Runnin' Hoops Podcast
All things Runnin' Utes basketball and Big 12 basketball.
Runnin' Hoops Podcast
Episode 331: Dakarai Tucker
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Former Runnin' Utes wing Dakarai Tucker joins the show to discuss his career with Utah, what he's up to these days, and much more. Plus, we recap the Big 12's big night in the NBA Draft, and continue with our summer check-in series. And, the benches and the MUSS are moving + much more!
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All right. Welcome back to the new brought to my super chicks of the last two chicken sandwiches. For a limited time only, Super Chicks is giving Bland the bird with its ghost pepper nuggets. Don't be afraid of the heat though, because the ghost pepper sauce gives you that perfect combination of flavor and heat. And then you can chill that burn with their signature frozen custard. Doesn't that all sound good, especially on these hot summer days? You can find the nearest Superchicks to you online at Superchicks.com. And remember, it's chickswithanx.com. On this episode, former Run and Newt's wing Dakari Tucker joins me to discuss his career with Utah. Plus, the basketball team and the Mus are on the move. We'll discuss and we'll wrap up a significant NBA draft for both the Big 12, the Jazz, the Wizards, and others. All that and more here for you, including our final spin around the Big 12 in our summer check-in series. But first, I wanted to remind you to follow the podcast over on X at Runin' Hoops Pod and on Instagram at Runin' Hoops. You can rate, review, and subscribe to the show over on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get a podcast. We've hit 78 five-star reviews on Apple Podcasts. So that March to 100 by November 2nd, the night of the opener, is on. Also, we've got our annual Phil Steel magazine giveaway up and running over on X. So make sure you check that out and get in on it if you feel so inclined. Nothing quite like getting a free magazine courtesy of Ye Old Podcast. Well, we're going to begin today with women's basketball. And this comes to us from Tristan Freeman over at Hoops HQ. And it is the top 20 transfers in women's basketball in the Big 12 this offseason. And what's interesting here is not only who is on the list, but who isn't. Now, as you know, the Utah women's basketball team had four players, four, transfer within the league. Utah also brought in Lena Girardi from Oklahoma State and Laia Kinesa from Kansas. So of those six that I just named, how many appear on the top 20 transfer list? Well, none. Not one. Which I find to be quite interesting because there was a lot, and I mean a lot, of heartburn over the four players that left the program via the transfer portal in conference. And yet, not one of them shows up on the top 20 list for transfers. So I'll just bottom line this for you. Oklahoma State and West Virginia each had two players in the top five of the top 20 transfers, and Utah had one player show up on the list at 13, Philippa Barros. And here's what Tristan Freeman had to say about Barros. Quote, pound for pound, Barros is one of the best rebounders in the country. The all-whack guard had a double-double against Long Beach as well as four other games with double-digit rebounds and assists. The Utes lost both of their starting guards to graduation this offseason, so expect Barros to come in and have a large impact as the projective lead guard. Now we've talked about this a lot, but I just don't think that you can undervalue what having Philippa's experience will do for this Utah women's basketball team and backcourt. For better or for worse, Utah was relying a lot on their young players in the backcourt last season, and it showed in a lot of the losses that they had, the inability to maintain leads and some of that inexperience just really showing up in some bad moments. So there you go, a little women's basketball to lead off the podcast here. Now, elsewhere in Utah athletics, the basketball team benches are on the move from the east side to the west side, which also means the must and the band are on the move. I quote from the university's press release quote, taking effect for the upcoming 26-27 athletics season. Team benches for both men's and women's basketball will now be switching over to the west side corresponding to this move. Several floor seats in those sections, and the must and band will also be moving to their respective locations. As we continue to build towards College Town Magic, there will be new programming and activations exclusive for students. In addition, the 1,400 plus beds at the new Trailhead residence halls opening this fall will bring the total to over 2,900 beds just next door from the John M. Huntsman Center to help create a competitive home court advantage for our programs. And Andrew interjects here again, you should be able to stumble into the Huntsman Center on a given night and help create that atmosphere if you are a student. Back to the release. The West Side benches have been a meaningful part of our program's tradition, and restoring that connection to our history is symbolic of the direction we are headed, said Run and Ute's head coach Alex Jensen. While modest in itself, the decision reflects a broader vision to honor our legacy and rebuild the program that our fans, alumni, and community can once again be proud of. Close quote for Alex, continue to quote for the release. The benches moving to the west side for the men's and women's basketball honors the winning tradition Utah fans have come to know and witnessed countless Utah legends capture both regular season and conference tournament championships. These changes add to the competitive home court advantage we have in the Huntsman Center by giving the MUS an even better game day experience, head women's basketball coach Gavin Peterson said. I'm really excited about our upcoming season and can't wait to show all of our fans the hard work we've been putting in. Close quote on Gavin. In a continued effort to enhance the game day atmosphere, unifying the student section for all events is a step in that process. With the move, the MUS will now have one unifying location to support