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"Coaches Series" - Anthony Goldwire (UH Assistant Coach) Interview
82 Plays2 months ago
Welcome to the 2nd in our offseason "Coaches Series" (episode #55) on the No Conference for Old Men Podcast.
The 3 Old Men had the privilege to sit down and chat with Coach Anthony Goldwire (UH MBB Assistant Coach & former Cougar Great). We cover things far & wide as we dive into coach's background, his journey as a player at UH during the Foster era & then playing professionally in the NBA & Europe, and how he transitioned into coaching w/ the Milwaukee Bucks and then back to UH on Coach Sampson's staff. We bring a depth and insight into Coach's background / perspective that you won't find anywhere else!
- No Conference for Old Men is available for free via Spotify / Apple Podcast / SoundCloud & the GoCoogs.com website; we're also available via the Republic of Football Podcast feed from the folks at Dave Campbell's Texas Football as their only basketball-centric offering
- Intro / Exit music: Ground Zero provided by FreeBeats.io
- Please follow us on https://gocoogs.com/old-men/
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction and Guest Background
00:00:05
@NoConfForOldMen
Welcome folks to the second installment of our special off season coaches series on the no conference for old men podcast today, where the three old guys have a special guest in university of Houston director for player development and former Houston. Great Anthony Goldwire joining us for a bit of Q and a coach Goldwire is our second interview in this series. And for fans that may not know, and hopefully I get this right coach, but coach Goldwire has been at U of H as a coach since 2021 as director of player development.
00:00:34
@NoConfForOldMen
But prior to joining our staff, he'd already had a number of impressive stops across both college and pro ranks.
Career Transition: Player to Coach
00:00:40
@NoConfForOldMen
I'm not going to go into too much detail because we actually want to hear directly from Coach about his experiences.
00:00:46
@NoConfForOldMen
But just before coming to Houston, Coach had spent a season at Louisiana as the director of student athlete development. Before that and immediately after a Coach's playing career concluded,
00:00:56
@NoConfForOldMen
Coach Goldwire began his coaching career in the NBA for the Milwaukee Bucks as an assistant coach. And this is where we believe you and Coach Sampson had actually crossed paths and then had a stint on the coaching staffs of the Erie Bayhawks of the D League for a couple of seasons.
00:01:05
Goldwire
Yes, sir. I think it's
00:01:12
@NoConfForOldMen
Coach Goldwire also had a long and successful playing career, ending his college years at U of H, where in year one, he actually played on a 92-93 team that I felt was really underrated and deserved to make the NCAAs.
00:01:25
Goldwire
i
00:01:25
@NoConfForOldMen
After his, you did too. We're going to get into that a bit. But after his playing days at Houston, coach was drafted in the second round by the NBA, Phoenix Suns in 94, and played for nine teams in seven seasons within the and NBA, as well as overseas in Europe.
00:01:41
@NoConfForOldMen
Coach Goldwire also completed his bachelor's degree from u of H in sports administration in 2020, just prior to joining our staff.
00:01:43
Tom Lidiak
favor
00:01:49
@NoConfForOldMen
Super impressive background, and we're excited for Coach to join the podcast.
College Basketball Journey
00:01:53
@NoConfForOldMen
Welcome to the podcast, Coach Goldwire, and thanks so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule.
00:01:57
Goldwire
thank Thank you guys for having me. It's it's a pleasure to to be among you guys, and I'm looking forward to this interview.
00:02:04
@NoConfForOldMen
Awesome. Awesome. So we've actually compiled a list of questions from kind of amongst the three of us, as well as maybe some of the fans that had written in. So if you don't mind, we can just kind of go directly into those if if you don't mind.
00:02:19
Goldwire
No, I mean, I'm ready.
00:02:20
@NoConfForOldMen
All right. All right, let's go.
00:02:22
Goldwire
Whatever.
00:02:22
Tom Lidiak
you
00:02:23
Bill Walker
Nice.
00:02:24
@NoConfForOldMen
so I gave kind of a brief background of kind of your playing and coaching experiences, but maybe you can spend a few minutes providing listeners with your own perspective on kind of your playing and coaching journey and maybe a little bit of what it was like back at UH during your playing days versus what you see today.
00:02:44
Goldwire
Well, first, my playing career in college started at Pensacola Junior College.
00:02:50
@NoConfForOldMen
That's right.
00:02:51
Goldwire
And Bob Marlin was my coach, and that helped me get to the University Louisiana Lafayette. But those two years was great for me because I wasn't ready to play Division I basketball at the moment, even though my high school team, we went 36-0 and won the state 2A championship and and and when in River air Beach, Florida.
00:03:11
Goldwire
So i only had like three offers coming out of school and that was, you know, USC University, University of Portland and some other schools locally around, you know, town in West Palm Beach.
00:03:13
@NoConfForOldMen
wow
00:03:23
Goldwire
But I decided to go to junior college to, you know, to help myself get more stronger, to get prepared for division one college.
00:03:28
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:03:30
Goldwire
My goal always was to play division one basketball. just had to take a different journey, but I think I made the right choice not by not staying so close to home near Miami, near, you know, Fort Lauderdale and everything, getting away from home, not able to get back to my family or so to speak, my friends and everything that kind of distracted me.
00:03:50
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:03:51
Goldwire
So getting away to Pensacola was just far enough where I couldn't come home every weekend. So I think Coach Marlin and they did a great job with me, allowing me to come in and not handing the position to me, just letting me come in and earn my way.
00:04:04
Goldwire
I came in with another young fellow from who was Mr. Basketball in in the state of Alabama, know
00:04:09
@NoConfForOldMen
Oh, wow.
00:04:11
Goldwire
Greg Poole, and he averaged like maybe almost 40 points a game. And myself and him were freshmen.
00:04:15
@NoConfForOldMen
Hmm.
00:04:16
Goldwire
Coach just told us, look, I'm going to play the best guy for the position. But I came in with a self-made, self you know my junior college team was really good.
00:04:25
@NoConfForOldMen
Uh
00:04:26
Goldwire
Those guys just coming off the national invitation, they they finished fifth in the nation that year. So they lost their point guard and all they needed was somebody to come in.
00:04:31
Bill Walker
Mm.
00:04:34
Goldwire
And I came in and won the job. And that's why I met Tommy Jones, who was one of the assistant coaches for Pat Foster. And we came in as my freshman year.
00:04:42
@NoConfForOldMen
huh.
00:04:44
Goldwire
And he told me, I never had never been out of the state of Florida or anything, because that was the furthest I've been away from home.
00:04:48
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:04:50
Goldwire
Obviously, I've been to Jacksonville, but
00:04:52
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:04:53
Goldwire
Going out west, that was the first I've been to Pensacola. I mean, i'm um I'm close to Alabama, Mobile, so I've never been that far.
00:04:57
Tom Lidiak
Mm-hmm.
00:04:58
Goldwire
So when he came back and told me, look, next year when you're a sophomore, I'm taking you back to Houston with me. I was like, oh.
00:05:04
@NoConfForOldMen
Nice.
00:05:04
Goldwire
Yeah, so I was just like, I didn't hear. I wasn't listening to none of that, but.
00:05:10
Goldwire
they did a great job recruiting me. Coach Marlin did a great job of helping me find my way. I came from a school that, you know, we pressed and played hard and that was, that was, that was not natural for me to do that. And coach Marlin was a point guards coach. He allowed all his point guards to play hard and play fast.
00:05:29
Goldwire
And that's what I love to do. So after staying there for two years, I mean, I, my father he came back and I found my way back to the University of Houston. And when I came in, they lost Derrick Daniels.
00:05:37
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah. Yep.
00:05:40
Goldwire
But I got a chance to play with some great teammates, and Charles Outlaw, David Diaz, Jesse Drain, and Derrick Smith.
00:05:44
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:05:45
Tom Lidiak
Mm-hmm.
00:05:46
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:05:51
Goldwire
He was locally from Humboldt.
00:05:53
@NoConfForOldMen
That's right.
00:05:53
Goldwire
But our team was very good. Pat Fossett did a ah ah really nice job of compiling like some athletes, along with some some smart IQ guys, and I was just in the mix some more and that actually could make the team go.
00:06:05
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
00:06:06
Goldwire
He came in when he came to junior college to recruit me when I was a Pensacola. He like, look, you know, my thing was I needed two more years because still had my dream to play professionally. It didn't have to be the NBA, but I know I didn't want to work. i want My job, I wanted to be a professional basketball player. So I know if I worked hard with my work ethic, something that i had received from Coach Marlin and those guys at Pensacola, by being there for those two years in the state the summer, I got a chance to really get out there and work on my mind, my body. and i you know And once I came to University of Houston, I was already
Professional Aspirations
00:06:39
Goldwire
ready to go. And I knew I was going to come in and make a difference because I had prepared myself in junior college.
