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This is… THE SWEET SPOT, a show about the week’s biggest sports stories in Arizona.

I’m Harris Hicks.

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The Hurley Royal Basketball Family/Sam Eddy

HOST INTRO: The Hurley family has been the talk of the college basketball world lately with Bobby getting a contract extension at ASU and Dan winning the national championship at UConn. Throughout March Madness the two brothers and their father Bob reflected on their lifelong journey with basketball. Sam Eddy has more.

VOICE TRACK: Bobby and Dan Hurley grew up in Jersey City with a dad named Bob who went on to become a Hall of Fame high school basketball coach. The two sons were raised around the game and developed a competitive spirit at such a young age. Here’s their dad, Bob Hurley.

<<Bob Hurley: Well, there’s always close to 18 months, but they shared a shared bedroom and were practice partners, Wiffle ball partners. Go-kart competition … something was always the rivalry because they’re 18 months apart.>>

VOICE TRACK: The combination of the Hurley boys being close in age and growing up in the New York metropolitan area helped them form an attitude that is a big part of who they are today.

<< Bob Hurley: Well, they’re city guys… you go to playgrounds and you go to the recreation gyms and you’re always playing against older guys. In order to get respect, you have to be able to function, in the games, with older guys, and have poise and be tough, it’s been a lifelong, a lifelong ambition to be good at this. >>

VOICE TRACK: The Hurley brothers are known for their fiery coaching styles and antics on the sidelines. Bobby and Dan share a similar approach to the game and throughout the season, the two brothers and their father often talk to one another about ASU and UConn. During Bobby’s contract extension press conference last week, he explained how his family’s relationship is to this day.

<<Bobby Hurley: My dad and I talk frequently about the team, he watches very close. You know, I send him practices, he watches the team, and then he’ll, you know, give me his, you know, some some guidance on what he sees and stuff … my brother and I are way more. We’ve been sounding boards for each other like forever since we’ve been doing this. Like we talk to each other every day of every game, like, and, we both understand the stress, the pressure, how you feel before the game.>>

VOICE TRACK: Prior to UConn winning the national championship this past Monday, Bobby had a great appreciation for the run his brother’s team was going on.

<<Bobby Hurley: It’s been special for me to be able to, you know, track my brother and spend time with him and watch what he’s doing. It’s been inspiring for me to see, you know, what he’s done with that team and how far he’s taken it. And it’s been, you know, super so proud of him and I’ve enjoyed just seeing that again. It makes me hungrier as a coach to want to, you know, take more steps here and try and do some special.>>

VOICE TRACK: Up until Dan’s championship, he had been overlooked as a family member when it comes to basketball. Bobby won two national championships as a player at Duke and their dad Bob is a Hall of Fame inductee. Finally, Dan reached the pinnacle of college basketball and afterward, he expressed what it meant for himself and his family.

<<Dan Hurley: Obviously for me, you know I’ve had my own path, my own journey. I think a lot of people — I’ve probably done it to myself by being such an intense, fiery coach, that people have always focused more on the sideline kind of antics than they have my total body of work over the course of my career. There’s not many coaches whose teams were as successful as my teams were at Saint Benedict’s, Wagner and Rhode Island. Not many coaches in the country have won 25 games or more in three different programs and now have a national championship. So obviously there’s a certain level of validation that’s going to come from this. But I just feel like my career in coaching, even prior to this, I think most coaches — maybe I don’t do a great job kissing the media’s ass and presenting this image that’s incredibly likable, but I am who I am. I’m from Jersey City, and this is how people from Jersey City act.>>

VOICE TRACK: The Hurley family from Jersey City has become basketball royalty for their rich history of success that just keeps on growing. A national championship under Dan’s belt and a contract extension for Bobby has the Hurleys continuing to add to their family’s legacy. I’m Sam Eddy, Cronkite Sports.

ASU Football’s Javen Jacobs Versatility/Harris Hicks

HOST INTRO: Sophomore on ASU’s football team Javen Jacobs spent the 2022 season as just a wide receiver for the Sun Devils. However in 2023, Jacobs began a new role for the Sun Devils, playing both running back and wide receiver.

HARRIS HICKS: As the game of football evolves, we’re seeing more and more players who can excel at playing multiple positions on the field. We’ve seen it in the NFL with guys like Taysom Hill and Cordarrelle Patterson, and folks, it’s possible Kenny Dillingham found his Taysom Hill. Sophomore, Javen Jacobs has been getting reps at both wide receiver and running back in the spring, and let’s just say the former 1,000 yard rusher in high school is not shying away from the task.

