RIP Larry King, GCU On a Roll, Cats Add a QB

Arizona Sports News online

I was sitting at a table at Dodger Stadium in 2013 when Larry King sat down across from me. We were both working on interviews around the baseball movie 42. We were both waiting for our turns to interview Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford.

We had small a talk about the movie and the subjects, then a brief discussion about Phoenix sports before Mr. King’s time to interview the stars. He was the first guest on my KTAR Radio show in December 1993. Sad to hear the news Saturday morning that he passed away…

Grand Canyon University has become the inside favorite to represent our great state in March Madness. Who would’ve thought? GCU won again on Saturday night to improve to 4-0 in the WAC. The ‘Lopes meet New Mexico State next Friday and Saturday on campus.

The Aggies have only managed to play three games this season because of COVID-19. As usual, it will come down to the ‘Lopes beating New Mexico State in the conference tournament, assuming the postseason calendar goes on as planned. I’ll have head coach Bryce Drew on my show this coming week…

The college football assistant coaching business is brutal. Kevin Mawae comes to Arizona State as a celebrated catch for Herm Edwards. He gets his gold jacket for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and the next day proudly shows it off at Camp Tontozona.

When offensive line coach Dave Christensen left the staff at the end of the 2020 season, you’d think Mawae would simply be promoted from his role as an analyst. Nope, passed over…

Early Saturday morning I heard that the Arizona Wildcat football coaching staff was considering going after Washington State quarterback Gunner Cruz, who had put his name in the transfer portal.

I spoke by text with both Cruz and his father mid-morning on Saturday, and by that afternoon Cruz was transferring to Tucson. In the free agent game, you have to move quickly. That is what college football has become for quarterbacks…

Sounding more and more like Hamilton quarterback Nicco Marchiol is not going to end up at Arizona State. The Sun Devils are looking out west for Jayden Daniels replacement, while Marchiol was in Florida this weekend visiting the Seminoles and the Gators. My money is on Dan Mullen in Gainesville to win the recruiting battle…

Thumbs up on Tom Hanks’ latest project, “News of the World”. Saw it Friday night…

Just keeping an eye on things. Danny White, the athletic director who hired Bobby Hurley at Buffalo, became the new AD at Tennessee this week. White is the son of former Arizona State Athletic Director, Kevin White. I don’t think Bobby is in any sort of jeopardy, but I won’t be surprised the day he decides to take a better job…

Chris Paul makes watching the Suns fun again. He’s always two and three steps ahead of the competition.