grow the most, is kind of adding, adding more to his offensive game. So then, you know, he's got, he's got the frame, he's got the defensive ability for sure to be, to be a pro. I think you want to see him, you know, add more range to his shooting if, as I guess the next, I guess, steps, if you will. Because I mean he was, he was very good at driving and getting to the rim and everything along those lines. And I think he's a, he's a good ball handler. I know they used him at the point guard spot a few times and you know, I think, I think, yeah, that's, that's where I think you want to see him grow the most.
[00:12:00] Speaker C: If we have mentioned DJ Wagner, it's only been in passing and that's certainly not, it's, it's. We're not overlooking him. I think it probably just tells you that you like a lot of the pieces that are around him. I thought the season turned last year when we thought it was going to maybe turn for the worse when Boogie Flynn got injured and we thought he might be out for the rest of the year.
That's actually, it was almost kind of like a blessing in disguise for that team last year because you take Wagner from being an off guard where he didn't look like he was totally comfortable to letting him run the show. And, and then everything just seemed like it started flowing a lot better with him. And that, that point guard role.
Is that the expectation again for him to, to be their number one point guard this year?
[00:12:43] Speaker B: That's the question that I think is maybe the biggest question about this team is who got the primary point guard going to be? Yeah, is it going to be DJ Wagner? Is it going to be Darius Acuff? I mean, I think you're going to unquestionably, I think that's your backcourt, at least at the start. I think those are your two starting backcourt players.
But who is going to be that primary ball handler? Do they, you know, switch on and off? Who's doing it? Do who, you know, does, does Wagner kind of take on that, that primary ball handler role or is it going to be Acuff? I think that's the biggest question mark, at least on the offensive end of the, of the ball at this stage of, of time.
So it's, it's, it's interesting. But DJ Wagner I think is, it's, it's exciting because, I mean, he's, when he was coming out of high school, it was kind of expected that he was going to be, you know, this one and done prospect. But, you know, he dealt with some injuries in his freshman year and, you know, probably wasn't ready to try to take that step. And then after his sophomore year, I think he had some up and down moments and, you know, I think defensively is where I thought I saw him grow the most from his, you know, sophomore to, or freshman to sophomore year. Excuse me.
Not that I was watching every Kentucky game, you know, when he was a freshman, I watched a lot because I'm weird. But, you know, I think that's where I saw him grow the most was defensively. So, you know, can he add a more consistent jumper? Can he, you know, be more of a, can he step into more shots as he catch and shoot guy? You know, I think, you know, in different conversations, it seems like he's, I don't want to say less hesitant because I don't know that he was ever really a hesitant shooter, but, but he's maybe more confident, maybe has less of a hitch in his shot and things along those lines. So I think he's, he's somebody who I expect to have a big year. And I'm, I think that's the big question is, you know, do you see him more as, you know, an off ball guard like he was at the start of last season. Or do you have him as the primary point guard and let Darius Acuff kind of be that off off ball guard and you know, stuff like that. So I think that's the biggest question mark around, around this team's offense at this moment.
[00:14:48] Speaker C: Of course, Malik Thomas, a five star guard who's incoming for the Razorbacks too. Just a lot of talent on this lineup. I'll tell you the Hunter Jurecheck's coming to the Hogs Illustrated Sports Club is going to be September 4th. That's next Thursday at noon at home. Two suites in Springdale. You can still get
[email protected] O Z A R K S T I X.com to hear Hunter Jurecheck at the Hogs Illustrated Sports Club. We know quite a bit of Arkansas's basketball schedule for the upcoming season. SEC has put out the schedule for the most part for the upcoming year. There's still some midweek dates where we don't know if it's going to be a Tuesday or a Wednesday night. But I'm always, I think one of the things I always look for when I look at the schedule as a whole and especially conference games are the Saturday games at home. You know, because I'm not going to the road games. You're going to be there, but I'm not. But so, so I'm looking at like what are, what are those big Saturday games at home this year and who's, here's who. Arkansas plays at Bud Walton on Saturdays in conference play. They start with Tennessee on January 3rd. That's a big one to say the least. LSU comes in on January 24th. Then there's the Kentucky game on January 31st. That'll be fun. First time Kentucky's come here with Calipari as Arkansas's coach. Obviously that was a great game last year over at Rupp.
