The HD Experience

The HD Experience Episode 29: March Madness Selection Sunday

Hunter Dawkins

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The HD Experience Episode 28:  Tournament Play

HOST:  Hunter Dawkins -  Owner/Publisher of the award-winning newspaper - The Gazebo Gazette, Sports Correspondent SuperTalk Mississippi News, Gulfport High Radio Host G96.7, Member of the Football Writer Association of America (FWAA, Heisman Voter), Member of the Associated Press Sports & Editors (APSE)

PRODUCER:  Jeff Clark - Award-Winning Journalist, ClarkCast Podcast Host, South Alabama Beat Writer, Director for the Harrison County Senior Services

 GUESTS:

  • Brian Mackay - Emmy & Webby Award Nominee Podcast Producer, Assistant Basketball Coach 
  • Lorenzo Wright - Harrison Central Head Basketball Coach, 2025-26 6A MHSAA State Champion
  • Caleb Salers - SuperTalk Mississippi News Reporter, Ole Miss Beat Writer
  • Scott Watkins - Biloxi Sun Herald Sports Reporter, Southern Miss Beat Writer
  • Jim Mashek - Veteran Journalist, Former Mississippi Gulf Coast Sports Writer, Western Kentucky Beat Writer
SPEAKER_10

Welcome to the HD Experience, your source for sports on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Here's your host, Hunter Dawkins.

SPEAKER_05

Good afternoon. My name is Hunter Dawkins, and I am the host of the HD Experience. This is the 29th episode of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Sports Podcast, sponsored by the Gazebo Gazette, the Harrison County Independent Newspaper, Odewire Realty Agent, Stephanie Mankowitz, the Miller Widberg Chiropractic, Joseph Kelly, attorney at law. That's a new one, Jeff. And we're always in the U.S. Marine Inc. Studio. I'm here with my wonderful producer of the show, and above everything, my good friend, Jeff Clark. Jeff is a well-accomplished award-winning journalist, South Alabama beat writer, and he is the director of the Harrison County Senior Services. How are you, my friend?

SPEAKER_02

Hunter, man. I'm doing well. You sound like you got just got in the pollen like everybody else in my house and everyone I know, just uh allergies are kicking. But uh hey man, we're we're we're recording this episode on selection Sunday. March Madness is finally here. So what up?

SPEAKER_05

Madness is here, my friend. The madness is here. Alabama got in, they got selected the number four seed playing against the mighty Hofster. I can't remember what their masks is, but I know they're the mighty something.

SPEAKER_02

So you know, they're they're they're a mighty basketball school, I'm sure. Um, I want to talk about my March Madness because I saw this in March uh just a couple of last week. Um Pass High Softball, dude. Let's just let's talk about them for a minute, right? Like let's let's show them some love. So on the game on the 10th, which I guess was what Tuesday, softball game, three innings, 15 to nothing against Forest County Agricultural High School, which gives them their first uh region win, district win on the season. But like it was just a crazy thing. They kept running the base, stealing bases, coming in, coming in, coming in, and then after three innings, they uh they called the game.

SPEAKER_05

But you see, Jeff, before you go in, I don't remember the exact MHSAA rules, but I think it's 15 after three. It's like 12 after four and ten after five. That's what I think. But anyway, go ahead.

SPEAKER_02

Hunter, I I I do this and I was a writer and I do senior services because I don't like doing math. So and I'm I'm not good at it. Um, so then you think that was either the sixth or seventh game in a row where they won by 10 points or more, or they scored 10 points, right? The the previous game to play uh what was it the PC, PRCHS, Pearl River Central, uh blowout, ended that after six innings. So then they they they go to Pikayune, or they play Pikayune on Friday night. I couldn't go to that because I was watching the candle box at the uh Hard Rock Casino. Oh, nice. They beat Pickyun 19-7. Then on Saturday, they had to play Bilexi and beat Bilexi 2-1. So they've got like, I think it's an eight-game streak of where they've scored 10 or more points.

SPEAKER_05

So were they 11 and 3 or 11 and 2?

SPEAKER_02

Oh no, sir. They are they are now 12-2 and 1-0 in the district. The only teams who've gotten their number so far, um Gulfport and you know, the the University of South Panola.

SPEAKER_05

So yeah, did they play like Spanish Ford or University of South Panola or somebody like that?

SPEAKER_02

They did. They played South Panola. South University of South Panola did beat them, and Gulfport beat them, but otherwise, man, they're they're cruising. They're they're doing it.

SPEAKER_05

Two seven A schools, and I'm gonna tell you one thing, Jeff. We're gonna have Coach Elkins on here because I know you you're a big fan of his and AFC.

SPEAKER_02

Sure, he's got a 662 area code on his phone like me, so you know, automatically love the dude.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, he's done a great job, too, and as well as a bunch of other baseball coaches we're gonna have on here in the future because uh they're doing, you know, and I'll I'll say this, man.

SPEAKER_02

Like if you look at their wins, you know, like if you look at the other teams, the the errors, there's quite a few. And I'm not gonna knock them, right? I'm not gonna knock, you know, young ladies, young men for for making errors. It's just it's not my thing. But I will say that Coach Elkins coaches his team up so that their errors are minimum. Like they don't make a lot of errors, they play almost a perfect game.

SPEAKER_05

So well, and to be honest, too, with you, Jeff, and I know you know you're coming into this too now, at least from seeing them play for the first time. But these girls, you know, I've been covering them at least for seven or eight years. They've been this group, this group has just grown up together. They've played together like Bristol Jones, the pitcher. She has just played since she was like in seventh grade. I mean, just always pitching, always finding that that creasing spot. Not necessarily the same coaching, but from the same level of just the teams are all playing together. They kind of grow up together and it becomes more comfortable. And then the the uh the girls, the units, they play a lot better together.

SPEAKER_02

Well, I'm gonna tell you what else one besides the the pirates softball team or the Nats, but uh anyway, nothing I can do about that. Hunter, um, I'm gonna keep watching, watching the March Madness selection. Uh, we'll talk some more at the end of the show. Uh, let's get Coach B Mac on and get the show going. Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_01

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SPEAKER_05

And I would love to introduce my first guest, the award nominated. I won't even tell you how many awards because there's quite a bunch of them. Nominated podcast producer, and there are so many podcasts that he's producing and getting a great number of college coaches, of pro coaches, of just all of these fantastic coaches. And he also is a basketball coach himself. Coach Brian Mackey, Coach Big Mac. Talk to me about the girls' bracket, even though it hasn't been released, and how it's set up with the regional hosts for each one of those the first two games. Okay.

