#AskBooner: With Utah Jazz Stuck On Tarmac, Ron Boone Does Twitter Q&A

Former Utah Stars guard and current Jazz broadcaster Ron Boone in action.

Tonight, the Utah Jazz continue their road swing as coach Quin Snyder and crew take on the ailing Philadelphia 76ers. While yesterday’s inclement weather made passage to Philly more difficult than the team and its traveling companions probably would have liked, the delay did afford Jazz supporters the opportunity to pick the brain of an ABA legend.

With the team stuck on the tarmac with nowhere to go, Jazz radio analyst Ron Boone took to Twitter for an impromptu question and answer session with fans. It was an excellent opportunity for myself and other fans to pick the brain of a man that has become a Utah institution.

Many were curious about Boone’s thoughts on the current state of the Jazz and the development of the young players on the roster:

RT @Wells801: Who does Gobert most remind you of? #askbooner <---- a little bit of Mutombo around the rim. Too early too tell on offense
— Ron Boone (@1041straight) March 5, 2015

RT @jinx532: Booner, what are your thoughts on Dante Exum's growth this season? #askbooner <--- has hit a wall, you can see all the skills
— Ron Boone (@1041straight) March 5, 2015

RT @UteGorilla: what are the top 3 needs for the jazz to get to 50+ wins? #askbooner <-- stronger bench, maturity, shooting
— Ron Boone (@1041straight) March 5, 2015

Boone paints an optimist’s portrait of the team and where it stands, but is also firmly rooted in reality. As much as Snyder denies the existence of a rookie wall, Exum has unquestionably hit one. However, Boone believes that the talent is evident with Exum and I, for one, think that patience should be the order of the day for the Jazz faithful.

Speaking of Snyder, Boone had this to say about the club’s first-year head coach:

RT @kirknielson: how good is Quin? #askbooner <--- Like everything I have seen and what we are going to see
— Ron Boone (@1041straight) March 5, 2015

In addition to offering his analysis of the Jazz players and coaching staff, Boone shared thoughts and memories about his days as a player:

RT @49erCoug: Did you ever have a coach call time out and just stare at you? #askbooner <--- no but HS coach and Jerry West chewed us out
— Ron Boone (@1041straight) March 5, 2015

RT @MasonBNichols: #askbooner what do you remember most from your first NBA start? <--- I was cocky, wanted to prove ABA was real, 20+ pts
— Ron Boone (@1041straight) March 5, 2015

As someone who has always reveled in tales of the Utah Stars, their run to the 1971 ABA championship and their importance to the Salt Lake City sports scene during the early part of that decade, I was particularly interested in Boone’s thoughts on his time with the club. The former Stars guard offered some interesting tidbits about some of his Stars teammates:

My question was about one of the best two-way players of the era, Willie Wise:

RT @mrmarykateolsen: any funny or interesting stories about the great Willie Wise? #askbooner <---- he is the one who called me Chief
— Ron Boone (@1041straight) March 5, 2015

Interesting to hear the origin of the nickname. Boone also had this to say about the team’s cornerstone, 2014 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Zelmo Beaty:

RT @ryandanger23: Most intelligent basketball player you ever met? #askbooner <--- Early in my career Zelmo Beaty. Late was Magic
— Ron Boone (@1041straight) March 5, 2015

The former ABA All-Star answered several other questions, ranging from his favorite place to play, his radio partner David Locke’s misadventures with raw food, memories of working with Rod Hundley and also revealed his thoughts on a hypothetical game of one-on-one with current Jazz star Gordon Hayward.

Check the Booner out on Twitter @1041straight for the full Q&A session.

More from The J-Notes

Home/Jazz News