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>> female announcer: This is a
production of WKNO, Memphis.
Production funding for "Sports
Files" is made possible in part
by..
>> Gaston: Today on Sports Files
we'll talk high school
basketball and recruiting with
Coach Wes Henning of Ridgeway
and White Station's Jesus
Patino.
>> (instrumental music)
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
>> Gaston: This has been a huge
week for basketball in the
city of Memphis at all levels.
Later in the show we'll take you
to FedExForum and relive some
of the moments from Monday's
Grizzlies presser, which
introduced new majority owner
Robert Pera and CEO Jason Levien
to the community.
Also this week, The Memphis
Tigers hit the hardwood for
their only dress rehearsal
of the preseason as they met
Christian Brothers University.
The Tigers will tipoff the
regular season Monday
night when they host North
Florida.
And speaking of Memphis, the
Tigers scored one of the
area's top High School recruits
when five star prospect
prospect Austin Nichols from
Briarcrest verbally committed
to the U of M.
And while nothing is legally
binding, the news of Nichols
saying yes to Memphis had the
city a buzz.
Two Memphis high school coaches
who know all about the world
of recruiting and about winning
basketball games is Ridgeway
High's Wes Henning and
White Station's Jesus Patino.
The duo are two of the most
successful prep coaches in the
state of Tennessee and have had
numerous players go on to play
college ball throughout the
country including at
The University of Memphis.
Do the names: Tarik Black, Joe
Jackson and
Ferrakhon Hall ring a bell?
We're talking prep hoops and the
highly demanding world of
recruiting next on
"Sports Files."
>> (instrumental music)
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Gaston: Jesus, Wes--Thank you so
much for being with us.
We appreciate it.
>> Henning: Thank you.
>> Patino: Thank you.
>> Gaston: Wanted to ask you
right off the bat how involved
are you in helping with the
recruitment of your players.
Jesus, let me start with you.
>> Patino: Well, I'm trying to
get hands-on.
I like to be a hands-on kind of
guy because I really, with the
way things are today
with some many people--
so many handlers and so
many rules about the NCAA,
it's easy for a kid to
get swayed to make a mistake
and ,you know, have a
violation and not
be able to be recruited in
Division I.
So I'm pretty hands-on-make sure
that the parents understand.
I always have a meeting with my
parents and say with my advisor,
"You want me to help them
make decisions?"
Or "What am I doing?"
As long as you stand out of the
recruiting process.
So, you know, once I understand
it with the parents
and the kids but I've been
fortunate that a lot of my
parents and my kids want me
involved in their recruiting.
>> Gaston: Wes, similar with
you?
>> Henning: Similar-Pretty much,
I sort of play to
try to play the advocate, try to
keep the guys that's
in it for other reasons than the
student athlete - trying
to keep them away from the
process more or less.
And then giving the kid-letting
them know all the
rules and stuff he needs to know
and trying to
make sure that he makes the
decision he wants to
make instead of the
decision someone else
wants them to make.
>> Gaston: And you mentioned the
rules.
The rules have changed over the
years.
Recruitment in general has
changed over the years.
Now you have AAU coaches
involved, handlers, if you will.
And parents are really involved
and they should be involved with
their kid's decision.
But how have you seen
recruitment change over
the years?
>> Patino: I think recruitment
is going to be an
evolution.
First, the school used to
recruit themselves.
Now we got the AAU being blown
up out of
proportion.
Now you've got an AAU and
handlers together
handling the kids with all the
shoe companies
involved and all this
sponsorships.
And now, you know, the high
school coaches kind
of-If you're not hands-on, it's
pretty easy for your kid to be
influenced by any outside
influence.
And we will never know what
happens because,
also technology came in to the
picture with the new
rule now that coaches can text
unlimited to players
at any time and phone calls.
The new rule passed with the
NCAA now where
they
can call any time, as many times
as they want now.
So you really have to be
involved because
evolution is tremendous.