all four teams inside the John M. Huntsman Center, located in sections T and U. Students will also have a dedicated entry door at door one, located just west of Cowlert Village, and the new trailhead residence halls opening in the fall of 2026. So there you go. Now, as to why this move is being created, well, we already saw some of that, but here's one more thing to quote from the FAQs. Quote The home and visiting team benches are returning to their traditional locations where they had been until the 2007-2008 season. Returning the benches to their traditional locations will allow the unification of the must on the east end of the John M. Huntsman Center to all four sports played in that arena and allow students to now be directly behind the visiting team basket in the second half of basketball games, where they will be better positioned to impact the game. The must will now occupy sections T and U for basketball games and volleyball matches, and section U for gymnastics meets. This change we discussed prior to the 2025-2026 season. However, there was not a sufficient lead time to make all the necessary seating and logistical adjustments effectively. Close quote. So what does that all mean? I don't know. I think for the first time in a long time, they're actually trying to make some changes that are going to improve the game day atmosphere at the Huntsman. But the rest of the issues that we've covered here on the podcast will continue to persist. Though, as we've discussed, Otro should help with that. Of course, the biggest thing that would help would be winning. Still, you love to see them going back to their roots. And if it's something that Alex Jensen wants, I think everybody would happily be on board. Now, the Huntsman Center will play host to a number of run and uses games this season, as it typically does. And I've got another game for you, and it's another run it back type game. Utah will host Sam Houston on December 19th this upcoming season. Utah beat Sam Houston 85 to 79 last season en route to a 22 and 12 season for the Bearcats. This game gives the Running Utes 11 known-ish games for the upcoming season. And we will continue to do as much digging and check with sources as possible to get you the rest of this schedule. Or they could just go ahead and release the schedule, which would be a hold all calls type situation here for the podcast. All right, let's get to our summer check-in series. We've got three more teams: Texas Tech, UCF, and West Virginia. And we begin in Lubbock with the Texas Tech Raiders, who, unbeknownst to Grant McCasslin, became the league villains this year when they allowed Brennan Soresby to play. Now that's obviously taken a turn in a different direction, but still Texas Tech trying to establish itself here a little bit as the lead villain in the league, but they've got a lot of talent transferring out of the program. Christian Anderson was just drafted this past Tuesday into the NBA. Couple of other players graduated, and a number of players transferred out of the program, including Lahan Watts, who's off to Washington, Jalen Petty to UCLA, Luke Bomboye to TCU inside the conference, and so on. Now returning, they've only got one player who averaged more than a point per game coming back for sure, and that is Josiah Mosley. He averaged 5.5 points per game. Texas Tech's season is really going to hinge on the health of JT Toppen. He suffered an ACL injury in February. He was the former Big 12 player of the year. He was my pick for player of the year, despite the fact that he didn't finish the season. He averaged 21.8 points per game and 10.8 rebounds per game. He would have no doubt been an NBA, probably first round pick, if he had not suffered that ACL injury. He is expected to return, but the question for them will be: how soon can they get him back? Will they have him back for the full season? And what kind of player are they getting off of that ACL injury? Now, incoming. They've got some other transfers, including Drog Gibbs, Lahorn, a 6'1 senior guard from UNLV, who averaged 20 points per game for the Running Rebels last year. Cruz Davis, a 6'3 senior guard from Hofstra, likewise averaged 20.1 points per game last year. So a couple of big time scorers are coming into the backcourt there. Damari and Dennis, a 6'1 junior guard from Wyoming, Utah, was heavily involved with him. He's coming in as well. He averaged 11.2 points per game. And then Dakari Spear is a four-star freshman small forward, number 25 in ESPN's top 100. And another freshman's name is Trey Hall. So there's quite a bit of work that Grant McCaslin has yet to do here on this roster. I imagine with some international players not being drafted, maybe they try to get in the mix with them. Again, though, it's gonna be JT Toppin, and that's it in terms of how far this team goes this upcoming season. We go to Orlando, the happiest place on earth for the UCF Golden Knights. Johnny Dawkins extended his seat, no longer warm, but do they have any momentum? They lost just about every contributor off of last year's team, mostly to graduation, but Jordan Burks transferred in conference to Oklahoma State. Chris Johnson went to Oregon State, and a few others transferred as well. Their big returning piece from last year was their 7-2 big man, John Bowl, who averaged 5.9 points per game, five and a half rebounds. They expect him to take a big leap forward this upcoming season, and they're gonna kind of build around him. They've also got Carmelo Pacheco coming back as well. He averaged 4.6 points per game, and then a couple of red shirts as well. Now, incoming, again, it is a bunch of players for Johnny Dawkins. Dior Johnson, a 6'3 senior guard, re-returns to UCF after averaging 24 points per game at Tarleton State last year. He was at UCF before that. Lewis Walker, a 6'6 sophomore guard from North Carolina AT, comes in with a 19 points per game average. Then a bunch of other double-digit scorers, including Isaiah Malone from Florida Gulf Coast, Caden Vasco from Wafford, Mr. Dean, that is his name. Mr. Dean is a guard from Charleston who averaged 10 points per game, and then Churchill Abbas from New Orleans also coming in, as well as some freshmen. So