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Speaker 1: Levels to This is an iHeart Women's Sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Speaker 2: Hey, what's up, everybody? It's your girl, Tarika Foster-Brasby. What's up, y'all?
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Speaker 3: It's your girl, Cheryl Spooks.
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Speaker 2: And this is Levels to This.
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Speaker 4: This is the show where we talk about all the levels to the shit that women go through. Very excited to be back with you guys this week for a fresh, brand new episode.
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Speaker 2: We have a very, very special guest joining us today.
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Speaker 5: Yeah.
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Speaker 4: And listen, this might be the episode that I finally get the tea on Cheryl that I've been trying to get for two years.
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Speaker 1: You know what they say, don't believe everything you hear.
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Speaker 5: This might be the episode.
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Speaker 2: I finally get it.
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Speaker 3: But until then.
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Speaker 4: So before we get into the show and we talk about who our special guest is going to be, we got to show some love to Team USA because the girls did it, Cheryl.
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Speaker 3: They did it.
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Speaker 2: They did it.
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Speaker 3: Had my heart beating for a minute.
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Speaker 2: For a minute.
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Speaker 3: For a whole half.
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Speaker 2: Fuck a minute. For a half.
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Speaker 3: Yeah, you're right. And then, let me just talk about France for one second.
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Speaker 1: Because then, France went to the locker room and came out looking like I don't know who they were.
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Speaker 3: Like, Gabby Williams. I was like, y'all, who was going to stop her in the second half? And Gabby stopped herself. I mean, well, I mean, we decided we were going to defend, but I'm just saying.
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Speaker 6: Yeah.
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Speaker 1: Yeah.
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Speaker 2: It was really a tale of two halves.
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Speaker 1: Let me say this, too, because she is all over social media right now.
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Speaker 3: Tina Charles, can you come on our podcast, please?
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Speaker 1: Oh, we need answers to questions that people have on social media.
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Speaker 3: The girlies want to know if you're married. Are you not? Are you single? Are you not? So I am just going to do the work for them and. And find out.
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Speaker 4: I am screaming that people are in Tina's business on social media.
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Speaker 3: They really are, right?
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Speaker 1: But so I posted on the gold medal game.
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Speaker 5: Yes.
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Speaker 1: I said, I am loving seeing Tina Charles on my screen right now.
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Speaker 2: I saw that.
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Speaker 5: Yep.
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Speaker 2: That's all, right?
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Speaker 1: First of all, the knowledge she has. And she breaks down shit just different.
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Speaker 3: Like, everybody has their own way of doing it and their own, you know, style. Mm-hmm.
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Speaker 1: But to watch her and to listen to her. And then with Renee Montgomery, like, Renee's loud.
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Speaker 3: Renee's great. She's loud.
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Speaker 2: She's so energetic.
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Speaker 1: But they balance each other out.
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Speaker 5: Yeah.
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Speaker 1: So I just, I thought Tina was fantastic. And I can't imagine. her not doing more of this.
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Speaker 3: Yeah.
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Speaker 6: And then.
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Speaker 1: Everybody wants to know about whether it's the tinted glasses, the sunglasses.
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Speaker 3: Girl, they call it her lean back.
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Speaker 2: Because she's so smooth. She was so cool with it.
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Speaker 3: Her swag, everything.
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Speaker 2: Her swag, yeah, yeah, yeah. So good.
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Speaker 4: Her aura was definitely 100%. And her explanation of the game. I mean, you know that Tina know the game.
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Speaker 3: Yeah.
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Speaker 1: And I just love that she's just real.
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Speaker 5: I love it.
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Speaker 2: And you know what? We've seen former W players play.
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Speaker 4: Come into the analyst space, which is so different than in other sports. There are some other sports where I'd be like, child, just because you played the sport don't mean you need to be talking about it.
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Speaker 3: No doubt.
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Speaker 5: But I look at.
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Speaker 4: Players like Tina. I love Ty Young with Amazon. She does such a great job. Like, I can see so many former players that are coming.
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Speaker 2: In and are really good at breaking it down. And so I agree.
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Speaker 4: Tina definitely need to stay on. Maybe TNT can keep using her for something else in the future.
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Speaker 3: Yeah, no doubt.
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Speaker 2: She definitely did a great job.
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Speaker 5: So good.
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Speaker 2: Shout out to Team USA.
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Speaker 4: Stewie walked away as the tournament MVP.
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Speaker 2: Jackie Young got the game MVP.
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Speaker 5: Yeah.
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Speaker 2: Chelsea Gray was big in the gold medal game. Oh my God.
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Speaker 4: That second half, they turned it on. And I've said this, and I will say it again, that I love the way that this team faced adversity, understand how to play with an intergenerational roster because you had your vets that were true vets, and then you had your young intern that were truly young intern. Like there weren't too many people in the middle. It was either you've.
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Speaker 2: Been here or you just got here.
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Speaker 4: And, you know, Kara got a lot of flack for how she mixed up her roster for some of her starts and stuff. But at the end of the day, when you can figure out how to win in a different way, that's now, what, 36 games, 20.
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Speaker 2: Years, no losses. Like, no losses. Like, Team USA is still the standard. So, congratulations.
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Speaker 3: Point blank, period. Congrats to all of the young ladies, baby.
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Speaker 4: Deserving yes and no shade to our international teams because baby the parody is catching up these international teams France is not just a name like France is a true competitor and contender and y'all gotta respect it Italy gave the US some work Spain gave the US some work China was not like it was so these international teams are not just names out here. They're coming, but shout out to Team USA. We will see you guys in LA for the Olympics. But before we take it to the next level, let's take it to the street.
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Speaker 2: All right, guys.
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Speaker 4: So this week on our street level segment, Cheryl, I went first last week. I'm going to let you go first this week. What kind of ridiculousness have you... What you got going on in them social media streets on your side?
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Speaker 3: Girl, so much, so much. Can I just tell you how much I'm loving this? This is only our second one, but I'm loving this.
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Speaker 1: Because I'm on social media anyway. But usually when I would see stuff, I would just see it. I'd laugh about it or I would shake my head or whatever emotion I was going to have and keep going. And now I'm like really invested because I'm like, oh, I bet you my girl ain't see this.
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Speaker 3: Maybe you saw this one.
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Speaker 1: So I probably have this week. So, you know, last week, for those of you who maybe didn't see it or forgot. Last week, I did the one where this couple kidnapped Ice, right? Ice went to arrest them at their house. Ice ended up getting kidnapped. So this week, I found this. This Mexican group, they're workers. They went to this guy's house.
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Speaker 5: Yeah.
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Speaker 3: They went to this white man's house. Did you see this? Uh-uh. They built a whole fence for him, okay?
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Speaker 5: Well.
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Speaker 1: The white man, he didn't want to pay him, right? So he threatened to call ICE on them so he could avoid paying them.
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Speaker 3: So instead of the workers running or being afraid or whatever, like, okay, well, fine, you don't have to pay us. They left. I think they came back later that day or the next day. Don't tell me they took the fist down. And said, look, and said, no money. No fence.
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Speaker 1: No justice.
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Speaker 2: No peace.
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Speaker 3: No money. No fence.
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Speaker 2: They got a straight sledgehammer.
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Speaker 3: Sledgehammer.
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Speaker 1: They had a chainsaw. They came back with a whole crew and started girl.
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Speaker 3: They tore it all down.
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Speaker 2: Tore it down.
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Speaker 5: Hey, yo.
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Speaker 2: Hey, yo.
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Speaker 3: I am not mad at him.
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Speaker 2: I'm not mad at him.
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Speaker 4: What you ain't going to do is have this fit sitting up here acting like it's about to keep you out and.
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Speaker 2: You ain't finna pay me my coin.
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Speaker 5: We're not doing that.
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Speaker 3: I know. We're not doing that. Run me my money.
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Speaker 2: Where's my money?
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Speaker 3: Run me my money.
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Speaker 2: Or run me my fits.
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Speaker 5: Yeah.
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Speaker 1: Girl, I saw that. I was like, That's some shit I would do. I am screaming.
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Speaker 2: That is the... They are all Leos, and I'm sure of it. I am sure of it.
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Speaker 4: Like, let me... Run me my... The sledgehammers.
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Speaker 3: Took me out.
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Speaker 1: Yeah, that's what got my attention in the streets this week.
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Speaker 5: Okay.
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Speaker 2: All right, what you got?
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Speaker 3: Because I already saw you over there laughing.
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Speaker 2: Because I was like, wait, what?
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Speaker 4: All right, so I'm going to show you the picture after I read it. Because if I show you now, you're going to get it.
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Speaker 3: Okay.
00:08:57
Speaker 2: So, this woman.
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Speaker 5: Text.
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Speaker 2: This guy that says, I think I'm pregnant.
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Speaker 4: It's about to be vulgar, y'all.
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Speaker 2: I told you not to nut in me. We should have used the condom.
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Speaker 4: The guy responded, SMH, let me tell you some real shit. Out of all the women I've dealt with, you are the most kindhearted and smartest one. You have your shit together like no other. Now, normally I will pull out, but something heavy on my heart said not to. I see something in you that you probably don't see in yourself. I know that you will make a great single mother and that's why I did it.
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Speaker 5: You got this.
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Speaker 2: Prayers to you and your family.
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Speaker 3: So listen.
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Speaker 1: Listen, I'm going to.
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Speaker 4: Tell you why it's funny but not funny. It is totally not funny on any level to be out here knocking up these girls and then leaving them to take care of the baby by themselves.
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Speaker 1: If they so choose I knew you'd be a good single parent but how do you.
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Speaker 4: You started off this text message I was like aww he basically was like I purposely tried to knock you up because I.
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Speaker 2: Want to have a baby. I want to have a.
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Speaker 5: Baby with you. That ain't the way you do it.
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Speaker 2: But I was like, OK.
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Speaker 4: And then this fool said you're going to be a great single mother.
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Speaker 2: I will beat your ass. This is not OK.
00:10:23
Speaker 3: No. And now I understand the picture.
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Speaker 2: Now you understand.
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Speaker 4: When I originally read this to myself, we were not recording at the moment.
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Speaker 2: I was reading it and.
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Speaker 4: Then I just instantly said, oh, you got me fucked up. Like, that is why I said that. Because you really got me messed up to think that you about to do this and then send me this note talking about you'll be a great single. But the way I'm about to be at your door with this good-ass child support friend.
00:10:53
Speaker 5: What?
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Speaker 2: What did you think this was? What?
00:10:57
Speaker 4: Oh my god they just be doing anything on Beyonce's internet I don't understand they just be doing anything well any anything that is our street level segment if you guys see or know or come across some just ridiculousness be it good bad funny serious whatever hit us up and let us know so we can check it out too and it just might make the street level segment but for now let's go ahead and take this to the next level.
00:11:31
Speaker 5: Thank you.
00:11:43
Speaker 4: I told you guys that we had a very, very special guest on our show this week. And I know y'all think I'll be lying sometimes, but I am telling you the God honest truth. And y'all know I've been trying to get some dirt on Sheryl Swoopes for years. And nobody gives me the goods. But I feel like today I'm going to get all the dirt that I've been asking for because we have none other than fire. Four-time WNBA championship head coach of the Houston Comets, Coach Van Chancellor, joining us today.
00:12:17
Speaker 2: Hey, Coach.
00:12:19
Speaker 6: I'm just honored to be here, and I got the stuff for you here at the end of the show. I'm going to be nice on the early parts of this show.
00:12:27
Speaker 5: I owe it to Cheryl. She's done a lot of great things for me.
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Speaker 6: But at the end, I'm going to give you the real scoop.
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Speaker 2: I know that's right.
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Speaker 1: I know that's right. T, you got a big smile on your face when he said that.
00:12:39
Speaker 3: Because I know it.
00:12:41
Speaker 5: Because I know it.
00:12:42
Speaker 2: There are only a few people.
00:12:44
Speaker 3: Let me like forewarn the listeners.
00:12:46
Speaker 1: Y'all, we may have a really, really bad connection towards the end of this recording.
00:12:54
Speaker 5: That's all right.
00:12:54
Speaker 6: I know the producer of this show. I've been in contact with her. And so I know who.