00:06:45
Goldwire
When I first hit the scene, the first person I saw was Charles Outlaw. I mean, he was loudest guy on campus, the most genuine guy.
00:06:49
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:06:54
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:06:54
Goldwire
He was ready for me to play. But in Florida at that time, in junior college, yeah, you couldn't – you had to take the class test to get out of state of Florida. And I think it was two weeks. before my results got back and school had already started.
00:07:06
Goldwire
So each day, all the guys would come up to me and like, man, when you gonna play?
00:07:07
@NoConfForOldMen
Oh,
00:07:11
Goldwire
They told me you can play this and that. like, look, I can't play, it to be against the rules. So I sat, I used to just go to the gym and watch the guys play pickup. And back then, and Harfines was, that was the best thing going for me.
00:07:18
@NoConfForOldMen
wow.
00:07:22
Goldwire
And across from Cougar Place where I stayed, we had an old gym, I think where Elvin Hayes played at, with Jep, Jep, Jepson,
00:07:22
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:07:28
Tom Lidiak
Mm-hmm.
00:07:29
@NoConfForOldMen
Jefferson.
00:07:29
Bill Walker
Jepsen.
00:07:30
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:07:30
Tom Lidiak
Mm-hmm.
00:07:30
Goldwire
But I had the key to that gym.
00:07:31
Tom Lidiak
Mm-hmm. o
00:07:32
Goldwire
So I would always go in there and work out because I couldn't work out with the team.
00:07:32
@NoConfForOldMen
No.
00:07:37
@NoConfForOldMen
Uh huh.
00:07:37
Goldwire
but They didn't know I was still playing and getting my shots up and going to summer to school and everything. But definitely wanted to come in and make a great impression with those guys because they was losing ah a really good point guard and Derrick Daniels.
00:07:48
@NoConfForOldMen
Yep.
00:07:49
Goldwire
And then they needed someone to step right in and play. And and that was my whole goal. And that's why told coach, coach Foster and coach Jones, look, when I'm coming, I know you guys got, you have guys already there. I'm coming to play though.
00:08:00
Goldwire
So once I got opportunity to play, it was, it was, it was like a match made in heaven.
00:08:00
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:08:04
Goldwire
I played with all all the first day or two and pick up and we clicked right away from defensively and lobs and just getting out in transition.
00:08:10
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:08:13
Goldwire
and and David Diaz can shoot the cover off the ball, him along with Jesse Drain.
00:08:17
@NoConfForOldMen
Train.
00:08:18
Goldwire
And Derrick Smith was one of the most, man, at 6'5", oh my God, he can jump up.
00:08:18
Bill Walker
now
00:08:22
@NoConfForOldMen
Athletic guys. Yeah.
00:08:25
Goldwire
And the crazy thing about it, he had shin splints.
00:08:28
@NoConfForOldMen
Oh, wow.
00:08:28
Goldwire
And he still, that's his old senior year, he had two shin splints and he still was jumping out of gym.
00:08:30
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:08:34
Goldwire
So I had those two guys on the wing and Jesse can shoot the ball.
00:08:34
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:08:37
Goldwire
And so I thought that team was you know going into the season. I really, really you know knew I had made the right decision to come to the University of Houston. and it It just carried over all the way into the season.
00:08:49
Goldwire
Crazy thing about it, when I got a chance to play, like I say, I had the key at Jell, but after we would play, pick up here, we would go down to Fundy, the Recreation Center, and play against the pros.
00:08:59
@NoConfForOldMen
For pros?
00:08:59
Tom Lidiak
Mm-hmm.
00:08:59
@NoConfForOldMen
Nice.
00:09:00
Bill Walker
Yeah.
00:09:00
Goldwire
Like the the guys with Kenny Smith and all those guys, Vernon Maxwell and all the you know those guys, and they would allow us to have a U of H team to play against those guys.
00:09:03
@NoConfForOldMen
Yep.
00:09:08
Goldwire
So that helped us play.
00:09:09
@NoConfForOldMen
Yep.
00:09:10
Goldwire
and be more confident in ourselves. So we we we gained the trust in o ourselves that year. And that helped me to to let to further let me know that I was able to I think I can do this. I think I can play in the pros and and get a chance. You know, because that time Avery Johnson wasn't solidified as being a San Antonio's Mr. You know, look, the general, he was still bouncing around from the Rockets to Golden State.
00:09:28
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah Yep.
00:09:31
Goldwire
And he would also use our gym and Ricky Pierce was in town. And think Kenny, Kenny Smith, all those guys usually use our gym if they didn't want to go to fund it.
00:09:37
@NoConfForOldMen
Yep.
00:09:39
Goldwire
So I got a chance as a junior to come in and play against those guys every day.
00:09:43
@NoConfForOldMen
Yep.
00:09:43
Goldwire
And, you know, and that kind of helped at home my skills going into the season.
00:09:44
Bill Walker
nice
00:09:47
Goldwire
So once we got started, it was like I said, it it was it it was no problem for me to, you you know, to, to play with those guys and Bo Outlaw did a great job. of he He was our anchor.
00:09:58
@NoConfForOldMen
ye
00:09:59
Goldwire
I think he led the nation in field goal percentage and also in block shots.
00:10:03
@NoConfForOldMen
My shots.
00:10:04
Goldwire
Yeah. But his unorthodox game, but he was, I'm telling he done so much for it. like I had no problem pressuring the basketball. Cause I know he would always clean up for me.
00:10:13
Goldwire
If I, if I did let anybody get by by me or whatever.
00:10:14
@NoConfForOldMen
Yep.
00:10:16
Goldwire
And I did a great job. of I thought I, Did a great job of, you know, those guys put a lot of pressure on me coming in because they told me how great Derrick Daniels was.
00:10:24
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:10:24
Goldwire
I wanted to come in and show that I was better than him and I could lead that team to, you know, I know they had went to, think they went to the NCAA tournament the year before and they lost to Georgia Tech.
00:10:27
@NoConfForOldMen
Yep.
00:10:33
@NoConfForOldMen
Right.
00:10:34
Goldwire
But I wanted to come in and do the same thing and and and just kind of, you know, create my own narrative towards everything. But like I said, we went on the road and won some big games early, I think against DePaul. I think we started the season off that year 11 and two, which the only two losses was North Carolina and UCLA.
00:10:48
@NoConfForOldMen
Yep.
00:10:50
Goldwire
And we lost both those teams on the road by eight.
00:10:50
@NoConfForOldMen
UCLA. Yep.
00:10:53
@NoConfForOldMen
Yep.
00:10:54
Goldwire
And I thought, you know, we we was really good at everything. Pat Foster did a great job of having us contrasting from man to man to our zone defense, to our full court token press, kind of like two, two, one without long anchoring everything. And I was in the middle and as a steals guy, but that really helped us throughout I'm non-conference going into our conference. So, I mean, it it was a great match for me and ah ah it was a great team fit and I really loved that team. That team was great for me. Those guys took me under their wings and kind of showed me the ropes early.
00:11:28
Goldwire
And like said, I still keep in touch with the majority of those guys, but yeah, I really liked that team.
00:11:34
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah, it was a ah ah fun team to watch as well. I mean, clearly you and Bo Outlaw were the anchors of that team. And, you know, watching, especially preseason, because you had actually gotten ranked at that point, 25th in the nation.
00:11:48
Goldwire
did that.
00:11:48
@NoConfForOldMen
I thought definitely NCAAs for the season.
00:11:49
Goldwire
We did. Yeah, we got ranked. I'll never forget it. We got ranked 25th, went on the road to Texas Tech, and I think we lost that game.
00:11:59
@NoConfForOldMen
Lost. Yeah.
00:12:00
Goldwire
Then we came home. And we started out 4-0 in the conference. And then i think I had an illness. I got sick with the flu or something. And we lost two or three games.
00:12:11
Goldwire
I was on bed rest and I had to miss two or three games. We lost every game.
00:12:14
@NoConfForOldMen
Uh, yeah.
00:12:15
Bill Walker
Okay.
00:12:15
Goldwire
And Coach Foster told me, he was like, look, don't know what we have to do.
00:12:20
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:12:20
Goldwire
We got to get you back playing. And I'll never forget i was on...