we may see UCF as the early leader for the all-name team here, but a big time investment in senior players last year paid off. This year, the expectations are going to seemingly be that this team will go as far as the guy like John Bull can take them. And that takes us to Morgantown for our final summer check-in. And that is with the West Virginia Mountaineers, the college basketball crown champions, who Ross Hodge went all in on trying to get this team to the NCAA tournament in his first year. He fell just short of that, but did win that crown championship. And he lost just about everybody off of that team. A bunch of graduates from that team, Honor Huff, Brennan Lorient, Chance Moore, Tracy, Eaglestaff, Jasper Floyd, DJ Thomas didn't graduate, but he heads over in conference to TCU. Harlan Oboha graduated as well. And then some others transferred elsewhere in college basketball. All that adds up to one returning player from last year's team. That's Amir Jenkins. He averaged 3.4 points per game. And so the Mountaineers are going to need an influx of talent as well. That list begins with Javon Buchanan, a 6'7 senior forward from Boise State, who averaged 12.6 points per game and five boards. Finley Bizjak, a guard from Butler, who averaged 17 points per game. He's a high motor, high-energy guy. He can shoot it a little bit. And he was a guy that Utah recruited back in the day. Mohamed Sila comes in from Georgia Tech. He is a 6'10 big, nine points per game, 7.2 rebounds per game. Sedu Treore comes in from the University of Utah. He averaged nine points per game, 3.4 rebounds, and several airmailed passes and a few techs for yelling at the crowd. Shout out to HD Ute, who will be in the crowd next year yelling sedant when he comes to town. Martin Somerville from Florida State, Justin Sonnen from St. John's and Arizona State. Miles Sadler is a five-star freshman guard, ranked 17th in ESPN's 100. They've also got a seven-foot freshman coming in that was ranked in the top 100. So very similar approach to last season, which won them the crown with a little bit more building involved this time in the form of some four and five-star freshmen. But the question for West Virginia will be can they replicate that magic? Will this team come together? So now that we've hit all of the programs in the league, I will give you my Big 12 power rankings on the next episode. But Joe Lenardi, he waits for nobody. Did somebody say June bracketology? You know that you're really sick. That's a sick thing to do. This comes to us from his June 16th bracketology over on ESPN. Reminder, it's now a 76 team field. The defending Big 12 champion, Arizona Wildcats, are in as a number two seed. That is the highest among the Big 12 teams. Houston and Kansas are four seeds. Iowa State is a five. Texas Tech and BYU are six seeds. Baylor is in as a 10 seed. TCU is in as an 11 seed. And Arizona State is a 12 seed among the last four in. So that is, let's see here. Carry the one. Nine teams from the Big 12 in the 76 team field. Then you have the aforementioned Mountaineers of West Virginia as the first team out of the field right now at number 77, and Oklahoma State at number 82 among the next four out. So there you go. Nine teams in, two teams on the bubble, and five teams with a great deal of motivation as offseason practices continue. That list, of course, includes our beloved Renan Youtes.
SPEAKER_00The Washington Wizards select Anise Devonta Jr. from Brigham Young University, the Utah Jazz select, Darren Peterson from the University of Kansas, the Atlanta Hope Select, Christine Planning, from the University of Houston, from Milwaukee Hope Select, Brady University Institute, from the University of Hillary, the Chinese Holland Select District, Christian Henderson Jr. from Technic University, the New York Technical Act Institute, Cameron Club Institute, Braillard University Institute, the Boston Celtic Select, Sonic Jr. from the University of Houston, the Minnesota Timberwolves select, Joshua Jefferson from Iowa State University, the Dallas Maverick select CoA P from the University of Arizona.
SPEAKER_02All told nine. Count them nine. First round picks out of the Big 12 on night one of the NBA draft with an additional four in the second round. And that list includes Richie Saunders from BYU going to Memphis, Baba Miller from Cincinnati going to the Clippers, Emmanuel Sharp from Houston going to Sacramento, and Jaden Bradley from Arizona off to Toronto. The 13 drafted players is the most the Big 12 has had since 1966. So it has been a minute. We also had a bunch of free agent signings, but it would seem tedious to track all of that. So we'll just leave it there at the 13 players that were drafted. So let's start with the big picture here. A rising tide lifts all boats. Having nine guys out of your league drafted in the first round, 30% of the first round picks does nothing but help our program here at Utah because guys are going to want to come and play in the best league in college basketball to prepare themselves for the NBA if that is their ultimate goal. And I'm guessing that's a big part of the pitch that Wes and Alex have been giving players, much like it is down in Provo. So it'll be interesting to see how the strength of the league helps Utah moving forward and how competitive Utah can be in the league, given how strong it is. Now, as for the draft itself, I've had a number of people ask me, they stop me on the street, they call and text at all hours of the night, they send me telegrams, and the question is always the same. Now that it is truly over and former BYU wing AJ DeBonsa is officially on my Washington Wizards, how do I actually feel? Will I be able to bring myself to cheer for him? Well, look, nobody's perfect, right? I mean, should each of us be judged by our worst decision? I say nay. So I'm willing to forgive and forget, which just goes to show that I can be the bigger person here. Also, he was in Provo long enough to have a cougar tail, and that's about it. And can we really say that any aspect of his game improved while he was there? I don't think so. So, as much as they and some of the folks in the media want to spin that he is where he is because of the