Justin Gainey, Associate Head Coach for Tennessee Vols Men’s Basketball, visits with Says Who Sports to discuss the program’s Elite Eight run last season, the ingredients that make the SEC what he believes is the toughest conference in the country, the powerful life lessons he continues to learn from mentor and Vols’ Coach Rick Barnes, the influence of NIL on recruiting (including the positives Gainey says it brings to the player/fan relationship), the noteworthy impact his approach to coaching defense has had on the team, his days as a former player and captain at NC State and what it was like playing in the dominant ACC of the late nineties including facing opponents like Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter and Steve Francis, the strength of family that has enabled him to pursue his coaching dreams, and much more!

Megan Courtney-Lush, captain of the Columbus Fury of the Pro Volleyball Federation, joins Says Who Sports to discuss the upcoming season, her leadership role with the team, her experiences as a key member of powerhouse Penn State’s back-to-back national championship teams in 2013-14 (including being named Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four in 2014), her years playing around the world at the highest level as a professional and what it means to her to be “back home” and performing in front of family and friends, lessons learned from fighting thru and overcoming the adversity of multiple serious injuries in her career, the key ingredient to personal and team greatness in volleyball, the intensity of above-the-net play as an outside hitter and the diverse skill set necessary to play the position, her embrace of the opportunity to influence youngsters and help grow the game, and much more!

Tim Goodwin is widely considered to be among the best high school football coaches in the country, and his Marion Local (Maria Stein, OH) program owns the longest active winning streak in the nation. Goodwin visits with Says Who Sports to discuss the importance of humility despite incredible success, including Marion Local’s record fourteen state championships, the core values of his program, the strong value of a coaching staff that brings a wealth of experience and ideas, and his thoughts on competing in the Midwest Athletic Conference, a powerhouse small school league where multiple schools winning state championships in a variety of sports, not just football, each year has become commonplace.

Goodwin shares his perspectives on the work ethic and strong family values inherent to kids growing up in a community and surrounding area with a rich history of farming and agriculture, life lessons learned from the toughest moments in coaching including tragedy, the ever-increasing spotlight on his program and his disdain for self-promotion, the intense practices that prepare his teams for crunch time in the biggest games, the intense debate among high school football fans in Ohio and beyond about the possibility that his teams could compete with and/or defeat the best ‘big school’ teams in the state, the influence of Bill Belichick on his coaching approach, and much more!

Grammy-winning guitarist and vocalist Warren Haynes (Gov’t Mule, Allman Brothers Band) talks with Says Who Sports about his days as a Little League Baseball pitcher, including facing future MLB Hall of Famer Cal Ripken Jr. in an All Star game, the similarities between athletes and musicians when it comes to finding “The Zone” and blocking out noise and crowd to perform at the highest level, and attending New York Knicks and Rangers games at Madison Square Garden with his teenage son.

Haynes also discusses the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene to his native Asheville, North Carolina, where much of his family still lives, and talks about the status of his upcoming annual Christmas Jam benefit concert event, which has always taken place in Asheville during the holiday season.

Haynes shares his affinity for and approach to playing improvisational music, his appreciation for the two decades-plus he spent in the Allman Brothers Band and the opportunity former ABB guitarist Dickey Betts gave him to join the band, his almost ‘telepathic’ musical connection with original Gov’t Mule bassist and co-founder Allen Woody and longtime-and-current Mule drummer Matt Abts, the mark Woody made on music and his continued influence on younger bass players, and how Haynes continues to improve as a musician and bandmate despite already being considered among the greatest guitar players ever.

Haynes recalls the first time he met the legendary Willie Nelson and offers insight into Nelson’s unique approach to playing guitar, talks about the influence his older brothers had on his musical tastes and exposure as a youngster, the first album he ever bought, and the first concert he ever attended.

He also shares his perspective on the seeming dearth of quality rock bands on the scene nowadays and hope for a revival of sorts, his matter-of-fact opinion on finding success in an always-brutal music business, his gratitude for being able to do what he loves for decades, and much more!

Oscar-Winning Writer/Director Cameron Crowe (Jerry Maguire, Almost Famous, Fast Times at Ridgemont High) talks with Says Who Sports about a celebrated career that was launched when he became the youngest writer ever for Rolling Stone as a teenager and traveled with the biggest rock bands in the world, including the Allman Brothers Band and Led Zeppelin, wrote the best-selling novel Fast Times at Ridgemont High and later wrote the screenplay for the movie, wrote and directed such films as Say Anything, Jerry Maguire and Almost Famous, won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, won a Grammy Award, was nominated for a Tony Award, directed acclaimed music documentaries about Pearl Jam and David Crosby, created the Showtime series Roadies, and much more!

Crowe’s directorial debut as a teenager, the long-lost and newly released Heartbreakers Beach Party, about the legendary Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the hijinks and high-energy surrounding the making of their third album, Long After Dark, was banned by MTV after one airing in the summer of 1983 due to what the network generally described as inappropriate reckless content. Crowe and producing partner Greg Mariotti, along with Petty’s daughter, Adria, have now brought the film to theaters and streaming in all its early Petty-era glory.

Crowe shares special stories and anecdotes about the making of the movie, including Petty’s self-professed connection to Jeff Spicoli, Crowe’s iconic lovable stoner character played by Sean Penn in Fast Times. Crowe also shares memories from his time on the road with the Allman Brothers Band in the early Seventies and recalls the magic of what it felt like to be standing onstage watching the band play four hour shows, and his gratitude for guitarist Dickey Betts for trusting him and opening the "band access" door to Crowe.

