The Amy Eagan Podcast

Gary (00:02)
Welcome to the Amy Egan podcast where each week, Lindenwood University head women's basketball coach Amy Egan talks women's basketball and much, more. We'll talk about past games in season. We'll talk about future games. But this summer we do some special interviews and we're doing that today. And I'm going to turn the podcast over to Coach Egan who's going to introduce our very special guest and coach always a pleasure to have you on the podcast.

Jaxon (00:20)
Okay.

Amy Eagan (00:28)
Always great to be here, Gary, as always. You know, last time we talked, we were talking a lot about women's basketball in the state of the WNBA and college basketball and, you know, all kinds of stuff with it. And, you know, you asked me a little bit of, if you remember, you know, who do I feel like probably has had the biggest impact on them with some of the women's game? And, you know, I said, I really feel like a lot of

young boys and young men are paying a lot more attention to women's college basketball in the WNBA than in the past. So I brought on one of my favorite 11 year olds that not only loves Lindenwood women's basketball, but has paid some attention to to what's happening in the world with college women's basketball in the WNBA. And his name is Jackson Aldrichs, and he is 11 years

Jaxon (01:18)
Thank

Amy Eagan (01:24)
And he, we're gonna share some stories and we already have a little bit. I used to coach his mom about, well, I shouldn't say how long ago, but about 20 years ago. And she's one of my great friends. So hi, Jackson, welcome.

Gary (01:33)
my.

Jaxon (01:34)
Okay.

Amy Eagan (01:41)
Are excited to be here? Well, let's get started then with some things and I kind of want to pick your brain with some stuff. Talk to us a little bit, Jackson, about when you started first kind of watching college women's basketball.

Jaxon (01:43)
Yeah.

Probably about two, three years ago with March Madness starting

Amy Eagan (02:02)
Yeah, was there a certain favorite women's basketball player or a team that got you interested?

Jaxon (02:11)
Probably UConn just because I like the men's team a lot too, so.

Amy Eagan (02:15)
Yeah, yeah. Do you have a favorite college women's player?

Jaxon (02:20)
Probably to Hina PowPow just because she's a good three point shooter and I like watching her during threes.

Amy Eagan (02:22)
RUIN!

Good. Hey, you always like to offense and you always like to watch three pointers. So, you know, we you probably watch a lot of that a lot of college basketball with your family and with your mom. And I know last year, you know, was our first year at Lyndenwood. And I hear that you possibly kept up with some Lyndenwood women's basketball a little bit. Is that is that true? Yeah.

Jaxon (02:56)
Yeah.

Amy Eagan (02:57)
Do you have a favorite player of mine that really caught your eye last year?

Jaxon (03:02)
Probably Ellie. Yeah.

Amy Eagan (03:04)
Yeah, Ellie Brueggemann? Yeah? Why is that?

Jaxon (03:09)
Well, it's just the way that she's a good playmaker in my opinion and she's able to shoot the ball well.

Amy Eagan (03:15)
Yeah, she can stroke it a little bit. So what you're telling me is you like these women's basketball players that can really put the ball in the basket, huh? That can really shoot it? Yeah. A lot of people do. A lot of people like that. So I hear, Jackson, that you love all sports, okay? But hockey right now is your favorite. Is that true? Okay.

Jaxon (03:25)
Yeah.

Yes.

Amy Eagan (03:42)
So what about hockey do you love or do you enjoy?

Jaxon (03:47)
Well, you just say you want to travel and go to new places and sometimes you get to meet new people and it's really just one of the best sports ever.

Amy Eagan (03:57)
Yeah. Do you have any pregame routines or superstitions

Gary (03:57)
Hahaha

Jaxon (04:04)
I probably go left to right a lot.

Amy Eagan (04:08)
Yeah?

You enjoy that? you like hitting people up against the wall and that kind of

Jaxon (04:18)
Yeah, we'll fully be able to like really hit people next year, so.

Amy Eagan (04:23)
Okay, so you're not quite at that point yet with it. So I hear that you know a famous Division I Lyndenwood women's hockey player.

Jaxon (04:26)
Love.

Yeah, her name is Molly and I first I know her because she is one of our instructors in Rockford.

Amy Eagan (04:46)
Good. It's Molly Henderson, right? Yeah. Yeah. So it's a small world. You know, you're really getting a lot of Lindenwood athletics and it's amazing, I think, how you can have some great, great role models from the women's side of hockey as well back home with it. Does she work with you with some drills in

Jaxon (04:49)
Yeah, I believe so.

