Free Ira Brown! - The Gonzaga Hoops Podcast

You ever see one of those fights, when there’s a bigger guy beating up on a little guy and you just can’t help but feel for the little guy? Maybe he or she is doing all they can but they’re clearly just outmatched and end up like the little brother being held at arm’s length by the big brother? And you just want to jump in and help the little guy? Yeah, this was not one of those times. This was not one of those weekends. This was, instead, a thoroughly enjoyable 78-point thrashing of two of the “best” other guys in the West Coast Conference.

Adam and Marty are joined by special guest and FIB superfan David Jenne while Chris honeymoons (Congratulations Buddy!). We take a long, hard look at the 30 point drubbing laid upon the BYU Cougars, marvel at the consistent domination of Rui Hachimura and anticipate the toughest weekend of the WCC season with GU facing both USF and some other team from California. We close with a top three that takes a look at things even more dull than the 53rd big game.  Thanks for downloading!

Of all the people who helped start this incredibly period of success we’ve experienced as Gonzaga fans, there’s one man whose name ranks above all else as the coolest name among Gonzaga trendsetters. Casey Calvary is a great name (who doesn’t love alliteration), Dan Dickau is fantastic (see above), but no one – and we mean no one, dear FIBbers – can hold a candle to the man, the myth, the Aussie: Axel Dench. That’s right, Free Ira Brown is back, and in our latest episode, our heroes welcome a Gonzaga legend. The great Axel Dench joins us to discuss his role in paving the way for 20 years of sustained excellence, how he got to Gonzaga and how to eat on $16 a day. Oh yeah, we may or may not fanboy over his role in Star Wars, Episode III. He has his own action figure! Those stories, plus: Bulldogs good. Broncos bad. We run through the plethora of fun stats and records set in Gonzaga’s demolition of Santa Clara, and how we completely accurately called this game. We also look ahead to BYU in a completely timely, n

Normally, we’d have something here about how Gonzaga put to lowly WCC foes to bed, and try to make it somewhat cute and/or funny. But this time, we have a sincere message: congrats to new Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Edgar Martinez. It only took 10 years (about nine too long if you ask us), but the baseball writers finally got things right. Which has nothing to do with Free Ira Brown, but seemed worth mentioning nonetheless. But fear not, dear FIBber, the pod is back with its usual shenanigans. And in our latest episode, our heroes review the wins over Loyola Marymount in LA and over the Pilots our home-away-from-home, Portland. Those stories, plus we dip our toes into the Triple Tower lineup, have a moment with Heister, wonder if it’s time to start worry about Zach’s shooting and curse BYU’s women. We also take the time to protect ourselves from the flailing hands of Nick Emery, the middle-aged hands of TJ Haws and the hulking hands of Yoeli Childs in our BYU preview. We also play Santa Clara this wee

They say it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. We can debate the axiom’s merits, but thankfully for us Gonzaga fans, what isn’t much of a debate is this: the Bulldogs finished the weekend a bit stronger your friends here at Free Ira Brown. Yes, dear FIBbers, we’re back, though admittedly not at full strength. In our latest episode, our heroes attempt to recover from the weekend in time to bring you a breakdown of Gonzaga’s exciting win in San Francisco. We exalt in Brandon’s brilliance, Baby Daddy’s outstanding second half and Tillie’s best game this season. Those stories, plus we played Pacific in one of the least memorable games in recent…uh…memory, we look ahead to the games against LMU and Portland this weekend, Gonzaga’s women set another new ranking record and Zykera Rice is pretty awesome. And finally, in honor of whomever those people were who called the San Francisco game, we revisit some of the phrases/actions/habits of announcers which drive us crazy (spoilers: Chris and Marty do not see eye