A kid can easily be swayed to do
something and
make a mistake, take money, take
whatever
contract and some are paying for
it right now.
Look at Indiana University-a
couple kids paying
for that.
>> Gaston: Wes, you've been
around the game a
long, long time.
Has it changed?
I would imagine that your
players have always
confided in you but now that
they have other
people that are in their lives
including AAU coaches
are they confiding in you less?
>> Henning: They still confide
in you but what the
college coaches are doing is
they're actually trying
to get to the kid and try to
find out what person has
the most influence on them-not
the person that
has the best interest for him
but the person that
has the most influence.
And that could be an uncle that
gives him money to
go to school
everyday in his pockets or it
could be a cousin,.
It could be a friend.
It could be an AAU coach or a
handler.
And they trying to find that
person.
That person is who college
coaches come in
looking for.
They don't come in looking for
the person who has
the kid's best interest at hand.
>> Gaston: What would you
change?
Go ahead, Jesus.
>> Patino: Well, adding to that,
one of the things
that's really scared that's
started I've noticed in the
last coup
le of years is this guys are
like FBI profiles.
You know, this coach, coaches
and I with the
technology and the Facebook and
everything-
They come in and said things
that I've noticed to
my kids sometimes.
And I kind of pay attention to
what they're saying
because they're talking about
they know when they're birthday
is.
They know who they're dating.
They come with is-"Hey, we know
everything about you."
And that's kind of dangerous
when a guy knows everything
about you and you don't know
anything about them.
And they come with these kids
and these kids get swayed.
"Gosh, you know, they really
like me."
He goes, "How do they know so
much about me?"
Well, you know, you're on the
internet.
They do their profile like Wes
was saying and they actually-
Then, they're finding out.
That's one of the phone calls I
get.
They go, "Patino, who is the one
that's going to make the
decision?"
We want to know who that is.
>> Henning: And that's the
person they want to talk to.
It's not him.
Who's going to make that
decision?
It's not us.
>> Gaston: What would you
change, Wes, in recruiting if
there's something you could
change?
>> Henning: For AAU, I would
make AAU like a starter.
I would make it amateur.
And I would ask like when kids
go to 11th-juniors and seniors
in high school, they couldn't
play AAU.
If I could change anything about
the college coaches, I would
only allow them to come to one
AAU even a year in the summer
and that's it.
I've been in the state
tournament before and AAU
coaches start calling my kids
while I'm in the state
tournament.
And I thought that was just
disrespectful to what we were
trying to do in the high school.
And so if the NCAA says college
coaches can only go to one AAU
function, I think all of a
sudden AAU begins to twiddle
down and the kids get their mind
focused back on the school work
and high school, being a student
athlete instead of being a
basketball player-which is the
only thing AAU teaches them to
be is a basketball player.
>> Gaston: Right, right.
Jesus, when you're contacted by
head coaches or assistant
coaches who recruit your area,
recruit your school, maybe the
particular player-How does that
work?
I mean, are they genuinely
sincere and follow your
guidelines?
And you say, "Listen, the young
man has made up his mind."
Do they still want to come and
see the kid and try to persuade
him differently?
>> Patino: Well, you know, all
depend on who you're dealing
with.
You know, there are coaches that
do that.
There are coaches are there
still because it's such a big
business.
And they're all desperate for
that kid-that kid that is what I
call the contract extension.
So some coaches go to the
extreme that even when you say
it now, they're going to go to a
certain place that's where we
are.
Then like Wes said, they'll go
behind doors and find that
person and still work them
behind doors trying to persuade
a kid to go in a different
direction.
But with me and Wes, I think
it's going to have to do equally
for the college coaches when
you're established.
When you know they know what
kind of person they are.
They know your standards.
We get more respect for that.
You know, college coaches call
me to come in my gym.
They just don't show up.
Assistant coaches have to go
through the head coaches to call
me and ask permission to come in
my gym.
No body's allowed to come in my
gym without talking to me.
You can be John Calipari.
