This week, we welcome Andrew Wagner, senior guard from Prospect Heights, Ill., to the show as he was kind enough to carve out some time Thursday morning following the Johnnies first conference game of the season ... a 75-60 win over St. Olaf to bring the win total to five (1-0 in conference play, 5-2 on the season) for your favorite basketball team. A big thanks goes out to Andrew for being willing to chat with the guys.

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Support for benchwarmers media productions provided by:

- Sixth Man Enterprises

- The Sexton Family Foundation

- Bobbi and John Augustine

- Maggie and Marty McCaslin

- Steve Cummings at Nova Group

- Matt Johnson

- Rick DesLauriers

- Sue and Jim Bowe

- John Schultz

Thank you to everyone who helps make our projects possible.

Are you a member of the Johnnie Basketball Alumni Association? You should be! Sign up right now to join the Johnnie Basketball Nation and connect with teammates and friends, flip through old photos, even listen to episodes of the podcast. Founded and managed by SJU basketball alumni and friends, the Johnnie Basketball Alumni Association exists to foster the already formidable Johnnie Basketball Nation. Go to johnniebasketballalumni.org to see what it's all about.

We have a new website! Check it out here: benchwarmersmedia.org

Take a look through the record books, watch live games and stay up-to-date on all Johnnies sports action at gojohnnies.com.

First of all, we hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We’re back today with Head Basketball Coach Pat McKenzie as he was kind enough to talk with the guys first thing Monday morning after the team’s second consecutive weekend on the road, going 2-0 in Iowa and 1-1 at last weekend’s great lakes invitational in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

As always, we are very appreciative of Coach McKenzie's time. Be sure to tune in each week as we continue with our "On the Court" series and shift the focus to current players.

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Support for benchwarmers media productions provided by:

- Sixth Man Enterprises

- The Sexton Family Foundation

- Bobbi and John Augustine

- Maggie and Marty McCaslin

- Steve Cummings at Nova Group

- Matt Johnson

- Rick DesLauriers

- Sue and Jim Bowe

- John Schultz

Thank you to everyone who helps make our projects possible.

Are you a member of the Johnnie Basketball Alumni Association? You should be! Sign up right now to join the Johnnie Basketball Nation and connect with teammates and friends, flip through old photos, even listen to episodes of the podcast. Founded and managed by SJU basketball alumni and friends, the Johnnie Basketball Alumni Association exists to foster the already formidable Johnnie Basketball Nation. Go to johnniebasketballalumni.org to see what it's all about.

We have a new website! Check it out here: benchwarmersmedia.org

Take a look through the record books, watch live games and stay up-to-date on all Johnnies sports action at gojohnnies.com.

Welcome back to "No Place I’d Rather Be," the podcast about Johnnie basketball and the legacy of Minnesota’s all-time collegiate wins leader coach Jim Smith. We have a very special episode of the show to bring you today. While we’re hard at work getting the rest of season 3 of the podcast ready to go, the basketball season starts Saturday with a 5 p.m. tip against UW Oshkosh at Sexton Arena, right here in Collegeville. We wanted to make sure everyone was as excited as we are for the start of another great run of Johnnie basketball so we’re kicking things off with something new, as we were there to capture the inaugural Johnnie Basketball tip-off event at Basement Bar in Minneapolis October 30 (huge thanks to owner Brett Johnson, class of 2008). Organized by our very own Tom Connell, the evening featured full team introductions and interviews with three key returning players as well as some questions for head coach Pat Mckenzie. Since this was a special event we decided we needed a special guest host as well. And we got one in the incomparable Eric Thomes, class of ‘94. We just let it roll from there.

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Thank you to Coach Pat McKenzie and this year’s Johnnie basketball team for their participation in the evening and to ET for doing a masterful job keeping us on the rails. Thank you again to Brett Johnson, class of 2008, owner of Basement Bar for the use of their beautiful facilities. Brett also owns Nolo’s Kitchen and Bar, which is located directly above the basement bar in the north loop on Washington Avenue as well as the Hilltop in Edina. Stop by for some great local fare.

Are you a member of the Johnnie Basketball Alumni Association? You should be! Sign up right now to join the Johnnie Basketball Nation and connect with teammates and friends, flip through old photos, even listen to episodes of the podcast. Founded and managed by SJU basketball alumni and friends, the Johnnie Basketball Alumni Association exists to foster the already formidable Johnnie Basketball Nation. Go to johnniebasketballalumni.org to see what it's all about.

Please be sure to like, follow, rate and review … No Place I’d Rather Be … on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you go for your podcast needs … and be on the lookout … more information about season 3 coming soon …

Take a look through the record books, learn more about the success-filled history of Johnnie basketball, watch live games and stay up-to-date on all Johnnies sports action at gojohnnies.com.

No Place I’d Rather Be is a Benchwarmers Media production in association with Nine Pines Podcasts. Thanks for listening.