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Speaker 5: I'm going to be dealing with here at the end.
00:13:02
Speaker 2: Oh, that's right. I know that's right.
00:13:04
Speaker 4: Well, Coach, let's start with the obvious elephant in the room. The Houston Comets are making a return to Houston next year. Now, the fans in Connecticut are sad because obviously they're They are going to miss the Connecticut Sun.
00:13:20
Speaker 2: But the fans in Houston are ecstatic.
00:13:23
Speaker 4: When you heard the news that they were coming back, what exactly did that mean to you?
00:13:28
Speaker 6: Just a great big smile came on my face. See, when I heard that the team had folded and we no longer had a team, I cried a little bit that day. I mean, when we started this team early, early, early on in 97 with Cheryl, Tina and Cynthia, Kim Peratt.
00:13:44
Speaker 5: That was an exciting time.
00:13:45
Speaker 6: And to see it go away was a sad time. Now to have it to come back, and I just see such a tremendous response by our former fans and new fans. And I think it's going to be an exciting time. I just hope we get up and get some players and have a good team. I don't want to go out there and watch a bad team. I hope we have a good team. I know that's right.
00:14:07
Speaker 1: So, Coach, in saying that, right, because I've been talking to a lot of, people, especially fans here in Houston, the first thing, you know, they, they ask is, are we going to win a championship? And I'm like, well, obviously that's always the goal to win a championship, but I also tell them you, you have to be patient, right? So if, if you were the GM of this new team, that's coming to Houston, right.
00:14:37
Speaker 3: Or of the comments returning, right.
00:14:39
Speaker 1: As far as putting a team together, like what would be your strategy in doing that?
00:14:47
Speaker 6: I'd want to get a team that was built for the future, that had an opportunity in three years to compete for a championship. I would not want to go and get a lot of Asian veterans, try to win right now. I think we need, we got some players from Connecticut. They're good players.
00:15:05
Speaker 5: Okay.
00:15:05
Speaker 6: We can take those, go to free agency, but get a 26 year old, maybe a 25 year old and have players that can win some now, But when we get our team built, I want to build a team for the championship if I'm the general manager.
00:15:22
Speaker 3: And you're thinking, what, three to five years?
00:15:25
Speaker 2: Three years?
00:15:26
Speaker 5: Yeah. Here's why.
00:15:28
Speaker 6: And the only reason, when we won our championships, all of us were starting even, so to speak.
00:15:33
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:15:34
Speaker 6: And we had great players. Today, we got some powerhouse teams already built. You're not going to overtake them overnight. I mean, you got New York, Minnesota, Las Vegas. I'm just trying to name.
00:15:47
Speaker 5: Maybe Indiana.
00:15:48
Speaker 6: These are teams that's got great players right now. doing a great job. You're not going to overtake them overnight. And I'm not trying to be a pessimist here. I'm not trying not to sell season tickets. We got to be realistic at what we're thinking, Cheryl.
00:16:05
Speaker 5: Yeah. You know what?
00:16:05
Speaker 4: That's a great point that you're making, coach, because I think sometimes people look at the fact that you guys won four in a row and they say, oh, well, if they can do it like it can be done. But can you share a little bit about just how difficult it is to win a championship that like that often and that expectation that comes along with that?
00:16:24
Speaker 5: T-Woman, it's just tough winning one championship. Winning two, it gets more difficult.
00:16:31
Speaker 6: And then when you win three, here's what happens. Every player, this is human nature. I'm not talking about players here. I'm just talking about human nature. When you've had success, that pie, everybody wants the bigger piece of the pie. Everybody wants the ball on every darn position.
00:16:46
Speaker 5: You're the coach.
00:16:47
Speaker 6: You're trying to keep three superstars, three of the greatest players to ever play the game.
00:16:52
Speaker 5: Happy. And you've won.
00:16:55
Speaker 6: You've had three rings. But to keep them going. And then other teams, there's a target on your back. Everybody wants to beat you. And Los Angeles in the fourth championship thought they had us beat.
00:17:07
Speaker 5: But they didn't count on one thing.
00:17:09
Speaker 6: They didn't count on the three great players we had making plays. Cheryl, Cynthia and Tina could just make plays when it counted. I'm going to tell you right now, I'm kidding. But Cheryl Swoots was one of the greatest players to.
00:17:23
Speaker 5: Ever play the game of basketball.
00:17:25
Speaker 6: I might think the greatest small forward that's ever played the game. Her range to shoot the ball was ungodly. I'm going to show you one. We were playing Sacramento, and John Wisnick has put Walker on.
00:17:38
Speaker 5: I forgot Walker's first name. DeMaya. DeMaya. Going to be on the swooper.
00:17:43
Speaker 6: Swooper comes across the center line, dribbles it twice, maybe once, and drills it. And John gets on her. And Walker says, Coach, I can't say what she said on the Zare.
00:17:54
Speaker 5: You can say it.
00:17:55
Speaker 3: What did she say?
00:17:55
Speaker 6: Help? She said, what in the hell do you want me to do? Guarded her coming out of the locker room? I never seen that. I mean, and then you had Cynthia and Tina. So to win any championship is hard because getting everybody to play good. See, we had a team that I don't want to break up a sad subject, but when we had Kim Peratt, I had the ultimate point guard for the big three.
00:18:21
Speaker 5: I had the ultimate point guard. She helped me help them.
00:18:26
Speaker 6: And in turn, when we lost her in a tragic death, one of the hardest things I've ever been through, that hurt us.
00:18:32
Speaker 5: We had to overcome that.
00:18:34
Speaker 6: We had Monica Lamb in the third championship. She got her eye hurt, didn't play the fourth championship. All teams had to overcome things. Everybody thought we just won them, but we had a lot of close playoff games. Now, we could play. When it counted, our team could play under pressure. There's no doubt about it. So in answer to the question, it's really hard. to win multiple championships.
00:18:59
Speaker 4: When you talk about close playoff games, I think everybody, even just recently when they talk about some of the greatest memories and greatest shots that they recall, is they all talk about Spoon's shot to force a game three for that championship.
00:19:18
Speaker 2: And we have heard, we've heard Sheryl's perspective. We've heard Coop's perspective.
00:19:24
Speaker 4: But your perspective, when you think about that shot and that moment, what was.
00:19:29
Speaker 2: Going through your mind?
00:19:30
Speaker 4: How did you perceive that entirety of that series?
00:19:35
Speaker 5: We were playing them, and we thought we had the game won.
00:19:38
Speaker 6: Tina Thompson makes two free throws to put us up one. Then we had a little miscommunication between me and another player, and I'm not going to name the other player. And Teresa Weatherspoon got loose. And when the ball was in the air, I think it had a prayer making it. And when it went in, I was just devastated. I didn't sleep a wink that night, not a bit, thinking, what was I going to tell our team to turn around and play back-to-back? I didn't sleep any. I thought, what was I going to say to them? And I always did this. If it was a little bit important, I met on the floor. If it was really important... I carried him in the locker room. So I carried him in the locker room. And I was trying to figure out what I was going to say. And my veteran player, Cheryl and Cynthia said, well, why in the world are we in here? New York can't beat us two times in a row. I didn't say a word. I just left and went to the– and we played. That was it. And then after we won it, I didn't sleep a wink that night because I.
00:20:40
Speaker 5: Was so happy we won it.
00:20:42
Speaker 1: Coach, I– I thought I thought we went in and seriously, I thought you.
00:20:47
Speaker 3: Were just like, well, we'll be back tomorrow. Do you know what I mean?
00:20:51
Speaker 1: Like it was there was no long speech of this is what we got to do better tomorrow.
00:20:57
Speaker 2: We should.
00:20:57
Speaker 3: It wasn't even that because it was.
00:20:59
Speaker 1: One of those things where, first of all, it was a lucky ass shot that went in.
00:21:05
Speaker 4: Right.
00:21:05
Speaker 5: Yeah. No more than that. It was the luckiest shots ever been shot.
00:21:09
Speaker 3: Yes. So honestly, we all were like, all right, coach, we're good. We'll see you tomorrow. There was no, I think from a player's perspective, at least I'll speak.
00:21:19
Speaker 1: For myself, there was never a doubt of we'll come back and win it tomorrow.
00:21:26
Speaker 3: You know, like there's no way. And of all teams, New York.
00:21:31
Speaker 5: There's no way we're going to win. See, that's what I'm saying to you.
00:21:36
Speaker 6: See, with that attitude right there, I had a lot of doubt as a coach. But when I came to practice and my players had no doubt, I began to think, well, I did. I sat down on the home bench and just thought. I looked out there and I said, I got Cheryl.
00:21:52
Speaker 5: I got Cynthia. I got Tina. I got a pretty good shot. Let's go to work.
00:21:56
Speaker 3: And Janeth. Don't forget Janeth.
00:21:57
Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah. And Janeth Arcane. Yes, you're right, Cheryl.
00:22:01
Speaker 6: Janeth Arcane has never got enough credit. for all the things she did for our team. Jeanette Thor came.
00:22:08
Speaker 3: She didn't.
00:22:09
Speaker 5: And see, let me answer this one.
00:22:13
Speaker 6: I'm going to say, the question is going to be, how would we do today? How would my team do today? Let's just get to that one right now. And I'll tell you how we would do. Who in the world is going to guard? And all this thought about, all this thought, How about the bench? Don't you think New York, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, rather, got a little more bench than we have.
00:22:37
Speaker 5: Well, let me ask you a question. Here's a big question.
00:22:40
Speaker 6: Had you rather have a fresh sub or a little bit tired swoops, Cooper, Thompson, I'd rather have the big three playing 38 minutes.
00:22:49
Speaker 5: I don't need a bench.
00:22:53
Speaker 1: First of all, T, because anytime he looked at taking one of us out, we were like, I'm good.
00:23:00
Speaker 6: We're straight. In the second year, I'm going to tell you this story. In the second year, with eight games to go, we clinched everything. All the playoffs. We're side trainers club. So I'm going to call Cynthia over and talk about, she's got a little age on her, about resting her. Well, I started into the talk and she said, I waited all my life for this. You're not, I'm not coming out. I'm playing all the minutes.
00:23:28
Speaker 5: Well, Cheryl overheard it. She said, well, if Cooper ain't coming out, I ain't coming out. Well, I didn't even know. At that point, you do.
00:23:35
Speaker 6: We just played the three of them. My boss, Carol Dawson, said, are you going to risk your starters? I said, well, I'll have to whip every one of them if I do, and I ain't up to that right now.
00:23:47
Speaker 5: You know what?
00:23:48
Speaker 4: It's so funny because I think there sometimes are coaches that don't do the best job of managing personalities. I think Cheryl Reeve is a coach that does a great job of managing personalities. Becky Hammond does a great job of that. But coach, you had to manage personalities differently. How much of that goes into the same as the game planning and the strategy and the scouting, the managing the personalities of the people on your team?
00:24:20
Speaker 6: In my case, about 80% of everything I did every day.
00:24:24
Speaker 5: I'll tell you that right now. See, let.
00:24:29
Speaker 6: Me tell you, here's the deal. I had great players, great players everywhere. want the ball, and they're great because they got a little bit of an ego. That's just the way it is. But that's what makes them great. But at the same time now, at the same time, I'm going to give them credit. One of the reasons I could coach them, they'd rather win than get mad with each other or get mad with me.
00:24:52
Speaker 5: Let's just tell it. They wanted to win. They were about winning and doing whatever they had to do to win a game.
00:25:00
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah.
00:25:02
Speaker 4: The saying goes for most competitors, I love to.
00:25:05
Speaker 2: Win, but I hate losing more.
00:25:07
Speaker 5: Oh, yeah.
00:25:09
Speaker 1: But don't fool yourself because Coach Chancellor didn't like to lose either.
00:25:13
Speaker 5: I believe it. At anything. Oh, no, no. See, see, this is the first little tidbit I'm going to give our audience.
00:25:22
Speaker 2: Let's go.