If I don't know who you are and
you show up in my gym, it's more
likely I'll ask you to leave and
you're going to have to leave.
So the word gets out.
So very few coaches-and I know
it is in the community.
I know where they can go
whenever they want to.
And I know the places that they
better call because you're not
welcome here unless we know
you're coming.
>> Gaston: I know you told me a
story earlier about Joe Jackson
where Joe said, "Listen, I want
to go to Memphis, Coach."
And he was getting a little
upset because coaches were still
wanting to talk to him.
And you had to call these
coaches, big name coaches, and
say it's over.
>> Patino: Yeah, it was the last
day of recruiting.
That was the last time they can
come and talk to him.
He walks them off.
And he goes, "Coach, everybody's
texting me.
"They're calling me.
"I got Duke calling.
"I got Tennessee calling.
"I got Kansas coming and I had
Ohio State coming.
"And they're all calling.
"They're coming.
"They want to talk to me.
"I don't want to talk to them,
Coach.
"I want to go to Memphis."
I said, "You'll have to make up
your mind, son.
"You either tell them right now
you're going to Memphis.
If you're telling me that,
that's what you really want to
do."
He said yes.
So I was calling and I called,
at the time, Bruce Pearl and
said," Guys, you better hold the
planes.
"The kids going to Memphis.
"Don't come."
And that's how Joe ended up
going to Memphis.
>> Henning: And I had a similar
thing with Tarik Black, as well.
But Tarik just didn't answer the
phone anymore.
He actually put a voicemail that
says, "Call Coach Henning."
And his mom-They directed all
their calls to me.
They'd call-"Well, what can we
do to change his mind?"
It's like, he's not changing his
mind.
>> Gaston: Some of these young
men like the process of
recruiting.
Some don't.
You kind of feel bad for them
sometimes when you have these
grown men, crawling walls to try
to get to these guys and contact
them whether it be through text,
or through phone calls, or
through other parties.
It's -
>> Patino: it's a scary thing.
>> Gaston: It is.
And you don't have-You know it's
just funny because if you had a
high profile player today.
Wes and I have been fortunate to
have a lot of them.
So the great thing is by their
junior years, we ask-I don't
know if Wes does but, I ask my
guys.
We change phone numbers and now
that phone number goes to no
body.
That phone number gets changed
and the ones that has the phone
number is myself, the parents,
and the kid, and whoever their
really genuinely interested in
on the recruiting.
We don't give the phone number
to anybody else.
>> Gaston: Let me ask you guys
this.
It's a sensitive subject,
sensitive question.
And a lot of this now-a-days is
going through AAU.
And there are some terrific AAU
coaches but there are also some
shady AAU coaches.
I would say the same thing
probably with head high school
basketball coaches.
What have you seen in all your
years?
Have you dealt with boosters?
Have boosters come up to you,
Wes, and have said, "Listen,
we'll get you a job.
"We'll get you money.
"You steer this kid towards our
school."
Has that happened to you?
>> Henning: It has, it has.
But they usually divert it to
the kid's parents and stuff
because I told people that I'm
working.
What I'm in for is not for me.
It's for the kid.
And I want the kid to get
everything that he wants and I
want him to get it the right
way.
And actually, they've - When I
had Tarik Black, his mom, which
is real big on being right about
stuff like that, actually got
rid of some schools because of
it.
And she said, "No, I don't want
to talk to you anymore."
And that was-I thought that was
very admirable.
A lot of integrity for her to do
that.
And so, you know, yes-People,
when they're desperate, and, you
know, you got coaches.
They job be on the line for this
next year.
They're on the hot seat.
They do whatever they can get
done to get a kid.
And yes, there have been things.
But it's like, "No, that's not
what I'm in it for."
And I said when I got in it I
really have a passion-a real
passion for the game and for
itself.
And so I'm gonna make sure that
I'm doing the right thing with
the kid.
>> Gaston: And Jesus, I know
you're in the same boat here
with Wes.