[00:16:11] Speaker B: One more happened that night at rup.
[00:16:15] Speaker C: After, afterward, I don't know.
[00:16:18] Speaker B: That was when Luca got traded.
[00:16:20] Speaker C: Oh well, I remember I looked over.
[00:16:23] Speaker B: At other people on the beat and I was like, guys, we covered the biggest story in, in sports for or in American sports for about three hours. But we just got usurped. We got passed up.
[00:16:37] Speaker C: Well, I did not know that. I didn't know that was that night. I was too busy. I was so surprised by that Arkansas win. We went to eat at Tim's Pizza here in Fayetteville.
[00:16:48] Speaker B: Never been.
[00:16:49] Speaker C: Oh, you need to go. And so we're there and we saw. And it's. It's one of those places where like when you go in there it is inevitable you are going to see people. You know, it's just. It's like. It's like the cheers of Fayetteville. It's where everybody knows your name and so you go. And we're talking about the game this like two hours before tip off. And I'm talking to this guy who I know who he's like well, what do you think it's gonna be like? I don't think it's gonna be very good. You know, because like. Well, had they lost like it was.
[00:17:15] Speaker B: Five of six or something like that? Yeah.
[00:17:16] Speaker C: It wasn't good at that point.
[00:17:17] Speaker B: And then the, the manner in which they won the level.
[00:17:20] Speaker C: And that's the, that's the thing. Not just, not not just that they won but one.
[00:17:24] Speaker B: But it was the.
[00:17:25] Speaker C: It was an offensive clinic.
[00:17:26] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:17:26] Speaker C: Which was phenomenal.
[00:17:27] Speaker B: The exact opposite of what you would have expected. I have that game if Arkansas was going to win.
[00:17:31] Speaker C: I don't know that I have enjoyed watching an Arkansas regular season basketball game on TV like that. There have been some here at home. But I'm just talking about just sitting back and watching a game on television. Like I did that Kentucky game and I don't know how long it was so enjoyable to watch for one. Because it was high level basketball. It was probably the most efficient that they played offensively outside of maybe, maybe Mississippi State. They were really good on offense. But like there weren't three other games last year where they played as well offensively as they did at Ross.
[00:18:04] Speaker B: Maybe Maryland, Eastern Shore.
[00:18:06] Speaker C: Stop.
Stop right now.
So. Yeah. So anyway, Kentucky comes to Fayetteville on January 31st. That could be one of those where like college game day comes.
[00:18:17] Speaker B: They never covered a college game day day.
[00:18:19] Speaker C: So they were here.
[00:18:20] Speaker B: I know they were here at the last Arkansas home game before I started.
[00:18:25] Speaker C: Was that right?
[00:18:26] Speaker B: Yes. I was so upset.
[00:18:28] Speaker A: Huh.
[00:18:29] Speaker C: I didn't realize it had been that long. So. Or that, you know, I'm trying to say.
[00:18:33] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:18:33] Speaker C: So. Yeah. So they were here for Kentucky a couple of years ago and I thought they would go to Rob, but then they ended up going to Duke, North Carolina on the same day. So.
So maybe they're here. Who knows. And then a couple of other Saturday games. You got Auburn on Valentine's Day. That's also. Can I just say, that's the night of Arkansas's baseball game at Globe Life park in Arlington.
[00:18:55] Speaker B: Busy day.
[00:18:56] Speaker C: And it's inevitable. Well, here's what I'm gonna say. It's inevitable that the Saturday that Arkansas plays at Globe Life Field, there is a really good basketball game at Budwalton arena that the Razorbacks typically win. I don't, don't shoot me. I'm just a messenger.
[00:19:12] Speaker B: I like covering good basketball.
[00:19:13] Speaker C: And then Mizzou comes in on the 21st. Kind of interesting. Arkansas's last two Saturdays, they go on the road. They go to Florida and they go to Missouri. We also know a lot about the non conference schedule and there are a lot of big non conference opponents that have been.
