Archive: Initial Reaction with JR Radcliffe and JP Cadorin

Paul Oren, who covers the Horizon League, stops by to talk about the insanity of the league tournament, where UW-Milwaukee (seeded 10th) is still alive and each of the top three teams fell short of the semifinals. What's in the near future for UW-Milwaukee and UW-Green Bay? JP and JR also discuss the WIAA postseason, including highlights from the boys basketball, girls basketball, hockey, wrestling and gymnastics tournaments. JP also reports back on his impressions from Senior Day for the Wisconsin basketball team.

JP and JR talk about the state wrestling meet, one of their favorite events to cover, after JP took in the occasion Feb. 25 at the Kohl Center in Madison. On the agenda, discussing Mukwonago folk hero Aric Bohn, the 220-pound champion (14:15). They talk about a slew of eye-opening regional upsets in girls basketball (20:30) and look ahead to some highly intriguing boys battles, with games beginning in earnest this weekend (24:30).

Milwaukee Bucks expert Eric Nehm of ESPNMilwaukee stops by to talk all things Milwaukee Bucks, with a recent All-Star Game appearance, major injury and new arena helping keep the team in the spotlight. Trade deadline is Thursday! JP and JR also take a look at some initial impressions from the boys and girls playoff brackets.

The guys are joined by Paul Wollersheim, head boys basketball coach at Martin Luther High School (9:00), who talks about leading his program to a quick turnaround -- to the point that it's on the cusp of its first conference title since 1988 (13:00). He discusses the success in the ML building overall, with the girls program winning its first league title since 1996 (16:30), the high-profile circumstances that led him to step down as coach of Dominican High School (21:30), where former player Diamond Stone ranks among the greats in Wisconsin basketball history (27:00) and the debate over recruitment at the private-school level (28:40). Thereafter, JP and JR offer their own thoughts on the blurry lines of recruiting in high-school sports.

JR welcomes in Hamilton coach Andy Cerroni, who's ready to return to work and coaching just 10 days removed from a heart attack (!) The interview with Andy (4:00) covers his health but also his experience working with son, Kam, as both a player and coach, sports specialization, brother Pat and his success with UW-Oshkosh football and a scouting report on other top teams in the Greater Metro Conference. Then, JR chats with Duane Mlachnik of St. John's Northwestern Military Academy (28:00), talking about his talented stable of young players, many hailing from New York. Duane also talks about his many experiences at SJNMA and what makes the position perhaps the most unique boys basketball coaching job in Wisconsin.

JP and JR hit on a number of topics this week, starting with JP's impressions from Brewers On Deck (1:30), and the guys discuss their expectations for the Brewers' immediate future. A top-flight girls basketball battle featured two Division 1 recruits, Germantown's Kenzie Schmitz and Homestead's Chloe Marotta, on Jan. 31, where Marotta scored 40 points with 22 rebounds (11:15). The merits of The Wire and The Bachelor (17:30). The #StickToSports backlash against opinionated sports writers in a heated political climate (22:00). Do changes to Oconomowoc football hint at a culture shift for fifth and sixth-grade football? (31:10). Conflicting feelings on National Signing Day (39:15). Finally, fresh off a visit to Joe Louis Arena, JP talks about items on his bucket list and takes JR to task for not having any items on his (43:20).

Guest host Matt Velazquez -- who covers Marquette and the Milwaukee Bucks for the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel -- chats with JR about Marquette's crazy win over No. 1 Villanova on Jan. 24. They talk about how MU pulled it off, the role of Duane Wilson (4:45), the rise of Katin Reinhardt (10:30), the value of the win for coach Steve Wojciechowski (19:00), the enthusiasm of the crowd (23:40), court storming (28:30) and the awesomeness of Villanova coach Jay Wright (31:00). Plus, a little about the Milwaukee Bucks -- does consistency matter in the NBA? (34:20).

JP Cadorin reflects on his first-hand observations from Green Bay's big day in Dallas when the Green Bay Packers defeated the Cowboys in a thriller to reach the NFC Championship Game. JR Radcliffe chats with Wesley Kidd, former high-school soccer coach of Packers hero Mason Crosby, to chat about Crosby's roots in Georgetown, Texas (13:00). Plus, some finishing thoughts on the prep basketball scene (34:15) and is the TV show Atlanta a shade overrated?

Ed Kurth of Pewaukee wrestling stops by to talk about the issues facing the sport, including diminished participation numbers (26:15). He talks about the difficulty of recruiting a base of wrestlers, the one unexpected challenge of academies in the Milwaukee area, what a uniform adjustment might mean and what it's like overseeing two of the state's best wrestlers, Jacob Raschka and Blaze Beltran. Also, JP and JR talk about the local negative vibe for Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, who will call the Packers playoff game for a second straight weekend, the potential downside to a media fascination with JJ Watt (13:15) and a little about the manic Milwaukee Bucks (19:50).

It's a straight Packers-Badgers-Bucks podcast as JP and JR discuss the numerous issues of the moment. Should Aaron Rodgers be MVP? Are the Packers in trouble against the Giants in the playoff opener? What does a win in the Cotton Bowl do for the Badgers program? Are they a legitimate national title contender in 2017? What does a bad bowl series say about the Big Ten? The Bucks are flashy, but are they contenders or pretenders? Will Giannis start for the East? The guys also close with some musings about the state of prep basketball in Wisconsin as we head into 2017.