>> Patino: The thing about me is
that basketball college,
especially with a high level
college basketball Division I
high measures-There are two type
of recruiting.
There's recruiting-what is the
legal recruiting that it goes by
where you talk to the coach and
do that thing.
And they call it the business
part of the recruiting.
So the reason why I never have
talked to any alumni-And that's
one of the great plus about
Memphis University because we're
both here in Memphis.
And we have some high profile
players in Memphis.
We're never going to get
approached by anybody from the
Memphis community that's alumni
in the community that speaks
real highly on Memphis to tell
us, "Hey, we need y'all to
come."
"You know, what can we do for
you to get Joe to come to
Memphis."
So I was really, really please
with that.
You know, we got a lot of
integrity in Memphis on that and
Memphis University.
But the reason I don't do it is
because they don't talk to me
because it's already said up
front.
I don't deal with that.
Anything that had to do with
that has to be reverted to their
families.
And when I do with my families,
I advise them-If you talk, in
any kind if any body talks to
ya, you better have it closed
when it's just you and whoever
because if it gets out, your son
jeopardizes his chance to play.
Not only that, someone will hold
you accountable for to say,
"Hey, I know about you.
"What about me?"
So, you know, everybody wants a
piece of the pie.
That's the biggest problem we're
having today.
The biggest problem is that
there's no families wanting to
do the business.
Everybody wants a piece of the
pie because the pie is very big.
And there's a lot of money
involved in it.
So everybody wants a piece of
the pie.
And so everybody has that
pressure right now to get the
next best kid.
>> Gaston: Do you understand
wanting them-them wanting a
piece of the pie?
>> Patino: I understand fully.
You know, I understand it fully.
You know, here you are.
You know, take it at any level.
Here you are-a kid that never
had anything in your life.
And I think the best thing we
have-We had a meeting in the
MIAA.
And we had Michael Cage came in.
And Michael Cage said in the
meeting that when he was in West
Memphis, a guy could get out of
the car with the shoe box and
try to give him $15,000 cash.
And Michael said, "Man, I had no
money, no food.
"My mom was broke.
"We didn't have anything but I
never took the money.
"You know, but I could easily
said yes."
And that's what he's working on
right now.
Michael Cage is an advocate to
speak to kids about that-the
influence of other people.
I mean, he said it was crazy.
"In every corner would be
somebody that I don't even know
would come out and give me
money."
And that was back then.
>> Gaston: Yeah but
unfortunately, a lot of these
young men will take the money
because of the situation.
>> Henning: Right, and I don't
understand it.
I don't understand.
I don't understand people.
I don't understand people who
want a piece of the pie.
No, I don't.
I don't understand people
wanting a piece of the pie.
That's not your kid.
>> Gaston: No, I'm talking about
the parents.
The situation where they're
watching basketball bringing
millions, and millions, and
millions of dollars.
Coaches making millions of
dollars.
And their kids getting the
scholarship and that's the
argument.
We don't really have time to get
in to that.
But do you understand maybe?
And I'm not condoning this.
I'm just throwing it out there
playing devil's advocate that a
parent may say, "Well, what's in
it for our family?"
>> Henning: Yeah, I thought you
was talking about the handlers.
Well, yeah.
If there's money, there's going
to be money taken.
The families are the ones that
should take it.
I mean, I certainly have no
reason to be wanting a piece of
the money.
>> Gaston: But the handlers, the
AAU Coaches, and the high school
coaches forget about it.
>> Henning: They shouldn't have
anything in it either.
I mean, you know, I've always
said ever since it's been asked
about the college athlete
getting paid to play.
I think they should because
there's no other sport.
There's no other people to make
money like they do.
And the college athletes are
making the money.
NCAA should pay them.
I mean, I would think that that
would be the thing to do.
I don't think it should be
handled under the table.
But I think that college
athletes should be getting paid.
You know, and if so, their
families will be compensated for
what they make.
>> Gaston: Terrific stuff,
gentlemen.
Before we leave, we do something
called five for the road.
Quick questions.