SPEAKER_08

Um, but yeah, uh I think the overarching narrative all year long has been as far as the top seeds been Yukon, UCLA, Texas, and insert fourth team here. I think the South Carolina is going to wind up being that fourth team. That's gonna be a very strong top four seeds right there in the women's bracket.

SPEAKER_05

Now tell me this, Coach Mac, Coach B Mac, tell me this. How come in the girls' game, the first two games, how come it's set up in that region? It's set up in a a location in a college campus versus like the NCAA, where they get a facility to where they'll play in a whether it be an NBA facility or whether it'll be, you know, just like something like the Superdome or something like that. What what's the reason behind that?

SPEAKER_08

I think um, I mean, and this is just an opinion of mine. I think it's has to do with just growing the game. I think eventually they're gonna get to a point in the women's game, and that's coming real soon, you know, with the with the popularity just continuing to grow, uh, that they will branch out and be more like the men in that way. But I think it's all it's been all about growing the game and having those good home crowds. And you know, it's say you got a uh UConn, not not necessarily UConn, UConn's always got good crowds. Well, say you got uh uh uh Oklahoma. Let's just depict somebody like Oklahoma. Yeah. When they when they have a if they're in the top 16 and they're hosting, and they they have two home games right in first and second round where they they pack that crowd in there, and LSU is another one that's always got good crowds. And I think it's always just it's always been about just growing the game in that in that aspect.

SPEAKER_05

In your opinion, of course, that's all we're asking for on this is the takes and opinions. You know, is this a stronger factor where you think men games need to start going to this, or is it the money is just multiplied to the point to where you know we're gonna have to find regional spots for both women and men?

SPEAKER_08

Yeah, I think money uh is gonna always talk. So uh yeah, I don't know that the men could go back to that, but it would be fun to see. I mean, you you go to Nashville with this with this Vanderbilt team that they have right now on the men's side, and and you could pack that Memorial Coliseum for two rounds, that would be just something awesome to be there in person and to watch on TV.

SPEAKER_05

Or even like in the first couple rounds, the NIT, they usually switch it to the home teams or so or the top seeds of that game, or so I I would, you know, I'm I'm interested to see if that's ever a possibility. But you know, that's both in men's and women's games, too.

SPEAKER_08

But yeah.

SPEAKER_05

But as far as that goes, talk to me about your old Miss Girls, Coach Yo, and let what's what's happened with them. You know, do you think they're gonna be in a tournament team? Where are they gonna be standing at? Do you think they're gonna accept it in IT if they don't get the tournament? Just talk to me about that.

SPEAKER_08

Oh no, that they'll definitely be in the tournament. I think the question the last couple of weeks has been did they hurt themselves when they had the ice storm and everything in Oxford, where they had to go out of town and you know, they had to reschedule a bunch of games, they had to play, I think it was six games in ten nights or something like that. I could be wrong exactly about that, but it was it was something crazy. And they they they didn't do very well. You know, they they they won a couple and they lost a few, and they kind of stumbled toward the end of the season, had some injuries, but when they got to the SEC tournament in Greenville, they seemed to have figured some things out, got some people back healthy, had a little time to rest, and they played as about as well as they could have played in the tournament, and almost upset Texas that won they wound up winning the women's tournament. So I think they kind of brought themselves back in the conversation of will they be in that top 16 where they could host for the first two rounds? I don't think that's gonna work out the way they want it to, unfortunately. But they're gonna, it doesn't matter where they end up, they're gonna be a force to be reckoned with wherever they go.

SPEAKER_05

Do you think because of Coach Yo's recent popularity that this team is gonna get a lot more traction, at least in the future?

SPEAKER_08

Well, Coach Yo, for her, I I I've told her this in person before, but for her to be such a small, just a just a little bitty guard, uh, you know, when she played and just be this tiny tiny person, she has the biggest personality that I've ever been around and just just magnetic almost. And yeah, like, yeah, she she's gonna bring traction wherever she goes and whatever she does. So wherever she brings the team, people are gonna come, people are gonna respond just you know, just by listening to her.

SPEAKER_05

Now I know that I'm kind of crossing the lines uh because you're an old miss graduate, but with that being said, Mississippi State, where do they stand? It seems like they're not going in the right direction since Coach Schaefer left, but I'm not really too sure about where they stand right now.

SPEAKER_08

Well, they had a couple of rough years after Coach Schaefer went to Texas, but I'm I'm telling you, if, and this is coming from an old miss person, don't get me wrong, but I I'm not I'm not an old miss person where I just completely hate state. That's not me. Uh so I'll I'll put that out there on Front Street. And I love Sam Percell. I think he is great, I think he will do great things. They had a had a little rough finish to the season, and it looks like by everything I've been kind of watching and reading, they're gonna be one of the first four out. But them, if they decide to take an NIT bid, that team could really make some noise in the NIT, and they could be a fun team to watch in that tournament if if it comes to fruition that way.

SPEAKER_05

Coach Builderbach at Southern, you know, she's led a pretty decent group up there at Monroe for a few years, and she came back obviously with with passing Coach McNellas. Um, but that being said, she seemed like she had a lot of good things starting off in the season, but then it kind of went on the back door. Do you have any idea what's going on there and how if this group, the Southern Miss group, is gonna be okay?

SPEAKER_08

Oh, she has been a winner everywhere. Missy's been a winner everywhere she's been. And I I just think that you know they had some good success early. And it just kind of when they got the conference play, things got a little rough, and it showed that she's still piecing it together. The team hasn't, you know, it's it's it's not her team all the way yet. And when she gets uh a team full of her kids and her and that can play her style, she she's gonna be winning just like she has everywhere else she's been in her coaching career.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, it was funny that you said it about the conference tournament because I saw your old guy from PRCC, Scotty Fletcher. He got kind of hot natured on a couple of calls up there, at least uh in the Sunbelt tournament. But yeah, he obviously's had a pretty successful group, you know, and uh of course him and Coach Bilderback, they're they're both, you know, I I expect nothing but good things from them in the future. Tell me now I know this is an early prediction, but tell me who's I know you talked to me about your first four, but is that gonna be your final four prediction right now?

SPEAKER_08

Oh, in the women?

SPEAKER_05

Yes, sir.