Crowe, who is working on a film with/about legendary singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell, shares nuggets about his friendship with Mitchell, including the profound impact her music had on a young Crowe growing up in a household where rock music was essentially off-limits, and the wisdom he has gained from Mitchell via their conversations.

Crowe discusses the making of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, including battles with the studio to release the film and the unexpected and mind-blowing crowd reaction to the movie in a theater on Opening Weekend. Crowe pays much respect to director Amy Heckerling, who championed Fast Times and led the way for directors including an up-and-coming John Hughes in the making of teen films in that era. Crowe also talks about Penn’s immense impact on the film, including witnessing Penn’s supreme confidence and skill as a young actor and his unique approach to playing the role of Spicoli.

Crowe shares special memories of the making of Jerry Maguire, including humorous moments on the set with sports agent mentor Leigh Steinberg, his respect for and friendship with former NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe, who inspired Crowe in his creation of the fictional character that played the quarterback and prospective top NFL draft pick in the movie, and the awe-inspiring skills of actor Tom Cruise, who played the title character and whom Crowe describes as committed in the strongest way to understanding and respecting the roles of all members of the movie-making team and to helping Crowe realize his vision for the film.

Crowe also discusses much about Almost Famous, including the influence on the movie of those nights he spent as a teenager watching from the stage as the Allman Brothers Band played marathon shows.

Texas Longhorns legend and longtime NFL quarterback Colt McCoy, now in his first season as a college football analyst for NBC, visits with Says Who Sports.
McCoy discusses the learning curve that comes with moving from the playing field to the broadcast booth, shares his perspectives on the upcoming College Football Playoff, the transfer portal and NIL, current Texas quarterback Arch Manning’s situation, and his excitement about covering B1G Football on television.
McCoy also recalls the intensity of playing high school football in “Friday Night Lights country” in West Texas, and talks about the differences between the powerful Longhorns teams he led in ’08 and ’09, his experiences playing for the Cleveland Browns after being selected by the team in the 3rd round of the 2010 NFL draft, his belief in a “no excuses” mentality as a player, fighting thru frequent injury, and the key factors that allowed him to play fourteen seasons in the NFL.
McCoy breaks down the significant differences between the current NFL product and the one he experienced in his playing days, and shares what he learned from former coaches including Sean McVay and Jay Gruden.

Keith Byars, a former first-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles who spent thirteen seasons in the NFL and remains among the all-time leaders in running back receptions, joins Says Who Sports to break it all down like few can, from his “should-have-been” Heisman Trophy season as a junior at Ohio State in 1984 (he finished 2nd to Doug Flutie) to how he dealt with the devastating injury that dashed the big expectations for him the following season at Ohio State to all things NFL, including what he learned from legendary coaches he played for, including Buddy Ryan, Don Shula and Bill Parcells, and great players he played with, from Reggie White to Dan Marino.
Byars shares stories galore from his days at Ohio State, including his influence on former Buckeye head coach Jim Tressel, who coached running backs at Ohio State while Byars was there, in spurring Tressel to become a student of the running game. Byars recalls his excitement at receiving a “spicy” phone call from Woody Hayes as a high school recruit, and his appreciation for the many candid conversations he enjoyed with mentor Hayes while Byars was at Ohio State.
Byars shares stories of powerful moments on the field and in the locker room with the fiery Ryan and Parcells, including Parcells’s relentless coaching approach to hold every player on the roster accountable, not just the stars or starters.
Byars recalls Parcells’s reliance on him as a team leader responsible for helping younger players understand what it took to succeed in the NFL, ultimately helping to lead the Parcells-coached Patriots to Byars’s only Super Bowl appearance.
Byars also shares his perspectives on expectations for Ohio State football this season, indicating that championships are the standard at the school and stressing the importance of restoring the program’s winning ways versus rival Michigan (Byars shares a story of being trolled by Jim Harbaugh at a golf tournament in 2021 after Michigan beat Ohio State that year) and again capturing the B1G Championship after a three-year dry spell.

Beth Mowins, longtime play-by-play announcer for ESPN, joins Says Who Sports to share her perspectives on a variety of topics, including becoming the first female broadcaster to call a game for Monday Night Football, calling college football and basketball games, and being the voice of the Womens College World Series for thirty years for ESPN.
Mowins provides valuable insight into what it's like in the broadcast booth from a play-by-play perspective during a game, and likens handling the hectic, many-things-happening-at-once duties to being a quarterback or point guard, which she was at Lafayette College (Mowins captained the basketball team, and still holds the school's all-time assists record).
Mowins shares her thoughts about growing up in a sports-crazed family in North Syracuse, N.Y., the powerful impact of watching Phyllis George on the iconic NFL Today show as a kid, and the honor of receiving the Marty Glickman Award for leadership in sports media from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School (where she earned her master's degree in communications) in 2015, joining the likes of Bob Costas, Marv Albert and Sean McDonough.
Mowins also offers her perspectives on the creeping influence of social media on the way some broadcasters approach calling games, the importance of broadcasters knowing when to 'stay out of the way' during big moments in games and letting the camera work of the production crew and crowd paint a powerful picture, and much more!