As conference play begins, Gonzaga’s roster is starting to look like what we all hoped it would, and Free Ira Brown is back to provide a closer look at the return of both Killian Tillie and Geno Crandall. In our latest episode, our heroes revel in smacking aside Santa Clara in the Bulldogs’ West Coast Conference opener. The return of Tillie and Crandall provided the headlines, and we take a look at a full roster might mean moving forward. Those stories, plus did you know it’s been 23 years since Gonzaga lost a WCC opener? Care to take a trip down memory lane? We’ve also got Zykera Rice ripping it up as the Gonzaga women now have their highest national ranking ever (congrats!), we look ahead to Thursday’s matchup against the Pacific (Paper) Tigers and look even further forward to Saturday’s trip to San Francisco. This is a trip which traditionally provides trouble for Gonzaga, and we make a closer examination of just how rude a host the Dons have been in recent seasons. And finally, we end with what will hopef

It’s a new year, a new week and a new episode of Free Ira Brown! That’s right, dear FIBbers, the boys are back from their holiday hiatus and they’re here to welcome you to 2019. In our newest installment, our heroes review the trio of holiday cupcakes that were the Denver, North Alabama and Cal State Bakersfield matchups. Those stories, plus we give some grades to Gonzaga’s non-conference season, review the unexpectedly strong showing by West Coast Conference teams not named Saint Mary’s, check in with the Gonzaga women and look forward to kicking off WCC play against Santa Clara (well, hello, Geno and Killian! Nice to see you again!). We also take some time to chat about why it’s important to remember where the program came from, and why not every non-major conference team who is exceeding expectations is the next Gonzaga. And finally, we finish things off with some New Year’s resolutions which will be 100% strictly adhered to without any semblance of a doubt. Nope, no doubt at all. All this and more on the

As it is the festive season, we felt it only appropriate to give you our own (abbreviated) version of a classic holiday tune – don’t worry, we don’t actually sing on the pod, we’re not monsters. Cracks fingers…OK, here we go: On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: 12 Jeremy Joneses 11 Zykeras Riceing 10 More games with Heister 9 B-Mikes at halftime 8 Gaels a-tearing 7 Angry Chris texts 6 Vic-tries in the tourney Perkins passing Stockton! 4 Trips to Cali 3 Bennett blow-bys 2 Limbs a-healing And a brand new podcast from Free Ira Brown! Now that we’ve got that out of the way, in our latest episode, our heroes glance forlornly back at the trip to Chapel Hill, Marty talks Chris off the ledge (well, kinda) and Marty makes a Grosse Pointe Blank(!) reference. Those stories, plus the UT Arlington game happened (Ayayi actually got minutes!), Heister makes fun of Fox for saying something wrong, we get a final clarification on how to pronounce Filip Petrusev’s name and we look ahead at the murderer’s row

As I left my house to go to work Wednesday morning, I discovered someone had broken into my car. Nothing too significant or meaningful stolen -- an old pair of sunglasses, some blue-tooth head phones, etc. Obnoxious, not really life-altering (that I can tell). As I was pilfering through the mess that was the interior of my car, I noticed there was no broken glass. I walked around the car and noticed the locks didn’t appear – to the naked eye, at least – to be damaged. Which likely means I simply forgot to lock the doors, and someone took advantage of my oversight. As I sat half kicking myself, half angry at the perpetrator, I realized something: this was partially my own doing, partially someone else’s doing. It was at least somewhat my own mistake(s) leading to the frustrating result. I felt crummy because things went poorly but also a bit relieved things weren’t worse. Hey, this sounds exactly like Gonzaga’s last two games! And frankly, dear FIBbers, this sounds exactly like most of the Free Ira Brown podca

