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HOST INTRO: This is the Sweet Spot where we take a closer look at the week’s biggest sports stories in Arizona. I’m Brandon Tran, and welcome back to the show, for our third episode of the season!
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HOST: On today’s show, we will hear from the Arizona Cardinals press conference, the NCAA Final Four Fan Jam, what the future University of Arizona football looks like with their recent transfers and a Saguaro baseball player reclassifying to make him eligible to go college or the MLB Draft in 2024.
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Cardinal sins: Team still looking for first win in Gannon era, with schedule getting tougher
HOST: The Arizona Cardinals suffered a crushing loss to the New York Giants this past Sunday by a score of 31-28. The game was a tale of two halves as the Cardinals led 20-0 at halftime, but would end up blowing a second half lead of 28-7 that stunned all of State Farm Stadium. Cronkite Sports’ Austin Hepola was at the Cardinals facility in Tempe.
HEPOLA: In their home opener of the 2023 NFL season, the Arizona Cardinals started the game firing on all cylinders. Compared to their Week 1 performance against the Washington Commanders, the offense looked a lot more comfortable behind a nice balance of a powerful run game with James Conner and a methodical passing attack from Joshua Dobbs… Arizona built a solid lead of 20-0 going into halftime, against a struggling Giants team that was shut out 40-0 against the Dallas Cowboys in their Week 1 matchup. All signs were pointing to the Cardinals first win in the Jonathan Gannon era, but the Giants came out of the locker room with a different attitude. They scored on all of their second half possessions to come back and win the game.
<< JONATHAN GANNON: You know kind of what I said, tale of two halves and we got to coach and play better. You know in the second half we had a lead, and we lost the lead and didn’t do enough to win the game. >>
HEPOLA: That’s Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon, who says he doesn’t buy into momentum, but rather execution on the field.
<< GANNON: All three phases goes into that and complimentary football goes into that. And our guys know what we gotta get done and improve that quickly if we think we’re going to close out leads and get some wins here. >>
HEPOLA: Blowing a 21-point lead is something that you never want to see. That being said, Gannon said the Cardinals showed improvement from their week 1 loss and continue to stay competitive, despite their 0-2 record. Outside linebacker Victor (Dee-Moo-KAY-Gee) says the players know what they need to improve on.
<< VICTOR DIMUKEJE: “We just have to find ways to finish the games off. You know, we know we could do it. You know, you’ve seen it. We’re up like, most of the game, most of the time. So we know we could do it. We just have to, you know, put it all together, try to find a way to get it done and just play all four quarters.>>
HEPOLA: The Cardinals will need to move on from this loss quickly, as their schedule only gets tougher from here. Their next three opponents were all playoff teams last season- the Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals. Over the next couple of weeks, the Cardinals will find out if they can remain competitive against some of the league’s best. From Cronkite Sports in Tempe, Austin Hepola reporting.
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Party like it’s 2024: Fan Jam Experience kicks off well ahead of NCAA Final Four in Glendale
HOST: The NCAA Men’s Final Four is set to be played in Glendale next April. But for now, the Fan Jam Experience will be touring across the Phoenix area, to hype up the fans before the big dance arrives at the State Farm Stadium. With Tempe as the first site for the Fan Jam, Benjamin Yates has more from Desert Financial Arena.
[ nat of JAY PERRY, CEO, Phoenix Final Four Local Organizing Committee: “Thank you for being with us today for our exciting unveil of the 2024 Men’s Final Four Fan Jam.” (applause) ]
YATES: The Men’s Final Four is here, well not quite yet. But this Final Four Fan Jam, is the first of several that will be seen across the Valley to get the local fans excited for what’s to come in April, when the grand finale of March Madness comes to Glendale. In attendance, was Dan Gavitt, the NCAA Senior Vice President of Basketball. Who shared the plans of this event, how they’re promoting the tournament, and what’s to come for the Valley.
<< DAN GAVITT: “We love how jam gives local communities a taste of all the different opportunities that they will have to get involved in the Men’s Final Four. And Arizona has a stellar reputation for hosting major events. There’s a reason we selected Phoenix to host two Final Fours in just eight years time.”>>
YATES: Arizona State is the official host school of the Final Four, and luckily for ASU, they already have a Final Four legend in their acquaintance. Bobby Hurley is a two-time champion and the NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player in 1992. Today, he’s the coach of the Sun Devils’ men’s basketball team.