00:25:23
Speaker 6: Out of Lisa Leslie, Don Staley, Cheryl Swoops, I am by far the best taunt player of the group. If you've never played Tonkin cards that you played when I was the Olympic coach, they all think they were better than this guy. But let me tell you what hurt me one time. I dealt the cards. Ladies and gentlemen, I dealt the cards. And I didn't let anybody cut. And they all accused me of cheating.
00:25:50
Speaker 5: And that hurt me, boy. That really hurt me.
00:25:52
Speaker 3: Come out, coach. Because you're leaving a little piece out. He's leaving a little piece out.
00:25:56
Speaker 2: What did he leave out?
00:25:57
Speaker 3: He dealt the cards. And none of us were back there to watch him deal. We weren't even on the bus yet.
00:26:05
Speaker 5: He dealt the cards.
00:26:07
Speaker 3: We get on the bus. He's like, come on. It was me, Lisa Dawn. He's like, y'all come on to the back. So we get to the back.
00:26:13
Speaker 1: He just starts dealing the cards and expected us to actually play the cards he dealt us.
00:26:20
Speaker 5: I don't see the problem. No, I don't see the problem. Hey, the greatest one.
00:26:27
Speaker 6: Of all times, we were at Westside Tennis Club and going to lunch, and Cheryl said, Doug, let's play spades today. And so I'm going to get Monica Lamb. I'm going to call her name. Monica Lamb is going to be my partner. Now, Monica, bless her heart, she helped me win a championship, but she's a space cadet sometimes.
00:26:48
Speaker 3: When he was like, I'll get Monica to be my partner.
00:26:51
Speaker 5: I love Monica.
00:26:53
Speaker 6: So in the last hand, they got us about 490 to 100.
00:26:57
Speaker 5: They're killing us.
00:26:59
Speaker 6: And so we went a blind 10. Yeah, that's 400 points. That wins the game.
00:27:04
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:27:04
Speaker 6: Well, right off the bat, Cheryl leads the ace of diamonds. Listen to this one. The ace of diamonds. And Monica trumps it. I got a handful of diamonds. I think we're going to win. Get down to the last hand. Don't you tell me she reneged.
00:27:18
Speaker 5: Wait a minute, wait a minute.
00:27:19
Speaker 6: On the last hand, Monica leads out the king of diamonds to win it, the game. I do a victory lap around west side, but I shuffle the cards because I realized Monica had reneged. But when I acted like I didn't see it, I shuffled, I pushed the cards together.
00:27:36
Speaker 5: So Cheryl couldn't. They cheated.
00:27:38
Speaker 6: She said, well, didn't you, didn't Monica? I said, no, Monica didn't renege.
00:27:43
Speaker 5: Well, I lied. I said, Monica, you reneged.
00:27:46
Speaker 3: You reneged.
00:27:47
Speaker 1: But T, coach had already put all the cards in a pile and started shuffling.
00:27:50
Speaker 3: So we couldn't go back and look. You couldn't go back and check.
00:27:53
Speaker 5: No, no.
00:27:54
Speaker 2: Coach, you my type of space player, coach. If you ever need a partner.
00:27:58
Speaker 3: That's good to know. That's good to know.
00:28:00
Speaker 6: But let me tell you one thing. Hey, if you're going to play space with me, ain't going to be no talking around and looking at your phone. I want to play to win. I ain't going to do nothing. I don't do nothing. I play golf. I played golf this morning.
00:28:14
Speaker 5: I won. I ain't going to do nothing. I ain't trying to win.
00:28:17
Speaker 3: No, that's right.
00:28:18
Speaker 4: That's the attitude that you need.
00:28:21
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:28:24
Speaker 1: Let me ask you a question. So you watch the games today, WNBA today. What do you think is the biggest difference in today's game versus when we played?
00:28:38
Speaker 5: Too many shots come up at the end of a dribble, Cheryl.
00:28:42
Speaker 6: And when we played, our shots came at the end of a pass, a teammate pass to another. We're creating offense on ourselves. Number two, the defense, I don't see defense. I don't see people guarding. I see people... I saw a game the other night. A kid drove and shot a layup, went to the basket, and an offensive play shot a layup, and the other team shot a layup on the other end.
00:29:07
Speaker 5: You ought to play a whole season and not give up.
00:29:09
Speaker 6: You score on one end and give up a layup, not a jump shot, a layup on the other end.
00:29:14
Speaker 5: I don't see transition defense.
00:29:16
Speaker 6: And defended i see the offense being able to shoot the ball being able to do it but they're shooting offense after individual moves instead of getting their shots within the context of the offense that's the major.
00:29:30
Speaker 2: Chance yeah yeah yeah for sure.
00:29:32
Speaker 1: What do you think about um because you hear this all the time oh my gosh the game is so physical today do you think the game is more physical less physical or about the same.
00:29:44
Speaker 6: I think right now I think the game has become more physical because our refs are not calling enough fouls.
00:29:53
Speaker 5: They ought to set the tone.
00:29:54
Speaker 6: When we play, when you guys play, Cheryl, you come out there and June Carto and all of them, they set the tone early. They let you play, but they didn't put up with all this physicality. To run somebody down from behind and foul them, that just didn't happen.
00:30:14
Speaker 5: When you played.
00:30:16
Speaker 6: I mean, right now, in my personal opinion, and I don't mean this bad, and I know it's a hard job, but they got to find a way to get control of the game and quit letting.
00:30:26
Speaker 5: It's basketball. It ain't football.
00:30:28
Speaker 6: Quit letting them knock each other down and hacking somebody. Yeah, it is.
00:30:33
Speaker 5: It is.
00:30:33
Speaker 2: The officiating.
00:30:35
Speaker 1: It's crazy ridiculous.
00:30:38
Speaker 5: It is.
00:30:39
Speaker 3: I wouldn't want to be a ref. I just wouldn't.
00:30:44
Speaker 5: I think....
00:30:46
Speaker 6: Let's take Cheryl and Caitlin Clark, okay? Two different players at two different positions. Cheryl was a great player, but Cheryl don't need all that holding. I ain't talking about being physical. I'm talking about holding. That's one of the things that I think that hurts Caitlin Clark a little bit. Those kind of players, they don't need people bodying them up and pushing them and shoving them and hacking them when they go through the lanes.
00:31:14
Speaker 4: You know, what I think is interesting too is, the way that they play in the league often stems from what you're allowed to do in.
00:31:24
Speaker 2: The collegiate game.
00:31:25
Speaker 4: And, you know, everybody knows you from, you know, coaching with the Comets, but you were coaching at Ole Miss for years before you got to Houston. And so, you know, now the college game is changing just as much as the professional game is changing. And a lot of times these players are kind of, coached a little softer in the college game than they are. And it hurts them when they get to the pros because you got to really adjust to the level of coaching is different. What do you see about the college game now and maybe how players are being coached in, whether they're prepared to play at the professional level or not?
00:32:07
Speaker 5: I have two children. Both of them coach right now.
00:32:11
Speaker 6: They say, Dad, There is no way in the world you can last more than six months to a year on the college level today. The demanding, hard-nosed, working them at practice, they wouldn't let you do that today. So I think nowadays, good players want to be coached. And they want to be told what to do. We got too many coaches right now are scared to really demand a lot out of them because somebody will be reporting them. And so I think in the game, they're not tough enough. And I'm not talking about just physically tough enough. I mean, mentally. I mean, physically. I mean... We got beat at St. Mary's College one year on Thanksgiving. We got upset. They were just not near. We went out there, and I got the big head. We came back Monday. We traveled Sunday. We came back Monday. If you talked to anybody on that team, any manager or any trainer, they said that Monday was the worst practice in the history of sports. They said, I said, put up the basketballs. I was running them up to the J. That's the top of the Coliseum. I don't think I was that bad. But when 20 people tell you. I'm sure you were.
00:33:21
Speaker 5: So when 20 people.
00:33:22
Speaker 6: Tell you that the worst thing they'd ever seen, Peggy Killer was my longtime coach. And after that practice, she said she came in late the next day, Cheryl. And I said, what's going on, Peggy? She said, I was over in the dorm trying to keep all your players from transferring. Today, they have all transferred that Tuesday. But I'm saying.
00:33:46
Speaker 5: Hold on.
00:33:48
Speaker 7: Speaking of, before we let you go, how do you think, and you touched on it a bit, but how do you think the transfer portal and this whole NIL thing, how do you think that's changed the landscape of college sports?
00:34:05
Speaker 6: I think it's just made it difficult on everybody. You take a player, she's down at her school, she's playing, and she's not getting to shoot enough. Well, all of a sudden, she's got somebody calling another school, and they're saying, yeah, we'll pay you $ 200, 000 or $ 300, 000. And then you don't like where you are, you just transfer. I don't see how they build a team. With my personality in college, especially as demanding as I was, I think you should be hard on you. I talked to so many of my friends They just don't like it. It's so hard on them because kids just get unhappy and all of a sudden they're transferred.
00:34:46
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:34:47
Speaker 6: Before we go, I want to give you these thoughts. Are we ready now for these thoughts?
00:34:51
Speaker 3: I'm ready.
00:34:52
Speaker 5: I'm ready. That's my drum roll. Number one. Number one.
00:34:57
Speaker 6: When she married the man, Chris, I'll go to a birthday party and he said, Coach, you got any advice for me? I said, yeah, sure do. I said, lock up all the credit cards. That woman is a shopping machine. A shopping machine.
00:35:11
Speaker 5: Lock them up. That's number one.
00:35:13
Speaker 3: See, you know what Gene Rizzotti said.
00:35:15
Speaker 2: Gene Rizzotti said the same thing, coach.
00:35:18
Speaker 6: Okay, number two, number two. I got a text about this show at 8 o'clock. 8.01 to be fat. I said to myself, this whooper ain't never been up at 8 o'clock. That's a producer texting me somehow on Cheryl's phone. She ain't never been up at 8 o'clock in the morning.
00:35:36
Speaker 3: It's not true. Not true.
00:35:38
Speaker 5: You're not a morning person, Cheryl. In my more seasoned years, I'm up early.
00:35:41
Speaker 2: Number three.
00:35:49
Speaker 5: This is her.
00:35:51
Speaker 6: Do not, young players, do not listen to anything Cheryl Swoopsy says about pregame, about taking care of your thing. Tell you what, here's her. Let's go to New York tonight. Let's carry a suitcase. I said an empty suitcase in addition to her stuff so she could shop. I don't want to know what time she come in Sunday night. I didn't have a curfew. Game's on Monday. Go to Madison Square Garden from 11 to 12 and shoot around. The Swoopers don't ride the bus, Beck. I didn't make them ride the bus. This is pro ball. The Swoopers went shopping. Shopped until about 4 o'clock, taking her about a 45-minute nap, had a Coke and a Snickers candy bar.
00:36:34
Speaker 5: That's her pregame. I just want you to know what her pregame was.
00:36:38
Speaker 6: Put a Snickers candy bar in a Coke and put 22 and 12 on New York.
00:36:43
Speaker 5: Now, let me tell you that. The woman could do all of that and play like you ain't never seen. I mean, yeah.
00:36:51
Speaker 2: I don't quite remember all of that being. Coach A-line.
00:36:55
Speaker 3: What?
00:36:55
Speaker 2: Coach A-line.
00:36:58
Speaker 5: Hold on now. This is the last one.
00:37:03
Speaker 6: In our fourth championship after we play in New York, We come back and we got a little problem, okay, on the team.
00:37:11
Speaker 5: And so I tell Kevin Cook, we're going.
00:37:13
Speaker 6: To wait just a little bit And all of a sudden, Cynthia comes out and kind of has a little, I said, we ain't got to worry about Cheryl because she ain't never gone and come out without being made up. She ain't never going to go out in public in gym stuff, okay? And there she is giving her my her little opinion of what's going on. I said, oh, my God, we do have a problem if Cheryl Swoops is coming out and she don't have her makeup on and dressed to kill.
00:37:38
Speaker 5: Oh!
00:37:40
Speaker 4: Ain't nothing changed either, Coach, because Cheryl will not step out that house if her hair ain't done.
00:37:46
Speaker 5: That's not true.
00:37:49
Speaker 3: That's not true. That is so changed.
00:37:53
Speaker 6: Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to know everything I just said is the absolute truth.