school he chose, I think there's overwhelming evidence to support the notion that he is where he is in spite of that, not because of that. And most reasonable people seem to see through some of the PR spin there. He was a great player, a very effective player, but on an underachieving team. And I think the pressure now shifts squarely to Kevin Young, who has he delivered a couple of top 10 picks? Yes, he has. Has he delivered in the Big 12 and in the NCAA tournament? He has not. But yes, I think AJ will fit in well in DC. I'm excited to see what he can do with a healthy and motivated Trey Young and Anthony Davis, even if that's for just like 15 games a season. And I'm very excited to see what he can do with actual coaching. Now, on the jazz side of things, fans should likewise be absolutely thrilled with what happened on Tuesday night. Darren Peterson is an outstanding player, and when properly motivated, clearly has a very high ceiling. And so it's going to be fun to see what he can do in Salt Lake City. And I suspect we will see. him courtside when Kansas visits Utah this upcoming season, provided that the Jazz are in town and not playing a game of their own. Bottom line though, it'll be good to see what these two franchises who have circled the drain for quite some time can do with all of this young talent. And oh by the way, July 9th on ESPN, the Jazz and Wizards will face off in the NBA summer league. So that should be fun as well. But yeah, no losers here, right? Just two franchises that got way better on Tuesday night. I think it's been interesting to see some of the spin that has happened since the draft where a lot of people are trying to spin this as one team winning and one team losing. I don't see it that way. I see two winners and that's all I see at this very moment. All right when we come back former running mute swing man Dakari Tucker joins me to discuss his career, what he's up to now and much more. We'll talk to Dakari right after these words from one of our sponsors. My fellow Americans as we close in on America's 250th birthday in the 4th of July it's important to hearken back to some of the most impactful presidential quotes in history quotes like ask not what your t-shirt can do for you, ask what you can do for your t-shirt or a house full of t-shirts that doesn't fit well cannot stand. Or the only thing we have to fear is the fear of not having a strong t-shirt game. Finally, Mr. Gorbachev tear down that boxy stretched out t-shirt. These great leaders knew the one thing that mattered more than anything else. The most patriotic thing you can do this 4th of July is show up to that barbecue parade or fireworks show in a proper fitting t-shirt. 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That promo code for you at checkout one more time run in hoops for the outside into the corner Tucker almost stepped in into the corner shot fake steps into the two all right my guest today played for the run and uts between 2012 and 2016 and was on the most recent Utah teams to both make the NCAA tournament in Sweet 16 since his time at Utah he's been all over the world playing professionally in Hungary Israel Uruguay and Germany among other places former run and ute guard Dakari Tucker Dakari thank you for joining me how are you I'm good uh thanks for having me enjoying my summer uh while I got it it's gonna go by quick but still enjoying it well obviously we've got a lot to get to here but let's start with kind of the present how are things going and and what are you up to these days? Uh everything's going good um I just recently I'm still still playing uh recently uh just got back from Germany um in May and been home just enjoying family enjoying the time off um being around people that I don't normally get to see in a 10 month span um and right now I'm doing the big three I don't know if every everybody knows that but I joined the big three last week was my first game um starting to get you know acclimated to the three on three basketball uh but it's fun you know just to get out there be around a group of guys that you normally only see on TV um but you know I'm enjoying the the summer and the process of my career my journey yeah where do they where do they play those three on three games uh so they're all over there we go to Detroit this week um Miami Los Angeles Atlanta Houston Boston Charlotte and uh I think there's one more all right a couple it's a couple a couple a couple of stops we got but every weekend it's a it's a game that's fun that's fun you enjoy that you you know the guys that you're playing with or have have you played with those guys before uh yeah well one of the guys that uh got me on this team uh Darnell Jackson he actually uh lives in Los Angeles and you know he comes to a lot of workouts a lot of open runs and um he also plays with us in the Drew League uh so he's the one that introduced me to that and he was on the team for what ever since it started so yeah so you've been in in Hungary Israel Uruguay Germany can you just give folks kind of an idea of what it's like to play in those countries like what are those arenas like and and do you have kind of a favorite among those uh stops that you've had that you uh enjoyed maybe more than some of the other um each I would say each uh like lifestyle and just gym wise and basketball play is different in each country I would say um your grade was more of a humbling experience you know it's a third world cut uh country um so when I first went out there I was a little homesick uh but you know it was something that I had to sacrifice uh just knowing that you know if I want to continue to enjoy doing what I love to do I have to go through whatever to you know to enjoy my pro my journey um so Uruguay was pretty it was a very humbling experience it was very different courts it'd be bumps in the floor rims hanging to the right a little bit um there they didn't give me no car I had to stay in like a hotel uh it and then I didn't have no kitchen so it was like I only had they only gave me two meals a day so I had to deal with that and but it it just made me a lot more hungry you know um so I dealt with that and then I would say Hungary was it was a quiet place.
