NC State's women's basketball is playing against FSU tomorrow night!

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18 plus. Terms and conditions apply. See website for details. We are going to talk a little Dallas Cowboys football here in a minute, but we have other business to tend to first with NC State women's basketball coach Wes Moore, who joins us on the Adam Gold show.

I appreciate your time, sir. You got a big one coming up tomorrow against Florida State, ranked number 22. They are above you somehow. Somebody's above you in the ACC standings. I didn't think that was physically possible, but they have played one more game than you have in the league, so I guess that's the reason. Yeah, they've played a couple of coffers games already. They got a great team. Very fast paced.

I mean, transition. You got to get back and clog it up or they're going to be shooting layups. Yeah, it's a big challenge for us. They kind of put a hurting on us down there a year ago, so we're going to have to play really well, but we're excited about being back home. I think it's been almost a month since we played a home game, so it's exciting to be back in Reynolds. Yeah, the game against Liberty.

Again, I don't even know how long ago it was. You've been road warriors since. The game at Virginia was, you guys needed some separation in the third quarter. It was a great third quarter, but what was difficult about that day? Well, we didn't shoot the ball well. I think we were one for ten from three in the first half. Didn't shoot it well, and when that happens, of course, then they're able to clog it up a little bit and take it hard on your post players also. Second half, we were able to get some stops. I think we got a little lucky. I think they missed some shots that they might normally make, and that allowed us to get out and run and score in transition. Mimi Collins had a big game. I think she scored 25.

That's a career high for her, and as long as she's been in college, that's really saying something, because she's been around like six years or something. And then we had a couple of double doubles with Senaya Rivers and River Baldwin. So second half, we played pretty well. So that was good to see. You've been off for almost ten days for a Christmas break. You never know how your players are going to handle that.

I mean, from a game. We gave them six days off just completely off and came back and had four practices. So, yeah, especially on the road. I tell you, Adam, in this conference, you win a road game, you better celebrate it and enjoy it, because they're hard to come back. How did everybody avoid getting this death flu that everybody's had here in North Carolina for the last month?

Because especially when you have people scattering, I mean, it ran through my house like crazy. Great, Adam. Way to bring that up, man. There's nothing else to worry about.

I don't know. We've been fortunate. Of course, we had Senaya Rivers. She's had some back issues. I think she missed our last three games before Christmas break.

It was good to have her back out on the court. And yeah, you're right. I mean, that's part of it. You just hope you stay healthy. It's a long season, you know, and especially this time of year. There's a lot of that going on. Obviously, we try to make sure that we have somebody come in and give the whole team flu shots, things like that.

But at the same time, we've just been fortunate to, so far, dodge it. You caused me to have a relapse. I started laughing so hard.

Wes Moore at Wolfpack West on Twitter, joining us here on the Adam Gold Show. I want to ask you a real quick question about building a roster and a team in today's age, because I don't think it matters what the sport is. And I'm pro player movement, and I know it works contrary. It makes your job more difficult. So how do you build a culture? Does it almost make it because of the culture you've established? Does it make it a little easier to attract players to what you're trying to do?

How does all of this work today? Well, let me tell you, you still got to win, though, because as you mentioned, the rosters year to year. Yeah.

And if you have, you know, last year, we didn't finish as strong as we had been. And so obviously, we weren't quite as sexy in the portal, you know. So I think that's part of it. You know, the culture, I think that too, you have to stick to your values and all those things. But I think the culture is a little bit of a crapshoot nowadays, too, because, you know, you bring in several players, especially high level players.

And then you return several high level players. That's kind of what happened to us a year ago. I mean, they got home great off the court, but on the court, you know, everybody wanted their time and their role and all that. And it's just hard sometimes to manage that.

I just didn't do a good enough job. So, but it is it's a challenge. You know, I, I was amazed watching these bowl games. You know, guys that are already going to another school next year are still on the sideline with their old team hanging out.

Guys often out not playing in the bowl game. And I understand if you're going to be that high and I and my my view has changed on this. If you're going to be, you know, first round draft pick, whatever, and you're talking life changing dollars. I kind of understand, especially if you're not playing for a national championship. I can kind of understand often out and again, I never would have thought I'd say that I've always been, you know, I want to play. I'm putting the team first, but I get it. I mean, if you're talking about you're going to sign for $8 million, if you stay healthy between now and the draft, you know, I kind of get it. So, but it is it's a challenge and I think every year you kind of start over and you'd love to, you know, say we're going to stick with this roster. But then you got kids that maybe leave and now you got to go fill holes. So it is it's made it's changed our world.

That's why you see a lot of older coaches that are retiring because our only time for basketball to catch our breath used to be, you know, maybe April and May. Right. Oh, gosh. Well, that's over now because that's the portal.