00:37:59
Speaker 2: It's about 85% true.
00:37:59
Speaker 3: It's about 85%. Hey, let me say this in real sincerity here, Keith.
00:38:09
Speaker 6: Cheryl has been awfully good to me. She's gone to places and bought me shirts back. And it was such a joy to coach a great player. And Van Chanster wouldn't have all the things happening to him if it wasn't for Cheryl Swoops. And I want everybody, they don't remember it, but let me tell you, Cheryl Swoops. In the college NCAA finals against Ohio State, Cheryl put 44 on them and had the greatest game that's ever been played in a college game. to single-handedly lead Texas Tech to a national championship.
00:38:43
Speaker 5: You know what, Coach?
00:38:44
Speaker 4: I appreciate you making some time to be with us today. I have loved Cheryl for many years as a fan, and then to get to know her as a friend and a sister and.
00:38:55
Speaker 2: Love her even more.
00:38:56
Speaker 4: So I completely understand when you say that there's just no one better and no one greater.
00:39:02
Speaker 5: He doesn't get off that easy.
00:39:05
Speaker 3: Coach, wait a minute. You don't get off that easy. Hold on one second.
00:39:08
Speaker 4: I ain't going to let you just sit here and say nothing crazy to Coach.
00:39:11
Speaker 5: Coach got a whole new bodyguard. Go ahead, Cheryl. Say it.
00:39:14
Speaker 1: I have a question for him, and then I have a statement for him. So here's my question. You get a vote for WNBA MVP this year. Who's your MVP this season?
00:39:28
Speaker 5: That's a tough, tough question. You know what?
00:39:32
Speaker 3: You can give me your top three.
00:39:35
Speaker 5: I like Asia Wilson from Vegas. I really do.
00:39:40
Speaker 6: I think they're the best team in the league right now. And I think the best team unless there's somebody else.
00:39:49
Speaker 5: Really, really well, I think. I just think she's a great player. Yeah.
00:39:56
Speaker 2: Yeah, she's the favorite.
00:39:57
Speaker 6: Okay, Cheryl, who do you two think?
00:40:02
Speaker 5: Name y'all's top three.
00:40:04
Speaker 3: No, no, no, no.
00:40:05
Speaker 1: Tia and I had this conversation. I'm there with you for a lot of reasons. I just think what Asia has continuously been able to do the entire season and.
00:40:18
Speaker 3: Just be honest.
00:40:19
Speaker 1: Lots of times she is carrying the team, right? When Jackie doesn't show up or Chelsea doesn't show up or whoever. Now, Melissa Smith is out like a lot. If, if Vegas is going to win a championship, Asia Wilson's going to have to be the MVP, Asia Wilson. So Asia is my favorite, but I will, I will say this. I love Kelsey Mitchell at Indiana. I love what Kelsey's doing. I think Kelsey is deserving of being in that conversation and, And then I'm also going to put Olivia Miles in that conversation as a rookie. I'm putting Olivia Miles in the conversation. But Asia is my favorite to win.
00:40:57
Speaker 5: Who's yours? Who's your number one? Same.
00:40:59
Speaker 4: Asia Wilson right now is the favorite for me to win it. I love Olivia Miles. I love Kelsey Mitchell. But I also love Paige Beckers in Dallas. I think she has played so well this season. And so she's in the conversation for me too.
00:41:15
Speaker 2: But Asia to me is leading. It's going to take a lot.
00:41:19
Speaker 4: It ain't but a week left in the season. It ain't much you're going to do in this week that's going to change my mind to think that Asia ain't going to win MVP.
00:41:27
Speaker 5: Well, I like Miles at Minnesota.
00:41:29
Speaker 6: I think she sells tickets. I don't think she's the MVP, but there is no rookie, and it's been a long, long time since anybody's done what that girl's doing.
00:41:40
Speaker 5: Agreed.
00:41:41
Speaker 3: Olivia Miles is amazing. I'm sorry.
00:41:43
Speaker 1: Coach, do you think, because you know people talk about.
00:41:49
Speaker 3: Getting greatness fatigue. Asia's won MVP four seasons, four years.
00:41:55
Speaker 1: Do you think the voters, the media would be like, listen, we're tired of seeing Asia Wilson win.
00:42:03
Speaker 3: We're going to just give it to somebody else.
00:42:05
Speaker 6: I think you see that, but it's wrong. I don't care how many times you want it. It's dead wrong. The best player ought to win it. I'm not going to vote for you because you already got two on your team.
00:42:19
Speaker 5: I never did that.
00:42:20
Speaker 6: Even when I was a high school coach, ladies, I voted the best five players all conference. The best 10 players, I didn't let who you played for, what you did, whether I liked your coach, whether I liked you. I didn't let anything of that nature bother me.
00:42:37
Speaker 5: I think the right players, Wilson, if you're the MVP, you're the MVP. Agreed. Agreed.
00:42:44
Speaker 6: What player, she does more for her team than any other player out there. Now, the kid at Minnesota does a lot for her team, but not as much as Wilson does for her team.
00:42:56
Speaker 5: Agreed.
00:42:56
Speaker 3: No, I totally agree.
00:42:58
Speaker 5: Agreed.
00:42:58
Speaker 2: If you deserve it, you deserve it.
00:43:00
Speaker 1: My statement is just right back at you. First of all, people, people ask me a lot, like who are some of the toughest coaches I played for the best coaches. You're, you're always in that conversation. And, and I think for me, the reason being is.
00:43:18
Speaker 3: Because you, you had a tough job.
00:43:20
Speaker 1: Like people will say, well, you had the talent. So of course you guys were going to win. And I always say, just because you have the best talent, if you don't know what to do with that talent, how to use that talent, how to put that talent in positions to be successful, you're not going to win. I thought you did the best job of, and T brought it up, of managing personalities, managing egos, managing good days, managing bad days. So for me to have an opportunity to play for you so many years in the W was truly an honor for me. And I am forever grateful for everything you taught me about not just being the best basketball player I could be, but being the best human I could be.
00:44:07
Speaker 3: And I love you, coach.
00:44:10
Speaker 5: I love you, too.
00:44:10
Speaker 6: And I'm going to tell you something. T, I'm going to show you why we won. I'm going to tell you why we won. Look on your screen right now. There's names on that screen. Look at who's at the top. Look at who's at the top. And let me tell you now, when you're a great player and you put a teammate on top to start the list, that's why.
00:44:30
Speaker 5: We won, boys and girls.
00:44:31
Speaker 6: Cheryl, thank you for all the kind words. Thank you all for having me on. I really appreciate it.
00:44:50
Speaker 4: I am so glad that Coach Chancellor made some time to kick it with us. I knew he was going to give me exactly what I needed.
00:44:57
Speaker 5: I knew it.
00:44:58
Speaker 4: I knew of what nobody else going to give me what I needed. It was going to be coached.
00:45:04
Speaker 2: It's going to be coached.
00:45:05
Speaker 4: So for those who need a recap, Cheryl got a spending money problem.
00:45:11
Speaker 2: She got a shopping problem.
00:45:12
Speaker 1: No, no, no.
00:45:13
Speaker 2: You ain't finna go outside looking crazy.
00:45:15
Speaker 3: That's when I played. That was when I played. You know, but you know, like God knew what he was doing. When he chose to.
00:45:27
Speaker 1: Give me life, you know what I mean? Because of the time I played in the WNBA. Because I couldn't imagine playing today with this new CBA.
00:45:39
Speaker 3: You thought I shopped then.
00:45:40
Speaker 2: Honey, honey. You'll be like, don't even ask where Cheryl is. You know where she is. You know you got location.
00:45:47
Speaker 5: Here's the thing.
00:45:48
Speaker 2: We don't even need your location, Cheryl.
00:45:50
Speaker 5: We know where you at.
00:45:50
Speaker 3: Here's the thing.
00:45:51
Speaker 5: I was a.
00:45:52
Speaker 1: Professional, professional baller and professional shopper. I never have to worry about if I was going to show up on time and do my job.
00:46:01
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
00:46:02
Speaker 4: And then we also know that you were assisted in showing up and doing your job with Coke and Snickers.
00:46:07
Speaker 5: So there you go.
00:46:08
Speaker 2: I mean, Coca-Cola, guys, not the other Coke.
00:46:10
Speaker 3: Thank you for clarifying that. Thank you for clarifying that.
00:46:15
Speaker 4: I don't need nobody. I don't need nobody mistaking what type of coke I'm talking about. I'm talking about the beverage.
00:46:20
Speaker 3: Yes, yes, yes, yes. Had I known now, I mean, had I known then what I know now.
00:46:27
Speaker 2: Yes, that would have been salad and water. Anyway.
00:46:32
Speaker 3: Not even salad because you can't eat the lettuce.
00:46:36
Speaker 4: If we leave it up to you know who, we ain't going to be able to eat shit anyway. Anyway, that's another conversation for another day.
00:46:43
Speaker 3: It's a great conversation, though. Great conversation. It will be.
00:46:46
Speaker 2: It's a great conversation.
00:46:47
Speaker 4: We should definitely talk about food, health, FDA, the foolishness.
00:46:54
Speaker 2: All of that.
00:46:55
Speaker 4: But before we get to that conversation on a different show, we have got to have you level us.
00:47:00
Speaker 2: Out with some words of wisdom.
00:47:05
Speaker 4: Positive affirmations or just something that we need to motivate us through the week.
00:47:09
Speaker 2: So what you got for us today, Cheryl?
00:47:12
Speaker 1: Remember, you don't always need to rebuild the bridge. Some people belong on the other side.
00:47:19
Speaker 2: And just.
00:47:26
Speaker 1: So y'all know, for those who are wondering, every time I read a positive affirmation or a quote or a word or a saying, I always try to find something that I can relate to.
00:47:40
Speaker 3: And this one, this one hit home for me. Yeah. Yeah.
00:47:44
Speaker 2: Cause you know, we do that.
00:47:46
Speaker 3: We do that.
00:47:47
Speaker 5: Yeah. We do that.
00:47:49
Speaker 4: We be trying to fix shit that honestly, sometimes don't even need to be fixed.
00:47:52
Speaker 2: Just leave it where it is. Yeah.
00:47:56
Speaker 1: Yep.
00:47:57
Speaker 4: And so with that being said, with that, we are going to go ahead and, uh, find ourselves on the other side of our bridge, which is the end of the show. So guys, we thank you guys so much for just continuing to rock with us and tune in every week to the new episodes that we are trying to bring, trying to bring something different, have a little bit more fun. And we want to hear from you on how we're doing. So please reach out to us. You can find us on Instagram at LTT pod. You can also hit us up on Gmail at levels to this podcast at gmail.com.
00:48:36
Speaker 2: And we want to know what you think.
00:48:37
Speaker 4: So please leave us a review in Apple Podcasts to let us know what you thought about this week's show. Remember, this is not just our show.
00:48:45
Speaker 2: It's our show. So your feedback is important to us.
00:48:49
Speaker 4: But until next time, guys, keep your mentals ground level and we'll be.
00:48:53
Speaker 3: Back next week.
00:48:55
Speaker 5: Peace.
00:48:58
Speaker 1: Listen to Levels to This on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search Levels to This with Sheryl Swoops and Tarika Foster-Brasby and start listening.
Speaker 1: Levels to This is an iHeart Women's Sports production in partnership with Deep Blue Sports and Entertainment. You can find us on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
00:00:17
Speaker 2: Hey, what's up, everybody? It's your girl, Tarika Foster-Brasby. What's up, y'all?
00:00:21
Speaker 3: It's your girl, Cheryl Spooks.
00:00:24
Speaker 2: And this is Levels to This.
00:00:26
Speaker 4: This is the show where we talk about all the levels to the shit that women go through. Very excited to be back with you guys this week for a fresh, brand new episode.
00:00:35
Speaker 2: We have a very, very special guest joining us today.
00:00:39
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:00:39
Speaker 4: And listen, this might be the episode that I finally get the tea on Cheryl that I've been trying to get for two years.
00:00:47
Speaker 1: You know what they say, don't believe everything you hear.
00:00:51
Speaker 5: This might be the episode.
