WEBVTT 00:00.370 --> 00:03.880 - [JJ] And now we're joined by UBM head coach Mike Lonergan 00:03.880 --> 00:06.420 in Camp Arab Johnny Cowie. 00:06.420 --> 00:08.430 Mike good to see you got there. 00:08.430 --> 00:09.580 What was the trip like? 00:10.983 --> 00:12.490 - It was a great trip. 00:12.490 --> 00:13.860 It went by pretty quickly. 00:13.860 --> 00:16.420 We got held up the airport a little bit here 00:16.420 --> 00:17.680 trying to get visas 00:17.680 --> 00:19.940 but I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, 00:19.940 --> 00:22.943 but really uh, just running on adrenaline right now. 00:24.750 --> 00:27.030 - [JJ] Now you're joined by a lot of other coaches, 00:27.030 --> 00:29.860 Terry Dunn of Dartmouth is there, several others, 00:29.860 --> 00:32.753 tell us who else was making this trip with you guys? 00:34.160 --> 00:36.450 - Actually, the roster coach has changed a little 00:36.450 --> 00:38.640 Mike Gray's here a good friend of mine from Notre Dame, 00:38.640 --> 00:40.680 skip Prosser from Wake Forest, 00:40.680 --> 00:43.260 the coach to West Point and Citadel are here, 00:43.260 --> 00:45.220 Dennis Felton who's a Maryland guy, 00:45.220 --> 00:47.370 he's the coach of University of Georgia 00:47.370 --> 00:48.450 and a couple other coaches. 00:48.450 --> 00:51.630 So I'm praying for Sheila from ESPN what happened knows, 00:51.630 --> 00:53.620 that's making it for a much more fun trips with them. 00:53.620 --> 00:56.093 Real good friends with some other coaches. 00:58.240 --> 01:01.170 - [JJ] Mike with your sense of what you're doing, 01:01.170 --> 01:03.140 do you feel this is helping the service man, 01:03.140 --> 01:06.263 get a brief respite from stressful duty? 01:08.120 --> 01:11.200 - Oh yeah it was great, we met the Colonel today 01:11.200 --> 01:14.130 and he told us how important it was for the troops 01:14.130 --> 01:15.530 and to keep their minds off the things 01:15.530 --> 01:16.870 and how much they love basketball. 01:16.870 --> 01:20.880 So as as much of a rewarding experience it is for us, 01:20.880 --> 01:22.990 I think the troops really appreciate our time 01:22.990 --> 01:24.960 and they're having a lot of fun with the tournament 01:24.960 --> 01:26.060 we're putting on here. 01:27.500 --> 01:30.350 - [JJ] Have you had the chance to see any Vermonters yet? 01:31.730 --> 01:32.760 - No not yet, 01:32.760 --> 01:36.230 most of the team I'm coaching is from Southern part 01:36.230 --> 01:39.900 of the United States and one young man's from Hawaii 01:39.900 --> 01:42.080 but I've been asking around trying to track down 01:42.080 --> 01:44.053 some of our Native Vermonters. 01:46.040 --> 01:48.420 - [JJ] And what are you getting as feedback 01:48.420 --> 01:51.070 from the servicemen there, what are they telling you? 01:53.050 --> 01:54.960 - Well I think that some of them knew 01:54.960 --> 01:55.910 that I was gonna be coaching the team, 01:55.910 --> 01:56.850 they looked up on the internet 01:56.850 --> 01:58.170 and they knew a lot about our record 01:58.170 --> 01:59.780 and about our success this year 01:59.780 --> 02:00.990 and went over big city 02:00.990 --> 02:04.800 and obviously a bunch of 'em knew a lot about Vermont 02:04.800 --> 02:07.110 and TJ shot against Syracuse. 02:07.110 --> 02:09.040 So it's kind of exciting to be over here 02:09.040 --> 02:11.050 and that they do know about Vermont basketball. 02:11.050 --> 02:11.990 And I don't know if he can, 02:11.990 --> 02:13.300 look over my shoulder in the stands 02:13.300 --> 02:16.380 but I had t-shirts of Vermont basketball t-shirts 02:16.380 --> 02:18.530 with operation hardwood printed on the back. 02:18.530 --> 02:20.503 So our team was wearing those today. 