You ever get a feeling of déjà vu? Where things which just happened feel like they happened already? How about you, Creighton? Ever get that feeling? You know the one: where Zach Norvell has a pretty pedestrian first half, you go into halftime with a seven-point lead, feeling pretty good about yourself. And then, out of nowhere, Norvell starts to eat…and eat…and eat…and eat. And suddenly you’re on the wrong side of a second-half explosion? Well, just in case you forgot, Free Ira Brown is here to remind you. That’s right, dear FIBbers, our heroes are back, and in our latest episode we take a look at Gonzaga’s win over Creighton, from Zach’s second-half dominance, Clarke’s elite efficiency, Perk’s passing (Baby Daddy!) and Rui’s resplendence. Those stories, plus we pop into the polls, prepare for a Wednesday with Washington, preview the tussle with Tennessee and celebrate a Stanford upset with the Gonzaga women. And finally, we finish with a really fun interview with two of the authors of “We Are GU: The Origin

Last night I had a dream. For some reason, I was fighting a dragon. A green one. I had traveled out of town to either chase it or go hiking (it’s unclear which) and noticed it flying around. As I was running to get back to … town? My house? … I passed two people playing tennis without a net. I stopped to jokingly act like a line judge, but they took too long, so I left.  Anyway, I got to my parents house and was hiding out in their basement (despite the fact they don’t have a basement) and something happened to the dragon (maybe it was asleep?) and I was discussing with an unknown person whether we should kill the dragon. Somehow the dragon heard me, got mad(der) and decided to come after me. I ran out of my parents’ house and into the street as the dragon flew overhead. The neighbors were trying to escape by putting their entire family on bikes (no idea why they didn’t use their car). The dragon threw what I think was a garbage can lid and hit one of the moving people, knocking them out over. I turned to the

On this episode of Free Ira Brown, the lads react to the drubbing of SEC "Powerhouse" Texas A&M and preview the upcoming murderer's row of a preseason tournament in this Year's Maui Invitational. 

 Are you excited about Brandon Clarke yet? Of course you are. You are, your parents are, and so is Free Ira Brown. Yes, dear FIBbers, we’re back again. And in our latest episode, our heroes run the gamut reviewing the win over Texas Southern. From new fan favorite Brandon Clarke’s speed and explosiveness to the steady excellence of Josh Perkins (11 assists!). Those stories, plus we hop around in a news recap stuffed to the brim, we say hello to Heister and we take a look ahead to Thursday’s clash with a Texas A&M who’s hobbled by injuries. Could they still pose a formidable threat? And finally, what’s in a name? We’ll find out as we finish with a game testing Marty and Adam’s ability to decipher between a real player and a made up character. All that and more on the latest episode of Free Ira Brown, THE Gonzaga Hoops podcast. Do join us in the game of names, won’t you?

Finally! The rock has come back to Spokane! Because, see, the basketball is sometimes called “the rock,” and basketball is back and The Rock was a wrestler who used to say…you know what, never mind. Basketball is back! Gonzaga basketball is back! Real, live, actual basketball! And you know what that means: A full and proper Free Ira Brown is back! That’s right, dear FIBbers, in our most recent episode, our heroes react to the Tillie injury in a timely manner, revisit our own expectations for the season and break down the win over the Bengals…Bangles…Ben-gals of Idaho State. Those stories, plus we have a Texas Southern preview, listen in on Mark Few turning down the role of fly fishing instructor and warmly embrace the return of some time with Heister. All that and more on the latest episode of Free Ira Brown, THE Gonzaga Hoops Podcast. Do come into the kitchen and smell what we’re cooking, won’t you?

OK, let’s get this out of the way at the top: We recorded this week’s episode before Killian Tillie’s injury was announced. We didn’t ignore it. You can’t accuse us of being in denial. Mostly. You know…ish. So what CAN you accuse us of? How about a high level of excitement as we help you count down the days until Thursday’s exhibition season-opener? That’s right, dear FIBbers, Free Ira Brown is back with part two of our season preview. In our latest episode, our heroes go over what little info we have from GU’s victory over Michigan State in the “secret” scrimmage, take a peek at the polls and exalt at the most important news of the day. Those stories, plus we pick our starting lineups for the first game (seriously, you couldn’t announce Tillie’s injury before we recorded? Sigh), have a festive Italian dinner with our non-conference schedule, take 90 seconds to discuss the other relevant non-conference matchups across the WCC and make our predictions for the season. And finally, we end the episode with a rive