00:00:52
Speaker 2: I finally get it.
00:00:54
Speaker 3: But until then.
00:00:57
Speaker 4: So before we get into the show and we talk about who our special guest is going to be, we got to show some love to Team USA because the girls did it, Cheryl.
00:01:07
Speaker 3: They did it.
00:01:08
Speaker 2: They did it.
00:01:11
Speaker 3: Had my heart beating for a minute.
00:01:14
Speaker 2: For a minute.
00:01:16
Speaker 3: For a whole half.
00:01:18
Speaker 2: Fuck a minute. For a half.
00:01:19
Speaker 3: Yeah, you're right. And then, let me just talk about France for one second.
00:01:25
Speaker 1: Because then, France went to the locker room and came out looking like I don't know who they were.
00:01:31
Speaker 3: Like, Gabby Williams. I was like, y'all, who was going to stop her in the second half? And Gabby stopped herself. I mean, well, I mean, we decided we were going to defend, but I'm just saying.
00:01:42
Speaker 6: Yeah.
00:01:43
Speaker 1: Yeah.
00:01:45
Speaker 2: It was really a tale of two halves.
00:01:47
Speaker 1: Let me say this, too, because she is all over social media right now.
00:01:54
Speaker 3: Tina Charles, can you come on our podcast, please?
00:01:56
Speaker 1: Oh, we need answers to questions that people have on social media.
00:02:01
Speaker 3: The girlies want to know if you're married. Are you not? Are you single? Are you not? So I am just going to do the work for them and. And find out.
00:02:12
Speaker 4: I am screaming that people are in Tina's business on social media.
00:02:15
Speaker 3: They really are, right?
00:02:17
Speaker 1: But so I posted on the gold medal game.
00:02:20
Speaker 5: Yes.
00:02:21
Speaker 1: I said, I am loving seeing Tina Charles on my screen right now.
00:02:25
Speaker 2: I saw that.
00:02:26
Speaker 5: Yep.
00:02:26
Speaker 2: That's all, right?
00:02:28
Speaker 1: First of all, the knowledge she has. And she breaks down shit just different.
00:02:34
Speaker 3: Like, everybody has their own way of doing it and their own, you know, style. Mm-hmm.
00:02:39
Speaker 1: But to watch her and to listen to her. And then with Renee Montgomery, like, Renee's loud.
00:02:47
Speaker 3: Renee's great. She's loud.
00:02:48
Speaker 2: She's so energetic.
00:02:50
Speaker 1: But they balance each other out.
00:02:51
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:02:52
Speaker 1: So I just, I thought Tina was fantastic. And I can't imagine. her not doing more of this.
00:03:00
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:03:01
Speaker 6: And then.
00:03:02
Speaker 1: Everybody wants to know about whether it's the tinted glasses, the sunglasses.
00:03:09
Speaker 3: Girl, they call it her lean back.
00:03:11
Speaker 2: Because she's so smooth. She was so cool with it.
00:03:13
Speaker 3: Her swag, everything.
00:03:15
Speaker 2: Her swag, yeah, yeah, yeah. So good.
00:03:17
Speaker 4: Her aura was definitely 100%. And her explanation of the game. I mean, you know that Tina know the game.
00:03:23
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:03:24
Speaker 1: And I just love that she's just real.
00:03:27
Speaker 5: I love it.
00:03:27
Speaker 2: And you know what? We've seen former W players play.
00:03:31
Speaker 4: Come into the analyst space, which is so different than in other sports. There are some other sports where I'd be like, child, just because you played the sport don't mean you need to be talking about it.
00:03:39
Speaker 3: No doubt.
00:03:40
Speaker 5: But I look at.
00:03:41
Speaker 4: Players like Tina. I love Ty Young with Amazon. She does such a great job. Like, I can see so many former players that are coming.
00:03:50
Speaker 2: In and are really good at breaking it down. And so I agree.
00:03:54
Speaker 4: Tina definitely need to stay on. Maybe TNT can keep using her for something else in the future.
00:04:00
Speaker 3: Yeah, no doubt.
00:04:00
Speaker 2: She definitely did a great job.
00:04:02
Speaker 5: So good.
00:04:02
Speaker 2: Shout out to Team USA.
00:04:04
Speaker 4: Stewie walked away as the tournament MVP.
00:04:08
Speaker 2: Jackie Young got the game MVP.
00:04:11
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:04:12
Speaker 2: Chelsea Gray was big in the gold medal game. Oh my God.
00:04:16
Speaker 4: That second half, they turned it on. And I've said this, and I will say it again, that I love the way that this team faced adversity, understand how to play with an intergenerational roster because you had your vets that were true vets, and then you had your young intern that were truly young intern. Like there weren't too many people in the middle. It was either you've.
00:04:38
Speaker 2: Been here or you just got here.
00:04:41
Speaker 4: And, you know, Kara got a lot of flack for how she mixed up her roster for some of her starts and stuff. But at the end of the day, when you can figure out how to win in a different way, that's now, what, 36 games, 20.
00:04:58
Speaker 2: Years, no losses. Like, no losses. Like, Team USA is still the standard. So, congratulations.
00:05:05
Speaker 3: Point blank, period. Congrats to all of the young ladies, baby.
00:05:09
Speaker 4: Deserving yes and no shade to our international teams because baby the parody is catching up these international teams France is not just a name like France is a true competitor and contender and y'all gotta respect it Italy gave the US some work Spain gave the US some work China was not like it was so these international teams are not just names out here. They're coming, but shout out to Team USA. We will see you guys in LA for the Olympics. But before we take it to the next level, let's take it to the street.
00:05:59
Speaker 2: All right, guys.
00:06:00
Speaker 4: So this week on our street level segment, Cheryl, I went first last week. I'm going to let you go first this week. What kind of ridiculousness have you... What you got going on in them social media streets on your side?
00:06:15
Speaker 3: Girl, so much, so much. Can I just tell you how much I'm loving this? This is only our second one, but I'm loving this.
00:06:22
Speaker 1: Because I'm on social media anyway. But usually when I would see stuff, I would just see it. I'd laugh about it or I would shake my head or whatever emotion I was going to have and keep going. And now I'm like really invested because I'm like, oh, I bet you my girl ain't see this.
00:06:35
Speaker 3: Maybe you saw this one.
00:06:36
Speaker 1: So I probably have this week. So, you know, last week, for those of you who maybe didn't see it or forgot. Last week, I did the one where this couple kidnapped Ice, right? Ice went to arrest them at their house. Ice ended up getting kidnapped. So this week, I found this. This Mexican group, they're workers. They went to this guy's house.
00:07:05
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:07:05
Speaker 3: They went to this white man's house. Did you see this? Uh-uh. They built a whole fence for him, okay?
00:07:12
Speaker 5: Well.
00:07:13
Speaker 1: The white man, he didn't want to pay him, right? So he threatened to call ICE on them so he could avoid paying them.
00:07:22
Speaker 3: So instead of the workers running or being afraid or whatever, like, okay, well, fine, you don't have to pay us. They left. I think they came back later that day or the next day. Don't tell me they took the fist down. And said, look, and said, no money. No fence.
00:07:44
Speaker 1: No justice.
00:07:47
Speaker 2: No peace.
00:07:49
Speaker 3: No money. No fence.
00:07:51
Speaker 2: They got a straight sledgehammer.
00:07:54
Speaker 3: Sledgehammer.
00:07:55
Speaker 1: They had a chainsaw. They came back with a whole crew and started girl.
00:08:01
Speaker 3: They tore it all down.
00:08:03
Speaker 2: Tore it down.
00:08:04
Speaker 5: Hey, yo.
00:08:05
Speaker 2: Hey, yo.
00:08:06
Speaker 3: I am not mad at him.
00:08:08
Speaker 2: I'm not mad at him.
00:08:12
Speaker 4: What you ain't going to do is have this fit sitting up here acting like it's about to keep you out and.
00:08:17
Speaker 2: You ain't finna pay me my coin.
00:08:18
Speaker 5: We're not doing that.
00:08:19
Speaker 3: I know. We're not doing that. Run me my money.
00:08:22
Speaker 2: Where's my money?
00:08:23
Speaker 3: Run me my money.
00:08:24
Speaker 2: Or run me my fits.
00:08:26
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:08:28
Speaker 1: Girl, I saw that. I was like, That's some shit I would do. I am screaming.
00:08:34
Speaker 2: That is the... They are all Leos, and I'm sure of it. I am sure of it.
00:08:38
Speaker 4: Like, let me... Run me my... The sledgehammers.
00:08:41
Speaker 3: Took me out.
00:08:42
Speaker 1: Yeah, that's what got my attention in the streets this week.
00:08:44
Speaker 5: Okay.
00:08:45
Speaker 2: All right, what you got?
00:08:47
Speaker 3: Because I already saw you over there laughing.
00:08:49
Speaker 2: Because I was like, wait, what?
00:08:51
Speaker 4: All right, so I'm going to show you the picture after I read it. Because if I show you now, you're going to get it.
00:08:57
Speaker 3: Okay.
00:08:57
Speaker 2: So, this woman.
00:08:59
Speaker 5: Text.
00:09:00
Speaker 2: This guy that says, I think I'm pregnant.
00:09:04
Speaker 4: It's about to be vulgar, y'all.
00:09:06
Speaker 2: I told you not to nut in me. We should have used the condom.
00:09:11
Speaker 4: The guy responded, SMH, let me tell you some real shit. Out of all the women I've dealt with, you are the most kindhearted and smartest one. You have your shit together like no other. Now, normally I will pull out, but something heavy on my heart said not to. I see something in you that you probably don't see in yourself. I know that you will make a great single mother and that's why I did it.
00:09:35
Speaker 5: You got this.
00:09:36
Speaker 2: Prayers to you and your family.
00:09:38
Speaker 3: So listen.
00:09:45
Speaker 1: Listen, I'm going to.
00:09:47
Speaker 4: Tell you why it's funny but not funny. It is totally not funny on any level to be out here knocking up these girls and then leaving them to take care of the baby by themselves.
00:09:57
Speaker 1: If they so choose I knew you'd be a good single parent but how do you.
00:10:01
Speaker 4: You started off this text message I was like aww he basically was like I purposely tried to knock you up because I.
00:10:07
Speaker 2: Want to have a baby. I want to have a.
00:10:10
Speaker 5: Baby with you. That ain't the way you do it.
00:10:12
Speaker 2: But I was like, OK.
00:10:13
Speaker 4: And then this fool said you're going to be a great single mother.
00:10:17
Speaker 2: I will beat your ass. This is not OK.
00:10:23
Speaker 3: No. And now I understand the picture.
00:10:27
Speaker 2: Now you understand.
00:10:28
Speaker 4: When I originally read this to myself, we were not recording at the moment.
00:10:32
Speaker 2: I was reading it and.
00:10:33
Speaker 4: Then I just instantly said, oh, you got me fucked up. Like, that is why I said that. Because you really got me messed up to think that you about to do this and then send me this note talking about you'll be a great single. But the way I'm about to be at your door with this good-ass child support friend.
00:10:53
Speaker 5: What?
00:10:54
Speaker 2: What did you think this was? What?
00:10:57
Speaker 4: Oh my god they just be doing anything on Beyonce's internet I don't understand they just be doing anything well any anything that is our street level segment if you guys see or know or come across some just ridiculousness be it good bad funny serious whatever hit us up and let us know so we can check it out too and it just might make the street level segment but for now let's go ahead and take this to the next level.
00:11:31
Speaker 5: Thank you.
00:11:43
Speaker 4: I told you guys that we had a very, very special guest on our show this week. And I know y'all think I'll be lying sometimes, but I am telling you the God honest truth. And y'all know I've been trying to get some dirt on Sheryl Swoopes for years. And nobody gives me the goods. But I feel like today I'm going to get all the dirt that I've been asking for because we have none other than fire. Four-time WNBA championship head coach of the Houston Comets, Coach Van Chancellor, joining us today.
00:12:17
Speaker 2: Hey, Coach.
00:12:19
Speaker 6: I'm just honored to be here, and I got the stuff for you here at the end of the show. I'm going to be nice on the early parts of this show.