SPEAKER_08

Oh, yeah, so yeah, that's that's that's gonna be tough because I really like there's so many. There's so many in the Big Ten and the SEC that could could really just shake things up. I think um obviously I see UConn making it there. I think they're gonna be fine. Um I think Iowa, I know they had a rough showing against UCLA in the Big Ten championship game, but they're a team that could really, you know, depending on matchups, could really do some things. Iowa State out of the Big 12, they are getting healthy. And and they had one of their players, Addie Brown, is really a good wing player for them. She's been hurt most of the season. She has gotten healthy, she has gotten the things. They've had this now a couple weeks off since the Big 12 tournament's been over with to get even more healthy, get things more than and I don't I don't discount anything Coach Bill Finley at Iowa State does. So I think he's another another coach that could lead his team to Phoenix. I mean there's so many teams that they this is about as as wide open, you know, in a few of the brackets is gonna be as ever it's ever been for the women's game. And that's a great thing.

SPEAKER_05

I'm telling you what, Coach B Mac, you know, I mean, I'm uh I may start looking betting on some of the teams you're telling me to, at least it's stuff, but tell everybody how they get in touch with you, at least uh, or follow you guys on on uh podcasts.

SPEAKER_08

You can follow me at B Mac1435 on all social media, and uh you'll see all my podcasts there, whether it's her hoop stats, nothing but net with Debbie Antonelli, uh my own podcast, The B Side. It's all it'll all be on all those social media platforms.

SPEAKER_05

I told you, hunter, you're the man. So hey, we're gonna follow you again, and we're gonna have you again before the tournament's over. You take care of yourself.

SPEAKER_08

You too. Thank you, Hunter.

SPEAKER_05

The Gazebo Gazette is Harrison County's only independent newspaper, publishing news from Gulfport to Bay St. Louis every Friday. Hi, this is Hunter Dawkins, owner of the Gazebo Gazette. If you're looking for local news without the hassle of sorting through story after digital story, log on to thegazeboGazette.com. Add your name to the digital audience of 250,000 plus coast residents who already know where to find the stories that matter to them. And now I would love to welcome the 25-26 MHSAA 6A state champion coach Lorenzo Wright. Coach, how did the boys do with the Mississippi Alabama All-Star game today?

SPEAKER_09

Uh did well. Um Blake played extremely well. Um he was he was the MVP finished, I think, with like 18 points. Nice. Um six rebounds, four assists, but had six turnovers. But he played really well, though. He played well.

SPEAKER_05

How about uh the the Barry Kid and the uh Landon Hall? Oh, they all played great.

SPEAKER_09

Um I thought they all played well. We I thought they represented the state really well. Um ended up winning by about 20 to 25 points, I think it was. Um everybody played, everybody played well. Everybody played extremely well. That's great.

SPEAKER_05

Talk to me about your team and how this team this year in Pascagoula was different this year compared to the previous two years.

SPEAKER_09

Uh, you know, compared to the previous two years, you look at it on paper.

SPEAKER_05

Um I mean, I know y'all won this year as compared to last year, but you know, from as far as from a standpoint of breaking it down where nobody else really knows what was going on, at least to this way and that.

SPEAKER_09

Um, I think the biggest piece would probably be when the twins moved in. It kind of uh helped us open up the floor a little bit. Um it took it took a lot of pressure off Blake in a sense that it uh you know he couldn't really get double teamed a whole lot. You had two other guys that could create on the floor um to kind of help, you know, stabilize uh what we were able to do. So uh they were different in that sense, but and I still feel like, you know, the two previous scenes were a lot better, but sometimes it just doesn't fall that way. Sometimes it just is when it's your moment, it's your moment. So it was just groups of moment.

SPEAKER_05

What do you see in the basketball team in Harrison Central and where you want it to be?

SPEAKER_09

See, you know, I see a lot of potential there. Um it's always area of uh rich talent, uh tradition. Um it's one a few state championships um, you know, you know, in the in the past. And um, you know, I expect it to be a place that that first began here uh really quickly. Um so um we just got to get in and get to work and be 1% better, get 1% better each day, each time out, um and just focus on growing our on growing our craft and and getting in the gym and really working on our game.

SPEAKER_05

Does this history, does their history for the Red Rebels, does it bring a little bit of higher expectation from your your point of view?

SPEAKER_09

Oh it definitely does. You know, when you when you already had uh success at another place um um or you know pre had previous success in the past you can pull back on that and then you know I'm we're I'm I'm encouraging guys to come that that were a part of those championship runs to come in and pour into the guys such as Timmy Bowers, um Chris Haskins, Michael DeGru, those guys come back and come talk to the guys and you know really help mentor and and and and and give them some direction on what it's supposed to look like and having that pride. I think the pride is the main thing that you got to bring back into the program.

SPEAKER_05

What do you think you as a coach offer from different schematic point of view, different strategy based on the well the way they have been playing because I know you've seen them play the last few years, but based on the way they've been playing I'm not necessarily saying the way they've been coached but the way they've been playing what do you think you would bring different at least from a standpoint of that um and I really I hadn't watched them outside of the few times that we were playing we play them probably like once a year so I'll kind of get my eyes on them a little bit but they up they've always had pieces to me. So I think you know in a sense you know what I bring to the table just uh have having a different different scheme um playing a little bit more up tempo um mixing up defenses changing defense trying to keep teams off guard and what they're able to um what they're trying to do and just trying to stop what they're trying to do or trying to accomplish and just kind of minimizing those things just keeping the keeping them off balance constantly are you bringing any of your staff from Pascagoula with you uh no no not at the moment um I'm I'm focusing on the staff that that we have here and trying to get those guys uh acclimated to my new system how much do you believe that it is starting from the young generation and I mean as far as recreational you know ball and being able to build up that to them playing together and to a championship team up when they get to high school do you do you think that's pretty important?

SPEAKER_09

Yeah I think that's key um you I think that's kind of why we've had success here um we had success here at Pascal was simply because they uh played most of the guys played in the same league together um they grew up together playing the same AU ball on the same AU teams for the most part together uh had played in the same middle schools in the kind of the same system and then uh of course playing through the high school uh in the same system for the most part so I think that's definitely the key. Um and then and then just being able to uh grow your program from the middle school is gonna be an important uh period over at uh Harrison Central just to be able to be on the uh have have guys on the same page as you uh running the same things that you run on offense but especially on defense um and then just being able to groom them and grow them uh each year to get them just uh that much better I think it'll it'll reap benefits.