00:12:22
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:12:25
Goldwire
bunch of meds and those guys was bringing me food to the bed, but mark so cool place but I had to play because, you know, we had, we started out so, you know, the season was still, you know, in our grasp to kind of take hold of it.
00:12:31
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:12:37
Goldwire
But I didn't, I definitely didn't want to go down losing four games in a row.
00:12:38
@NoConfForOldMen
ye
00:12:41
Goldwire
So I think we came back against Rice and we wound up beating them.
00:12:41
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:12:44
Goldwire
And then that kind of put us in a bad position for us the rest of the standing.
00:12:44
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:12:48
Goldwire
Cause if you guys remember the Southwest conference pretty deep that year.
00:12:49
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:12:52
Goldwire
SMU was good, Texas Tech was good.
00:12:52
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah Yep.
00:12:56
Goldwire
Texas was scary, but they had a lot of injuries. rice was kind of Rice was scary, but the whole conference, Baylor was scary, but the Southwest conference was pretty talented with a bunch of you know guys that you know you know I think went overseas or played, had opportunity to play professional basketball. so That was one of the top conferences, you know, in the league.
00:13:14
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah, most definitely.
00:13:14
Goldwire
they
00:13:14
Bill Walker
Yeah, for sure.
00:13:16
@NoConfForOldMen
Hey, so kind of shifting gears a little bit. At what point in time did you realize that you wanted to become a coach? Was it while you were still playing in college? Was it after you had gotten to the pros?
00:13:34
Goldwire
I think it's kind of it kind of was in me because I always was, even though I was coming in, the guys kind of being a point guard, you have to kind of be in that position where you can, the guys respect what you're saying, especially I wasn't a really ah ah loud talker.
00:13:47
Goldwire
But when I spoke, guys knew I knew what I was talking about. They understood like, okay, and then I played the right way.
Coaching Ambitions and Influences
00:13:53
Goldwire
That's the thing about it. If a guy was ahead of me, even if was one or two feet, I would always pitch the ball ahead.
00:13:58
Goldwire
i would always get with Charles and David and and those guys. Derek was a senior, so those guys looked at me and they respected by all my answers and my questions. And if I saw him on the back door, they would always knew that I would get the ball to him.
00:14:11
Goldwire
And the best thing that I will that i tell all my guys now, the best thing for being a point guard is when every rebound comes off to a big, they're always looking for you.
00:14:19
@NoConfForOldMen
Yep. Yep.
00:14:20
Goldwire
and know i did They know that you're going to push the ball up, not to shoot it or try to score, but you're going to always reward them if they're running the floor. So I always, always was very appreciative of all the bigs, just looking for me and all that. And that's when I knew I kind of had a gift to get guys to work.
00:14:36
Goldwire
But also going into, i think once I got to, got drafted and got to, because my first year I didn't play in the NBA after I got drafted, I had to go the CBA route.
00:14:47
@NoConfForOldMen
yep
00:14:48
Goldwire
Myself and Aaron Swenson, we went to the CBA team in Yakima. And that's my first year we want that we won a championship with Chucky Brown and all those guys who came to Rockets, Eldridge for Kasner.
00:14:58
@NoConfForOldMen
Mm-hmm.
00:14:58
Goldwire
Those guys were bad and they kind of took me under their wing too.
00:14:58
@NoConfForOldMen
Mm-hmm.
00:14:59
Bill Walker
Mm-hmm.
00:15:01
Goldwire
They was like, Man, I don't know if you guys know Mo McComb, but Mo McComb was the head coach and we won that year. The next year is when I got called up to Charlotte and I wound up standing. That's when Larry Johnson, he realized like, hey, this guy can play. We got to keep him. I mean, my first game was it was a memorable one for me because that's so that's what I dreamed about, playing in the NBA.
00:15:22
Goldwire
And I'll never forget playing against the Washington Bullets. against Chris Webber and Juwan Howard and those guys in Charlotte Arena. And I came off the bench backing up Kenny Anderson because Muggsy Bogues was was hurt.
00:15:35
Goldwire
And I played 15 minutes and had 15 points. And we won the game.
00:15:38
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah.
00:15:39
Goldwire
So that was a blessing for me, man, to go out there and all the work I had put in and just to see, you know, different paths.
00:15:39
Bill Walker
Mm-hmm.
00:15:41
@NoConfForOldMen
oh yeah
00:15:46
Goldwire
wind up leading to to, you know, dreams coming true. So, but that's when I knew I kind of had a gift because even when I got there, the guys respected me and realized like, man, you got a gift. you You know how to get guys to play harder. You know how to get guys to to run the floor harder and then you get the ball to them. So it worked both hand in hand for me. So, and then it just kind of went on throughout then with my career.
00:16:08
@NoConfForOldMen
Okay. And i think we'd mentioned earlier on, you had made the connection with coach Sampson when you guys were both with Milwaukee, uh, I believe so.
00:16:18
Goldwire
Yes,
00:16:20
@NoConfForOldMen
So how did that whole process, you know, come to fruition where you're able to to come back, which is great for us, right? We're so fortunate to have you back with the program.
00:16:29
Goldwire
sir. He tells his story to this day. You know, I'm coming off of playing in the NBA, going through the rookie transition program, being ah been trying to be an assistant coach, trying to mentor the guys that are coming into the league. So I went to Portsmouth.
00:16:46
Goldwire
I went to the G League Combine. These are things you have to do to be an assistant coach. So yeah I'm still i still working out to play maybe.
00:16:51
@NoConfForOldMen
Yep.
00:16:54
Goldwire
in the NBA overseas. so i So I told myself I'm 36 now still was in great shape, still playing. So I was like, look, if something, if something comes up, whether it's a coaching job in the NBA, I'm taking it because it was so rare that you get a job coming out of the NBA, coming out from playing in the and NBA, being a assistant coach in the NBA.
00:17:10
@NoConfForOldMen
ye
00:17:13
Goldwire
So, John Hammond and Scott Skiles, they called me. They like had just lost Adrian Griffin to the Chicago Bulls. He was their player development coach under Bill Peterson. And, they called me and they like, look, we want you to come in and kind of do an interview whatever.
00:17:26
Goldwire
It's not going a long process or whatever. And that's the year when Brandon Jennings came in, with the first year he kept, he was a sophomore or second year player.
00:17:31
@NoConfForOldMen
Oh, wow. Ha,
00:17:35
Goldwire
So when I went in, i met him on the track. They was in conditioning and everything. All the coaches met, they was playing pickup. So I'm still looking like I can play and everything, but I would build Peterson. He's like, come down, we' go work out a few guys, this and that. So Brandon,
00:17:47
Goldwire
you know I'm working guys out and I'm showing him some stuff on the court. so he asked Coach Peterson, hey, it's just a new point guard. He come to take my position or whatever.
00:17:54
@NoConfForOldMen
ha, ha, Ha, ha, ha, ha.
00:17:55
Goldwire
i was like i like, no, but I can.
00:17:55
Tom Lidiak
you
00:17:58
Goldwire
and no but I can take your position I'm just, you know. He said, okay, well, play me one-on-one. Well, after practice, we played one-on-one. He's not knowing that I love all the competition.
00:18:09
Goldwire
I love the physicality and everything. So I wound up beating him three games or two. So after that, we had a connection.
00:18:13
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:18:15
Goldwire
So after that, he like, man, I got to, I need you.
00:18:16
Bill Walker
Nice.
00:18:18
Goldwire
know Now, if you know Brandon and watch this game, he he was new school before the old schools. So he would come in and he'd do all the between the legs, dribble stuff and everything. He'd
00:18:28
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:18:29
Goldwire
To my point is that was Coach Sampson's guy.
00:18:32
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:18:32
Goldwire
It was Coach Sampson to bring, to slow him down, to be an old school player, not to take away everything, but to kind of slow him down a little bit. Coach Sampson had the right voice for that.
00:18:40
@NoConfForOldMen
Okay. yeah
00:18:42
Goldwire
So once he saw me and Brandon, well, first they they brought me back and said, look, we want you to take over, you know, to take over, to take over the job or whatever. we want you be our player development. We'll be a piece.
00:18:53
Goldwire
You take over Adrian Peters, Adrian, Adrian Griffin spot or whatever. So like, cool. So my first job, he say, Brandon is your guy.
00:19:01
@NoConfForOldMen
okay
00:19:01
Goldwire
So coach Sam told me, Brandon is your guy. We're going watch film with him, mentor him and help him. And then in the meantime, going to mentor you to help you from not being so late all to our coaches meeting.
00:19:12
Tom Lidiak
Wow.
00:19:13
Bill Walker
Ha ha.