Yeah, there's, there's Queens, but there's, there's a lot of big non conference opponents that the Razorbacks are playing. Here are the ones we know about. We know that they're going to go to Michigan State, they're going to play Duke in Chicago, they're going to play Louisville at home as part of the SEC ACC challenge. They're going to play Texas Tech in Dallas on a Saturday in December, and they're going to play Houston in, I'm going to say the New York area on December 20th. And I say that because the original report from the Houston Chronicle was that this game was going to be played at the Nets arena, the Barclays center in Brooklyn. And now from what we're hearing, it's actually going to be played at the Trenton or wherever. The old Nets arena in Newark. Yeah, so that has been announced.
[00:20:16] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:20:17] Speaker C: But from, from what we've heard, it sounds like this could be played in Newark instead.
[00:20:22] Speaker B: Yeah. And then there's in, in at Barclays center. There's a women's basketball doubleheader that same day. So you know, there's, there's a lot going on in, in that area. And I think Duke and Texas Tech are playing at Madison Square Garden that same day as well. So there's a lot of high level basketball in the New York. I mean there's always high level basketball in the New York area. But, but that day in particular, a lot of fun.
[00:20:46] Speaker C: They just announced, by the way, while we were recording this, that the Michigan State game that has a date on it now, November 8th.
[00:20:53] Speaker B: There we go.
[00:20:53] Speaker C: Is going to be in East Lansing. And then there's going to be a return game the following season where Michigan State comes to Fayetteville. This is the kind of schedule that you want as a basketball fan.
[00:21:04] Speaker B: Yeah, especially. And then you look at the, you know, even the, by games like Southern is, you know, I mean, it's, it's a Swac team. But you know, regular season SWAC champion last year, lost in the tournament and Queens was solid and is in its first year as a full fledged Division one member so they can finally get into the NCAA Tournament, which I, nobody needs to ask me in my opinion on the transition rules, I think it's stupid. But regardless of what I think, you know, it's Queen's first year as a, as a team that's fully Division 1 and can play in the post season. So that's exciting. And.
But yeah, I mean there's a lot of fun games on this.
[00:21:41] Speaker C: James Madison's a team that's had some success in the past.
[00:21:44] Speaker B: Yeah, I mean Mark Byington, who's now the coach at Vanderbilt, was the coach at James Madison two years ago when they won, I think it was 31, 32 games and should have made the NCAA tournament as an at large bid had they not won the conference tournament. But they left that out of the hands of the committee and won the conference tournament and then beat Wisconsin in the first round of the tournament. So. But now they've got Preston Spradlin in there, really good coach who was at Morehead State while I was covering the OVC in Evansville. So yeah, James Madison, that's fun. And you look at these other games that they're playing against. You mentioned Michigan State, if you can get to Breslin Center. I mean I, not to have a sales pitch, but I covered a game there when I was covering Evansville in Southern Indiana. Southern Indiana played a road by game there to start the season and not to start the season, but opening weekend or so and awesome, awesome environment. And I'm sure it'll be a better environment when It's a top 20, top 15 matchup and in, you know, the season's opening weekend and everything like that. So yeah, I mean, and then, I mean the schedule, overall, SEC included, I mean they play each of the eight teams or in last season's Elite Eight, so that's fun.
[00:22:54] Speaker C: I'm looking at this up while I'm looking this up because I want to see if Michigan State has a football game.
I don't think on the same day.
[00:23:02] Speaker B: I don't think they do. I, I want to say they don't. And I think it was, I, I sent this list. They're a long time ago. Yep, I see. I know Michigan State, I think was on that list that I sent when I was doing like the, the always sunny in Philadelphia, like guy going crazy on the board. Like I wrote down a list of every Power conference school that had a football bye week that, that week and I figured it was going to be a neutral site game, but they were going to play one of those teams. It's a home and home. And I'm not going to complain about going to East Lansing. It's a great place, good pizza place right on campus. I don't remember the name of it. I'll find my way back there, I'm sure.
But I mean Breslin center is an awesome, awesome arena. I mean the, the, the student section, it's, you know, it's like all the way around, all around the court, which is awesome. Yeah, the is own. And yeah, it's, it's, it's a cool, it's a cool place. So I mean obviously it's not close, but if you can get there, I highly recommend it. And yeah, Duke on Thanksgiving. Mom's upset that I'm gonna miss Thanksgiving again, but you know what? It's Duke. Sorry.