00:12:27
Speaker 5: I owe it to Cheryl. She's done a lot of great things for me.
00:12:30
Speaker 6: But at the end, I'm going to give you the real scoop.
00:12:33
Speaker 2: I know that's right.
00:12:34
Speaker 1: I know that's right. T, you got a big smile on your face when he said that.
00:12:39
Speaker 3: Because I know it.
00:12:41
Speaker 5: Because I know it.
00:12:42
Speaker 2: There are only a few people.
00:12:44
Speaker 3: Let me like forewarn the listeners.
00:12:46
Speaker 1: Y'all, we may have a really, really bad connection towards the end of this recording.
00:12:54
Speaker 5: That's all right.
00:12:54
Speaker 6: I know the producer of this show. I've been in contact with her. And so I know who.
00:13:00
Speaker 5: I'm going to be dealing with here at the end.
00:13:02
Speaker 2: Oh, that's right. I know that's right.
00:13:04
Speaker 4: Well, Coach, let's start with the obvious elephant in the room. The Houston Comets are making a return to Houston next year. Now, the fans in Connecticut are sad because obviously they're They are going to miss the Connecticut Sun.
00:13:20
Speaker 2: But the fans in Houston are ecstatic.
00:13:23
Speaker 4: When you heard the news that they were coming back, what exactly did that mean to you?
00:13:28
Speaker 6: Just a great big smile came on my face. See, when I heard that the team had folded and we no longer had a team, I cried a little bit that day. I mean, when we started this team early, early, early on in 97 with Cheryl, Tina and Cynthia, Kim Peratt.
00:13:44
Speaker 5: That was an exciting time.
00:13:45
Speaker 6: And to see it go away was a sad time. Now to have it to come back, and I just see such a tremendous response by our former fans and new fans. And I think it's going to be an exciting time. I just hope we get up and get some players and have a good team. I don't want to go out there and watch a bad team. I hope we have a good team. I know that's right.
00:14:07
Speaker 1: So, Coach, in saying that, right, because I've been talking to a lot of, people, especially fans here in Houston, the first thing, you know, they, they ask is, are we going to win a championship? And I'm like, well, obviously that's always the goal to win a championship, but I also tell them you, you have to be patient, right? So if, if you were the GM of this new team, that's coming to Houston, right.
00:14:37
Speaker 3: Or of the comments returning, right.
00:14:39
Speaker 1: As far as putting a team together, like what would be your strategy in doing that?
00:14:47
Speaker 6: I'd want to get a team that was built for the future, that had an opportunity in three years to compete for a championship. I would not want to go and get a lot of Asian veterans, try to win right now. I think we need, we got some players from Connecticut. They're good players.
00:15:05
Speaker 5: Okay.
00:15:05
Speaker 6: We can take those, go to free agency, but get a 26 year old, maybe a 25 year old and have players that can win some now, But when we get our team built, I want to build a team for the championship if I'm the general manager.
00:15:22
Speaker 3: And you're thinking, what, three to five years?
00:15:25
Speaker 2: Three years?
00:15:26
Speaker 5: Yeah. Here's why.
00:15:28
Speaker 6: And the only reason, when we won our championships, all of us were starting even, so to speak.
00:15:33
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:15:34
Speaker 6: And we had great players. Today, we got some powerhouse teams already built. You're not going to overtake them overnight. I mean, you got New York, Minnesota, Las Vegas. I'm just trying to name.
00:15:47
Speaker 5: Maybe Indiana.
00:15:48
Speaker 6: These are teams that's got great players right now. doing a great job. You're not going to overtake them overnight. And I'm not trying to be a pessimist here. I'm not trying not to sell season tickets. We got to be realistic at what we're thinking, Cheryl.
00:16:05
Speaker 5: Yeah. You know what?
00:16:05
Speaker 4: That's a great point that you're making, coach, because I think sometimes people look at the fact that you guys won four in a row and they say, oh, well, if they can do it like it can be done. But can you share a little bit about just how difficult it is to win a championship that like that often and that expectation that comes along with that?
00:16:24
Speaker 5: T-Woman, it's just tough winning one championship. Winning two, it gets more difficult.
00:16:31
Speaker 6: And then when you win three, here's what happens. Every player, this is human nature. I'm not talking about players here. I'm just talking about human nature. When you've had success, that pie, everybody wants the bigger piece of the pie. Everybody wants the ball on every darn position.
00:16:46
Speaker 5: You're the coach.
00:16:47
Speaker 6: You're trying to keep three superstars, three of the greatest players to ever play the game.
00:16:52
Speaker 5: Happy. And you've won.
00:16:55
Speaker 6: You've had three rings. But to keep them going. And then other teams, there's a target on your back. Everybody wants to beat you. And Los Angeles in the fourth championship thought they had us beat.
00:17:07
Speaker 5: But they didn't count on one thing.
00:17:09
Speaker 6: They didn't count on the three great players we had making plays. Cheryl, Cynthia and Tina could just make plays when it counted. I'm going to tell you right now, I'm kidding. But Cheryl Swoots was one of the greatest players to.
00:17:23
Speaker 5: Ever play the game of basketball.
00:17:25
Speaker 6: I might think the greatest small forward that's ever played the game. Her range to shoot the ball was ungodly. I'm going to show you one. We were playing Sacramento, and John Wisnick has put Walker on.
00:17:38
Speaker 5: I forgot Walker's first name. DeMaya. DeMaya. Going to be on the swooper.
00:17:43
Speaker 6: Swooper comes across the center line, dribbles it twice, maybe once, and drills it. And John gets on her. And Walker says, Coach, I can't say what she said on the Zare.
00:17:54
Speaker 5: You can say it.
00:17:55
Speaker 3: What did she say?
00:17:55
Speaker 6: Help? She said, what in the hell do you want me to do? Guarded her coming out of the locker room? I never seen that. I mean, and then you had Cynthia and Tina. So to win any championship is hard because getting everybody to play good. See, we had a team that I don't want to break up a sad subject, but when we had Kim Peratt, I had the ultimate point guard for the big three.
00:18:21
Speaker 5: I had the ultimate point guard. She helped me help them.
00:18:26
Speaker 6: And in turn, when we lost her in a tragic death, one of the hardest things I've ever been through, that hurt us.
00:18:32
Speaker 5: We had to overcome that.
00:18:34
Speaker 6: We had Monica Lamb in the third championship. She got her eye hurt, didn't play the fourth championship. All teams had to overcome things. Everybody thought we just won them, but we had a lot of close playoff games. Now, we could play. When it counted, our team could play under pressure. There's no doubt about it. So in answer to the question, it's really hard. to win multiple championships.
00:18:59
Speaker 4: When you talk about close playoff games, I think everybody, even just recently when they talk about some of the greatest memories and greatest shots that they recall, is they all talk about Spoon's shot to force a game three for that championship.
00:19:18
Speaker 2: And we have heard, we've heard Sheryl's perspective. We've heard Coop's perspective.
00:19:24
Speaker 4: But your perspective, when you think about that shot and that moment, what was.
00:19:29
Speaker 2: Going through your mind?
00:19:30
Speaker 4: How did you perceive that entirety of that series?
00:19:35
Speaker 5: We were playing them, and we thought we had the game won.
00:19:38
Speaker 6: Tina Thompson makes two free throws to put us up one. Then we had a little miscommunication between me and another player, and I'm not going to name the other player. And Teresa Weatherspoon got loose. And when the ball was in the air, I think it had a prayer making it. And when it went in, I was just devastated. I didn't sleep a wink that night, not a bit, thinking, what was I going to tell our team to turn around and play back-to-back? I didn't sleep any. I thought, what was I going to say to them? And I always did this. If it was a little bit important, I met on the floor. If it was really important... I carried him in the locker room. So I carried him in the locker room. And I was trying to figure out what I was going to say. And my veteran player, Cheryl and Cynthia said, well, why in the world are we in here? New York can't beat us two times in a row. I didn't say a word. I just left and went to the– and we played. That was it. And then after we won it, I didn't sleep a wink that night because I.
00:20:40
Speaker 5: Was so happy we won it.
00:20:42
Speaker 1: Coach, I– I thought I thought we went in and seriously, I thought you.
00:20:47
Speaker 3: Were just like, well, we'll be back tomorrow. Do you know what I mean?
00:20:51
Speaker 1: Like it was there was no long speech of this is what we got to do better tomorrow.
00:20:57
Speaker 2: We should.
00:20:57
Speaker 3: It wasn't even that because it was.
00:20:59
Speaker 1: One of those things where, first of all, it was a lucky ass shot that went in.
00:21:05
Speaker 4: Right.
00:21:05
Speaker 5: Yeah. No more than that. It was the luckiest shots ever been shot.
00:21:09
Speaker 3: Yes. So honestly, we all were like, all right, coach, we're good. We'll see you tomorrow. There was no, I think from a player's perspective, at least I'll speak.
00:21:19
Speaker 1: For myself, there was never a doubt of we'll come back and win it tomorrow.
00:21:26
Speaker 3: You know, like there's no way. And of all teams, New York.
00:21:31
Speaker 5: There's no way we're going to win. See, that's what I'm saying to you.
00:21:36
Speaker 6: See, with that attitude right there, I had a lot of doubt as a coach. But when I came to practice and my players had no doubt, I began to think, well, I did. I sat down on the home bench and just thought. I looked out there and I said, I got Cheryl.
00:21:52
Speaker 5: I got Cynthia. I got Tina. I got a pretty good shot. Let's go to work.
00:21:56
Speaker 3: And Janeth. Don't forget Janeth.
00:21:57
Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah. And Janeth Arcane. Yes, you're right, Cheryl.
00:22:01
Speaker 6: Janeth Arcane has never got enough credit. for all the things she did for our team. Jeanette Thor came.
00:22:08
Speaker 3: She didn't.
00:22:09
Speaker 5: And see, let me answer this one.
00:22:13
Speaker 6: I'm going to say, the question is going to be, how would we do today? How would my team do today? Let's just get to that one right now. And I'll tell you how we would do. Who in the world is going to guard? And all this thought about, all this thought, How about the bench? Don't you think New York, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, rather, got a little more bench than we have.
00:22:37
Speaker 5: Well, let me ask you a question. Here's a big question.
00:22:40
Speaker 6: Had you rather have a fresh sub or a little bit tired swoops, Cooper, Thompson, I'd rather have the big three playing 38 minutes.
00:22:49
Speaker 5: I don't need a bench.
00:22:53
Speaker 1: First of all, T, because anytime he looked at taking one of us out, we were like, I'm good.
00:23:00
Speaker 6: We're straight. In the second year, I'm going to tell you this story. In the second year, with eight games to go, we clinched everything. All the playoffs. We're side trainers club. So I'm going to call Cynthia over and talk about, she's got a little age on her, about resting her. Well, I started into the talk and she said, I waited all my life for this. You're not, I'm not coming out. I'm playing all the minutes.
00:23:28
Speaker 5: Well, Cheryl overheard it. She said, well, if Cooper ain't coming out, I ain't coming out. Well, I didn't even know. At that point, you do.
00:23:35
Speaker 6: We just played the three of them. My boss, Carol Dawson, said, are you going to risk your starters? I said, well, I'll have to whip every one of them if I do, and I ain't up to that right now.
00:23:47
Speaker 5: You know what?
00:23:48
Speaker 4: It's so funny because I think there sometimes are coaches that don't do the best job of managing personalities. I think Cheryl Reeve is a coach that does a great job of managing personalities. Becky Hammond does a great job of that. But coach, you had to manage personalities differently. How much of that goes into the same as the game planning and the strategy and the scouting, the managing the personalities of the people on your team?
00:24:20
Speaker 6: In my case, about 80% of everything I did every day.
00:24:24
Speaker 5: I'll tell you that right now. See, let.
00:24:29
Speaker 6: Me tell you, here's the deal. I had great players, great players everywhere. want the ball, and they're great because they got a little bit of an ego. That's just the way it is. But that's what makes them great. But at the same time now, at the same time, I'm going to give them credit. One of the reasons I could coach them, they'd rather win than get mad with each other or get mad with me.