I need quick answers to these
subjects.
People will learn a little bit
more about Jesus Patino and Wes
Henning.
Favorite professional sports
team?
Jesus?
>> Patino: I really don't have
one.
I'm just a fan of the game.
I just love basketball.
You know, I'll watch women's
basketball.
I'll watch anybody.
>> Gaston: So just basketball.
Wes, is there?
I mean, in any sport.
>> Henning: I love to watch the
Penn State women's volleyball
team.
>> Gaston: Look at you guys.
You guys going all over.
Okay, how abut favorite athlete
of all time?
Real quick.
>> Henning: Michael Jordan for
me.
>> Patino: Michael Jordan, too.
>> Gaston: Favorite music,
musicians, singers.
There's something you like to
listen to?
>> Patino: Opera-I just went to
a concert.
Yeah, I love opera.
>> Gaston: You love the opera,
Wes?
>> Henning: Michael Jackson was
the best entertainer there ever
was.
>> Gaston: Yeah, we're missing
Michael Jackson.
No doubt about that.
How about a tv show.
A sports show or any type of TV
show that you watch.
You guys don't have a lot of
free time.
>> Patino: You'll love this.
My wife took away ESPN because
she said I was getting fat.
I watch nothing but ESPN.
That's all I do.
>> Gaston: Hey, I'm in the same
boat.
>> Henning: ESPN one, two and
three.
Sports is all.
>> Gaston: Anything sports,
right?
The wives, it drives them crazy.
I know that at my home, too.
How about a favorite movie of
all time?
Maybe there's a sports movie
that stand out.
>> Patino: I always liked
"Rudy."
"Rudy" was, I think, you know-I
always like the underdog.
>> Gaston: Did you guys like
"Hoosiers?"
>> Henning: I did like
"Hoosiers" but-I did like
"Hoosiers."
But I'm with coach.
I sit and cry everytime I watch
"Rudy."
>> Patino: I do, too.
>> Gaston: We expect big things
from both you guys.
Four state championships for
Wes.
Jesus is one-one.
He's been to three finals.
I know there will be another big
year for both the Spartans and
the Roadrunners.
Gentlemen, thank you so much.
Really appreciate it.
Had a great time.
>> Patino: Thank you very much.
>> Henning: Thank you.
>> Gaston: Alright-We'll take a
break.
Overtime is coming up next.
>> (instrumental music)
♪♪♪
♪♪♪
>> Gaston: A big part of the
future of the Memphis Grizzlies
was on display this past Monday
at Fedexforum, and it had
nothing to do with what was
going on during the team's home
opening win against the Utah
Jazz.
Earlier that morning new
Majority owner Robert Pera and
CEO Jason Levien spoke publicly
for the first time as the
organization's "new" top brass.
Both are basketball junkies and
both have a similar vision for
the organization.
But their two personalities
could not be any different.
Pera, the soft spoken technical
wizard and business guru with a
passion for roundball.
Levien, the shrewd, savy,
articulate, born leader, who
once represented NBA players.
The dynamic duo was on display
and here's a taste of what they
had to say.
>> Pera: Alright, thank you
everyone for the warm welcome.
So first of all, I wanted to say
I'm an NBA super fan.
I believe it's the greatest
sport in the world.
Just from a fans perspective,
from a player's perspective.
Memphis, as a city, it's
unbelievable.
The people have been great.
I can tell the community is
really special.
And those two things combined, I
consider myself very, very
fortunate.
Probably the luckiest man in the
world right now.
>> Levian: Robert and I have
talked about our focus really
being on creating a culture
within the organization that is
best in class where there's a
real commitment to excellence,
where there's a commitment to
process and making decisions
which are thoughtful, and
getting the sharpest people
around the table to try to make
those decisions.
And really a sense of community,
unselfishness, and kindness in
what we do.
And understanding that this is
all about entertainment.
It's about the community.
But obviously, one of the big
things is we want to win.
We want to consistently win.