SPEAKER_03Um it was a very small city uh food wasn't too great um uh but that then that that season had to end short because of uh COVID um and then what after COVID I did the G League bubble played in a G League bubble for a little bit that was a fun experience uh get around a group of guys that I've already played against and with um in my previous years in the G League um Israel Israel I would probably say the lifestyle would be the best lifestyle that I've been around in uh uh since I've been playing basketball and traveling and stuff uh that's probably my the one country that I could say that reminds me of Los Angeles as far as like weather wise um different types of food um the people were some of the people were amazing um never really had any problems out there despite all the stuff that you see on social media um yeah Israel's probably my because I spent four years straight out there and that was a that was an experience uh to see especially you know with the times that they got going on with the war and stuff you know you see you hear missiles you hear sirens and stuff exploding in the air and you just like dang what is it what's going on but I really didn't it really spooked me out I ended up fishing finishing throughout the whole season um Germany I would say their gyms had to be the most nicest gyms I played in since I've been a professional uh besides the some of the G League we had cool gyms but all around I would say Germany had some uh nice arenas or our gym uh at in Oldenburg it was a very beautiful arena and I would probably say that was probably our my best experience as far as arenas wise but top my top country that I would say the for young player or if you're trying to finish your career go go to Israel you'll you'll have a great time that sounds good yeah that's a that's that's kind of a great uh great tour through all those countries um now I know it's been a minute but let's go all the way back to your recruitment what do you remember about that what made Utah the right place for you out of high school so when I got when I was looking for schools I was supposed to go to Saint Mary's Saint Mary's uh in Northern California um played in the West Coast conference at the time um they was really they was on me heavy uh and I was like I want to say a day or two with then committing to St. Mary's and then I had ended up getting a call from Utah and that really started during the summer I had to visit up to Utah and then did like a little open not a like an open tryout but I worked out in front of Larry and Tommy Connor and all of them um worked out in front of them and then drove back home so it was like an unofficial visit. And then they ended up calling me as soon as I got back home saying they wanted to offer me and then I really waited until it got to almost graduation time to make my decision but then it was like it's Pac 12 you know close to home not too far from home um my family was still able to come see me play when I come to the West Coast uh and it was it was one of the top top conferences so I was like yeah that's a no-brainer I'm gonna I'm gonna go to Pac 12 and and Utah we they was they were struggling before we had got there so it was like this could be something special um and then I came in with a great group of guys Justin Seymour Brandon Taylor Jordan Loveridge um and that's where it was it was just started it grounded at the foundation was built right there.
SPEAKER_02Yeah it's like you've got my my notes here I got a I got a question about you know they were coming off of a six win season did that give you any pause and then right into you know your first year with Brandon and Jordan and and those guys so we're you know we're we're rolling right along here but what do you remember about you know coming in as a freshman that first year with with those guys what do I remember uh I mean it was the first year you know getting to know Brandon and Jordan and and and and Justin we was all roommates at the time um so it was uh it was it was it was it was a very fun moment you know it was every night was different uh just showing up each day with those guys it it made you know the time being a freshman just more fun um because we always stuck together it was just us four and then everybody else was on their own um it was long nights long gym nights go to the gym late night get our own work in extra work in uh there was early mornings um it was it was just a grind really and that's all we saw it as but at the same time it was still a fun moment for us and we still started to build something from that so even though throughout the years Justin didn't stay with us but you know Brandon me and Jordan we we ended up sticking it out and being the the ones that make it to the end of graduation at yeah you guys yeah you guys had quite a quite a run your next season you took a nice like you guys step took a pretty good step forward you got to the NIT uh also brought in a an unheralded guard out of uh San Francisco City College DeLon Wright uh what do you remember about first playing with Delon and and what kind of memories do you have from that second season there uh with the running Utes um my memories about DeLon I remember he used to be able to find me across the court like I'll be on the in that corner just sitting there waiting until Delon you know if somebody comes help off he's swinging that ball to the corner like he was probably one of the best uh cross court passes um and he was one of the best defenders probably just being in passing lanes um and stuff like that so it was it was really fun playing with DeLon um throughout those two years but two years I think it was one year or two years seasons two I think two years yeah yeah we had we was there for uh two seasons with DeLon um it was it was fun and it just seeing that how he just transitioned to being an NBA player it was it was a hell of an experience um to to deal with um yeah that's I mean really mainly what I remember is just him just being in them passing lanes and just um making those cross court cross court passes because nobody else was we didn't have no point guard as tall as him you know able to see over everybody and make the right reads like that and and also it it helped uh it helped a lot of us too as seeing him as like one of the older guys but still not too much older but we seen what he's around and and how he's around his brother and stuff and just being around that type of player uh he used we we also learned from him as well like defensively and stuff like that and yeah it was a great time and Delon was my roommate too so we had uh we had some good times and then and then your third season you guys really caught your stride you added a couple more pieces uh to the team that would go on to play professionally I know hindsight's kind of 2020 but did you have a sense going into that season that third season up at Utah that you guys would compete for the top of the league and potentially go on to make a bit of a deep run in the NCAA tournament um I mean I feel like so we we started it off that year we actually did a uh what was it um navy SEALs training oh yeah yeah we did a Navy SEALs training and you know we we ended up finding a lot of chemistry during that so I didn't think I don't think that we went in with the mindset of the like the end goal of oh this is how far we're gonna make it this is what we're gonna do this season we just knew that every time we stepped on that floor we had to play like it was our last and while we're doing it have each other's back and just play for each other and the outcome was just happened on its own you know so we showed up every day with that mentality as as being your brother's keeper keeping keeping everybody accountable playing for each other and just just going balls to the wall just you know just going out there just playing hard just playing for the fans playing for everybody playing for the name on your jersey and the back um on the front of your jersey and the back sorry uh so that was really our mindset going into those into that year each year actually me and Brandon having just that type of breed just me Brandon and Jordan um just having that we just came wanted to work you know every day we came in to get extra work in uh mornings late nights like I said earlier um it was just the the you know the mentality that we had how was that navy seal training I remember at the time when they would like report on that and then they'd show pictures of you guys doing that during the season that a lot of fans were like oh man why's Larry putting him through this these guys are gonna transfer like this is this is just college basketball it's way too much what was that experience like doing that training uh for me it was fun you know it was it was just like we just being it wasn't it was like we were being big kids but at the same time we're being structured being in like being trying to become like trying to do we're being in a structure to where it's like you're serious and you have to take every moment serious because if you're slacking then you're holding your your your um your brother back.