SPEAKER_05

Do you guys see yourself trying to start a summer league or trying to be involved in some type of summer program?

SPEAKER_09

Eventually we we will um not maybe not this first year. Just kind of I just want to get in and get a lot of practices in with the guys this summer. We're gonna still play some games of course but um we had our we had a summer league over here in Tascadula that was I thought was pretty successful. If you look back at it um this past summer that I had um of course we won the state championship and the car was up for their class state championship over Louisiana. Murphy was uh and made a deep run in their playoffs. So um I think our league uh you know our summer league Nassau summer league they did a great job of performing when it counted and I think that goes back uh you know preparing in the summer so uh we may not get it off the ground this year but we don't we'll definitely have it off the ground coming next year.

SPEAKER_05

Coach we wish you the best of luck and we look forward to following you again and having you on again coach. All right thank you for having me we will move to our next guest who really doesn't need any introduction from me is my very good friend and super talk news reporter Caleb Sailors. Caleb covers all Mississippi colleges along with all the news for the state's largest media syndicate Super Talk Mississippi news on supertalk.fm and has the statewide football scoreboard show Friday night to report all the scores how are you my friend Hunter man I can't complain at all how about yourself well you know that's I can say you know it's been a great Sunday but you know we don't have any Mississippi state teams or in the state of Mississippi no basketball teams in the tournament man what's up with that well on the women's side though Ole Miss will be in and uh state should be in I'm not 100% sure if state will be in but old miss will be in on the women's side so there's one silver lining there for the state of Mississippi but you're right um old miss tried but it did they yeah I mean it was you know one play away from from getting to the SEC tournament finals and just that Cinderella run in March man it just fell short. Okay so tell me this Caleb now I'm not I'm not really criticizing Chris Beard for his job or anything like that but going that distant that much of a distance against those quality SEC teams why did you lose 10 in a row then I mean I understand there were some some issues some adversity with the winter storm and all of that but there's got to be something going on I mean you know the team just looked so much different during the tournament than they did during the last you know 15 games so one thing to that I and I thought a lot about that I thought a lot about that.

SPEAKER_13

So Ole Miss in the regular season and conference just look at conference play specifically had five losses that were either by one score or in some form of overtime one of those was a double overtime loss to LSU. So that's five games right there that were went down to the wire where Ole Miss had a puncher's chance when there were there were probably two or three more where the score was a little more lopsided than it should have been because of foul disparity at the end uh fouling to try to keep up but those five specific games in the regular season if Ole Miss wins three of those even four of those the rebels are going to the big dance right now more likely than not with the you know the run in the SEC tournament. But I thought the women's basketball coach Yulette McFeem McKewan made an interesting point on social media observing the men's team she said with the transfer portal things are very weird. You never know when a team is going to click you never know when a team is going to gel. And it seemed like Ole Miss started peaking in the SEC tournament look this old miss basketball team only returned one starter from last year and that was Malik Dia forward played center forward um and that was it to everybody else on the roster the starting lineup was a transfer of some sort uh one of them was came from overseas came from France Ilias Kemmerdy and the point guard and so a lot of that was issues with gelling and and you you kind of you know not criticize Chris Beard but I do think Chris Beard throughout the season had a quick hook pulled people tinkered with the lineup a lot tinkered with matchups and I understand as a head coach you get frustrated in losses but you see some of these teams like a Florida like in Alabama like in Auburn now Auburn may not get in the tournament that had early losses in the regular season but they they let their guys play. They let their guys play extended minutes on the court and kind of figure out how they were going to gel. Chris Beard really didn't do that that much this year. He would have a lineup out there and when he noticed something he didn't like, he'd pull a guy immediately instead of kind of letting them work through some of these flaws. I'm not criticizing Chris Beard I don't know he's a heck of a basketball coach. He's coached in a national championship game for a reason took all miss to the Sweet 16 last year for a reason. I mean he knows what he's doing and his team made this run in the SEC tournament because he knows what he's doing. But part of me thinks if he had gone back to November and stuck with a lineup of guys, stuck with a couple of rotations and didn't tinker with it as much, if they would have clicked earlier.

SPEAKER_05

Michael, you know I heard this from your your colleagues up there and I know you've probably spoken to with Michael Borkey and Brian Haydad in the sports talk where they talked about especially Michael talked about the need for evaluation of players and you know I know the transfer portal it's kind of difficult to be able to evaluate players not only from Ole Miss but from Mississippi State and from Southern what's what do you think from an old miss perspective what do you think is the position that they or the the group of positions that they really need to take advantage of I mean Ole Miss is losing Malik Dia after this year um losing who AJ Storr after this year.

SPEAKER_13

So I mean I do I think Ole Miss needs a point guard. I think Ole Miss needs a facilitating point guard. I got a Sean Padula last year was masterful for the Rebels won Ole Miss a lot of games uh they need a scorer that can take over I think they like what they see in Ilias Camardine from France. I mean he played this year and he had his moments he started off hot then got matched up with a bigger guard and then it was he struggled but they they figured out he's better in an offball situation he's got another year left the NCAA approved him if they can get him back and then get another like score at will type of point guard but who can also facilitate which those are not easy to find and they cost a lot of money. So that's one thing they needed and olmus desperately needs someone who can rebound. James Scott figured that out in the SEC tournament he transferred in from Louisville and he averaged I think 11 rebounds in the SEC tournament per game in the SEC tournament um he was getting like two or three maybe four rebounds on a good night during the regular season they desperately need someone who can rim run badly and then Chris Beard's a defensive minded coach. They're gonna need guys that can come a wing type of player small forward that can come in and give really good minutes on the defensive end of the ball.

SPEAKER_05

You spoke a little earlier about Coach Yo and the girls basketball team talk to me about how her I don't necessarily say celebrity status but how her her uh really you know uh bringing in you know Stephen A. Smith and all these guys earlier how it's really going to help you know get bring more to the table for the women's basketball team and how far do you think they're gonna be able to go in the tournament?