00:19:13
@NoConfForOldMen
That's awesome.
00:19:14
Goldwire
So, um know, me, I don't know anything about being a coach.
00:19:18
Goldwire
So I'm knowing as a player, you get in there.
00:19:19
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:19:21
Goldwire
would always come in an hour before to get my work in, get my weights in, you know, because that's why I came early, stayed late.
00:19:26
Goldwire
But now being a coach, now the meeting's at 10, I'm coming at 9.15, 9.30. Some of the coaches in there, I'm kind of trickling in. So Coach Sam pulled me to the side. He's like, look, you're not a player anymore.
00:19:37
Goldwire
You're not a player anymore.
00:19:39
Goldwire
Look, this is what it is. I'm help you. I'm mentor you. Get in here early, get get prepared, get your guys on the court, work them out. And I never forgot that to this day.
00:19:51
Goldwire
And there and and that one that that's the story you always tell, but always thank him for just, just because he didn't have to do that.
00:19:58
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah. Yep.
00:19:58
Goldwire
Just to help me survive in the NBA and also help me make that transition. But he's always been you know that father figure to me outside of you know my my my biological father or whatever. But I always can call on him for anything. and and that, and that's what it was.
00:20:12
Goldwire
And I think he stayed maybe one or two years and then he left and went to the Rockets, but I stayed extra two years with, with Scott Skiles. And then, i think I stayed two more, I stayed two years. So it was three years there, then Scott Skiles left.
00:20:26
Goldwire
So then I went to Oklahoma City and with Scott Brooks and I did the G League in Tulsa before they had not became the blue. But the agent that I had at the time had Scott Brooks under his ray under under his company.
00:20:40
Goldwire
So I wound up spending the rest of the year up after we played those 50 games. Played those games, went back up and with Kevin Durant and all those guys with him and Russell Westbrook. I think Steven Adams was there.
00:20:54
Goldwire
By that time, James had already left. We had Sefa Lotion and Serge Ibaka. That team went over to the Western Conference Finals against San Antonio and we lost. But that was a great experience. I got a chance to go behind the scenes during the playoffs for the first time in the and NBA.
00:21:08
Goldwire
Now getting past that, that's when i went to the Erie Bayhawks under Orlando Magic.
00:21:09
@NoConfForOldMen
Yep. Yep.
00:21:12
Goldwire
The first year with Jock Vaughn and the next year, Scott Skiles re-entered the picture. And then that's when he had just signed a deal, I think a four or five year deal, but it only stayed one year because him and management, they was going back and forth.
00:21:26
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:21:27
Goldwire
Scott Scott was more of a veteran type guy. That team was young and Rob Hennigan was the GM at the time. And you know he was building it like, okay, see now, but Scott Scott was one of the best, just from my understanding or whatever.
00:21:39
Goldwire
But I mean, it didn't it didn't really go well, but we wound up staying in the G League for two years.
00:21:39
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah. Uh-huh.
00:21:43
Goldwire
And that was my way back into the NBA under Scott Scott, because we was going to reunite again or whatever. but
00:21:48
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:21:48
Goldwire
It didn't happen. So I had to figure out something else to do. I knew I didn't have my degree, but I wanted to continue to teach because guys that was coming into the G League at the time, they still didn't know, understand how to play the game of basketball the right way to impact winning.
00:22:03
Goldwire
or I wanted to try to teach, especially from my perspective, being a point guard, i had played in the NBA, had been in Europe at the time, because back then the lockouts was so prominent.
00:22:03
Bill Walker
Mm-hmm.
00:22:12
Goldwire
It it was definitely something gonna happen because the collective bargaining agreement, it it was so unsettled. you know It's nothing to have a lockout. Players didn't show up anything at the time during my era.
00:22:23
Goldwire
So I went overseas a few years, came back and this and that. But I knew by that time, Coach Sampson had came to University of Houston. So I wanted to just come in and come just, you know, say hello to him because I hadn't seen him and thank him.
00:22:34
Goldwire
Number one, you know, man, I appreciate what you've done for me.
00:22:35
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:22:39
Goldwire
You know, this is my career. this what But I i want to coach in college. The first thing he asked me, do you have your degree? I said, no, sir, I don't. He's like, well, you get your degree. And that's where he brought Coach Blau. Coach Blau, he came over and he's like, look, ah but two days later, he called me.
00:22:55
Goldwire
He does eye academics here now. But he came over to me and said, look, Coach Hampson wants to start a ah ah program for former U of athletes, basketball-wise, to get their degree, to come out and get their degree.
00:23:06
Goldwire
And then he said, you know, we want you to be the first one to do it.
00:23:07
@NoConfForOldMen
Awesome.
00:23:10
Goldwire
So me, I hadn't been in school in like 27 years. Granted,
00:23:13
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:23:14
Goldwire
When was in school, I had to come. You actually had to go to class.
00:23:17
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:23:19
Goldwire
yeah You couldn't do it online, and you couldn't do it with no computer.
00:23:21
Tom Lidiak
Thank you.
00:23:21
@NoConfForOldMen
Right.
00:23:22
Goldwire
so you And then my time, if you know in my career, I only had one guaranteed contract.
00:23:27
@NoConfForOldMen
Hmm.
00:23:28
Goldwire
All the years I played on them different teams, my my so my summers were all filled. So I would take maybe two or three weeks off, but I was back in Houston, back in the gym working out there. So that's why I continued to hone in on my um work ethic because – I had to grind it out every day because I didn't know when I was with a phone call from my agent saying, look, you got to go work out.
00:23:46
Goldwire
You got to get ready to go to summer league. You got to get ready to minicamp or something.
00:23:47
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:23:50
Goldwire
So I had to take it at that time. So I was like, OK, I'll come in. So when I first went to the ah counselor, he wanted to give me five classes off top.
00:24:00
Goldwire
I have classes. I said, look, I hadn't been in school. I hadn't touched a computer or was like logging in or nothing like that.
00:24:04
@NoConfForOldMen
and
00:24:07
Goldwire
know, man, give me one class. Give me one class and we'll go from there.
00:24:11
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:24:11
Goldwire
Everything is online. That's fine. Just give me one class. so And then the curriculum had changed so much.
00:24:19
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:24:19
Goldwire
I had to change my, oh man, it was it was a headache.
00:24:22
@NoConfForOldMen
A pain.
00:24:22
Goldwire
its the
00:24:22
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah. I can imagine.
00:24:23
Goldwire
So I went from sports management to sports administration. But I still was pending on 25 hours from my junior college courses to my two-year courses here. that would So everything had to go through a petition board.
00:24:35
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah. Yeah.
00:24:38
Goldwire
oh man So, man, I'm like, man, I might have to redo everything. I'm just in my head. i'm I'm just enrolled in one class now.
00:24:45
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:24:45
Goldwire
And then COVID hit.
00:24:48
Goldwire
So best thing for me now, I'm just communicating through computer, through phones and online and everything.
00:24:52
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:24:54
Goldwire
But it didn't stop me. I was just enrolling through everything, but the one class went great. So now I wanna take summer classes over at this place. And now I'm gonna take some classes here U of H. Anything that's given now, I wanna knock it out now.
00:25:06
Goldwire
So I'm like a kid in the canister. Classes come like this.
00:25:07
Tom Lidiak
Thank you.
00:25:09
Goldwire
Then every week, my petition classes are getting granted. Everything is coming back.
00:25:12
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:25:13
Goldwire
So now I'm getting closer and closer to my degree. Now I get to the point where I'm at the end of my you know my um my courses and I think I had one more class and it's like an accounting course.
00:25:25
Goldwire
And now and I'm live like this every single day, cause that's the class you have to take and be in front of the professor.
00:25:26
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:25:31
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:25:31
Goldwire
And he's like, i need to see your face. I need to talk to you.
00:25:35
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:25:35
Goldwire
was cool with it. Cause I was like, man, I'm almost at the door.
00:25:37
@NoConfForOldMen
Uh-huh.
00:25:38
Goldwire
I'm good. So it wound up being a great situation for me and we wind up, but now I got to do my internship.
00:25:42
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:25:44
Goldwire
So where can I go now? I know coach Shamsen runs a tight ship. He wouldn't have a problem, but I need to shadow and try to see if I really want to coach in college. See want to coach some of these kids or whatever. And I called, I reached out to my junior college coach, Bob Marlin, and he was more than excited to have me come down and shadow number one, but also just share my story of where I've been, how many teams I've been on my journey from junior college to division one.