That's the hot portal. Yeah. Now. So April, May, you're bringing in kids on official visits and re recruiting your roster. So I will change that. I think that's why some coaches are just saying, you know, hey, between that and I'll and all that. And let me say that, too.

I know I'm rambling here, but I think I think the intent was good. You come to a school and you play great and you're popular. And if a car dealership wants to let you use a car, you know, you've earned that right for you to do some advertising on social media, whatever.

And I think that's great. But the way it's gotten right now, it's a recruiting tool. And it's these collectives that are bringing in the money and basically trying to buy players.

And, you know, before you ever make a bucket or score a touchdown at the college level. So, you know, that's made it that's made it hard to show how do you you know, you got to reward your players that are already proven and getting that done. So it's got to be a general manager nowadays, too. It's it's all designed to make your job more difficult, coach. So so you know, it's designed it's designed to make it a perfect world athlete. Yeah.

And those are hard to come by once you get out of college. It's impossible. You know, now it's going to probably be I think it'll probably happen permanently where you can transfer every year if you want. Yeah, I do. I agree that that's going to happen. Yeah.

So you add, you could transfer every year and NIL money. So every year it's a bidding war. You know, I'm going to I'm going to put my name in the portal and I'm going to test the waters, you know. Well, I think what's going to happen. Here's what I think is going to happen. I think there's going to be collective bargaining between athletes in and schools and we'll have a more defined set of guidelines and rules based on everything. And I think that might be better for all parties because everybody will know the rules of the game. Maybe maybe that'll make your life easier.

It would be nice, Adam. But unfortunately, if you get too restrictive in there, then they're going to say you're you know, you're finding their opportunities to make money. Right. But that's where the collective bargaining will handle that because everybody will sign on. But then you're going to have more lawsuits is what I'm saying. Oh, good. You know, if a kid feels like that's stopping them from making their maximum money, somebody is going to sue. And when this NCAA gets sued, they usually say, OK, I can have it. They lose.

They definitely lose. All right. Before before I let you go, it's like it's it's not the reason that we talked to Wes Moore, but we call this an added benefit.

How do you feel about the now number two seated Dallas Cowboys not only heading into the final week against Washington, but heading into the postseason? Are you feeling confident? OK, round two. Name something that's not boring.

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Chumbacassino.com. Let me first say for everybody out there, I grew up in Dallas, so I've been a cowboy fan, you know, for about, oh, gosh, 60 years. Right to it. I go back and go back to Don Meredith and Bob Hayes. You know, all those guys, Calvin Hill, everybody talks about Grant Hill.

Calvin Hill was a stud for the Cowboys is that big time. Yeah. So and then also, I'm still I'm trying to have an outlook this time, Adam. Hey, Texas Rangers won the World Series after 50 years. OK, so right now we're talking gravy with the Cowboys.

Hey, no, we're not. We don't talk. You can't concern. You can't do that.

You can't. You can't tell me that it's I wanted to win. I wanted to win, Adam, but I'm not living and dying right now like I was. I mean, there are two things. First of all, they're horrible in the road. You better not pass out that division trophy before Sunday's game is over. Right.

Three and five on the road. They've lost three of the last five times they've gone and played at Washington. So I don't give them the trophy yet. And then at some point, if you do survive two home games in the playoffs, if you're so fortunate to get that, you're still going to have to go through San Francisco.

And obviously Philly is a great thing, too. So, you know, I don't know. I don't know. My problem, Adam, is I don't.

That's why I don't do as well on the road. I don't know that we're tough enough. Jimmy Johnson said it great the other night.

He was a pothole. And he demanded, you know, he wasn't one of these soft coaches. I'm going to do what you want.

He demanded it. And, you know, I remember Troy Aikman said, Jimmy Johnson said he got out of it because he got tired of being a butthole at Troy Aikman said that he was so good at it. And so, again, I don't know if we're tough enough to win a game or two on the road, but like I said, you know, I'm pulling for it. I hope they somehow can win at Washington and get to play because they've been really good at home.

Hopefully they get a couple of home games and then maybe, you never know, maybe 30 or throw four picks again and give us a chance. You are the best, Wes Moore, NC State women's basketball coach. Good luck against Seminoles tomorrow night. I will talk to you soon, man. Thanks, Adam. Take care. Thank you, man. Thanks for having me on. You got it.

Always, always. Oh, my gosh. I need I need a moment.

Could you just give me a second? Oh, yeah. I just my head hurts. It's so funny. It hurts.

He made me he made me throw me into a coughing fit earlier. Yes. You brought it up first, apparently. It's real.

It is real. Illness goes through teams like crazy. Well, just yeah. Hurricanes had dealt with it a few weeks ago. They had illness ripping through their locker room. It's the season for it. Oh, my gosh.

I have such a headache. By law, conditions apply.