SPEAKER_13

Yeah that that's a loaded question in a good way and I and you asked a lot within one question. So looking at the Stephen A. Smith element just her being an ambassador for the university you know Stephen A. Smith made some disparaging remarks about the city of Oxford insinuating that minority athletes would not would rather play at a place like Georgia or a place like LSU than a place like Ole Miss because they don't want to live in Mississippi. Well she did a wonderful job you know kind of squashing that narrative invited him to Oxford showed him around talked about how wonderful the city is how wonderful the place is and how you know when she brings recruits on the campus that Ole Miss sells itself they she doesn't have to convince him yeah you'll be living in Mississippi but they get to Mississippi and they're like wow this place is awesome. And as for her current team I mean she's got Cody McMahon who's one of the best players in the nation uh SEC newcomer of the year who can take over a game at any given point we've seen this old Miss women's basketball team beat a top five Vandy twice this year. We've seen this old Miss Women's basketball team get super deep in the SEC tournament but we've also seen this old Miss women's basketball team lose several games in a row when you know crunch time hit. So it depends on the health status of some of their players they had a guard that was hurt down the stretch. It depends on how rested they are because they did get winded down the year cost them a game against LSU but if this team is clicking on all cylinders and playing to its potential this is an elite eight type of team nice nice final question is Trinidad still the quarterback because despite what the NCAA is ruling does it's does is Trinidad going to be the the next uh the next uh quarterback at least for Ole Miss because he sure as heck wanted to be on that video game but that didn't happen so yeah and there's a lot there and his his attorneys are actually potentially seeking um punitive damages uh for that you know saying the NCAA really you know in bad faith ruined an opportunity for him to garner millions of dollars in NIL compensation and he was one of the finalists per the legal filing uh to be the cover of College Football 27 which will be coming out this summer yes Trinidad Chamblis will be the quarterback at Ole Miss the NCAA has gone to the Mississippi Supreme Court to try to challenge Judge Robert Whitwell's ruling in Calhoun County court when he granted Trinidad Chambless the injunction back in uh February. Well news flash for the NCAA hunter and this is something that I've covered extensively at Super Talk Mississippi news is that six of our seven and that's not a six seven joke but six of our seven uh state Supreme Court justices in Mississippi went to Ole Miss in some type of capacity and and I don't think and I and from what I from everything I know and I know some people in the judicial system Judge Whitwell's very respected in Mississippi as well very respected on the judicial bench and and they're not just gonna and he he laid out a 90 minute ruling articulating where the NCAA failed Ole Miss as a member institution, where the NCAA failed Trinidad Chambless as a student athlete and exhausting all efforts to ensure that they they looked into his medical records looked into the evidence he presented and gave him a fair hearing or fair opportunity to seek an extra year of eligibility and he said no the NCAA failed Ole Miss they failed Trinidad to give them a fair you know ruling a fair observance of this case and they resulted were you know went to semantics and acted in bad faith to deny him eligibility. I mean in 90 minutes he articulated that the NCAA is going to have to do a lot more than just say hey Mississippi Supreme Court we didn't like him he was mean to us than than that and plus the two attorneys that the NCAA sent to Mississippi to represent its case yeah they got uh a show calls order for leaving court before the verdict was read jeez jeez my friend tell everybody how they can contact you you can find me most importantly supertalk.fm that's where all the magic happens uh and any of the 52 uh radio stations across Mississippi that air super talk news and on Facebook and X Caleb Sailor is not hard to find um anything else you need I'm right there you take care of yourself deacon thanks on her now we move on to Scott Watkins the eclectic southern miss and sunbelt reporter for the Sun Herald Scott do we have any schedules yet for football?

SPEAKER_07

I mean is Louisiana Tech is Southern Miss I mean do we have anything we got to finish out the uh the deal yeah uh Southern Miss has a schedule uh Louisiana Tech has two schedules that's where we are right now I I'm fairly confident in which one Louisiana Tech is gonna play uh because this this story played out a few years ago the exact same way I think I think it was Southern Mist that had two football schedules around this time.

SPEAKER_05

Well from what I understand and what David Schultz told me last week that and I think you told me this too was that Southern Mist just said you know what we're not gonna pay you Conference USA unless if somebody tells us to pay you then we're just gonna pay you what we're gonna give you and that's it. Well that's sort of what I think Louisiana Tech is doing except Conference USA apparently took a lawsuit out. I mean do you know more about that or what?

SPEAKER_07

No I don't I don't know more about that as far as the Louisiana Tech situation goes I'm I'm a little bit more out of the loop on their stuff than I was on Southern Miss's stuff. But I I think it would go the same way because what I do know is that Conference USA's bylaws underneath everything, they changed nothing from the last go around with this which was kind of surprising uh they didn't change the wording of things they didn't change the buyout agreements it's all the exact same process as when Southern Miss Marshall and old Dominion left so I I'd expect it to go the same way.

SPEAKER_05

Now from what I I heard of when I was at the Sunbelt media days that you know Commissioner Keith Gill told me to you know in an interview he told me he said look honor if we don't get Louisiana tech next year we're not gonna have divisions and so you know one of the things I was wondering is how long do do we have to at least Southern Mr. they have until or not only them the Sunbelt how long do they have to make the decision based on you know when this lawsuit is decided I think I think it's gonna be fine regardless.

SPEAKER_07

I've there's gonna be it's gonna be finalized by then I I I'm very confident about that these things usually don't drag out that long uh this situation again the sunbelt has been in this exact spot before uh and it didn't take that long it it'll be it'll be worked out sooner rather than later not just it's not just the sunbelt that's you know in a situation where it needs something to happen it's conference USA as well. And if it at any point feels it's on the losing end of things it's not going to want to put itself behind on its own scheduling situation. So I think this is going to work itself out way before it becomes a problem.

SPEAKER_05

Jay Ladner regardless of of what happens if he get they get an IT bid I'm not even sure yet I haven't been following up on that with a Sunday selection yet but um from what I've heard is that the the Southern Miss alumni or the Southern Miss Athletic uh group they're gonna let him finish out his contract with one more year. Um what does he need you know in this last year of his contract to be able to you know get them across the uh the line I guess you could say yeah they're they're just gonna have to keep pushing to put it together.

SPEAKER_07

They didn't have a bad group uh this season as far as just within the sunbelt uh but they've they've got to get it over the hump they've got to get consistent shooting and they've got to get consistent shooting defense I mean that's uh when they've when they've been bad since I've been here it's always been the same issues it's it's either just not shooting the ball on the perimeter or just not defending well from the perimeter. They were a pretty good interior team this season. But just keeping it all together um and contending I think if you're a top four team top four seed next season Ladner's probably back um I don't think it really takes much to keep it going in Hattiesburg.

SPEAKER_05

What do you think of if Troy, if Scott Cross from Troy has a couple wins in the Instablade tournament do you think he's gonna be back next year for Troy that's that's the big question.