Yeah, so normally we have this thing called office and she's sometimes there and she really helps out like a lot of kids

Amy Eagan (05:20)
Good, good, that's awesome. It sounds like we gotta get you some Lindenwood gear.

Jaxon (05:25)
Maybe.

Amy Eagan (05:26)
Yeah, maybe a basketball shirt and then maybe a hockey shirt. Then depending on who's playing you can represent, right? Okay. listen, so I hear like that you like kind of doing the podcast stuff. You probably know more stuff about sports than most kids at your age with it.

Gary (05:27)
You

Jaxon (05:32)
Yeah.

Yeah, that sounds good.

Amy Eagan (05:53)
Do you think maybe in the future you have some interest in being a podcast, having your own podcast and running one?

Jaxon (06:01)
Well, of my, so my brother plays hockey and one of the dads on their team jokes around and saying that I should start my own podcast and so.

Amy Eagan (06:14)
With useful or useless information? one? With useful information or useless information? Good, good. Okay, so let's, I'm gonna put you on the spot. You're 11 years old, I'm gonna put you on the spot. It's your turn. Can you be me and ask me some questions so that,

Jaxon (06:21)
Yeah, probably useful information.

Amy Eagan (06:41)
Okay Jackson, so I hear that In Your Future is a possible podcast of your own. Alright, and I'm gonna put you on the spot and I want you to act like me and be the podcast host and I want you to ask me three questions, okay, that you wanna ask that I can respond to

We'll get you your first step here in having your own podcast, okay? All right, it's over. It's your show.

Jaxon (07:18)
So what are your goals going into next season?

Amy Eagan (07:22)
putting me on the spot, huh? You know, Jackson, our goal first and foremost is every day to be the best person, to be the best student, and to be the best basketball player that we can be. And so we every day want to just be the best version of ourself. And when you look at goals, there's so many things and so many goals that we set on a day -to -day basis, on a month basis, on a season basis, all those kind of things.

I think when it all boils down to it and season is over next year, we want to overachieve what we even think we're capable of doing because we work so hard and we put in a lot of hours. And so we want to overachieve and we want to be the best, best, best version of us on and off the floor in every area of our life. It's a good question. Okay. Number

Jaxon (08:16)
Alright, so have you ever gone to any of Linnetwood's hockey games?

Amy Eagan (08:23)
not. But I need to. I am not.

Gary (08:28)
So Jason, I've gone, I go to one or two a year and it's fascinating to watch those hockey games on the new one. It's a nice, the Centene complex is where they play. It's the same place where the St. Louis Blues practice. It's really fun to go to those games.

Amy Eagan (08:41)
Yeah, I was really, really busy last year with stuff, but it is definitely something that I need to and will make time for this year because I want to. But I have heard that, kind of like Gary said, that the facility is amazing and it's one of the best in the country. And we have a new men's coach this year who I've talked to a little bit and he is an outstanding guy. And obviously our women's head coach,

was new last year and she did a phenomenal job in her first year. So big things ahead for both those programs. So I definitely got to get out there and cheer them on and watch them play. All right, this is the biggest one, number three.

Jaxon (09:26)
What was your favorite point about coaching my mom in college?

Amy Eagan (09:31)
Well, I can probably tell you a lot of stories. No, but when it comes down to it, okay, and this is 100 % true, you have an awesome, awesome mom as a person. She was a great, great teammate. She worked her butt off. She put in a lot of extra time. Just a great person really cared about her teammates cared about the program. And you

She took a chance on that program when it wasn't very good and laid a really great foundation for where that program went, which was an unbelievable, know, Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final Four, all those kind of things. that's what I really loved about coaching her. And I know you know you have a great mom with it. Good job. I'm proud of you. You did really well. You did really, really well.

You know Jackson, I encourage you as you continue to get into some of this and you continue to grow, don't forget about your academics. That's always important, okay? Keep working hard on the floor, off the floor. Keep being a great kid with stuff. But we've enjoyed having you today and hopefully we can get you guys down here for a game or two or a hockey game and maybe get you some good seats with it, okay?

Jaxon (10:56)
All

Gary (10:56)
Good. Well, our special guest today has been Jackson Alder, because he is an 11 -year -old hockey and basketball fan, particularly women's basketball fan. Jackson, thanks again for making time to join us today. Appreciate

Amy Eagan (10:57)
Okay, thank

Gary (11:12)
And we have come to the end of this podcast episode with Linda Wood University Head Women's Basketball Coach Amy Egan. We'll look forward to you joining us again next week. And as always, thanks for making time to listen to our podcast. We'll talk again soon.