<< Jacobs: Wherever they need me to play, I’m, I’m willing to do it. I’m excited for it. So, I mean, it’s, it’s, it’s, it’s nothing for me. I’m used to being versatile and playing both receiver and running back. That’s what I did in high school. So, I mean, it’s very natural. >>

HICKS: It’s no secret that Jacobs’s versatility has not gone unnoticed by the coaching staff at Arizona State. One of the coaches who has taken notice is Sun Devils’ wide receiver coach, Ryan Jenkins.

<< Ryan Jenkins: Javen is a very versatile athlete. Uh, when he was at Saguaro, they used him all over the field at receiver, running back, returner, and he’s one of those rare guys that has an ability to, to play multiple positions. And so he’s had a great spring so far, and I’m excited to see him get loose at running back.”

HICKS: It’s still early in the spring season, so not much is set in stone for ASU football. However, one thing is certain: Javen Jacobs is going to be a major player for the Sun Devils this fall. Reporting, for Cronkite News, this is Harris Hicks.

MLB TV Blackouts/Jeff Hinkle

HOST INTRO: If you’ve tried to tune into your hometown team on MLB.tv, and ran into trouble finding the game, you’re not alone. Cronkite Sports’ Jeff Hinkle highlights the trouble of the blackouts.

VOICE TRACK: For many baseball fans around the valley, the easiest way to watch a baseball game is sitting at home, on the couch and relaxing. Unfortunately for some, they can’t watch the Diamondbacks due to MLB.tv regional blackout restrictions. This problem isn’t only regionalized to the state of Arizona, but all throughout the country. For example, in the state of Iowa, according to the most recent data from 2019, residents can’t watch the Brewers, Twins, Royals, cardinals, White Sox or Cubs games. That’s one fifth of all MLB teams that residents in the state of Iowa can’t watch.

VOICE TRACK: With MLB looking for ways to grow the game like implementing rules in order to shorten the game time, Jack Williams has an idea of a very easy way to help grow the game.

<< Jack Williams: As a sport, we want to be bringing people in, not pushing people away. And getting rid of the blackout is just a great way to get people in. >>

VOICE TRACK: Jack lives four hours away from his favorite team, the New York Mets, but still can’t watch them on MLB.tv.

<< Williams: I live like four and a half hours from Citi Field, and I can’t watch the Mets on anything but local… I feel like blackout policies are just outdated. >>

VOICE TRACK: Talks have ensued to try and eliminate blackouts, and strides have been made at the minor league level to provide minor league games blackout free. So hope may be on the horizon for many baseball fans, not only in Arizona, but around the country.

From Cronkite Sports, I’m Jeff Hinkle.

Logan Webb’ Sacramento Kings Fandom/Kaitlyn Parohinog

HOST INTRO: The Sacramento Kings ended their long playoff drought last week, clinching a spot in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. San Francisco Giants starting pitcher and Rocklin native Logan Webb is one of the team’s biggest supporters, watching every game he can. Cronkite Sports reporter Kaitlyn Parohinog spoke to Webb earlier this spring about his love for his hometown Kings.

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VOICE TRACK: Logan Webb’s support for the Sacramento Kings can be traced back to the early 2000s, when Jason Williams led Sacramento to a winning season for the first time in nearly 20 years.

<<Webb: I think Jason Williams was the one who got me to like, really love the Kings, because he was so much fun to watch. >>

VOICE TRACK: Webb’s favorite teams growing up also included the Oakland A’s and the Oakland Raiders. With all three teams experiencing unsuccessful runs, Webb has had his fair share of losing seasons.

<< Webb: My teams growing up, I picked the Raiders and the Kings, so I went through a lot of losing seasons. >>

VOICE TRACK: Even through the tough years, Webb remained loyal to the Kings, which is common among sports fans – many stay notoriously devoted to their teams for life. What’s not common is the Kings’ 16-year playoff drought, the longest in North American pro sports – up until this season, of course. Webb would still watch the games from start to finish expressing his support on social media. Their last playoff appearance came in 2006, when Webb was only 9 years old.

<< Webb: There were some years where we’d lose by 30, 40 a night, but I would just, I would always watch them. I don’t know why, I just love watching them, I love the Kings. >>

VOICE TRACK: However, with the Raiders making the playoffs in 2022 and the Kings clinching their spot in the playoffs for the first time since the ’05-06 season, Webb is hopeful about his team’s future.

<< Webb: The Raiders made the playoffs last year and I think the Kings got a good chance to do it this year, so I’m excited. It’s a good time to be a fan of those teams, you know. >>

VOICE TRACK: Time will tell how far the Kings will go in the playoffs, but for now Webb is excited to see playoff basketball back in Sacramento.

Kaitlyn Parohinog, Cronkite News.

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HOST: That’s all for this week. The Sweet Spot is produced by Cronkite News Phoenix Sports Bureau. Thank you to March Madness and Hayden Cilley for providing additional audio. I’m your host, Harris Hicks. Make sure to find and subscribe to The Sweet Spot anywhere you listen to podcasts.

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