SPEAKER_07

You know that people were talking about uh I I saw a lot of Georgia Tech smoke for a little bit there. Of course Brent Jones is over there now at Georgia Tech. So it is kind of surprising that uh he hasn't been plucked up yet especially when you look at uh Arkansas State's old head coach he's already climbed the ladder to Syracuse I mean he left Arkansas State for South Florida and I I think it was one and done over there at USF they they uh I I haven't checked the score they played for a title today uh now he's off to Syracuse I mean that he's climbing the ladder pretty quickly and Scott Cross is still a Troy and it it's it takes a lot to win at Troy it's a much harder job than people think it is he makes it look way easier than it is there's not a bunch of NIL there. You have a nice arena but you still share it with quite a bit in the athletic department. Yeah so it's it's it's a tough job and he's created a consistent winner. So you kind of just wonder when does it end When does he get pulled out?

SPEAKER_05

Talk to me about uh the baseball team this year, uh the this week more specifically. They looked like they were doing fairly well. Then you get on the road against Arkansas State, who's a pretty good baseball team, and they finally have uh a uh, you know, a meeting where they don't come across the the ladder very much and they ended up losing the series. Um is there questions uh that Southern Miss needs to raise, or is there you know, I I noticed when I watched them last night, there was a lot of pitching, a lot of good pitching, not necessarily a lot of good offense. Do you do the same thing, Scott?

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, there's fault lines in in the team. Uh you you have the pitching depth, like you said. Uh you don't have the offensive depth like last year. Uh there's there's some holes that uh you you kind of run into through the lineup. Uh Caleb Stelley from Louisiana he has not been very good. Matthew Rusto has been uh it's been a let down out of his spot in the order. He's been struggling. Uh it's one of the least productive spots uh in the entire lineup. Um and Kyle Morrison, uh, he's when he flashes, he flashes. When he doesn't, he strikes out and he just doesn't put the ball in play. Uh so the the fault lines are you've got the pitching depth, but they're not as strong at the very top of it as they have been in recent years. Kobe Allen, he's a great talent. Uh if you were to rank the uh the last four Friday starters at Southern missed, he's probably number four. Uh you have so when you you get in those situations where this series, that series, this series, uh, he's not gonna be the best Friday starter in the game. And you probably don't have the best lineup in that game. And that's gonna be the case for a lot of Fridays throughout the rest of this conference lake. So that's something that you're gonna kind of run into. Uh something that maybe Coach Oz takes a look at and moves things around a little bit, maybe Graden Harris moves up to Friday. Um you it's good to have the pitching depth, but when the offense isn't there and when you give up, your starter gives up three, four runs to start the day on Friday, it's gonna be a long weekend.

SPEAKER_05

Final question. Do you think, based on their RPI ranking, being number one ranked RPI, do you think their Sunbelt play is gonna hinder their early play, for instance, against the three SEC teams where they have victories in the early season? Do you think uh they're they need to be above average by a lot in the in the sunbelt play to be able to host a regional, or do you think they're pretty much in for a lock, at least until the tournament?

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, there's definitely not a lock, uh, just because uh the sunbelt, there's been a lot of talk about the sunbelt so far this year. Uh people uh people really high on it. Um it's to me, it's a little it's a little scary, it's a little trappy for teams like Southern Miss and Coastal Carolina, uh, because I think it's beefier team by team by team as you go along, but I still don't really think there's that many uh NCAA tournament teams. Uh I think you just have a lot of booby traps for the top two teams in this league. Uh Arkansas State, you know, they might win, they they might they might keep it going. I mean, that they are a good team. But is this one of those trap type series where they lose a series here, they lose a series there, they're not in CAA tournament team, they just exist to trip up the Southern Misses and the Coastal Carolinas. ULM is gonna be one of those teams. They might not be an ACAA tournament team, but they are good enough to trip somebody up. They just swept Texas State, uh, put a bunch of runs on it. Texas State had one of the best pitching staffs in the non-conference lane, and it it's like it didn't matter. ULM that just wrecked it. That's gonna be a problem for Southern Mist when those Warhawks come in. Can you keep up with that offense? There's a lot of teams in this league that I don't think are tournament teams, but are better than they were last year and can cause problems for a Southern Miss team that's trying to host.

SPEAKER_05

Scott, tell everybody how they can give you contact.

SPEAKER_07

Yeah, you can mostly find me on Twitter, Scott Watkins TU. Uh you can hit my email up if you want to. That's just S. Watkins on Herald. And uh that's that's where I'll be. Thank you, sir. Appreciate you.

SPEAKER_05

I would like to introduce one of my good friends and one of the legends of sports writing. And he was a veteran sports writer, Mississippi Gulf Coast, who covered sports for nearly two decades in his return home in western Kentucky to report for the Hilltoppers and other local sports, Jim Mashick. Jim, how are you, my friend? I'm pretty good, hunter. How about yourself? Doing well, I'm doing well. As you know, the uh the coast this time of year it drops down about 30, and everybody gets sick and it drops up to about 80 the next day.

SPEAKER_03

So but yeah, I remember what uh March was like on the Gulf Coast, dude. Usually pretty nice, but you get one little one last little cold snap there. That's right. About this time of year. Cool snap, maybe. We've got some weather coming in coming in here tonight, matter of fact. Yep, yep.

SPEAKER_05

Tell about Western Kentucky as far as on the basketball team from the men and the women's this year so far.

SPEAKER_03

Well, they they uh it was a promising team that uh that went through a rough spell. They lost one of their big men, probably their most talented um offensively big men from transferred from McNece. Bryant Celabinge, he was he was from Quebec, Montreal. Real nice real good dude. Uh he, you know, like a lot of players these days, he traveled around. He tore his Achilles in December, and uh that was uh a real tough blow. And then their best player, the all-conference uh guard forward Keegan Moore, he uh he got went into the concussion protocol and missed some games, and they were really floundering, and then they won six in a row, uh, and then lost their last two going into the tournament, and then they played Kennesaw State, coached by Antoine Petway, former Alabama guard, who was in the tournament, of course. Um after they beat the Hilltoppers, I wasn't at all surprised that they went on to win the tournament uh down in Huntsville. Well, so they'll they'll be they'll they'll have a much like a lot of teams, they'll be a much, much different team next year. Yeah, a lot of one one-year players. A lot of one-year players.