00:26:09
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:26:10
Goldwire
getting drafted and everything to making it to the pros, going the CBA route and then getting in the and NBA and just taking off from there, man. And, you know, I think at that time i had the most call ups in the NBA player who's been through the CBA or G League.
00:26:24
Goldwire
I think I had like 11 call ups.
00:26:25
@NoConfForOldMen
Wow.
00:26:26
Bill Walker
Hmm.
00:26:27
@NoConfForOldMen
That is nuts.
00:26:27
Goldwire
So that was the most. and And that was little history thing that I wanted to share with you guys. But that was awesome, man. just That just shows the perseverance of me not quitting.
00:26:36
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:26:36
Goldwire
things got down and I might've got cut for whatever reason.
00:26:37
Tom Lidiak
Mm-hmm.
00:26:40
Goldwire
I just kept grinding it out or whatever. So I got to my internships and all that, it was downhill. I got a
Coaching Career Path
00:26:46
Goldwire
chance to go in and work with some guy and that's where I met Malik Wilson.
00:26:49
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:26:50
Goldwire
So I met him over there. He was a sophomore coming off of freshman of the year year and he didn't understand how to work. And they didn't even have a player development coach there at the time. They just had coaches there. And once practice was over, they didn't work them out. So was like, Hey coach,
00:27:02
Goldwire
you know, while I'm here, I mean, I'm in town for a week, because I spent my time down there doing my internship, because it was a weekly, you know, bio every day of what I had to do, what I was doing on a daily basis. And then I would come home and see my family on the weekend, but wasn't getting paid or nothing, I stayed.
00:27:17
Goldwire
um I was blessed that Coach Marlin had a few hotel points or whatever I would stay in, like maybe the first, I stayed almost, I stayed probably about maybe four or five months, but the first two or three weeks,
00:27:28
@NoConfForOldMen
Wow. Yeah.
00:27:30
Goldwire
I wind up had to stay at different hotels for like two or three days at a time. And then I wind up, they had a house on campus that was ran by the operations guy that he had an extra room in. So I just went to Walmart and bought a blow up bed.
00:27:44
Goldwire
I stayed in that place with him just created my own love. I mean, he was a great guy for letting me come in and shack with him or whatever and in the spot. But man, that was my spot. I mean, ah ah kind of that was my spot. And the thing about it, we was between McDonald's and Burger King.
00:28:00
Goldwire
my And the house was smack dab in the middle. of
00:28:04
Goldwire
I mean, I remember like being on my my computer at night, logging in everything and I could hear order one chocolate milkshake, meat ah ah some fries, no, hold the onions.
00:28:04
@NoConfForOldMen
That's funny.
00:28:11
@NoConfForOldMen
Oh, yeah.
00:28:16
Goldwire
I mean, I'm just sitting there and I couldn't do anything about it. So, but...
00:28:19
@NoConfForOldMen
oh yeah
00:28:20
Goldwire
It just helped my mind, man. And I was just so appreciative of the opportunity. But one thing it did, it helped me get up early because I wanted to hurry and get out of the place, go over to the gym.
00:28:29
Bill Walker
Hmm.
00:28:29
Goldwire
I created a routine. And i once I got through that that first part during COVID, one thing about it, was taking COVID tests like every three days.
00:28:37
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:28:38
Goldwire
every Every Monday, every Thursday, then every Sunday going into the week I had to take when I got back in town because they didn't want you to come back in town and bring anything. So, and I, you know, that's what I had to do. I had to do it. Plus I didn't want to, you know, be around these guys all the time and go home to my family with anything. So it it was,
00:28:56
Goldwire
you know It was a stressful time, but it was time that i you know my family and my, you know they know I needed to do to get to where had to get to. So once I got through that process and I graduated and everything, I was preparing to go back to UL because he he wanted to hire me because I had no idea about the situation at Coach Sampson.
00:29:13
Goldwire
I know it went on that that next year, I wind up traveling with the guys at UL because I had needed a year and a half.
00:29:14
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:29:20
Goldwire
to to do my internship so i did that and i traveled with those guys and we played all our games every saturday every friday and saturday but and at the end of that we started recruiting we was on online like this and um and i remember getting the phone call and told coach i put him on mute and and took my screen down everything and it was and it was coach uh sampson he was calling me he was like hey just came back from the final four
00:29:22
Bill Walker
Jesus.
00:29:43
Goldwire
They lost you know some guys, Coach Brooks, I think McKell McClain, all those guys, they left.
00:29:44
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:29:48
Goldwire
And he was like, congratulations. Bilal told me you graduated. Awesome job. If you're in town, come see me on Monday. so I was like, Coach, I'll be back. I leave on Friday because we had a Zoom call on Thursday.
00:30:01
Goldwire
I leave on Friday to go home and see my family. So I said, I'll definitely come see you on Monday. So when I came in, was like you know like i like i had belonged here, basically.
00:30:10
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:30:10
Goldwire
i came in, I sat down and met with him. I mean, it was kind of emotional a little bit, cause we talked a little bit and I just told him, number one, I just thank him for really getting my mind locked in on trying to be a coach.
00:30:22
Goldwire
And he he could he pulled me way back in Milwaukee and that never stuck with me. Even when I got over to Coach Marlin being a coach at UL, just being early, staying late, anybody that needed help, stand but also mentoring those guys.
00:30:27
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:30:35
Goldwire
And that's the process where Malik had to get to, he needed someone to to show love to him. They loved him as a player during that time, but off the court, let spend time to get to know the kid and kind of understand what he needed to go through or whatever, for him to impact not only winning at UL at the time, but also impacting him to going forward for his career because he had to make a change.
00:30:56
Goldwire
that she wouldn't have been here anyway. I mean, you can't you you have to be a gym rat, somebody that loves to play basketball to come to the University of Houston.
00:31:01
@NoConfForOldMen
Thanks.
00:31:03
Goldwire
So once that happened, I came and talked, I met the staff and it was kind of like an informal interview, just kind of like meeting the staff and everything. So we talked, I met, you know, Kellen and Hollis and,
00:31:15
Goldwire
Kwanis at the time, we all sat down and it was like, you know, I just, I was myself, you know, I'm coming to work, it didn't matter, I don't, you know, it just threw me in the file from the beginning, like, and then was like, look, man, we lost couple positions, I'm thinking about hiring somebody, don't know yet, but, you know, we'll see.
00:31:34
Goldwire
About 30 minutes later, he told me he'll make a couple he'll make a decision in a couple of days. 30 or 40 minutes later, I was going home, not knowing what was go about to happen. Really getting back to go, back over, and he called me. He's like, look, I want to hire you.
00:31:46
@NoConfForOldMen
Nice. Yeah.
00:31:47
Goldwire
just ah you I want to hire you here.
00:31:48
Goldwire
I think you're going to be great for our guys. I need you to be the pipeline to the NBA for our guys. Just help our guys. And those words stuck with me.
00:31:57
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:31:57
Goldwire
And was like, man, I can never repay him on folk for for what he's done for my life and my career. this is this is a dream come true to be at the place I played at. I just graduated.
00:32:10
Goldwire
Now I'm going back to University Houston, a new the new University of Houston under new under my guys, under you know Coach coast Sam, who kind of helped me you know get to this point.
00:32:23
Goldwire
There's no other greater feeling. i just I called him. I thanked him. And, man, I think I was like – I went off somewhere. I'm in my home. I told my wife. She was super excited, number one, because I'll be at home.
00:32:34
Goldwire
But it was kind of like bittersweet for my coach, you know, because he had just offered me the job before I left. Like, I want to offer you the job, this and that.
00:32:38
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah, yeah.
00:32:40
Goldwire
Now you're official now. You don't have to wait till you have your degree. He created a spot for me, that student athlete direct, that that's a creation spot just to get you, you know, I mean, you guys know about all this stuff, man.
00:32:51
@NoConfForOldMen
Wow.
00:32:52
Goldwire
I mean, but it was opportunity to get me on the floor and this that, but I said, coach, going to take the job, but instead of texting my coach and calling him on the phone, I need to go see him face to face and let him know just to be respectful to him and everything.
00:32:52
Tom Lidiak
Mm-hmm.
00:33:05
Goldwire
He's done so much for me, not from training cause, but he didn't have to allow me to come in to be a part of the situation here. And he took me on his wing, put me up in a spot and everything.
00:33:11
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:33:14
Goldwire
So I need to do that. And coach, you know, as if you know coach, no problem at all. Take your time and still, you know, we just finished up. We're making things happen here, but I did that.
00:33:25
Goldwire
And coach was more than gratifying for everything, man. He's like, you deserve it. This is what I expected. because they know your worth, they know your value. you're home with the kids, with the family, the wife.
