By David Carducci
Director of New Media
TOLEDO, Ohio – Two members of Kent State’s coaching staff who used to play for the Golden Flashes spent part of Saturday night catching up with their old teammates in a technologically advanced version of what they used to call Jacuzzi Talk.
 |
| Jay Youngblood, live on iPad from Lebanon Mike Scott, live on iPhone from Indianapolis |
Assistant coach DeAndre Haynes and director of basketball operations Mike McKee sat in their hotel room at Toledo’s Grand Plaza Hotel talking with KSU alums Mike Scott and Jay Youngblood. But Scott was at his home near Indianapolis where is he is recovering from a minor injury that forced him to return from Europe where he had been playing professionally. And Youngblood was at his new home in Lebanon, where he is a star in that country’s pro league.
Scott’s face was on Haynes’ iPhone thanks to the FaceTime program. Youngblood showed up via Skype on Haynes’ iPad.
“We were making fun of each other the way we used to and having a great time,” said McKee. “It was just like when we were players. Back then we used to have this thing called Jacuzzi Talk where all of the players would get together and talk about a lot of stuff.”
“It was always on the road hanging out at the hotel hot tub,” said Haynes. “You know how we talk about how ‘Tradition Never Graduates’ at Kent State? Well, that also goes with traditions like this. Our current players even now still have Jacuzzi Talk. And the thing about Jacuzzi Talk is you have to be 100-percent truthful. If someone asks you a question, you have to answer honestly. And nothing that is said ever leaves Jacuzzi Talk, so I can’t say what was said even last night when we brought back Jacuzzi Talk with Skype and FaceTime.”
 |
| Haynes helps Mike Scott and Jay Youngblood talk face-to-face despite being separated by some 6,100-plus miles |
“Blood still has the same Geo Tracker he had in college,” said Haynes. “He still insists it is the most reliable car of all time. But I remember one time when he was driving me back home to Detroit when we were in college. It was so windy that the car almost flipped over. It was up on two wheels. I said, ‘Blood, there’s nothing reliable about that car. Remember, it almost killed us.’ But he still has it. Mike Scott said Blood probably plans to pass it down to his daughter.”
“We got on Mike Scott’s old car, too,” said McKee. “He had an old Pontiac Bonneville from like 1979. It had a disco ball in the mirror. We were trying to decide if we played chicken with the two cars, which one would win? Mike’s or Blood’s.
“We spent about a half hour being goofy and then they wanted to talk about this year’s team,” said Haynes. “We talked about some ideas about ways to get them going. It’s a great thing that after all of these
years we are still close. We still care about each other. And everyone who played for Kent State back then still cares about what is happening at Kent State now with the current team.”
years we are still close. We still care about each other. And everyone who played for Kent State back then still cares about what is happening at Kent State now with the current team.”