SPEAKER_05

Of course, and tell me this about now because you've had so much to transfer not only among players, but among teams in Conference USA. Conference USA looks completely different, of course, when you were here down here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Oh, night and day. Night and day, dude. Night and day. Talk to me about that and how that the conference has sort of transitioned with that.

SPEAKER_03

Well, it's funny. Uh I was talking to a newspaper buddy of mine earlier today. The conference kind of holds Western back because it has very it has very little identity. Uh it encompasses three time zones, as we talked about before. Uh now it goes all the way from Newark, Delaware to uh El Paso and Las Cruces. Of course, UTEP's leaving for the whack so after this year, but New Mexico State's still gonna be around. Um, you know, it it just doesn't have you know, they're they're kind of tied with Middle Tennessee State at the hip. And uh, you know, there was some talk about the Mid-American conference, but that didn't go over well uh here in Kentucky because they didn't they didn't want to be traveling north for uh for men's basketball, uh and certainly for the Olympic sports. Um so they you know they kind of burned some bridges, I guess, with the sunbelt when they left about 12 years ago. Um it's you know they do well in conference USA, but I'm not sure how much that gets you, you know. Um it's it's it's really uh uh college sports is really a whole new animal now. Um I don't I don't know where it's gonna go from here, but uh it's a lot different than when I was working on the Gulf Coast, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_05

Yeah, and of course, on message boards and you know things like that, which is not very accurate, hardly any time, but there's of course, you know, rumors with Middle Tennessee and Western Kentucky going back to the Sun Belt and all this, that but that's the Ohio Valley.

SPEAKER_03

When I was an undergraduate Ohio Valley Conference, that's right. You know, that's right. Four teams in Tennessee, four teams in Kentucky, it made total sense. Now it was a you know, it was a small time league, but it was it made sense. Every trip was a drive trip. You know, every trip you could drive. So it was not like that. Not like that at all anymore.

SPEAKER_05

Tell me about this now. Where is Louisiana Tech, to your best of knowledge? I know you don't keep up with them, but as far as in the the schedules and things as such with this this leave of conference USA, which of course they've done about this for over a year.

SPEAKER_03

Standoff going on between the two leagues. That's right. Yeah, I Teddy Allen is a real good friend of mine. You may be acquainted with Teddy. Uh he worked at the Times Picky Union back in the uh 80s and into the 90s, and he then he went back up to North Louisiana where he uh has kind of made a home. Uh he's on the La Tech uh broadcast um team. And we've talked about it. Uh you know, he hasn't really taken a side, but uh it's clearly a mess. You know, uh you know, Conference USA released their schedule, and it wasn't very good for the Hilltoppers. They don't play a home game until October, and they only have five home games. Jeez. Um, yeah. I mean, you know, how are you gonna market that? Their first home game is against Mercyhurst. I don't even know what state Mercy Horst is in. Been meaning to look that up. You know? I I not mercy hearst.

SPEAKER_05

Not right off the yeah.

SPEAKER_03

I'm guessing they're I'm guessing they're FCS, but I I don't I don't even know what state they're in.

SPEAKER_05

So if you don't know it, Jim, I'm pretty sure that I won't know it anytime. But um that being said, though, you know, there's there's gonna be some really, you know, of course, the July 1st, the deadline for these schedules to be finalized, uh, at least I'm not really sure. I mean, this looks like it's you know, more of the leaning for Conference USA trying to call the bluff, but the Sunbelt sort of needing, okay, we have to have 14 teams if we're still gonna have divisions, which of course I'm not sure if Conference USA even has divisions. D do you know that answer for me?

SPEAKER_03

Um, not now. They have had before, but not now. Okay. Um, you know, they've had a there's been a lot of turnover in this conference. Um, you know, Delaware and uh Missouri State came in this year, and you know, Missouri State is going to the tournament women's basketball. Uh the quarterback from Bowler Green High School went to Missouri State. Uh their coach took the job of coastal Carolina, and I believe they're in the Sun Belt. And uh Deuce Bailey went with him, the quarterback. He's still got four years of eligibility. Uh I I covered the game he played, and when their starter got injured, he did fill in one game, but he was still able to redshirt because he only appeared in, I guess, three games total. Um, I'm sorry about my dog. She's in the back last time it was last time it was New Orleans in the French quarter. And this is my dog. Bible! I'm sorry. I score outside if it's if it's better.

SPEAKER_05

You're good, you're good. But you know, the final question for you, Jim, is if if I'm taking a look, if I'm looking at Conference USA outside of Western Kentucky, because I know you cover them pretty hardcore from all for all sports, at least, and what is the team, the the main team in Conference USA, because they've had so many transfer teams inside and out, outside of Western Kentucky. Who's the most dominant one, you know, in all sports considered are all the major, so-called major sports?

SPEAKER_03

Yes, sir. All the major football, the two basketballs, and maybe baseball, softball. Yes, sir. Um I would say it's probably Western.

SPEAKER_05

It's not MTSU. Um but of course I said outside of Western Kentucky because I knew you cover them.

SPEAKER_03

Yeah, yeah. You know, that's a it's a good question. Umuston's made the you know, they haven't been in the league long. They've they've done pretty well. Um they're a runner-up in the regular season in men's basketball. Uh, but you know, they you know, that's all the way down to Huntsville, Texas. Yeah. That's a long way from here. Um, I I just uh it's fragmented, Hunter. It's a fragmented league. That's right. And and and you know, the AD here, Todd Stewart knows that. Uh, you know, the there's the fan base I think is frustrated by being in Conference USA, to be quite frank. Sure. The identity isn't there, you know. It it it's it's uh you know, I I was talking to a friend the other day. Missouri, the Missouri Valley might make sense. Sure. You know? I mean it's good good basketball. They their football is one double A or FCS, whatever you want to call it. And you know, Western is a mid-major D1, has been for 20 years or so. But um, you know, I that's just I'm just throwing that out there in the Missouri Valley. Um is this where you see they've had plenty of turnover too.

SPEAKER_05

They've had plenty of turnovers as well. Is this where you see college athletics going right now?

SPEAKER_03

Man, I don't know. That's a great question, honor. Uh it it's you know what it is? It's like junior, you know, that it's like junior college sports now. Every year, teams just are wholesale, there's wholesale changes. And uh, you know, they say you can't tell a team without a scorecard. Well, it's you know, it goes that's literal. That's that's the way it is. No, there's a handful of schools that will keep kids for three to four years. Um and and then but kids are more likely to move on and stick it out and try to win a job. You know, I mean uh Western football coach Tyson Hilt has done well in the portal. He's done well. Um he still hasn't produced a conference championship, and when he does, he's probably on the next train out of here. Um but it it's it's uh it is uh very undefined, I think is probably if that's the word. It's uh and uh it'll be interesting to see what happens with LaTeX. It really will be.