00:24:52
Speaker 5: Let's just tell it. They wanted to win. They were about winning and doing whatever they had to do to win a game.
00:25:00
Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah.
00:25:02
Speaker 4: The saying goes for most competitors, I love to.
00:25:05
Speaker 2: Win, but I hate losing more.
00:25:07
Speaker 5: Oh, yeah.
00:25:09
Speaker 1: But don't fool yourself because Coach Chancellor didn't like to lose either.
00:25:13
Speaker 5: I believe it. At anything. Oh, no, no. See, see, this is the first little tidbit I'm going to give our audience.
00:25:22
Speaker 2: Let's go.
00:25:23
Speaker 6: Out of Lisa Leslie, Don Staley, Cheryl Swoops, I am by far the best taunt player of the group. If you've never played Tonkin cards that you played when I was the Olympic coach, they all think they were better than this guy. But let me tell you what hurt me one time. I dealt the cards. Ladies and gentlemen, I dealt the cards. And I didn't let anybody cut. And they all accused me of cheating.
00:25:50
Speaker 5: And that hurt me, boy. That really hurt me.
00:25:52
Speaker 3: Come out, coach. Because you're leaving a little piece out. He's leaving a little piece out.
00:25:56
Speaker 2: What did he leave out?
00:25:57
Speaker 3: He dealt the cards. And none of us were back there to watch him deal. We weren't even on the bus yet.
00:26:05
Speaker 5: He dealt the cards.
00:26:07
Speaker 3: We get on the bus. He's like, come on. It was me, Lisa Dawn. He's like, y'all come on to the back. So we get to the back.
00:26:13
Speaker 1: He just starts dealing the cards and expected us to actually play the cards he dealt us.
00:26:20
Speaker 5: I don't see the problem. No, I don't see the problem. Hey, the greatest one.
00:26:27
Speaker 6: Of all times, we were at Westside Tennis Club and going to lunch, and Cheryl said, Doug, let's play spades today. And so I'm going to get Monica Lamb. I'm going to call her name. Monica Lamb is going to be my partner. Now, Monica, bless her heart, she helped me win a championship, but she's a space cadet sometimes.
00:26:48
Speaker 3: When he was like, I'll get Monica to be my partner.
00:26:51
Speaker 5: I love Monica.
00:26:53
Speaker 6: So in the last hand, they got us about 490 to 100.
00:26:57
Speaker 5: They're killing us.
00:26:59
Speaker 6: And so we went a blind 10. Yeah, that's 400 points. That wins the game.
00:27:04
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:27:04
Speaker 6: Well, right off the bat, Cheryl leads the ace of diamonds. Listen to this one. The ace of diamonds. And Monica trumps it. I got a handful of diamonds. I think we're going to win. Get down to the last hand. Don't you tell me she reneged.
00:27:18
Speaker 5: Wait a minute, wait a minute.
00:27:19
Speaker 6: On the last hand, Monica leads out the king of diamonds to win it, the game. I do a victory lap around west side, but I shuffle the cards because I realized Monica had reneged. But when I acted like I didn't see it, I shuffled, I pushed the cards together.
00:27:36
Speaker 5: So Cheryl couldn't. They cheated.
00:27:38
Speaker 6: She said, well, didn't you, didn't Monica? I said, no, Monica didn't renege.
00:27:43
Speaker 5: Well, I lied. I said, Monica, you reneged.
00:27:46
Speaker 3: You reneged.
00:27:47
Speaker 1: But T, coach had already put all the cards in a pile and started shuffling.
00:27:50
Speaker 3: So we couldn't go back and look. You couldn't go back and check.
00:27:53
Speaker 5: No, no.
00:27:54
Speaker 2: Coach, you my type of space player, coach. If you ever need a partner.
00:27:58
Speaker 3: That's good to know. That's good to know.
00:28:00
Speaker 6: But let me tell you one thing. Hey, if you're going to play space with me, ain't going to be no talking around and looking at your phone. I want to play to win. I ain't going to do nothing. I don't do nothing. I play golf. I played golf this morning.
00:28:14
Speaker 5: I won. I ain't going to do nothing. I ain't trying to win.
00:28:17
Speaker 3: No, that's right.
00:28:18
Speaker 4: That's the attitude that you need.
00:28:21
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:28:24
Speaker 1: Let me ask you a question. So you watch the games today, WNBA today. What do you think is the biggest difference in today's game versus when we played?
00:28:38
Speaker 5: Too many shots come up at the end of a dribble, Cheryl.
00:28:42
Speaker 6: And when we played, our shots came at the end of a pass, a teammate pass to another. We're creating offense on ourselves. Number two, the defense, I don't see defense. I don't see people guarding. I see people... I saw a game the other night. A kid drove and shot a layup, went to the basket, and an offensive play shot a layup, and the other team shot a layup on the other end.
00:29:07
Speaker 5: You ought to play a whole season and not give up.
00:29:09
Speaker 6: You score on one end and give up a layup, not a jump shot, a layup on the other end.
00:29:14
Speaker 5: I don't see transition defense.
00:29:16
Speaker 6: And defended i see the offense being able to shoot the ball being able to do it but they're shooting offense after individual moves instead of getting their shots within the context of the offense that's the major.
00:29:30
Speaker 2: Chance yeah yeah yeah for sure.
00:29:32
Speaker 1: What do you think about um because you hear this all the time oh my gosh the game is so physical today do you think the game is more physical less physical or about the same.
00:29:44
Speaker 6: I think right now I think the game has become more physical because our refs are not calling enough fouls.
00:29:53
Speaker 5: They ought to set the tone.
00:29:54
Speaker 6: When we play, when you guys play, Cheryl, you come out there and June Carto and all of them, they set the tone early. They let you play, but they didn't put up with all this physicality. To run somebody down from behind and foul them, that just didn't happen.
00:30:14
Speaker 5: When you played.
00:30:16
Speaker 6: I mean, right now, in my personal opinion, and I don't mean this bad, and I know it's a hard job, but they got to find a way to get control of the game and quit letting.
00:30:26
Speaker 5: It's basketball. It ain't football.
00:30:28
Speaker 6: Quit letting them knock each other down and hacking somebody. Yeah, it is.
00:30:33
Speaker 5: It is.
00:30:33
Speaker 2: The officiating.
00:30:35
Speaker 1: It's crazy ridiculous.
00:30:38
Speaker 5: It is.
00:30:39
Speaker 3: I wouldn't want to be a ref. I just wouldn't.
00:30:44
Speaker 5: I think....
00:30:46
Speaker 6: Let's take Cheryl and Caitlin Clark, okay? Two different players at two different positions. Cheryl was a great player, but Cheryl don't need all that holding. I ain't talking about being physical. I'm talking about holding. That's one of the things that I think that hurts Caitlin Clark a little bit. Those kind of players, they don't need people bodying them up and pushing them and shoving them and hacking them when they go through the lanes.
00:31:14
Speaker 4: You know, what I think is interesting too is, the way that they play in the league often stems from what you're allowed to do in.
00:31:24
Speaker 2: The collegiate game.
00:31:25
Speaker 4: And, you know, everybody knows you from, you know, coaching with the Comets, but you were coaching at Ole Miss for years before you got to Houston. And so, you know, now the college game is changing just as much as the professional game is changing. And a lot of times these players are kind of, coached a little softer in the college game than they are. And it hurts them when they get to the pros because you got to really adjust to the level of coaching is different. What do you see about the college game now and maybe how players are being coached in, whether they're prepared to play at the professional level or not?
00:32:07
Speaker 5: I have two children. Both of them coach right now.
00:32:11
Speaker 6: They say, Dad, There is no way in the world you can last more than six months to a year on the college level today. The demanding, hard-nosed, working them at practice, they wouldn't let you do that today. So I think nowadays, good players want to be coached. And they want to be told what to do. We got too many coaches right now are scared to really demand a lot out of them because somebody will be reporting them. And so I think in the game, they're not tough enough. And I'm not talking about just physically tough enough. I mean, mentally. I mean, physically. I mean... We got beat at St. Mary's College one year on Thanksgiving. We got upset. They were just not near. We went out there, and I got the big head. We came back Monday. We traveled Sunday. We came back Monday. If you talked to anybody on that team, any manager or any trainer, they said that Monday was the worst practice in the history of sports. They said, I said, put up the basketballs. I was running them up to the J. That's the top of the Coliseum. I don't think I was that bad. But when 20 people tell you. I'm sure you were.
00:33:21
Speaker 5: So when 20 people.
00:33:22
Speaker 6: Tell you that the worst thing they'd ever seen, Peggy Killer was my longtime coach. And after that practice, she said she came in late the next day, Cheryl. And I said, what's going on, Peggy? She said, I was over in the dorm trying to keep all your players from transferring. Today, they have all transferred that Tuesday. But I'm saying.
00:33:46
Speaker 5: Hold on.
00:33:48
Speaker 7: Speaking of, before we let you go, how do you think, and you touched on it a bit, but how do you think the transfer portal and this whole NIL thing, how do you think that's changed the landscape of college sports?
00:34:05
Speaker 6: I think it's just made it difficult on everybody. You take a player, she's down at her school, she's playing, and she's not getting to shoot enough. Well, all of a sudden, she's got somebody calling another school, and they're saying, yeah, we'll pay you $ 200, 000 or $ 300, 000. And then you don't like where you are, you just transfer. I don't see how they build a team. With my personality in college, especially as demanding as I was, I think you should be hard on you. I talked to so many of my friends They just don't like it. It's so hard on them because kids just get unhappy and all of a sudden they're transferred.
00:34:46
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:34:47
Speaker 6: Before we go, I want to give you these thoughts. Are we ready now for these thoughts?
00:34:51
Speaker 3: I'm ready.
00:34:52
Speaker 5: I'm ready. That's my drum roll. Number one. Number one.
00:34:57
Speaker 6: When she married the man, Chris, I'll go to a birthday party and he said, Coach, you got any advice for me? I said, yeah, sure do. I said, lock up all the credit cards. That woman is a shopping machine. A shopping machine.
00:35:11
Speaker 5: Lock them up. That's number one.
00:35:13
Speaker 3: See, you know what Gene Rizzotti said.
00:35:15
Speaker 2: Gene Rizzotti said the same thing, coach.
00:35:18
Speaker 6: Okay, number two, number two. I got a text about this show at 8 o'clock. 8.01 to be fat. I said to myself, this whooper ain't never been up at 8 o'clock. That's a producer texting me somehow on Cheryl's phone. She ain't never been up at 8 o'clock in the morning.
00:35:36
Speaker 3: It's not true. Not true.
00:35:38
Speaker 5: You're not a morning person, Cheryl. In my more seasoned years, I'm up early.
00:35:41
Speaker 2: Number three.
00:35:49
Speaker 5: This is her.
00:35:51
Speaker 6: Do not, young players, do not listen to anything Cheryl Swoopsy says about pregame, about taking care of your thing. Tell you what, here's her. Let's go to New York tonight. Let's carry a suitcase. I said an empty suitcase in addition to her stuff so she could shop. I don't want to know what time she come in Sunday night. I didn't have a curfew. Game's on Monday. Go to Madison Square Garden from 11 to 12 and shoot around. The Swoopers don't ride the bus, Beck. I didn't make them ride the bus. This is pro ball. The Swoopers went shopping. Shopped until about 4 o'clock, taking her about a 45-minute nap, had a Coke and a Snickers candy bar.
00:36:34
Speaker 5: That's her pregame. I just want you to know what her pregame was.
00:36:38
Speaker 6: Put a Snickers candy bar in a Coke and put 22 and 12 on New York.
00:36:43
Speaker 5: Now, let me tell you that. The woman could do all of that and play like you ain't never seen. I mean, yeah.
00:36:51
Speaker 2: I don't quite remember all of that being. Coach A-line.
00:36:55
Speaker 3: What?
00:36:55
Speaker 2: Coach A-line.
00:36:58
Speaker 5: Hold on now. This is the last one.
00:37:03
Speaker 6: In our fourth championship after we play in New York, We come back and we got a little problem, okay, on the team.
00:37:11
Speaker 5: And so I tell Kevin Cook, we're going.