SPEAKER_03So at the same time it was two it was a two double edged sword so you're having fun and then you're uh it's also a serious moment you know um and I feel like that was really my uh enjoyment out of it was you know going just running around rolling in dirt had it jumping in in water like it was it was something that was just gonna build character and that that showed um as the season went on um and I don't I don't think it some people broke some people ended up transferring but some of us you know it just made us stronger as a as a unit you know and we we well everybody we enjoyed it we didn't nobody well some of us some quit and some ended up you know keep pushing and kept pushing and just realized that this is a brotherhood at the end of the day so yeah that season had some really fantastic games I was just watching the highlights of that home game against Wichita State and that game fantastic game that game has provided uh fans with a kind of a big arguing point over the years because you guys wore those gray jerseys with the script used on it yeah the throwbacks did you like those jerseys because a lot of fans hated them I didn't mind them but but a lot of fans have have like they still go hey we just signed with Adidas we better not see those gray uniforms again or anything you know anything like that did you did you guys enjoy those those uniforms uh I mean it was it was cool they would nobody really was really like mad about it besides like some of the jerseys was big yeah you know they was long and stuff like that they oversized but we we really didn't the jerseys really didn't matter to us at the time you know we was just trying to we had a big game ahead of us and that was really our main focus and then like we went out and then we handled business so that's all that really mattered um but nah I don't I don't think nobody's really complaining about the jerseys I actually think I still have that jersey somewhere is that right okay yeah maybe maybe you could dig that up I mean you know show show it off to the fans on your uh on your Instagram or something yeah I gotta I gotta but the highlight of that season you guys go to the Sweet 16 you take on Duke in Houston in a football stadium what do you remember about that matchup with the Blue Devils it was it was unreal you know just being in that stadium it just felt like everything was just happening too fast you know and uh it was just it wasn't my greatest game and it I don't think it was our our greatest game that we played as a unit um but you know as I look back I was like dang I wish we could have did something differently uh I wish the coaches did something differently um but you know it all in all it was just a great experience to say that you made it that far and then especially you playing against Duke like one of the top schools and in front of one of the top coaches um but we still went out there and we didn't back down uh it was like I said it was it was everything was just happening too fast it was just the arena was huge uh all them fans and stuff like that um but it's really that you take me way back I can't even sit here and remember like time for time what exactly what was going on but that was that was definitely a a great game to have played on that floor too especially in that arena that was unreal unreal but yeah pr pretty hard to play in a football stadium I would imagine super hard super hard because it's probably one of the biggest backdrop serial you'll ever play in on a basketball floor especially if you don't play and stuff like that it's not like we was playing like on how uh who was that Michigan State when they be playing on the ship and stuff um it's not nothing compared to that uh that basket I mean that football arena it's it's ridiculous but yeah it's fine yeah I mean they're playing games now everywhere right you like you mentioned the battleship they've got a game this season uh somebody's gonna play on a baseball game
SPEAKER_02Like on a baseball diamond. Like it just doesn't, you know, it just doesn't make any sense.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, it's getting crazy.
SPEAKER_02Um, I and it's funny, right? Because you know, I'm asking you about these these specific questions about your career, like, you know, 10, 15 years ago, and and fans remember these specific details, and players are just like, you know, yeah, I mean, I I I was in that game, that's for sure. Um, but I have asked a few of your teammates this question. Uh, DeLon's third foul in that game, total garbage, right?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_02See, you know. Um, it was it was uh that that changed the game.
SPEAKER_03I feel like it was a lot of uh moments that the refs was you know on the favor of uh Duke, but we're not gonna talk about that.
SPEAKER_02That's right. You got him back, you got him back the next year, yeah, yeah. In Madison Square Garden. So uh what was it like to play in uh Madison Square Garden?
SPEAKER_03Uh it was to me, it was just like that. That was a you know normal arena, you know. But just being on the NBA floor, like first NBA floor, it was it was it was definitely like a oh I want to you know keep pushing to see my limits to see where I could go as far as like after college and stuff. So that uh that actually gave me extra little motivation and keep a little drive to just keep pushing, um, because you never know what could happen. Um but it was it was it was definitely a fun and normal experience, you know.
SPEAKER_02So and that season ended, you know, it was your senior season. That season ended in the NCAA tournament as well. Amazingly, it's the last time Utah has been to the NCAA tournament, which is wild. Uh, because it's yeah, it's starting to get up there now with like 10 plus years of of Utah not getting to the to the tournament. And and you guys went up against this plucky uh 11 seed Gonzaga team with with Sabonis and Kyle Wilcher and uh some of these other guys. I've asked this another another question I've asked a lot of your teammates. My listeners are probably getting tired of it, but no chance that Gonzaga team was an 11 seed, right?
