Steve Jones Show

Topics: Steve begins his 2019 speaking circuit and some of our great listeners call in with questions on collegiate wrestling, will there be a permanent switch to four quarters in men’s college hoops, and what is the first thing you would do if you won the Powerball jackpot?

Guests: National College Football Writer Dennis Dodd (CBSSports.com) joins us to dive into the Tate Martell transfer from Ohio State to Miami and whether this really opens up “free agency” in the sport.  Then, we wrap up the show as play-by-play announcer Brandon Gaudin (BTN / Westwood One Radio Network) checks in from Louisville, prior to the Sweet 16 matchups. Brandon and Steve recap Duke’s Sunday night escape over UCF plus give previews of Purdue/Tennessee as well as Oregon/Virginia in the South region on Thursday night.

Topics: NCAA Sweet 16 matchups, NFL meetings and the pitfalls of instant replay. Guest: Dana O’Neil (Senior Writer, The Athletic) is back to share details on her latest long form write-up in The Athletic on Gonzaga’s Rui Hachimura and how he’s treated in Japan compared to the USA. Dana also breaks down the big factors that teams will need to focus on, in order to move into this weekend’s Elite 8. And, we finish the hour with breaking news on Nebraska firing Head Men’s Basketball Coach Tim Miles.

Guests: Kerry Miller (National College Basketball Writer, BleacherReport.com) was courtside for the Duke/UCF second round match matchup and we get a recap on how the Blue Devils escaped plus Kerry and Steve have ideas to improve the use of instant replay. Then, Michigan State reporter Chris Solari (Detroit Free Press) returns to the show to share how Tom Izzo and the Spartans survived a challenging two-week run to get to the Sweet 16.

Topics: Ally McHugh wins first Penn State swimming NCAA title, Nittany Lions claim 8th national wrestling championship in 9 years and celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti was caught attempting to extort more than $20 million from Nike. Guest: Penn State writer Ben Jones (StateCollege.com) and Steve discuss the opening weekend of the hoops tournament, the Nittany Lions falling one goal short at Notre Dame in the Big Ten Championship game and an update on Spring football as the Blue/White quickly approaches!

Guests:  Paul Alexander, AT&T Sportsnet in Pittsburgh, on Pittsburgh Sports, including the NCAA Wrestling Tournament being held there.  Steve’s brother, Kevin, phones in to talk about the week in sports.

Steve discusses March Madness and the NCAA Wrestling Tournament.  Guest:  Brian Tripp, play-by-play voice of Penn State Men’s Hockey.

Hour 2 – Topics: More updates and reaction to March Madness, plus Steve reacts to legislation from Congressman Mark Walker, which would end the NCAA’s restrictions on player publicity rights, plus a look at a weak NBA Draft Class.

Thursday 3/21/19 Hour 1 – Topics: March Madness and NCAA Wrestling Championship updates and reaction, plus can Penn State wrap up another national championship in record time?

Hour 2: Guests: Jeff Byers, Penn State Wrestling Play-By-Play, previewing the upcoming NCAA Wrestling Championships in Pittsburgh, and Chris Trapasso of CBSSports, with is 7-Round NFL Mock Draft.

Wednesday 3/20/19 Hour 1 – Topics: Steve reacts to the Tate Martell transfer, plus a March Madness preview. Guest: Donavan Smith, OL for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, on his time with Penn State, his new contract extension, and more.

Guests: Ken Pomeroy (kenpom.com) returns to the show to discuss the brackets, the good and not so good of March Madness. Then, we wrap up the show as Senior Editor Neal Coolong (TouchdownWire.com) joins us to kick around the Steelers selections in free agency and which positions will they focus on next month at the NFL Draft.

Steve shares his impressions of Penn State Football Pro Day. Guest: College Football/AAF writer Ben Kercheval (CBSSports.com) calls in to discuss how the Alliance of American Football has been doing in it’s first month and a half and quarterback Johnny Manziel going to Memphis after being kicked out of the Canadian Football League.

Guests: United States Basketball Hall of Fame Writer Dick Jerardi (Analyst, Penn State Sports Network) calls in to discuss the brackets, which teams deserve number one seeds, if St. John’s deserved to get in the tournament, Villanova losing 4 starters from last year’s championship team and receiving an automatic bid, and who Dick has going to the Final Four in Minneapolis. Then, we wrap up the show with sports writer Neil Greenberg (Washington Post) to get his thoughts on how good of a job the committee did putting the brackets together and on Michigan State getting a 2 seed in...

Topics: Penn State’s men’s ice hockey advances to B1G championship for the second time in three years, Bengals cut linebacker Vontaze Burfict, 68 teams set in the NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament. Guest: Ben Jones (Penn State Writer, StateCollege.com) along with Steve, break down the tournament brackets and a look back at the B1G season which featured 20 league games per team for the first time.

Guests: Friend of the show, Bob Buehner, who previously lived in New Zealand, calls in to talk about the tragedy in Christchurch and we wrap up the show with Steve’s brother Kevin Jones as the guys discuss the college admissions scandal.

Topics: Penn State eliminated by Minnesota at B1G basketball tournament, NCAA NET rankings, what is a “quad 1” win, should Cleveland appear on Hard Knocks for a second straight year and the AAF.

Guest: Philadelphia Phillies Beat Writer Matt Gelb (The Athletic) makes his first appearance on the show and looks back on Gabe Kapler’s first season as manager, whether or not he’s under more pressure this year as well as the major signings the team acquired during the hot stove period.

Steve is in Chicago for the 2019 Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament. Topics: NFL Free Agency, Antonio Brown, NCAA conference scoreboard updates. Guest: New York Giants Beat Writer/NFL Reporter Matt Lombardo (NJ.com) takes us through the timeline that led to Odell Beckham Jr. being dealt to Cleveland, how the Giants could go through their rebuild and do they have Kyler Murray on their radar?

This is the first day of Penn State Spring Football Practice and we have coverage of the press conference at Beaver Stadium with Head Coach James Franklin and new Special Teams Coordinator/Defensive Assistant Coach Joe Lorig.