SPEAKER_05

My friend, tell everybody how they get in touch with you.

SPEAKER_03

Uh my website is my name, gymmashic.com. I'm on uh Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. And uh you I'll be I'll be at the uh high school tournament here in Kentucky, the boys' tournament starting Wednesday. Uh it's the last state that has uh everybody in one one division. And for basketball, not for football, mind you. And for basketball, baseball, and softball.

SPEAKER_05

That's come one, come off, which is kind of cool. There you go, my friend. Hey, it's good to talk to you, and we'll have you on again.

SPEAKER_03

All right, I'm gonna say hi to everybody on the coast for me. Take care. Miss y'all.

SPEAKER_00

The following is a paid advertisement by O'Dwyer Realty Agent Stephanie Mankowitz. Call Stephanie today at 228-563-0471 for all your realty needs.

SPEAKER_06

Uh, would say there's a lot to know. Indeed, purchasing a home as a primary residence is a process or even as an investment, but there's a definite checklist for first-time home buyers.

SPEAKER_05

What's the list of the checklist? Tell me about that.

SPEAKER_06

So the first on the checklist is have you prepared your personal and employment documents? I mean, you're asking a bank to write a loan for a house. Do you have your W-2s and your uh possibly your tax return depends on what loan? Um, if you don't have those documents, you can't get the pre-approval. So if I want to write an offer on your neighbor's house and my client doesn't have a pre-approval, I'm dead in the water. I'm dead in the water. I am not supposed to submit an offer without a pre-approval. That is just the seller's not going to respect it. The second thing on the checklist is you kind of want to avoid changing jobs. Like, let's just pretend, let's just say your wife's a nurse.

SPEAKER_05

Wow, that sounds pretty good.

SPEAKER_06

Yeah, she makes good pay. So uh we don't want to hurt her in the process if she gets a better offer to make more money at a different hospital. She's like, Well, I want to buy this house, but I don't want to change jobs, but I've got this opportunity to get more pay. Well, it's different for her because she's a nurse, she wants to change hospitals, right? That's a jump loan. I mean, she can still buy a house. We don't have to wait until she's been at the job a year. She's taken a better job in the same field. What is usually required is a 30-day letter. She's been with us 30 days over here at this new hospital. Miss Hunter is awesome, and we continue to employ her. When she's been at the new job 30 days, we continue with our loan process. You can still buy the house you originally wanted. Does that make sense? Um, probably the last couple things on the list is the zone. Where do you want to buy? It's not our job as a realtor to steer it to steer you. And if you like to have a cow and you don't want to give up your cow, so you want to be a little more rural. Um, I need to know that. Let your agent know what you want. Maybe we can't get it all. But if you want to be rural, you might get zero-down USDA zone. So you got no down payment requirement. Speaking of down payment hunter, the final checklist item. You need to have this thing called closing costs. And some people might laugh right now and say, of course, I know what closing costs are, but there are a lot of first-time home buyers and even some of my repeat buyers who don't realize closing costs have gone way up in the last three years. So have $5,000 set aside, expect $10,000 or more in closing costs for attorneys and loan fees. That's that can be $10,000 or more. But if you've got half of that set aside, I, as the realtor, will fight to get the seller to give you a credit for the other half. It can be part of negotiating it into the price and turn into a win-win, if that makes sense.

SPEAKER_05

Sounds like to keep it simple, they need to ask a realtor about this checklist. If you would like Stephanie to help you determine your next steps, call today at 228-563-0471. Or call her at the office and ask for Steph at 228-452-4242. Steph has the latest information to help you get through the process with a reasonable expectations again. That's 228-563-0471 to speak direct with Stephanie. Well, Jeff, we gratefully appreciate everyone listening to this podcast, as well as giving us reviews, giving us comments, and everything else. It was a great show, and I think it's only going to get better.

SPEAKER_02

Yeah, man, we're uh we're cruising along, and as always, you can find us in all the spots, uh, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, iHeart, um, all the places. Uh Amazon music. So, yep, look us up. You can search us with the under the title HD Experience, and you'll find all of our episodes.

SPEAKER_05

That's right. That's right. Um hey, I'm telling you what, man. This was uh it was good for for our selection Sunday in March Madness. And so uh, you know, we'll uh we'll definitely keep everybody going on with with what's going on in the tournament.

SPEAKER_02

Great guest today. You know, I never had the had the uh privilege of working with Jim. I I was started my tenure at the Sun Herald after he was there. Um you know, the sports team I worked with, Patrick Oakes, um, and uh the great J uh James Jones, who who passed away not, you know, year or so ago, who'd gone on to work at a paper in Montgomery. Um you know, he's a good dude. And Patrick McGee, who's doing really well covering the Saints and stuff over for uh Nola.com. So that was the uh sports team that that I had the pleasure of working with. James Jones is a great, great man, and uh we miss him.

SPEAKER_05

Well, and you know, the old Harold team with Doug Barber and Jim Mash and those guys, they were legendary. Legends.

SPEAKER_02

You know. Only, you know, my my I'll say this and we'll we'll we'll close the show. My when I was my my like connection to legendary Sun Herald is when I was working at the commercial dispatch in Columbus, Mississippi, my editor was Slim Smith, who uh was legend down at the uh Sun Herald for many years, and uh Slim was a great boss and a great guy, and I really enjoyed working for him.

SPEAKER_05

Slim's a good one. He's still he's still around, but he's around.

SPEAKER_02

He he lives in Ocean Springs, uh not Ocean Springs, and uh in Moss Point and just lay as low. So, you know, that's my dude. Good guy.

SPEAKER_05

There you go. Well, you make sure you follow us on the gazeboazette.com where the podcast will be posted next week, as well as on Facebook.com backslash the real gazebo Gazette, or X, otherwise known as Twitter by Elon Musk, and Gazebo Gazette as the handle. The HD Experience is available on all podcasts, including Apple, Spotify, iHeart, and Amazon music, as Jeff stated, under the HD Experience tag. So signing off, this is Hunter Dawkins, the host of the HD Experience, and we will always catch you on the flip side.