02:22.510 --> 02:25.410 - [JJ] Have you had a chance to see much of the area Mike? 02:27.700 --> 02:29.900 - No not a whole lot we came late last night 02:29.900 --> 02:31.100 so it's very dark 02:32.230 --> 02:33.670 and today we've been pretty busy 02:33.670 --> 02:36.520 but tomorrow we're gonna travel to another base. 02:36.520 --> 02:38.040 The coaches in the morning, 02:38.040 --> 02:40.760 so I'm sure we'll get to see a lot more 02:40.760 --> 02:42.760 and we had a great meeting with the Colonel today 02:42.760 --> 02:46.310 and he explained a lot about what was going on over here 02:46.310 --> 02:48.320 and it's really interesting. 02:48.320 --> 02:50.090 I was a history major in college also. 02:50.090 --> 02:53.440 So it was a great experience to hear it, 02:53.440 --> 02:57.020 not just watching the news which is sometimes bias 02:57.020 --> 02:58.200 and slanted politically 02:58.200 --> 03:01.460 but to hear it right the troops and their leader over here 03:01.460 --> 03:02.793 it was a great experience. 03:04.890 --> 03:07.110 - [JJ] Mike what's the rest of your trip like, 03:07.110 --> 03:08.910 what's the agenda like for you guys? 03:10.480 --> 03:12.450 - Well tonight we're gonna have a meeting 03:12.450 --> 03:13.640 and autograph session, 03:13.640 --> 03:16.350 tomorrow we're gonna travel to another base 03:16.350 --> 03:19.770 then we have two games each day so it's pretty busy 03:20.710 --> 03:21.550 but it's a lot of fun. 03:21.550 --> 03:23.810 I'm trying to spend a lot of time with my team 03:23.810 --> 03:26.610 and one of the guys let me get on his computer 03:26.610 --> 03:30.160 and check my email and also my cell phone 03:30.160 --> 03:31.080 doesn't work over here 03:31.080 --> 03:33.620 but I was able to use someone's phone 03:33.620 --> 03:35.930 and like there my wife and kids they got my message, 03:35.930 --> 03:37.200 they left me a message 03:37.200 --> 03:39.320 but it's gonna be hard for me to call them. 03:39.320 --> 03:41.790 But it was when the time I checked my messages 03:41.790 --> 03:43.120 I think it was two in the morning, your time. 03:43.120 --> 03:44.720 So I didn't want to wake anybody up. 03:44.720 --> 03:46.700 But I am able to check my emails 03:46.700 --> 03:48.590 and I so unglad in some ways 03:48.590 --> 03:49.940 my cell phone doesn't work. 03:51.138 --> 03:52.480 (laughing) 03:52.480 --> 03:55.030 - [JJ] Now you're actually having a tournament over there, 03:55.030 --> 03:55.943 What's that like? 03:57.410 --> 03:58.310 - What's that a lot of fun 03:58.310 --> 04:02.200 but I think I got one of the low end teams. 04:02.200 --> 04:04.860 Can't ask John the team of Pitcheons 04:04.860 --> 04:06.940 and I found out that team one and two, 04:06.940 --> 04:08.130 we gonna need the best players. 04:08.130 --> 04:11.200 So we're gonna have to make the most of it. 04:11.200 --> 04:14.080 Might have to come up with some gimme defenses 04:14.080 --> 04:15.963 to be competitive this week. 04:18.260 --> 04:20.800 - [JJ] Any guys who have some college eligibility left 04:20.800 --> 04:23.663 that might want to come to Candamo country? 04:25.740 --> 04:27.830 - Yeah, I think there are but actually what's interesting 04:27.830 --> 04:30.100 is one of the females on my team 04:30.100 --> 04:32.040 had asked me about our women's program 04:32.040 --> 04:35.170 and she's got 22 months left in the military 04:35.170 --> 04:36.680 and she wants to play in college 04:36.680 --> 04:38.450 and she's pretty good player. 04:38.450 --> 04:40.000 I haven't seen her enough for it yet 04:40.000 --> 04:41.350 to recommended her to sharing, 04:41.350 --> 04:43.150 but a real good student in high school. 04:43.150 --> 04:45.470 She said so maybe we'll get lucky 04:45.470 --> 04:48.870 and bring somebody back with us to Catamount Country. 04:50.620 --> 04:53.540 - [JJ] Mike one of the longest recruiting trips 04:53.540 --> 04:54.580 you've ever had. 04:54.580 --> 04:56.330 Thank you very much for joining us. 04:57.390 --> 04:59.780 Thank God JJ I'd like to say hello 04:59.780 --> 05:00.890 to everybody back in Vermont. 05:00.890 --> 05:01.853 Miss you all.