Adam Cheek's Sports Week

With the NCAA women's basketball Atlantic 10 Championship just days away at the Henrico Sports & Events Center, I caught up with VCU head coach Beth O'Boyle. VCU sits top four in a tough conference, and they're coming off a Saturday win over George Mason in the Support[HER] home finale that featured both attendance and regular-season wins records being set on Senior Day.

O'Boyle and I discuss her 10 years at the helm of the Rams' program, what Saturday meant to her, how the team has evolved this year and more, as well as break down some of what the team's been working on to prep for the A-10 tournament.

I'll be out at the tournament as media late this week and this weekend, so be sure to follow me on social media:

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Intro music: "Blast Off"
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Track: "Fire Hiss"
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Outro Music: "Streets of Disorder", Teaz-R
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I sat down with VCU senior guard Joe Bamisile, who's put up 20-plus points five times this season for the Rams, to talk about the arduous eligibility process that finally allowed him to throw on a uniform, some of his shot mechanics and what his first year playing in the environment of the Siegel Center has been like.

We also discussed his overall background as a player, his first year playing in the Black and Gold and what he's witnessed over the course of the roster's evolution this season.

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Intro music: "Online Wisdom"
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Track: "Fire Hiss"
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Outro Music: "Nebula", Sharp Motif
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Cheek's good friend and A10 Talk contributor Jason Boleman joins the show to chat about a variety of topics, from VCU basketball ahead of their final three home games, to looking back at the Daytona 500 and NASCAR's opening regular-season weekend, to talking the Commanders' offseason and why he wants Washington to take Marvin Harrison Jr. in the first round of the draft.

Later, Cheek's Frontstretch compatriot and fellow FS podcast host Bryan Nolen joins again to recap Daytona 500 weekend, from whether the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series' garage needs a larger veteran presence to police things to if this is William Byron's year.

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Intro music: "Free Radicals"
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Outro Music: "Issue Source"
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Myself and my fellow Frontstretch compatriots who cover NASCAR, Michael Massie and Bryan Nolen, sit down to preview the 2024 season. We talk prevailing storylines, new faces in new places, people on the hot seat and so much more throughout the garage.

And, with the Daytona 500 set up for this weekend on the heels of Xfinity, Craftsman Truck and ARCA races, as well as the twin qualifying Duel races and qualifying itself all starting on Wednesday, the trio looks ahead to the 2.5-mile oval and what chaos could unfold on Sunday.

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Intro music: "Clown Vomit"
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Outro Music: "Doing That Work"
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It was great to sit down again with VCU baseball's head coach Bradley LeCroy, as well as their star infielder Brandon Eike, to preview the Rams' 2024 baseball season. With the first competitive pitch slated for Friday (Feb. 16) and the home opener against Longwood set for Tuesday, Feb. 20 at the Diamond in RVA, the Rams look to build on their performance from last season.

Eike was also just named the 10th-best third baseman in all of Division I college baseball, so it was cool to chat with him about that, Coach about his own background at Clemson and how each of them are approaching the season as it rapidly approaches.

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Intro music: "Ran Outta Gas"
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Outro music: "Reign of Rivals", Teaz-R
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Track: "Fire Hiss"
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SB Nation's Mark Schofield becomes the first guest to return for a third episode, as he and Adam discuss the matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII.

They discuss the matchup, key players, trends to watch for and even how couples named Taylor and Travis -- even if they're not Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce -- can land a dream wedding in Las Vegas during Super Bowl week. Adam and Mark also talk the offseason's coaching hires, from Mike Vrabel's current jobless status to the Seahawks hiring Mike MacDonald to Jim Harbaugh going pro once again in Los Angeles.

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Intro music: "Liquid Sky"
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Outro music: "Mystic Dust", Flint Eastgood
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As a companion piece to my chat with VCU Gold Rush Dance Team captain Naome Mesfin, also check out this conversation with fellow senior team member Kayla Brazil from a while back!

We also talked about what goes into preparing for games, the art of choreographing routines, balancing a season and what brought Kayla to VCU in the first place. There's just over a month left in the collegiate basketball regular season, so give it a listen!

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Intro music: "Middle Of The Country"
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Outro music: "Drop For Drop"
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Track: "Fire Hiss"
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I sat down with Gold Rush Dance Team captain and VCU senior Naome Mesfin a while back to discuss much of what goes into her and the rest of the team's art form -- she and the Gold Rush roster are on the sidelines every men's basketball game (and some women's hoops games as well), and the team also typically performs a pair of routines each game as well.

With about a month left in the basketball season and with the Capital City Classic this weekend, it felt like the right time to post this interview. Naome gives awesome insight into what goes into preparing to learn a dance, her background in the arts and what drew her to VCU, as well as how the team navigates a season, their gameday routines and much more.

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Intro music: "Tripartisan"
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Outro music: "Safe To Say"
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Track: "Fire Hiss"
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Adam welcomes VCU hoops legend Ed Nixon back to the pod after the Rams' huge 74-67 win over Loyola Chicago on Tuesday (1/23), which boosted their record to 12-7 overall on the season, stood as their fourth victory in a row and was their second straight victory at a raucous, rockin' Siegel Center.

Cheek and Ed talk all things Black and Gold hoops so far this season, especially with more than a month since both Joe Bamisile and Sean Bairstow made their regular-season debuts; they discuss both of those players' impacts, Zeb Jackson's leadership, how Ed thinks head coach Ryan Odom has adapted to the team as the 2023-24 schedule has unfolded and much more as the Rams gear up for five last home games this season (and with the Capital City Classic just over a week away).

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Intro music: "Sunny Sax Stroll", Holly
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Outro music: "Infinity", Sharp Motif
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Evan Zalewski and Andy Blum, co-creators of @thetostadosection on Instagram, and Katelyn Tougas -- significant other to the account's namesake, former Richmond Flying Squirrel and current standout minor league ballplayer Frankie Tostado -- all join the podcast. Tostado played in RVA in 2021 and 2022, becoming a fan favorite and still garnering tons of cheers even when he returned as a Harrisburg Senator in 2023.

Evan & Andy discuss what led to the account's inception, how they expanded The Tostado Section's reach once Frankie was no longer on the team and other running gags (Mason Black and his hot dogs, for one), while Katelyn talks about her and Frankie's background, what it was like seeing him become a fan favorite and life (sometimes) on the road in MiLB.

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Follow the Tostado Section & buy their merch: @thetostadosection

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Intro music: "Again", GUM
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Outro music: "Town Of Mine"
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Track: "Fire Hiss"
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