Dang! You guys are super quick. @DFresh11 said you recorded just last night and it’s already up- bravo!
Thanks for putting it on youtube! Even tho there’s no visual I like this much better cause it loads better rather than apple podcasts. Just a personal preference
Great interview. Willie Dersch graduated the same year I did… so it was great hearing it. Many memories were definitely jogged. Melvin Whitaker… totally forgot about that dude! The change from Jeff Jones to Pete Gillen… at the time I remember everyone was excited to change from a very defensive coach to a run and gun outfit. It had nothing to do with this podcast, but it made me remember being in Cosmology class with Colin Ducharme in college and him falling asleep next to me drooling on the desk. Ha ha!
hahahahaah. thats hilarious
It was awesome to talk to him. I’ve always thought of him as a legend… He just got caught in a horrible time in UVa basketball history. It mirrored mine. As a kid in cville watching ralph, stith, doug smith…always dreamed of going to uva and being in the student section. And when I finally did…i never missed a game and it was literally the worst time in the history of the program. But that’s life. He never transferred, stuck with us even when he probably didnt want to…
I can relate… 1996 - 2000 while I was there definitely wasn’t UVa revenue sports heyday. On the bright side, I was one of the paid University Guides, so i used to get unfettered access to Al Groh and Pete Gillen when prospective athletes would come for tours.
I’m not sure many folks know there are paid University Guides… we were the ones that did the tours when the fraternal organization didn’t get someone scheduled, over breaks and through the summer. During my 3rd and 4th year I was one of 9. It was me… a male Asian, AFROTC, SEAS Computer Science major, the minority in every sense… and 8 extremely attractive mini skirt wearing Arts and Sciences Sorority girls. I could see the smiles drain from faces and the utter disappointment when kids (especially boys) would get assigned to my group as they lovingly looked at the sorority girls guiding the other groups away. LOL! Memories.
yes. was thinking the same
more please
I listened to the first half on the way home today and really enjoyed it. I always said the sports section of the day after UVA beat FSU and got a McDonalds All American to commit to us over UNC and Duke was the best Daily Progress sports section ever until last March.
About halfway through this podcast and loving it. I’ve shared my Willie Dersch story before but I really love hearing him talk about that era of UVa basketball. My Mom was a dean at the school and had several of the players when everything went down with the shoplifting and Jeff Jones leaving. Plus it was the heyday of my fandom as a kid I was in 7th or 8th grade when Willie got on grounds and I was playing against him in pick up games as a Jr. in HS when he was leaving. So I was all in on those years. Love the trip down memory lane.
It wasn’t anything scandalous… I would hear the same stupid jokes they would tell kids every time. Groh would always say he was part of the “drama” department and Gillen would always just talk so fast you wouldn’t understand him. The whole same joke thing Willie Dersch commented on rings true.
Also… they would make fun of the fact I was the only dude as a tour guide. Would say lame stuff like I was not recruited correctly and was overrecruited by the cute sorority girls. 
I remember Pete’s jokes for sure and his super fast talking. Bumped into him a few years back at the CVS on Barracks Rd and he was the exact same. I had to laugh. Even when I was at X people spoke about him in the same light. It’s pretty cool how consistent he is.
Hey everyone this is Willie Dersch - Thanks for having me on fellas, was fun! So my wife Ivonne came after me on the Uva Mount Rushmore topic so I gave it some thought… here you go…
2nd Apr 2020 Ivonne Dersch: You really punted this mt Rushmore question geez
2nd Apr 2020 Will Dersch:
haha it’s a tough one… not as easy answer
2nd Apr 2020 Ivonne Dersch: Yeah but you just talked around the mountain for like 10 minutes…Lol
2nd Apr 2020 11:42:11 am Will Dersch:
are you going with strictly individual talent or those that won a lot and went far… what if a player left early and didn’t reach full potential till after UVa days…should they still be a 1st team?
2nd Apr 2020 Will Dersch:
in the end i went with this
First team: 1. Corey Alexander 2. Curtis Staples 3. Malcolmn Brogdon 4.Bryant Stith 5. Ralph Sampson
Second team: 1. Ty Jerome 2. Joey Harris 3 Deandre Hunter 4 Jr Borough 5. Mamade Diakite
honorable mentions Sean Singletary tough one and Harold Deane
FIRST TEAM 6TH MAN AWARD ALL TIME - DOUGLAS FRESH SMITH
Boom. Curtis is so underrated…he would KILL in today’s game…I mean it wouldn’t even be fair.
@DFresh11 said “ mma go with Bryant Ralph Cory and Crotty. Close next four is Ty Harold Deane Junior B and Rich Morgan.“
Later added Dawn Staley.
Fact Curtis would be lethal in today’s green light from deep era. It would be crazy.
Im just hearing this podcast. Willie really sound like a cool and down tu earth guy. When he was in HS, man he had a lot of pressure on him. Guys who know ball knew he wasn’t Chris Mullin and Chris is not 6’8 or 6’9 by the way. Chris was a BK boy and had a different heartbeat. But once Willie committed tu UVA, I did something I never do now. I hyped him up and was telling my people, Willie was the shit. I honestly did think he was going tu have a good career and we had ballers on the team. But you can tell from this interview what was Willie issue. He lacked confidence. He didn’t believe in himself and he settled. He didn’t want tu be the man or have high expectations. Willie qaa upset and embarrassed with his UVA career and you can tell held bad feelings tuward the university. It was something he wanted tu leave in his pass. If he had more NYC in him Willie had an opportunity tu be the top guy for UVA his last 3 years. I knew he was doing well in life and Im glad he is back being a HOO. The fact that he played for UVA and dont know How Phenomenal Stith was blew me away. But another good podcast and the questions are getting better in my opinion. Thank You!!
Finally found this gem from Uva football game kid watching from the hill
I’m not sure what’s better the Dersch jersey… fire or the Uva bucket hat… el fuego