SPEAKER_03They should have been number one seed. No, they they came out and played amazing basketball. Like they played actually big boy basketball. Sabonis, huge, Kyle Wilcher, one of the best stretch fours that can shoot the ball, play the three a little bit. Um, I actually ended up playing with Kyle in the G League my following year when I got called up to the Houston Rockets uh G League for the playoffs. So I played with him and just seeing him out there just doing what he does, I was like, okay, yeah, that's why we lost. But yeah, they hit they had a great, great unit that uh definitely shouldn't have been 11th seed. I don't know how that was even possible.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. So you sort of looking back at your whole career at Utah, like those teams that you played on ended up having a few guys that have had long careers in both the NBA and other places, you know, professionally. Looking back, and again, I know this is sort of a uh hindsight's 2020 type thing, but you look at guys like Coos and Delon and Jakob, like, could you see in practice that those guys were gonna be pros? Like, did you see the NBA talent when you were you know kind of there in the fight with them?
SPEAKER_03I feel like it's a different type of game because when we were in school, I feel like it was more of a system. And then when you get to the NBA, it's you know, it's more of a confidence thing. And I feel like those guys had always had the confidence, you know, to always go play their game and stuff like that. And I seen Coos's like journey transition from when he was, when I was, when he was what, uh, when he came in as a freshman and then came in as was there for the sophomore. I as the years went on, you know, he would keep shooting, keep shooting, and you know, he wasn't known as to be one of the knockdown shooters, you know, but he still kept shooting, and it got to a point where he was told to stop shooting. He wasn't he didn't get his uh student's license. And after he graduated and seeing him go transition from from college to NBA, it was you could just see it was more so of a confidence thing because he always was getting the shots up. It was just more of concept confidence of making them. And I feel like those three guys, like those really our like main guys, the Delon, Jakob, and Coos at the well, Coos, he really he was behind us. He had his little, he come in, does his first little moments. But after we left, you know, Coos became like one of the head guys at Utah. And you could see just the the confidence level that they always had when they was playing at Utah and was able to play in that system. And then once they got out of you know, playing that system and going to go play their game and finding the team that fits them best, they was able to go out there with confidence and actually, you know, play freely and enjoy the and enjoy playing their game.
SPEAKER_02So yeah, it's interesting too because I I feel like Larry recruited a lot of guys that you know, like they ended up having better, you know, kind of better professional careers than they had college careers because the spacing in the professional game is is way better. And if you guys had had that at Utah, you probably would have had a little bit more success.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, we we probably would have. Um but you know, we still we still did what we could with what we was given. Um maybe if we was probably ran a different type of system, then things could have gone different way, but who knows? But for one season it actually was working for us, you know. So we can say that would be the reason, but we really wouldn't be able to tell. Um, but if we definitely had that space in that that on that floor, well, in the NBA in the G League, the spacing's huge, can't stay in a either defense or offense can't be in the paint for three seconds. Uh so that gives a lot of you know open lanes, uh driving kicks and stuff like that. Um but overseas wise, I feel like it's the same as college as far as spacing-wise. Um but if we had that spacing that we had in that G-League or like the NBA guys, oh, easily we would be a top team.
SPEAKER_02Do you have any good and uh and when I and when I say good, I mean funny, uh, Larry Pruscoviak stories from your time with the running uts?
SPEAKER_03Oh man, I'd probably say when we had the this is just something there's it has to be something more than what I'm about to say. Um, but this is just something that came to the top of my mind, and it was something that we thought was crazy. Uh, but I mean it's not crazy, but it's not normal. But uh so we was doing the Navy SIEL training and they had us sleeping in the weight room. And we're up at some of us just are just up, just going to the bathroom, back and forth, just up, just running walking around and stuff like that, where we're not supposed to. And they they I guess they have a camera, they've seen it on camera or something. And at I'm gonna say 2.30 in the morning, you see, you hear Larry just coming in with a bullhorn, waking us up in the weight room, and we was like, is this guy serious? Like, is he nuts? Like, what is going on? Like, it's 2.30 in the morning. You guys come in here screaming at us, talking about putting our clothes on, put our shoes on, and meet us out on the field. Um, and uh he just got all this energy and he just hyped up and just ready to go. And I'm like, yo, it's 2.30 in the morning. Why is why are you not tired? Did you not go to sleep? What is going on? So at that moment, I was like, Yeah, Larry Soviax is a different animal.
SPEAKER_02So you've been all over the world uh since you left Utah. It probably makes it tough to kind of keep up with the program at all, but have you had a chance to keep up with the program, or is it more just keeping up with your former teammates?
SPEAKER_03You know, being overseas is it's hard to keep up with a lot of stuff. Um, and I really like once I'm done with working out and stuff, I go home, I take my mind off of basketball. So I really don't watch that much NBA or college or anything. I go home, cook me some food, talk to my girlfriend, um, and just watch something that's not basketball, there's a movie, uh TV series or something like that. So being overseas, it takes me away from keeping up with what's going on in the States, you know. So I haven't been able to keep up with what's going on in the program or anything. Um, but besides what like what they post on Instagram, I still follow their page, but um, besides like watching a game, yeah, I I have I wouldn't know when the last time I seen a Utah basketball game.