00:33:37
Goldwire
It's a great opportunity for you. You know, just go go go do what you do, be in the gym and get those guys prepared.
Current Role and Philosophy
00:33:43
Goldwire
So once I came, it's been has been everything I expected. So,
00:33:48
@NoConfForOldMen
i yeah That's an incredible story and journey.
00:33:49
Bill Walker
Nice.
00:33:51
@NoConfForOldMen
Thanks so much for sharing.
00:33:52
Bill Walker
No kidding.
00:33:53
Goldwire
yeah.
00:33:53
Bill Walker
So, so I think most of the people that are, that are listening, certainly the the U of H basketball fans, uh, know about your career at U of H, no know what you accomplished and and how how damn good you were.
00:34:10
Bill Walker
But I think a lot of people don't know as much about your role now as ah ah assistant coach and and with the basketball team and and what what a director of player development does.
00:34:22
Bill Walker
And so could you kind of enlighten people a little bit, give give a little insight into into what your role is with the basketball team?
00:34:30
Goldwire
Yeah.
00:34:33
Goldwire
Well, technically we all, i mean, we all got, you know, i am, the director of player development, but we all are are development coaches because all our coaches develop all these students.
00:34:44
Bill Walker
Sure.
00:34:46
Goldwire
Coach Kellen does great job with the fours. KC and Coach Mike, they do a great job with the bigs. Myself and Coach Price do a you know great job every day with the guards.
00:34:56
Goldwire
And we're constantly developing. it It's nothing for us, for me to pull Jacob or Sid or one of those guys from the big and just see how their day is going and mentoring them and this and that.
00:35:06
Goldwire
So technically we all are development coaches, but you know, we just, every day we we're just trying to develop our guys to help them impact our, and keep our culture going.
00:35:17
Bill Walker
Mm-hmm.
00:35:19
Goldwire
Every day is about keeping our culture, building that culture in their minds. So it's like, you don't have to kind of, you know, we all, uh, coach does a great job of coming in each and every day on the same level.
00:35:31
Goldwire
And have to follow behind him on the same level. And then for us to get the guys to be at that level. you know he always talking about you know he can't never have a bad day the point guard can't have a bad day and the best player can't have a bad day but also as far as coaches too because we have to bring the energy to the guys because they put so much pressure on them so from you know we we expect them to go out and play not a hundred percent a thousand percent hard every night every day in practice so they carry over the games but
00:35:49
Bill Walker
Yeah. Yeah.
00:36:02
Goldwire
We as development coaches, we have to put them in positions to be prepared for when coach put them together five on five. They have to be ready. So that's where the development come in.
00:36:10
Bill Walker
yeah
00:36:11
Goldwire
So when we get out, you know, we work the guards, we're working our defense apart, trying to put the things together, how we have to be. And then sometimes we'll get together with the bigs and make it all one group.
00:36:22
Goldwire
And, you know, it's still at early stages right now. We just had a great month of June. Now we're finishing up July. And it's just about teaching, teaching and figuring these guys out mentally, oh physically what they can do. But also, there's a lot of wear and tear on everybody. got to make sure they get rest, take care knick-knack injuries and everything. And that's where the mentorship come in at.
00:36:44
Goldwire
If you're hurt, can't go, you know, go get go see our great trainer, John Houston. You know, that's just part of it. So we all, so to speak, are all development coaches, but we have a hand in on everything for us.
00:36:58
Goldwire
Be an All-American at your position. And my my job now is to continue to build all these guards up, kind of give little nuggets to all these guards to try to figure out how these guys are going to impact the way we win this year.
00:37:12
Goldwire
I mean, we have a younger group than last year. We're super excited about Kingston Fleming. He's a freshman point guard, but he has no idea about the Big 12 because he's never played.
00:37:21
Bill Walker
i was just I was just about to ask you about him.
00:37:21
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah. Yeah. Yep.
00:37:22
Tom Lidiak
Mm-hmm.
00:37:23
Bill Walker
i was going to say, we we all know, we we've all seen and we know you, Zan, but but but how's how's Kingston progressing?
00:37:23
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:37:32
Goldwire
he's getting better each and every day, and but we expect that he's a, he's a true freshman. He still flashes, but like I said, he has no idea how physical this league is or the type of pressure we're going to put on him by being a lead point guard in an elite program.
00:37:36
Bill Walker
Yeah.
00:37:47
Goldwire
So, and that's our job as guards coaches to kind of help him to get to that point. But one thing about it, he's a competitor. His IQ is high and he loves to play the game of basketball. So, uh,
00:37:58
Goldwire
We're super excited about him.
00:37:58
Bill Walker
Nice.
00:38:00
Goldwire
Milo, he's falling behind a great, gonna be a great point guard in Milo's, Uzan.
00:38:04
Bill Walker
Yeah.
00:38:05
Goldwire
Milo's got, he got his his study last year where he was able to come into his own. You know, he had a minor setback by breaking his nose early. But then once after that trip, he kind of took off after the Vegas trip. He took off after that.
00:38:20
Goldwire
and kind of found his way going all the way up until the end of conference play going into the NCAA tournament. So, you know, and we always going ride the ship with our guy, you know,
00:38:33
Goldwire
Emmanuel Sharp, you know he's the steady, he's he's he's the old he's the old guy now. i know
00:38:38
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:38:39
Goldwire
It's his turn. He's going to be our steady rock. Our defensive guy, you will put him ah ah in any position, he's going to be that that that that glue guy for us, but also a guy that can shoot the cover off too.
00:38:51
Goldwire
But he's the guy, he's the one that been in a lot of the fight for some years now.
00:38:52
Bill Walker
Right.
00:38:57
Goldwire
me so You know, this is a good group. You know, Ramon Walker, senior, those guys, he's been around, been through all the different fires. i remember the first year, the biggest thing for me, for him, to see him out there as a freshman playing against Arizona.
00:39:11
Goldwire
And then wichita Wichita State on the road, you know, playing in those big games like that. remember when we only had, what, as a freshman, when he was a freshman, we only had, what, five, six guys, ah maybe seven guys going to Temple.
00:39:23
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah. Yeah.
00:39:23
Goldwire
and he came and played up play big. So he's been through the fire.
00:39:25
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:39:26
Goldwire
These other guys hadn't been through the fire. The Chris C. Knacks, the Isaiah Harwell, Bryce Jackson, and like I said, Kingston and those guys.
00:39:33
Bill Walker
Yep.
00:39:34
Goldwire
so you know All these guys to be counted on heavily. That's why the summers are so important for us, and that's where the coaches come in to help these guys to help these guys get to that next level.
00:39:45
Goldwire
know We have to break them, break them down, and then we'll build them up, and then coaches are going to take off from there.
00:39:48
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:39:51
Goldwire
We got to prepare. This is a time where the the assistant coaches, they they handle most of the heavy hauling right now. right now
00:39:58
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:39:59
Goldwire
So when coach come in, no matter what day he comes in, He knows that these guys are ready to go when he put them together on 5-on-5.
00:40:06
@NoConfForOldMen
Nice. So let me ask you coach, right? Is you spend the the time and the effort to develop these kids, right? And round out their, their games, obviously with each kid.
00:40:20
@NoConfForOldMen
you know, how you communicate, how you motivate them is going to be a little bit different. So maybe can you describe kind of your philosophy in terms of how you approach that? Because how you approach every kid, like this different, right?
00:40:32
Goldwire
It's way different. Yeah.
00:40:33
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:40:34
Goldwire
yeah All these kids, number one, we do a great job of evaluating these guys' character. So of them are coming in with great character, number one. So they're easy to work with. Now, you're right. Obviously, some days they don't want to work and they need to be pushed a little harder. But for the most part, these guys are all the gym rats. They love to get better and they want to get better.
00:40:55
Goldwire
But all of them have a common goal. They want to make the program successful, but all of them have a goal. They want to play professional basketball afterwards. And we all know that from Coach Sampson all way through our staff.
00:41:06
Goldwire
I mean, everybody wants to play in the pros. And then we have a success rate. Look at the guys who, you know, even the guys who are leaving this year. They might have been drafted, but right off the top, LJ went to Golden State and have an opportunity. So they all to get an opportunity to play somewhere pro, and that's the ultimate goal.
00:41:22
Goldwire
But also we want to teach them. to teach them their their core values and and and be up under a culture and stick to the culture, discipline and and and different things like that.
00:41:32
Goldwire
So, I mean, it's it's that's an everyday thing and and it's going to become a habit.