[00:24:07] Speaker C: This is, this. It's the classic Calipari schedule. You're gonna have. You're gonna have at least a game that people are gonna be excited about at home outside of your conference games. You're gonna have at least a trip or two to another teams arena in non conference and then you're going to have a few neutral site games that are spread about it.
[00:24:26] Speaker B: The Texas Tech game, I'm very excited about that. Texas Tech team is going to be top five, top 10 in preseason.
[00:24:31] Speaker C: I like this, I like how they put this schedule together. It gives some, it gives some flavor to the non conference schedule that in past years hasn't always been there.
[00:24:39] Speaker B: Oh yeah, no, it's, it's, it's fun.
[00:24:42] Speaker C: And no Baylor, that's what it should be. No Baylor this year. They're supposed to play. Sounds like that may happen a future year where Baylor comes back to Fayetteville.
All right, when we come back, Colby Hale, the Razorback soccer coach is going to join us as speaking of Duke, we got a big Arkansas Duke soccer match coming up this week over at Razorback Field. We'll talk to him in just a moment. But first into the word from Kendall King.
[00:25:02] Speaker D: At Kendall King, we're proud of over four decades of design.
We're continuing the legacy of great creative design by combining our brands of Kendall King Soapbox and Shopcart. Together, these brands represent a new focus in marketing design with individual attention to specific areas. Through our design expertise, supported by a team of talented professionals, we showcase our best. We are Kendall King. We are Soapbox. We are Shopcart we are design.
[00:25:28] Speaker C: Hey, welcome back. I want to tell you about our friends at Bentonville Glass. They've been serving their community since 1971. Committed, professional, versatile. If you're looking for a quality leader in northwest Arkansas or looking for skilled craftsmanship, look no further than Bentonville Glass for all your glass market needs with the highest quality products. You can come by and see them now at 507 South Main in Bentonville or online at Bentonville glass.com want to take it to you and get the latest breaking news on all Razorback sports at whole hog sports.com most in depth source for all Arkansas sports analysis, latest in recruiting, unique stories on all your favorite teams. Subscribe today @wholehog sports.com and we're joined now by Arkansas soccer coach Colby Hale. The Razorbacks going to play a big matchup on Thursday night over at Razorback Field. Number three, Duke. Duke was number one in the polls last week, fell to number three despite not losing a game last week. Arkansas number eight this week in the polls. Colby, how do you explain a team falling from number one to number three, still being undefeated?
[00:26:29] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, I don't think anyone knows. You know, with polls this early in the season, they don't really mean much. I will tell you this based on video. Pretty much everyone in the country would say Duke's the best team. You know, I think Notre Dame will get there. Notre Dame was kind of like us maybe figuring some things out early, but Duke feels like their role and they just beat Penn State. Three, two, who's a top team. And I think right now Duke's the most complete team in the country this early in the season.
[00:26:51] Speaker C: You know, you've really stacked your schedule here. At the start of the season, you played Iowa, you played Notre Dame, played Georgia Southern over the weekend. Now you got Duke. I mean, these are three teams that are really highly ranked teams. You go to BYU next. That's a team, obviously, that's had a lot of success. What was kind of the thought process putting this together and challenging your team the way you're doing out of the gate?
[00:27:10] Speaker A: Yeah, John actually said, I think we play like seven of the top 13 and like a crazy amount of ranked teams. We just believe you grow outside your comfort zone. And like, while it's fun to, to score five goals and beat somebody, does it make you better? I'm not sure. So we knew we had a young team we knew had a very new team. You know, we graduated quite a bit and we knew if we were going to be Peaking at the end of the season, we needed to get some questions asked of us and, and see if we could find some answers early.
[00:27:35] Speaker C: Lost to Iowa to start the season. Had the draw with Notre Dame last weekend. Beat or. And beat Georgia Southern. So you're one one and one. What have you learned about your team so far?
[00:27:46] Speaker A: That's probably fair. Like, we, we've been too up and down to be 3 0. We need to be a little more consistent.
You know, the first half of IOA, we were horrible. The second half we outshot him 13 to 2. I thought Notre Dame, for long stretches we were as good, if not better. And then Georgia Southern, we just weren't very good and just found a way to win 2 0. So we'll, we'll need to be. We'll need to be start putting some things together with the schedule if we want to start beating some of the best teams.