*Scrolls through old posts* ”Good God, That’s Free Ira Brown’s music!” No, no, we did that one already. *Scrolls further* “From the depths of the darkness of despair rises a podcast…” Nope, did that one already, too. *Looks closer* “We’re baaaaaccck!” Did that one, as well (note to self: Still use the Randy Quaid GIF from Independence Day on Twitter). Maybe just go back to basics: Hey, everybody! Free Ira Brown is back! That’s right, as the calendar switches into God’s season (college basketball season, of course), our heroes are back for another season of podcasting (our fifth!). With Kraziness in the Kennel in the books, it’s time for the first of our two-part season preview. In this episode, we'll discuss Larsen leaving, Geno joining and a bevy Bulldogs on preseason award lists. Those stories, plus, we take a quick look back at Kraziness, breakdown the individual players and our expectations for them and opine for more Rem/Dakich twitter beefs. All this and more on the season-opening episode of Free Ira Br

OK, just hear us out. It’s late-August. We know. Lots of things happened since we last podded. We know. We’re sorry. We were trying to find a Chik-Fil-A. But. Much like that one terrifying week after that foam party you don’t like to talk about, we’re late…but we’re finally here! That’s right, Free Ira Brown is back with a mid- … er … late-summer night’s pod! In our offseason recap, our heroes … well, it’s fair to say our heroes are a little rusty. We’ve got premature beer openings, computer/audio issues and a tease in the open we never bothered to revisit. Those stories, plus we’ve got incomings (like Geno) and outgoings (like Jesse), surgeries (get well soon, Baby Daddy!) and scheduling (Maui!). We take a look at the NCAA’s new metric for evaluating Saint Mary’s crappy schedule and make a quick hop across the Atlantic to check in on FIBA’s Under-18 European Championships. Oh yeah, one more thing: Courtney Vandersloot? Still a badass. All that and more on the summer episode of Free Ira Brown, THE Gonzaga Hoo

Through all the frustration and pain and tears; through all the rage and alibi hours and beers, it’s important to keep perspective. It’s important to not let one game ruin the whole season. Except, that’s what the NCAA Tournament does, right? It builds you up, it gives you hope, only to have your (and 66 other) seasons come to a sudden, crashing halt. The excitement and enthusiasm of a(nother) Sweet 16 appearance dissipates into regret and hand-wringing, students and alums alike becoming vessels of dull, empty fandom. And yet…through the darkness, a light flickers. From deep in the void now within all our hearts, our heroes stir. There’s one final podcast left, one final time for us to rise above the heartache, soar past the missed free throws and open 3-pointers to bring to you, dear FIBbers, a season-ending podcast worthy of our highest of standards. The loss to Florida State may be a few days old now, but the sting is still fresh and our heroes break everything down. From the unexpected absence of Killian

There will come a time when your heroes, brave and mighty, will return from an in-person meetup with their bodies and brains fully intact. There will come a time when Free Ira Brown, borne of strength and purity, returns from its annual NCAA first-weekend meetup full of voice, vigor and vivacity. This, dear FIBbers, is not one of those times. And yet, despite being on limited sleep and voice quality, our heroes -- showing the type of intestinal fortitude, sheer force of will and cojones to rival one young Zach Norvell, Jr. -- somehow manage to muster up the energy and raw strength to take a deep and devoted dive into Gonzaga’s fourth straight Sweet 16 appearance (!).  We celebrate the giant…basketballs owned by the aforementioned Mr. Norvell. We discuss the decided lack of quality free throw shooting (until the last 8 minutes against Ohio State, that is). We give props to Rui’s massive performance. And Chris fawns over his Baby Daddy, the good sir Josh Perkins himself. Oh yeah, did we mention we hung out with

Free Ira Brown and special guests share some pints and relish in another Sweet Sixteen. Regular Pod back this week. (If our voices recover).