00:41:36
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah. Yeah.
00:41:40
Goldwire
You know, and and that's what and that's that's the end result when it becomes a habit of you seeing these guys constantly doing everything the right way and bringing it every night to the end. And that's that's the finished product when you go out every night and we put them on put them on the floor in our non-conference also in the games where they may have us unfavored and we come out.
00:41:59
Goldwire
We know the work type of work we put in each and every day.
00:42:02
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:42:03
Goldwire
So that's the gift of us going on the road last year and winning all 10 games and everything. So that's that's the, we understand what's going on.
00:42:08
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah, incredible. Yeah.
00:42:10
Goldwire
So we just stay in our little bubble here and just put the work in. It's a plan for everything, but we do a great job as ah ah as a whole of getting to these guys, each and every, and like you said, all these guys need different talking to, so to speak.
00:42:23
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:42:24
Goldwire
And it's just, a waste and that's, it's just, coach, always say you got to have a feel for those things. You know, as a staff, you know, we is it's his job to do whatever he wants to do with him. goes you know But us, we have to piggyback on Coach.
00:42:38
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:42:38
Goldwire
And I think we all do a great job of that. So, I mean, it's been fun, man. It's been real fun.
00:42:43
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:42:43
Goldwire
yeah real fun
00:42:44
Bill Walker
nice what you you you uh you obviously played for for mentioned him pat foster you played for alvin brooks uh and now you're and obviously played under a lot of coaches professionally, and now you're coaching under under Coach Sampson.
00:43:05
Goldwire
Hmm.
00:43:05
Bill Walker
are Are there things that you've taken from from some of those coaches, I guess, for the u of H people, they've
00:43:12
Bill Walker
probably be be more interested in and Foster and and Brooks. but And then what what what difference do you see and or have you experienced under under Coach Sampson versus versus the others?
00:43:30
Goldwire
Coming in with, like i say, with Coach Foster, it was more of a control tempo type for us. we If we got a defensive rebound or a block shot, he encouraged us to push.
00:43:44
Goldwire
And again, and more than likely we would get a a layup on other end because i I did a great job of pushing the ball and I had Bo running. I had, you know, Jesse Drain and Diaz shooting threes in transition and Derek Smith.
00:43:53
Bill Walker
Thank you.
00:43:55
Goldwire
Those are my lob guys. So I did a much as possible. We didn't want to play half court. We didn't want to do all that. I mean, so, but we got out and ran. Then we would come back into a control 2-2-1 press or whatever. Control, it wasn't nothing like we was trying to get steals, but we got so aggressive and active.
00:44:11
Goldwire
It was okay. We created our own narrative with that. Coach Brooks came. Obviously, I lost those guys. So it was myself and Raphael Carrasco. We was only, I think, seniors left outside of Tyrone Evans, who was always battling a foot problem and this and that.
00:44:26
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:44:26
Goldwire
So for the most part, it was just our guys and then some other.
00:44:30
Goldwire
We was very young. So guys who didn't play for us, like, Raphael played a little bit behind Bo, but then Jermaine Johnson was my starting center my senior year who never got a chance to play.
00:44:43
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:44:44
Bill Walker
Mm-hmm.
00:44:44
Goldwire
So now Coach Brooks comes in and he wants to he changed it to a more aggressive pressing, aggressive man-to-man full court, try to get steals and this and that.
00:44:57
Goldwire
And sometimes you have to have the personnel. I was able to do it, I did it in high school, but rest of the rest of the team wasn't able to do it.
00:45:03
@NoConfForOldMen
Yep.
00:45:03
Goldwire
So we struggled from the beginning, which was a new coach. So our guys was programmed under Foster at first. Then they came back and we only had Coach Brooks one summer and it never really translated my year.
00:45:16
Goldwire
Now may have got better a couple years after that, but my senior year, it didn't translate. So, and it wasn't a thought for me to, because i I didn't believe in transferring. And even though Foster went to Nevada,
00:45:29
Goldwire
The rules were different. Who knows?
00:45:31
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:45:31
Goldwire
I might have would have transferred, put my name in the transfer, but it didn't.
00:45:32
Bill Walker
Yeah.
00:45:34
Goldwire
I stayed. and If I went somewhere and left because, he you know, Brooks didn't recruit me. So I only had Tommy Jones and Coach Foster. so And if I wanted to sit out of the Division one and I, I would have sit out.
00:45:47
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah. Another year.
00:45:47
Bill Walker
Yeah.
00:45:47
Goldwire
So that was tough for me.
00:45:48
Bill Walker
But how did they, how did, ah guess I'm curious to know how, how they may have affected how you coach right now and how you, how you work with the players.
00:45:59
Goldwire
well i had to push I had to adjust to, you know, it wasn't about the way they coach.
00:46:00
Bill Walker
Yeah.
00:46:03
Goldwire
It was about what hot Coach Champs and coach because he had already had a system in place.
00:46:06
Bill Walker
Right. hmm.
00:46:08
Goldwire
But the difference was we stayed in the gym a lot more, number one. Like when I was in school and when I was playing for both of those, like we had, we actually had the, we bit we was in the gym. We didn't have, summers were off of us.
00:46:21
Goldwire
I was in Florida during the summertime during June and July. i didn't get back to school till like maybe once, one or two weeks before school started.
00:46:26
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah, yeah.
00:46:28
Goldwire
Now we can work out in the summertime, but yeah, Just to just to ah technical part, for us, each part of June is a certain place we need to be.
00:46:41
Goldwire
Each part in July is a certain part we need to be. Coach always has a pulse on the team on what it should look like once we get to the end of Christmas or beginning of maybe February or something. He knows whether we're going to be a good team to go deep in in in the NCAA tournament.
00:47:00
Goldwire
I don't, you know, my second year here, we only won like eight games. So it wasn't, yeah, it was a disaster year.
00:47:04
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah, I know. That was a disastrous year. Yeah.
00:47:08
Goldwire
we are and I was blessed to even get drafted during that time.
00:47:11
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:47:12
Goldwire
So you actually need to take away from, it was two it was night and day. I'm coming from, I love to be in the gym.
00:47:16
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:47:17
Bill Walker
Yeah.
00:47:18
Goldwire
So this was perfect for me to come here to be on the Coastal Samson where I couldn't get guys to go in the gym.
00:47:20
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:47:25
Goldwire
When I played my senior year for real, like seriously.
00:47:27
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:47:28
Goldwire
And then not only, and I told you with Bodim, that was a team that I thought I can, that I knew I can win with.
00:47:28
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:47:33
Goldwire
I thought we got snubbed from being in the NCAA tournament.
00:47:34
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah, I agree.
00:47:34
Bill Walker
yeah Yeah, I think we all do.
00:47:37
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:47:38
Bill Walker
Yeah.
00:47:38
Tom Lidiak
Thank you.
00:47:39
Goldwire
We made it to the finals.
00:47:40
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:47:41
Goldwire
And they tell us, and we beat Texas. We beat A&M the first, but Texas it the second game, they said, if you guys get to the finals of the conference tournament, you guys are for sure. And then on the way back in, they sent us to the NIT, but that that was disappointing.
00:47:49
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:47:54
Goldwire
So, you know, next year, you know, that's it is what it is.
00:47:55
Bill Walker
Yeah. Hmm.
00:47:58
Goldwire
Like, first year coach, didn't really understand what he had, I guess, and just, you know, we weren't going to make the tournament or whatever that year, but. you know, I would, I definitely wanted to win more games because it would have helped me.
00:48:08
Goldwire
If you think about the draft, don't like maybe four point guards got drafted that year.
00:48:09
@NoConfForOldMen
Yep. Yep.
00:48:12
Goldwire
And I was wanting to lay the ones, but probably had better numbers than all those guys. But it was just, at that time it was, it was a different brand of basketball. All the bigs was in the NBA at the time, you know, with, with,
00:48:20
@NoConfForOldMen
but
00:48:22
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:48:24
Goldwire
Barkley, Shaquille O'Neal just getting in. all the So it was more throwing inside, Elijah Warren, throwing inside. If you could shoot, being a smaller point guard, you had a chance to make it, but you had to be dynamic in other ways.
00:48:32
Bill Walker
Thank you.
00:48:35
Goldwire
And i like I said, I was just meeting them those quotas back then. um um Today's NBA, this would be perfect for me, get up and down, being able to score at all three levels. but The difference for me was, like I said, with Coach Sam is just a different night and day like for us. All those guys, like Coach Foster was a great coach. He he did it, and he did some great things here at the University of Houston. But i just you know I just think these guys being in the gym developing, you got to be in the gym developing, getting better each day.