[00:28:10] Speaker B: Yeah, and you mentioned the consistency there. It's something you mentioned after the Georgia Southern game as well. You're playing a lot of players trying to find that consistency, I guess. What are the biggest struggles that you've kind of found or biggest difficulties that you've kind of found in trying to find that consistency?
[00:28:25] Speaker A: Well, I think every season it takes a while to figure yourself out. Right. Like, I was even looking back to the last year, that last team was pretty old and we played Michigan State early and we had players in all sorts of different positions and how we ended the season, season.
So, you know, you don't get any questions asked of you if you don't play teams that are as. As good as you.
And so for us, it just takes a while. Right. Like, we've had some pretty key injuries. Some of our, like, key players have been out at different stretches of the, the season and it's, it took, it's taken us a second. Right. This was probably our best week of prep.
Now, is that because we play Duke and the team's a little more focused and they were judges Southern, like, that's not to our standard. That's not how we do things. I do understand human nature and how that creeps in, but that's, that's not, that's not our goal. Our goal isn't to play up to the teams that, you know, may be ranked and play down to the teams who aren't. Our goal is to have a standard for everything we do.
[00:29:16] Speaker B: Yeah. And you mentioned, you know, playing players in different positions and like trying different players in different spots. Just what kind of goes into, I guess your thought process in saying, hey, maybe this player is more of a defender, naturally, but I can try, I can try playing her in midfield. Like, how do you kind of make those determinations?
[00:29:33] Speaker A: Well, that's how. That's how our program's always worked. Right. I mean, we played Jaylen Brownlee up front against Notre Dame in the second half and she was wildly successful. So, you know, we're just going to do what the game needs us to do to try to win the game. You know, some people are just like, hey, we're just going to do A, B and C every single and it doesn't matter. Like, we have some non negotiables, but at the end of the day, you know, we're not afraid to move players around to try to get the result on the day.
[00:29:54] Speaker C: I want to ask you about your health of your team, Colby. I know you've had some players who have been out or been limited. Where are you at right now?
[00:30:01] Speaker A: We're getting there, you know, we're getting there. You know, like, I think one of our best qualities as a program is we don't, like, we're probably delusional in a healthy way. You know, some people are like, you know, next man up, but then they obsess over the players they don't have. There's nothing we can do about that. Like, we're going to try to get him back as quick as we can. Players we don't have, we don't have. So if we spend one second thinking about that, it's a wasted second. And so for us, it's just kind of all hands on deck. And, you know, we've had some players step up. I mean, Molly Teed's not even a defender. Stepped in and played fantastic against Notre Dame in a role she's never played before. So, you know, we're just looking for ways to win games, really, you know, opportunities for other people. And we have plenty of good players.
[00:30:41] Speaker C: When you played Notre Dame, I was really struck by the play of Kennedy ball that night. One of your forwards and even like the game tying goal, the penalty kick by Zoe Sussey. She gets the goal. But I felt like it was Balls Hustle who set up that opportunity for her. Just what have you seen from her and maybe her growth that she's made from last year.
[00:31:02] Speaker B: Yeah, that.
[00:31:03] Speaker A: That video got like 3 1/2 million views when she double begs the kid.
Yeah, no, I mean, Kenny was fantastic. Kenny needs to be that good all the time. I told her, hey, congratulations, you've just set yourself a New standard. So I have the right to be pissed at anything less than that.
You know, Kennedy's a very talented young lady. She has high character, a great work rate. She needs to step up into a bigger role and get comfortable with that. You know, even her dad text me. He's like, man, I've never seen like that. I was like, good. That's the new minimum standard for her. She's a very, very talented kid. Very talented.
And so that was by no means a surprise. That was not an anomaly. I think she's capable of that pretty regularly.
[00:31:38] Speaker B: Yeah. And we've talked about this being a fresh team after having a pretty old team last year, and you have players like Kennedy, like Zoe and others, Jalen Mack kind of stepping into more of a leadership role. How have you kind of seen them kind of, I guess, adjust to those larger roles in this early stage of the season?
