West Broad Hyundai's reporter in training took a
few minutes to speak with our General Manager, Danny Fisher, to get his
thoughts about the NCAA Tournament. This is the transcript of
the interview. We welcome your comments
below!Me: So, Danny, what are your picks for the Final Four?
Danny: Louisville against Ohio St and VCU against Miami. VCU is a long shot getting to the final four, but they're the home team!
Me: Who do you think is going to walk away as the champions?
Danny: Louisville
Me: Why is that?
Danny: Their record speaks for itself. For the season they were 29 and 5 I believe. They had key wins during the season over top 25 ranked opponents. The team is well coached. Rick Pitino is one of the best coaches in the NCAA. The players are tall and athletic. Long arms. Most analysts have picked Louisville.
Me: Which games do you think will be the ones to watch this week?
Danny: Thursday. Look for possible upsets of St Mary over Memphis and Bucknell over Butler. Also, Oregon over Oklahoma State. I give Oregon a five point advantage for style! I like their uniforms.
Me: How do you think VCU will do this year?
Danny: They will make a deep run into the tournament due to their style of play. It is hard to prepare against a full court press for an entire game. They have energy and they are the best conditioned players in the tournament. And they call it Havoc. I love that.
Me: I understand that you played a little ball in your day, is that right?
Danny: Yes
Me: Were you any good?
Danny: (smiling) I was. I am a has-been now, though.
Me: What position did you play?
Danny: # 2 Position (guard)
Me: Did you play with anybody that made it to the NBA?
Danny: Yes. We won a middle school championship for Falling Creek in Chesterfield. In High School, I played for Meadowbrook High School for Mike Sutton. He went on to be an assistant coach for Coach Tubby Smith of Kentucky.
Hubert Davis - I played against him at a Carolina (UNC) basketball camp. I think he went on to play for the NY Knicks. Bryant Stith - I played him at Meadowbrook High School. He played for Brunswick.) He went to UVA then the Denver Nuggets, I think. Kenny Harris - He did not play in the NBA but played for UNC. He was out of Petersburg High School.
Me: If you had the chance to play for any college team, who would it be?
Danny: Present or past? In the past, I would say UVA. In the present, I would say VCU.
Me: So you would like to wreack havoc?
Danny: (smiling) Yes. That is an awesome game plan.
Me: You do a little coaching on the side, is that right?
Danny: Yes.
Me: Tell me about that.
Danny: I have coached two years for Upwards. We get the chance to teach the kids basketball and the Bible. We teach good values. I enjoy being a role model and to see the kids get better from the first day to the last day. That is the biggest thrill for me; to see how they progress from the first day to the end of the season.
Me: You coach a couple of your boys, correct?
Danny: Yes. As matter of fact, here are their trading cards!
Me: Who are their favorite players?
Danny: Briante Weber for VCU.
Me: What did you think about the final game for U of R?
Danny: They played a great game, but the officiating at the end was very bad. U of R should have walked out of there with a win.
Me: If you were coach, would you have been ejected too?
Danny: (smiling) Oh yeah. Without a doubt.
Me: Back to the NCAA, are there any teams in the final 64 that have really surprised you this year?
Danny: I'd say Miami.
Me: How many of the games do you think you will watch?
Danny: Oh, I don't know. A bunch. At least until 11pm - unless it's VCU.
Me: If you were to buy a Hyundai in your team's color, which would it be and what color?
Danny: Well VCU's colors are black and gold, so I'd say the brand new Santa Fe (long wheel base) in black. An Equus in black would be sweet too!
Me: Thank you for your time today. This was fun. Is it okay if we do this again next week?
Danny: Yes.