SPEAKER_02Do you like in in your overseas travels, do you run into like a lot of Utah fans that recognize you or like other players that you may have played against?
SPEAKER_03Uh Utah fans. Uh have I come across the Utah fan? I feel like I have, but I I'm not 100% sure. But I've recently just played uh Kenneth Ogby. Uh he was also my roommate. What that was my sophomore year? Sophomore, junior year, one or two.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um he was uh he played in Germany for Hamburg. Um seen him and also Devin Daniels. Devin didn't play with me, but I know Devin because I was still stuck around Utah after I graduated for a little bit. Um, but I played against them two uh this past season. Um I still keep up with Brandon and Jordan. They're like best friends with me, like brothers still. So I still I'm gonna go see them. Actually, I'm seeing them next week. Um uh Delon, I talk to every once in a while. Um uh anybody else? No, I don't I really don't keep up with nobody else, but besides Brandon and Jordan or I mean not Brandon, Brandon and uh Kyle are like the main guys. Oh, Isaiah Wright. Isaiah Wright. I'm tripping. Recon trapped Chapman too. Man, they're just coming down along. I'm tripping. Brickat, I talked to Brick, I talked to Isaiah a lot. Um, especially with him when uh he's trying to kick off his uh his uh his pro career. Um, you know, he's had ups and downs uh trying to figure that out. Um, but he's still he's still sticking to it. Um but I haven't played against Burkat. I talk to him every once in a while, but I talk to Isaiah, Coos, and Brandon often.
SPEAKER_02Perfect segue to my getaway question.
SPEAKER_03All right.
SPEAKER_02Uh I asked Jordan Leverage this question a year ago when I had him on the pod. But on the group text, do you guys give Coos a hard time about some of those outfits that he's worn in the NBA? You know, like the large, the oversized pink sweater that he wore when he was with the Wizards and some of those other things?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah, yeah. Uh if I if somebody's gonna give him a hard time, it'd be Brandon. You know, me, I'm just like, oh, if you like it, I love it. You know, that's what you want. That's what you want to wear, that's on you. I'm not gonna get on your head about it. But Brandon, Brandon, he's not letting nothing slide. He's getting on everything that Koos does. Brandon's not he's he's not letting it letting it slide. He's getting on his head about every single thing. So I and I leave that, I'll leave that as a Brandon because Brandon makes it the most funniest, funniest situation to where he just starts talking all type of mess about Koos. So it's you know, it's it seems like we're still back in college too, just the relationship that we have and how we talk to each other.
SPEAKER_02That's awesome. That's a great, that's a great note to uh to end on here. Uh well, fans can follow you over on Instagram. You're at uh Kari underscore 14, which was the number you wore at Utah. Uh Dakari, thanks for joining me. Best of luck here as you get into this uh three-on-three and back to Germany, and and hopefully we can get you back up on the hill one of these days.
SPEAKER_03Yes, sir. Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER_02All right, my thanks to Dakari Tucker for jumping on the podcast with me. That one has been a long time in the making, but when I saw my guys at Tailgate Talk, had him on, I had to pounce. So thanks to him for joining me, and thanks to those guys for leading the way, Ittty bitty and DB Cooper. All right, one last thing to get to here. The long-rumored Utah Athletics move to Adidas was made official earlier this week, and that partnership is set to begin on July 1st, 2027.
SPEAKER_01Oh, we'll look forward to that, Greg.
SPEAKER_02Now, look, I'm not much of a uniform guy. Like the football team puts out the uniforms every week, and I'm like, yeah, that looks nice. But I know others are really into it. You know, we all have our thing, right? So, in that regard, it's certainly exciting. I'll say this though. I know from having talked to some of the players and coaches involved in the men's basketball program over the years that some of the equipment, shoes, and and whatnot provided by Under Armour did make it tougher to recruit to Utah and made it tough for Utah to play on the road against Nike and Adidas schools because of what they were used to playing with. So it's at least a positive from that regard that they're going to be a little bit more in sync with some of the teams that they play now, which can only be a good thing. Then there's this from the press release: quote, in addition to providing top-tier footwear, apparel, and equipment along with industry-leading innovation and vision, Adidas in Utah will be prioritizing high-impact NIL opportunities for student athletes across all 19 of the university's varsity programs, close quote. So the potential for NIL deals to be something that Adidas can help with seems like a big time win for Utah athletics and specifically for basketball. I imagine a guy like Antonio Pemberton, who is a 2027 target, a big time player, and a guy that the youths have really prioritized this recruiting cycle, is somebody that they're going to be able to look at and say, hey, look, you're going to get some big time marketing exposure here with Adidas. So that kind of thing could be a game changer for a program like Utah as it's trying to keep up with some of the other programs in the country. So, like most of the people who have commented on this already, I see this as a big time, big time positive. But that is gonna do it for this episode of the Run and Hoops podcast. I want to thank you as always for listening. Please give me a follow over on X at Run and Hoops Pod. Please tell your friends if you haven't already. Please rate, review, and subscribe to the show over on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get a podcast. And of course, you can support us over on Venmo at Runin' Hoops. But until next time, I'm Andrew Crowley. This is the Run and Hoops Podcast. And as always,