[00:31:56] Speaker A: Honestly, they're. I mean, they're doing really well. I mean, it hasn't been. It. It. The transition has been interesting. Right. It's a new day every day with them. But they want to. Their, you know, give a crap factor, their care, their character. Like, all those are incredibly high. So while they're figuring out their way in their voice a little bit, like, the. The foundations that you would need of character, care, work rate, like, those things have always been there. And, you know, you're trying to play some younger players and some new players, and, I mean, it's a. It's some moving pieces. And this. This schedule that we've put together is definitely helping. Like, if we played seven teams, we were better than we would be seven games in and not really know anything.
So we. We figured some things out. We're still figuring some things out. And again, Duke is gonna pose a lot of new. New problems for us.
[00:32:47] Speaker C: When you played Notre Dame the other day on SEC Network, they were showing some father or some pictures of your father, Colby, and the planes that he flew in the Air Force.
If you would tell people about what he did and maybe how your experience growing up in a military family. How did it shape your coaching, if at all?
[00:33:08] Speaker A: Yeah, that's a good question. I could talk for seven hours on that. The first thing you notice is he's tall. So my mom run my basketball career.
I was probably a better basketball player, but at five foot nine, you know, there wasn't a whole lot of opportunity out there. So my dad was actually. He's a fighter pilot in the Air Force.
He was the first person to ever fly the Stealth fighter. So we Used to live in Las Vegas. This was when it was all top secret. And he would leave on Monday, come home on Friday. We didn't know at the time where he was going. We know now he was going somewhere in Tonopah to go test fly the, the Stealth Fighters.
And yeah, I went to three kindergarten schools. I went to three third grade schools. I think I lived in ten states. England twice. I didn't even play soccer until my sophomore year of high school. Played football, basketball, baseball. I moved to England my sophomore year. And they didn't really have. They had those things, but it wasn't to the same level. And so I ended up playing on an Air Force base. And soccer, it was a great experience. Came back my senior year and then had to figure out what I wanted to play. Baseball was my best sport, and I stuck with soccer. And obviously that's turned out to be, you know, a good decision.
Yeah, I mean, you learn to adapt. I mean, every three months or every three years, I was the new person in school. And I had a plethora of experiences. I lived everywhere in the United States, I lived in Europe. I've traveled to all over the world.
Yeah. And it just provides a little broader perspective on things and my ability to adapt and evolve and change. You know, when we got here, it's world. It's the mountain bike capital of the world. And I have. We have 20 bikes. Like we mountain bike. You know, when I lived in Idaho, we snow skied. Like, whatever you did, wherever it was, we just kind of did those things. And I've really enjoyed the variety of experiences.
[00:34:45] Speaker C: So at what point did it become declassified to you and you found out what your dad did and, and what was your reaction to it?
[00:34:52] Speaker A: So he actually missed Desert Storm. He was, he was, you know, we were glad, but he was kind of frustrated because Desert Storm was right after, you know, every three years in the Air Force, you change planes.
And so after his three years there, when it was, we did not find out till afterwards. I think it was maybe six months after we moved from Las Vegas that we found out what he did.
And it was, it was pretty fascinating. I mean, it was a weird time. Obviously, your dad's gone Monday to Friday. You don't even know what he's doing, where he's going.
But, but honestly, like, what a. What a cool experience for him. And, you know, I actually thought it was kind of cool being an Air Force brat living all over the country.
[00:35:25] Speaker C: I would assume some of the kids that you go to school with, they're they're going through the same things with. With their parents being in the military, too.
[00:35:31] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. We actually have one right now whose dad is a. As a fighter pilot in the Navy, and she has a similar experience. She doesn't always know where he's at. He's on a deployment right now for six or seven months, and I don't think she even knows where he's at.
So, yeah, I mean, I every. Everything's a little different, you know, like, my wife grew up in basically the same home and lived in the same neighborhood as all of her family members. And that's got some cool experiences, too. Right. A little bit more baby roots.
But I wouldn't trade the experience that I had for anything.
[00:36:01] Speaker C: Since we're talking about family, I want to ask you real quick about your son. Is it Callan who played the national anthem at Baum back in the spring? That was a pretty cool experience.
[00:36:09] Speaker A: It was as two things. It was as nervous as I've ever been. So he plays a lot of gigs, but he's in bands.