And I have to applaud our
organization because we're
inheriting a terrific team and
some great people.
So I'm excited to get to know
them as well as we move forward.
>> Pera: When I look at Memphis
as a community and I see how
important the team is to the
community, I kind of have the
same type of feeling I have with
my company.
By that I mean I know I'm
sitting here and I'm the
controlling owner but I fully
understand the community.
And the community of Memphis
really owns the team.
So what we're going to try to do
is kind of, you know, kind of
guide the team to have the
biggest impact and really
improve the community of
Memphis.
My dream was always to be
involved in the NBA and
potentially an NBA owner.
And once I was in a position, I
started looking at teams.
And, you know, Memphis was
interesting to me because first
of all, Grizzlies were one of my
favorite teams, if not probably
top two or three favorite teams
in the league even before we
started the process.
And then once I got here-just
like, there's something about
like the stadium.
Like it's just awesome, right?-
being inside here.
And then once I learned about,
you know, how the history about
Memphis and how kind of the team
is kind of like a pillar to the
community, you know, it kind of
struck me and what I like to do.
If you study Ubiquiti, we're
about changing the world.
We're about bridging digital
divide and empowering engineers
and changing the lives of
millions of people in remote
areas.
And I see we can do kind of the
same sports of things here with
Memphis Grizzlies and the
community of Memphis.
So that's really why I-when I
kind of saw everything, I was -
I know this was something I
wanted to do.
So Memphis Grizzlies,--I stopped
looking after this became a
possibility.
>> male announcer: Can you give
us your reaction to today's
announcements?
>> Perry: Tremendously excited.
Obviously there are a lot of
moving parts to this basketball
team-the ownership group.
But at the end of the day, we
feel like everybody is committed
to one thing and that's building
a brand of the Memphis Grizzlies
and taking what's already been
established to the next level.
And so we're tremendously
excited about it.
>> male announcer: Are you going
to have to keep your skills up
now?
>> Perry: I think I'll have to
dust off those socks and try to
get my skills back up to par.
I know Robert Pera wants to play
some basketball for sure.
So I'm definitely going to have
to brush off my skills.
>> Erhart: Oh, it's a wonderful
day for Memphis.
Great ownership group put
together.
The NBA is on a roll with their
new collective bargain
agreement-the overseas
opportunities.
So a great day for Memphis.
A terrific group of people that
are stepping forward.
>> male announcer: Is it true
that board meetings are going to
be five on five games?
>> Erhart: I know I think
Robert's probably the only one
that can still dunk.
We'll have to suit up a few guys
and see if they can still move
around the court.
>> Ford: Robert was being a
little modest about his
basketball skills.
He is a-Not only is he a superb
guy.
He's going to be an unbelievable
owner and he can flat out play.
So it will be fun.
We're going to play this
afternoon.
>> male announcer: Are you going
to have to work on your skills?
To play with him, you have to.
Jason told this story.
I was with him and we were lucky
that Robert played on our team
in that three on three match.
>> Wallace: Well, it's an
exciting day to have new
ownership finally in place here
in town.
It's not just the new owners.
You got a very impressive and
extensive group of partners,
both from here in Memphis and
out of the area.
I think it's a great day because
we know the franchise is even
more firmly entrenched in the
city right now at this point.
>> male announcer: And for you,
is it business as usual?
>> Wallace: Business as usual.
I used to work for Pat Riley in
Miami and he had a saying.
With change where it's
inevitable ahead, you embrace it
and run with it.
So that's what I'm doing.
>> Gaston: Thanks to Nolan Smith
and Clifford Thomas for putting
together that piece.
Time prohibited us from hearing
from all of the minority owners.
That would have taken hours.
In other words, there's a lot.
We'll have both Robert Pera and
Jason Levien on as guests, on
future editions of "Sports
Files."
And that will do it for now.
Remember you can see any of our
previous shows by going to our
website at WKNO-dot-org and
clicking on 'KNO Tonite.
And we'll see you next time.
>> (instrumental music)
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