00:37:13
Speaker 6: To wait just a little bit And all of a sudden, Cynthia comes out and kind of has a little, I said, we ain't got to worry about Cheryl because she ain't never gone and come out without being made up. She ain't never going to go out in public in gym stuff, okay? And there she is giving her my her little opinion of what's going on. I said, oh, my God, we do have a problem if Cheryl Swoops is coming out and she don't have her makeup on and dressed to kill.
00:37:38
Speaker 5: Oh!
00:37:40
Speaker 4: Ain't nothing changed either, Coach, because Cheryl will not step out that house if her hair ain't done.
00:37:46
Speaker 5: That's not true.
00:37:49
Speaker 3: That's not true. That is so changed.
00:37:53
Speaker 6: Ladies and gentlemen, I want you to know everything I just said is the absolute truth.
00:37:59
Speaker 2: It's about 85% true.
00:37:59
Speaker 3: It's about 85%. Hey, let me say this in real sincerity here, Keith.
00:38:09
Speaker 6: Cheryl has been awfully good to me. She's gone to places and bought me shirts back. And it was such a joy to coach a great player. And Van Chanster wouldn't have all the things happening to him if it wasn't for Cheryl Swoops. And I want everybody, they don't remember it, but let me tell you, Cheryl Swoops. In the college NCAA finals against Ohio State, Cheryl put 44 on them and had the greatest game that's ever been played in a college game. to single-handedly lead Texas Tech to a national championship.
00:38:43
Speaker 5: You know what, Coach?
00:38:44
Speaker 4: I appreciate you making some time to be with us today. I have loved Cheryl for many years as a fan, and then to get to know her as a friend and a sister and.
00:38:55
Speaker 2: Love her even more.
00:38:56
Speaker 4: So I completely understand when you say that there's just no one better and no one greater.
00:39:02
Speaker 5: He doesn't get off that easy.
00:39:05
Speaker 3: Coach, wait a minute. You don't get off that easy. Hold on one second.
00:39:08
Speaker 4: I ain't going to let you just sit here and say nothing crazy to Coach.
00:39:11
Speaker 5: Coach got a whole new bodyguard. Go ahead, Cheryl. Say it.
00:39:14
Speaker 1: I have a question for him, and then I have a statement for him. So here's my question. You get a vote for WNBA MVP this year. Who's your MVP this season?
00:39:28
Speaker 5: That's a tough, tough question. You know what?
00:39:32
Speaker 3: You can give me your top three.
00:39:35
Speaker 5: I like Asia Wilson from Vegas. I really do.
00:39:40
Speaker 6: I think they're the best team in the league right now. And I think the best team unless there's somebody else.
00:39:49
Speaker 5: Really, really well, I think. I just think she's a great player. Yeah.
00:39:56
Speaker 2: Yeah, she's the favorite.
00:39:57
Speaker 6: Okay, Cheryl, who do you two think?
00:40:02
Speaker 5: Name y'all's top three.
00:40:04
Speaker 3: No, no, no, no.
00:40:05
Speaker 1: Tia and I had this conversation. I'm there with you for a lot of reasons. I just think what Asia has continuously been able to do the entire season and.
00:40:18
Speaker 3: Just be honest.
00:40:19
Speaker 1: Lots of times she is carrying the team, right? When Jackie doesn't show up or Chelsea doesn't show up or whoever. Now, Melissa Smith is out like a lot. If, if Vegas is going to win a championship, Asia Wilson's going to have to be the MVP, Asia Wilson. So Asia is my favorite, but I will, I will say this. I love Kelsey Mitchell at Indiana. I love what Kelsey's doing. I think Kelsey is deserving of being in that conversation and, And then I'm also going to put Olivia Miles in that conversation as a rookie. I'm putting Olivia Miles in the conversation. But Asia is my favorite to win.
00:40:57
Speaker 5: Who's yours? Who's your number one? Same.
00:40:59
Speaker 4: Asia Wilson right now is the favorite for me to win it. I love Olivia Miles. I love Kelsey Mitchell. But I also love Paige Beckers in Dallas. I think she has played so well this season. And so she's in the conversation for me too.
00:41:15
Speaker 2: But Asia to me is leading. It's going to take a lot.
00:41:19
Speaker 4: It ain't but a week left in the season. It ain't much you're going to do in this week that's going to change my mind to think that Asia ain't going to win MVP.
00:41:27
Speaker 5: Well, I like Miles at Minnesota.
00:41:29
Speaker 6: I think she sells tickets. I don't think she's the MVP, but there is no rookie, and it's been a long, long time since anybody's done what that girl's doing.
00:41:40
Speaker 5: Agreed.
00:41:41
Speaker 3: Olivia Miles is amazing. I'm sorry.
00:41:43
Speaker 1: Coach, do you think, because you know people talk about.
00:41:49
Speaker 3: Getting greatness fatigue. Asia's won MVP four seasons, four years.
00:41:55
Speaker 1: Do you think the voters, the media would be like, listen, we're tired of seeing Asia Wilson win.
00:42:03
Speaker 3: We're going to just give it to somebody else.
00:42:05
Speaker 6: I think you see that, but it's wrong. I don't care how many times you want it. It's dead wrong. The best player ought to win it. I'm not going to vote for you because you already got two on your team.
00:42:19
Speaker 5: I never did that.
00:42:20
Speaker 6: Even when I was a high school coach, ladies, I voted the best five players all conference. The best 10 players, I didn't let who you played for, what you did, whether I liked your coach, whether I liked you. I didn't let anything of that nature bother me.
00:42:37
Speaker 5: I think the right players, Wilson, if you're the MVP, you're the MVP. Agreed. Agreed.
00:42:44
Speaker 6: What player, she does more for her team than any other player out there. Now, the kid at Minnesota does a lot for her team, but not as much as Wilson does for her team.
00:42:56
Speaker 5: Agreed.
00:42:56
Speaker 3: No, I totally agree.
00:42:58
Speaker 5: Agreed.
00:42:58
Speaker 2: If you deserve it, you deserve it.
00:43:00
Speaker 1: My statement is just right back at you. First of all, people, people ask me a lot, like who are some of the toughest coaches I played for the best coaches. You're, you're always in that conversation. And, and I think for me, the reason being is.
00:43:18
Speaker 3: Because you, you had a tough job.
00:43:20
Speaker 1: Like people will say, well, you had the talent. So of course you guys were going to win. And I always say, just because you have the best talent, if you don't know what to do with that talent, how to use that talent, how to put that talent in positions to be successful, you're not going to win. I thought you did the best job of, and T brought it up, of managing personalities, managing egos, managing good days, managing bad days. So for me to have an opportunity to play for you so many years in the W was truly an honor for me. And I am forever grateful for everything you taught me about not just being the best basketball player I could be, but being the best human I could be.
00:44:07
Speaker 3: And I love you, coach.
00:44:10
Speaker 5: I love you, too.
00:44:10
Speaker 6: And I'm going to tell you something. T, I'm going to show you why we won. I'm going to tell you why we won. Look on your screen right now. There's names on that screen. Look at who's at the top. Look at who's at the top. And let me tell you now, when you're a great player and you put a teammate on top to start the list, that's why.
00:44:30
Speaker 5: We won, boys and girls.
00:44:31
Speaker 6: Cheryl, thank you for all the kind words. Thank you all for having me on. I really appreciate it.
00:44:50
Speaker 4: I am so glad that Coach Chancellor made some time to kick it with us. I knew he was going to give me exactly what I needed.
00:44:57
Speaker 5: I knew it.
00:44:58
Speaker 4: I knew of what nobody else going to give me what I needed. It was going to be coached.
00:45:04
Speaker 2: It's going to be coached.
00:45:05
Speaker 4: So for those who need a recap, Cheryl got a spending money problem.
00:45:11
Speaker 2: She got a shopping problem.
00:45:12
Speaker 1: No, no, no.
00:45:13
Speaker 2: You ain't finna go outside looking crazy.
00:45:15
Speaker 3: That's when I played. That was when I played. You know, but you know, like God knew what he was doing. When he chose to.
00:45:27
Speaker 1: Give me life, you know what I mean? Because of the time I played in the WNBA. Because I couldn't imagine playing today with this new CBA.
00:45:39
Speaker 3: You thought I shopped then.
00:45:40
Speaker 2: Honey, honey. You'll be like, don't even ask where Cheryl is. You know where she is. You know you got location.
00:45:47
Speaker 5: Here's the thing.
00:45:48
Speaker 2: We don't even need your location, Cheryl.
00:45:50
Speaker 5: We know where you at.
00:45:50
Speaker 3: Here's the thing.
00:45:51
Speaker 5: I was a.
00:45:52
Speaker 1: Professional, professional baller and professional shopper. I never have to worry about if I was going to show up on time and do my job.
00:46:01
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
00:46:02
Speaker 4: And then we also know that you were assisted in showing up and doing your job with Coke and Snickers.
00:46:07
Speaker 5: So there you go.
00:46:08
Speaker 2: I mean, Coca-Cola, guys, not the other Coke.
00:46:10
Speaker 3: Thank you for clarifying that. Thank you for clarifying that.
00:46:15
Speaker 4: I don't need nobody. I don't need nobody mistaking what type of coke I'm talking about. I'm talking about the beverage.
00:46:20
Speaker 3: Yes, yes, yes, yes. Had I known now, I mean, had I known then what I know now.
00:46:27
Speaker 2: Yes, that would have been salad and water. Anyway.
00:46:32
Speaker 3: Not even salad because you can't eat the lettuce.
00:46:36
Speaker 4: If we leave it up to you know who, we ain't going to be able to eat shit anyway. Anyway, that's another conversation for another day.
00:46:43
Speaker 3: It's a great conversation, though. Great conversation. It will be.
00:46:46
Speaker 2: It's a great conversation.
00:46:47
Speaker 4: We should definitely talk about food, health, FDA, the foolishness.
00:46:54
Speaker 2: All of that.
00:46:55
Speaker 4: But before we get to that conversation on a different show, we have got to have you level us.
00:47:00
Speaker 2: Out with some words of wisdom.
00:47:05
Speaker 4: Positive affirmations or just something that we need to motivate us through the week.
00:47:09
Speaker 2: So what you got for us today, Cheryl?
00:47:12
Speaker 1: Remember, you don't always need to rebuild the bridge. Some people belong on the other side.
00:47:19
Speaker 2: And just.
00:47:26
Speaker 1: So y'all know, for those who are wondering, every time I read a positive affirmation or a quote or a word or a saying, I always try to find something that I can relate to.
00:47:40
Speaker 3: And this one, this one hit home for me. Yeah. Yeah.
00:47:44
Speaker 2: Cause you know, we do that.
00:47:46
Speaker 3: We do that.
00:47:47
Speaker 5: Yeah. We do that.
00:47:49
Speaker 4: We be trying to fix shit that honestly, sometimes don't even need to be fixed.
00:47:52
Speaker 2: Just leave it where it is. Yeah.
00:47:56
Speaker 1: Yep.
00:47:57
Speaker 4: And so with that being said, with that, we are going to go ahead and, uh, find ourselves on the other side of our bridge, which is the end of the show. So guys, we thank you guys so much for just continuing to rock with us and tune in every week to the new episodes that we are trying to bring, trying to bring something different, have a little bit more fun. And we want to hear from you on how we're doing. So please reach out to us. You can find us on Instagram at LTT pod. You can also hit us up on Gmail at levels to this podcast at gmail.com.
00:48:36
Speaker 2: And we want to know what you think.
00:48:37
Speaker 4: So please leave us a review in Apple Podcasts to let us know what you thought about this week's show. Remember, this is not just our show.
00:48:45
Speaker 2: It's our show. So your feedback is important to us.
00:48:49
Speaker 4: But until next time, guys, keep your mentals ground level and we'll be.
00:48:53
Speaker 3: Back next week.
00:48:55
Speaker 5: Peace.
00:48:58
Speaker 1: Listen to Levels to This on America's number one podcast network, iHeart. Open your free iHeart app and search Levels to This with Sheryl Swoops and Tarika Foster-Brasby and start listening.