<< BOBBY HURLEY: “I think it’s the greatest event in the world. It’s certainly brought some fantastic moments to me personally. As early as last year, watching my brother and the UConn Huskies win a national title, and how special that was to my family.” >>
YATES: The last time the Men’s Final Four was hosted in the Phoenix metro area, was 2017. The championship matchup was North Carolina and Gonzaga. The Tar Heels would come out on top in one of the most-viewed championships in the last 20 years. And with top end talent coming into the college setting this year, it could be anyone hoisting the trophy. As the Final Four will usher in the winning team’s one shining moment. For The Sweet Spot, I’m Benjamin Yates.
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Arizona Wildcats’ early, aggressive use of transfer portal is paying off
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HOST: Arizona Football has been trending up for the past few years, and a big reason for that improvement has been the transfers they’ve been bringing in. With big-time transfers on both sides of the ball in their most recent game against UTEP, the future appears to be bright for the Wildcats. Alex Chenevey has more from Tucson.
CHENEVEY: Ever since Arizona hired Jedd Fisch as their new head football coach before the 2021 season, the Wildcats started attacking the transfer portal, bringing in 15 transfers in Fisch’s first year and 17 in the next two years. The new NCAA regulations announced in 2021 now allow athletes who intend to transfer to be able to immediately start playing for their new school without having to sit out the year after they transfer. Arizona football has taken advantage of the new regulations and have improved their program as a result. Coach Fisch says that the transfers coming in have helped foster a culture within the team that is helping everybody out, including new recruits coming in who are learning from the transfers. He points to wide receiver Montana Lemonious Craig as an example.
<< JEDD FISCH: Yeah, it’s only been two years for a couple of them and one year for some. Montana has entered this building with great energy, great spirit, great confidence and has been a great leader in that room and then T-Mac has worked off of that, Malachi is learning from him, Kevin Green is learning from Jacob, so now you have the high school recruits and the transfers altogether, it’s fun to see what these guys can do.”>>
CHENEVEY: In Arizona’s most recent game against UTEP last Saturday, the Wildcat transfers performed when it mattered most. Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura, a transfer from Washington State in 2022, threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns. Lemonious-Craig, a transfer from Colorado this offseason, scored his first touchdown of the season in the fourth quarter. Wide receiver Jacob Cowing, who came to Arizona from UTEP in the 2022 offseason, scored a touchdown against his former team. The great performances led the Wildcats to a 31-10 victory over the Miners. For Cowing, despite playing against some of his former coaches and teammates, he treated it like it was just a normal game.
<< JACOB COWING: “You know, it’s just another game for me, and I know that was the first team I was with, but I just look at it as another football game.”>>
CHENEVEY: Arizona’s schedule does get tougher, as after they face Stanford on the road this weekend, they will have to play six ranked teams in six weeks. But with the experience that the transfers bring into the Wildcat program, they’ll have as good of a shot as anybody to pull off potential upsets. For Cronkite News reporting, I’m Alex Chenevey.
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Saguaro baseball star Caminiti gets a jump on college/pro decision by fast-tracking graduation
HOST: After finishing his sophomore year at Saguaro, the LSU commit Cam Caminiti (Cam-min-et-tee ) made a surprising decision which shocked all of us. He reclassified to graduate high school a year early making him a senior this year. I spoke with Caminiti (Cam-min-et-tee ) in Scottsdale about his decision.
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TRAN: The baseball diamond is Cam Caminiti’s home. He faces a difficult decision about where his home will be next year – college or professional baseball
<< CAM CAMINITI: “It was mostly discussion with my parents and my agent Jack Freeman. I just have to look at my overall goal, my long-term goals and this was the best route to get to my long-term goals.”
TRAN: The decision also made it tough for the parents knowing Cam is passing up his last year in high school. The choice is going to college or the M-L-B draft a year early. Cam’s father, Dominic Caminiti, believes his son is ready for the challenge if he wants to take it to the next step.
<< DOMINIC CAMINITI: “I think it’s something in the back of our mind that Cam had been preparing for and you know after seeing his performance last year. We felt like he was ready to make this jump.”
TRAN: The advantage of Cam making this jump is that he will be heading to the 2024 Draft in July before his 18th birthday.
<< CAM CAMINITI: “I don’t think anybody want to skip a year of high school and the advantages are that I’m gonna be 17 when the draft come and that’s an advantage because I’ll be younger than any other player in the draft and I can step foot on to LSU right when I’m turn 18.”
TRAN: With high school baseball season not starting until the spring of 2024. Caminiti will enter his final year at Saguaro looking to take the next steps to help him reach his goal, whether it’s going to college at LSU or the draft. For Cronkite Sports in Scottsdale, I’m Brandon Tran reporting.
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HOST: And that was the Sweet Spot. This show was produced by Austin Hepola. Special thanks to Austin, Alex, and Ben for their contributions for this week’s show. I’m your host Brandon Tran. Until next time! Thanks for stopping by the Sweet Spot!
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