So, like, if you mess up, you can't really tell, you know, when you're doing the national anthem, it's in front of that many people, but it's just you. And everyone knows the song. So if you mess up, everyone knows. The cool thing about that story was it had nothing to do with me. So he plays for School of Rock, and the guy who plays the organ is one of the main guys at School of Rock. And he told the School of Rock, he told the baseball guys, hey, I have the first kid that I feel comfortable telling you will play the national anthem.
And it was funny. They sent us an email, me and Brittany, and said, you know, hey, we'll be at a baseball game. If you guys need tickets, just let me know.
Like, he had no clue that I coached at the University of Arkansas. So that's what I thought was cool. That was kind of something he earned on his own. He's incredibly talented.
He works very, very hard at it. I mean, and what we're hearing, he's got some pretty special talents there.
[00:37:03] Speaker C: You remember the unique anthems. And when you got a kid out there playing on his guitar the way he did, that was one that really stood out to me. A couple more about your team here real quick before we get you out of here. You know, I've watched the evolution of your team from where you went to. You went from the team that was kind of hunting to now you've kind of become the team that's Been hunted. At least in your conference where you've won so many conference titles, coaches have picked you to win it again this year. I wonder how has that changed, if at all? Maybe the feeling within the program over the last five or six years.
[00:37:35] Speaker A: You know, that's a good question.
We still kind of see ourselves as underdogs, even though we know we're not. You know, if we play 25 games in a season, we're probably not the favored team in most of them, you know, and not only have we done well in the sec, like, they did a goal differential. I think our goal differential is like, 140 goals. Like, sorry, our. We've scored 140 goals more than anyone else's in the SEC. Our goal differential is more than anyone else's scored goals. So we've not just done well in the sec, we've dominated the sec. And so everyone hates us. Like, literally, like, if you said, who's the team you hate? We're probably number one in every single aspect.
So, yeah, we're just kind of sorting through that. I mean, we know what we are. We know this is. We know we're gonna get everyone's best effort.
[00:38:17] Speaker C: How do you balance this time of year, wanting to win to help your, you know, your resume for the post season and just focusing on getting better game to game and, you know, with playing Duke, like, what would be winning would be the result you want to have. But when you look at this game in two or three days, how are you looking back on it and evaluating it?
[00:38:40] Speaker A: Yeah, I mean, did we play well? Did we grow? Did we win? I mean, fortunately, getting better and winning or not mutually exclusive, they go hand in hand. And so it's both. Right. Like, how do we get better in the context of winning the game in front of us?
You know, we're not gonna. We have identity pieces, and we have five of those. And, like, we work on those. That's what we work on. Now, there'll be tweaks based on who we're playing, because, you know, based on who you're playing. There'll be some times where we probably have territory. We're in there. And most of the time, and we. We believe we'll probably be out shooting them and outplaying them. Then there's times where maybe it's a little bit more even in transitional. So in those games, you know, maybe the roles and who we play are slightly different, but overall, who we are should look similar. You know, Duke plays a little different style than us, although not that different. And so really, it's gonna be like, who can impose their will in the game? And in the games we impose our will, we normally do well. And the. The games that the other team does are normally the games we struggle.
[00:39:29] Speaker C: Arkansas and Duke going to play Thursday night at Razorback Field. 6 o' clock will be the start times. There'll be a striped jersey giveaway. This will be televised on SEC Network. Plus, Colby, good luck to you and your team moving forward.
[00:39:41] Speaker A: By the way, that striped jersey I saw today, it is pretty sweet. It is not cheap. It looks exactly like our striped jerseys did.
[00:39:47] Speaker C: Are you wearing your striped jerseys during the game?
[00:39:49] Speaker A: We don't have them anymore. That was just the one that the fans wanted for the jersey, but we do an alternate and Nike discontinued the one we had, so we'll probably have to reintroduce that in a year or two.
[00:39:59] Speaker C: All right, sounds good. Good luck to you.
[00:40:01] Speaker A: Thank you, guys.
[00:40:02] Speaker C: All right, thanks, Colby. We appreciate you being with us today. Hope to see you tomorrow on our podcast as we get back to talking football in this Arkansas, Alabama A&M season opener that coming up Saturday at Razorback Stadium. Hope to see you at our website, whole hogsports.com. have a great day, everybody.