00:49:04
Goldwire
ah ah You can't go two months off working on your own craft somewhere else in different states. Then you try to put it all together in August thinking you're going to be ready in November to come back in. Try to get it going. I think us getting ahead of the game early in June and July, it helps us for those to get off to a great start in November and December, and then it just carries over.
00:49:23
Goldwire
And then the camaraderie rebuilding with the guys and everything. So just being in the gym, developing these guys, getting the pulse on their minds, letting them know early now, this is what it's going to be like going forward and to get them some practices
Reflecting on the Journey
00:49:36
Goldwire
and stuff like that. So all that stuff helps, you know,
00:49:41
Bill Walker
Yeah, that makes perfect sense.
00:49:43
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah. I mean, I think that's all we had today in terms of the questions that we pulled together. And I know you've been super generous with your time. So thank you so much for the deep insights into the program as well as your background. It's been fantastic.
00:49:59
@NoConfForOldMen
Were there any other like parting you know thoughts that you wanted to share?
00:50:01
Bill Walker
well yeah Hey, can i can I ask you one more question?
00:50:03
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:50:05
Goldwire
Sure.
00:50:06
Bill Walker
who who who is Who is the better point guard, you or Hollis?
00:50:11
Goldwire
He played the two. He played the two for Coach Sam. You know, they always had Qantas. They had the other guys. So I think he, matter of fact, he told me they they they they recruited him as being a point guard, but then they wind up moving him over to the two.
00:50:25
Goldwire
So, you know, I'm sure... Man, I'm – we always – we all get better than all of that too, but you know what I'm saying?
00:50:33
Bill Walker
Right.
00:50:35
Goldwire
But, you know, me, I'm always going to say myself because I played four years as a point and went on to the NBA and played.
00:50:39
Bill Walker
Yeah, of course.
00:50:39
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:50:40
Tom Lidiak
Thank you.
00:50:42
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:50:44
Goldwire
Hollis was a great guard coming off the two – coming off the pin downs and screens. Coach did a fabulous job of finding out that – Look, I can use him him coming off screens because of his quickness and everything. and And he he made that a weapon for himself, coming off you know screens and being able to shoot the basketball.
00:51:00
Goldwire
you know Me, I use mine in a different way for us pushing the ball up, finding people in transition, getting lobs and everything. I didn't really, I heard of him, but I didn't know, I didn't have a i never watched his game like that.
00:51:11
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:51:12
Goldwire
So, I mean, it's in my mind, in me, I'm always riding with myself. I'm betting on myself and in the situation for us.
00:51:18
Bill Walker
No, of course.
00:51:18
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:51:19
@NoConfForOldMen
Absolutely.
00:51:19
Goldwire
know
00:51:19
Bill Walker
i thought maybe you guys talk to each other from time to time, you know, give each.
00:51:22
Goldwire
No, but what are he saying when he told me that he he didn't play a point all four years, he did it the first year. Then the next year, I think maybe coach took him off the ball sophomore, junior, and senior year. Then he took off.
00:51:33
Goldwire
But the thing he has on me, he went to the Final Four and he was he was a college out of the American.
00:51:33
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:51:36
Bill Walker
Right.
00:51:38
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:51:38
Goldwire
He got a great opportunity to do that. But like I said, he's been awesome, man. All these guys, when i been they took me under their wing because, you know, coach don't believe in like letting you – he don't believe in telling you what to do. He wants you to come in. He kind of – he's a coach that just drops you in He drops you in the fire.
00:51:54
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:51:55
Bill Walker
Yeah, figure it out.
00:51:55
Goldwire
He dropped me and that's just figure it out and just get it done.
00:51:56
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:51:59
Goldwire
Just get it done. and And it's been a great experience for me, man. So, like I said, it's a great opportunity to be at the University of Houston each year.
00:52:03
Bill Walker
Nice.
00:52:07
Goldwire
And Coach, you know, Each day is a learning experience for me because each day we have meets, coach comes in with something, nugget, whether it's a life lesson or something about basketball that you always can learn and remember about, man.
00:52:21
Goldwire
I'm always constantly – I get to the point now where I walk around the court with a pen and a piece of paper in my pocket.
00:52:21
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:52:28
@NoConfForOldMen
Nice.
00:52:28
Goldwire
write stuff down because – and write stuff down because he You just never know, man. Like when he's when he's in the moment going, you never know, man. And you always want to remember, you want to always want to go back and remember something like, man, coach said this or coach did this. or And you just remember those times. And because he's always teaching. Our coaches meeting is like, man, basketball one-on-one. He teaches us what we're going to do, the plan going forward, but also he does a great job of keeping our attention in everything we do, whether be practice, our preparation for everything.
00:53:03
Goldwire
and And that's that's that's awesome. And what other man to be underneath if you want to be a head coach one day to learn how to coach. mean, he teaches from scheduling to um just planning trips and everything. He does everything, budgeting.
00:53:17
Goldwire
He has his hands on everything, man.
00:53:17
@NoConfForOldMen
Yep.
00:53:18
Goldwire
Super, super wise, wise and intelligent man. And a great, great gentleman, man. Just like I said, I mean, just awesome person, man, that number one family oriented. And now he he brings you to that level where you family's always first.
00:53:35
Goldwire
And I mean, as a result, you see his his his daughter, his son here and everything on a fabulous job, but all our guys, man, is it's a family atmosphere.
00:53:38
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:53:39
Tom Lidiak
Mm-hmm.
00:53:39
@NoConfForOldMen
All family.
00:53:45
Goldwire
And, uh, Wonderful place to be, man. Like I say, totally different back the day, but I wouldn't change the situation.
00:53:49
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah. Yep. Yep.
00:53:50
Goldwire
But i didn't know any I didn't know any better back in the day at Hoffman.
00:53:53
@NoConfForOldMen
ye
00:53:53
Goldwire
Hoffman, to me, was one of the top spots because I played Division one basketball. Like I said, you can take all the makeup off it, but come game time, that was the best thing best feeling for me running down that tunnel.
00:54:05
@NoConfForOldMen
yeah
00:54:05
Goldwire
going to that floor, playing in front of the U of H fans and meeting different guys, Dwight Davis and meeting Otis Burr song who took me under his wing when I was leaving out and just, you know, different mentors like that. So, I mean, it was awesome.
00:54:20
Goldwire
Awesome, man, for me. So it's it's a pleasure.
00:54:22
@NoConfForOldMen
Wow.
00:54:23
Goldwire
Thank you guys for having me on.
00:54:23
Bill Walker
Nice.
00:54:24
Goldwire
Anytime you need me, man, to come back on, more than happy. Like I said, a lot of people don't know my story because I don't get a chance to express it a lot. I just kind of stay in my lane and when asked, I definitely want to let everybody know, man.
00:54:36
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah, this was fantastic.
00:54:37
Tom Lidiak
Well, this was awesome.
00:54:38
@NoConfForOldMen
Yeah.
00:54:38
Bill Walker
Yeah.
00:54:38
Tom Lidiak
Thanks, coach.
00:54:39
Bill Walker
the yeah
00:54:39
@NoConfForOldMen
Thank you so much, coach.
00:54:40
Tom Lidiak
Appreciate it.
00:54:40
Bill Walker
Yeah. Yeah. This was great.
00:54:42
Goldwire
you guys. Y'all have a blessed day too, man. Thank you.
00:54:44
Tom Lidiak
Yep.
00:54:45
@NoConfForOldMen
you You too.
00:54:45
Bill Walker
Thank you.
00:54:45
Tom Lidiak
Yep.
00:54:46
Bill Walker
You too.
00:54:46
Tom Lidiak
You too.
00:54:47
@NoConfForOldMen
Okay, so that's it for this episode 55 of the No Conference for Old Men podcast. Hope you all enjoyed it. And again, would really appreciate it if folks who would follow, subscribe, or collect our podcast, depending on your podcast platform of choice.
00:54:59
@NoConfForOldMen
We're also available via the Republic of Football podcast feed with the folks at Dave Campbell's Texas Football as the only basketball-centric podcast or at the gocooks.com website for those that prefer to digest the content that way.
00:55:12
@NoConfForOldMen
We appreciate the continued support from all. Also, please give us a follow on our Twitter account, No Conference for Old Men. And again, we are in our off-season cadence now, but please stay tuned as we continue to publish each of the coaches' interviews in this special series.
00:55:26
@NoConfForOldMen
So please be on the lookout to download and listen for the next episode as it drops. Take care, everyone.