{"id":21815,"date":"2025-05-09T19:44:11","date_gmt":"2025-05-09T19:44:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/21815\/"},"modified":"2025-05-09T19:44:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T19:44:11","slug":"ryan-smith-talks-utah-mammoth-and-utah-jazz-on-pat-mcafee-show-deseret-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/21815\/","title":{"rendered":"Ryan Smith talks Utah Mammoth and Utah Jazz on ‘Pat McAfee Show’ \u2013 Deseret News"},"content":{"rendered":"

A day after unveiling the new name of Utah\u2019s NHL team<\/a>, owner Ryan Smith joined \u201cThe Pat McAfee Show.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

During the nearly 45-minute conversation Thursday, Smith and McAfee talked about both the Utah Jazz and the Utah Mammoth.<\/p>\n

Here are five takeaways from Smith\u2019s appearance on the show.<\/p>\n

Ideas for the Utah Mammoth game-day experience<\/p>\n

McAfee and his team shared multiple ideas with Smith that could be incorporated at the Delta Center and in the Utah Mammoth fan experience.<\/p>\n

McAfee shared his idea for a hand sign for the team\u2019s \u201cTusks Up\u201d slogan. It resembles making the hang loose sign with both hands and resting your thumbs on each side of your chin.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a good one,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

He later added, \u201cThat\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve seen that. That works.\u201d<\/p>\n

The idea of selling tusks that fans could drink out of was also proposed. <\/p>\n

The biggest idea \u2014 literally \u2014 was to add four mammoth statues outside the arena \u2014 one for each letter of Utah. <\/p>\n

But there\u2019s a stipulation. <\/p>\n

The biggest mammoth has to be at least 25 feet tall and the other three gradually get smaller, the show\u2019s Boston Connor told Smith.<\/p>\n

The idea came from the new Buffalo Bills stadium, where there will be three large bison statues currently scaled to 16-feet outside the stadium, which some fans consider too small.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got one mammoth set up that we\u2019re going to put out there,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

He said they don\u2019t know the size of it yet, but noted that he liked the idea of a \u201cmammily,\u201d or a family of mammoth statues.<\/p>\n

On the identity of Utah Mammoth<\/p>\n

Smith was asked about the identity he envisioned for the Utah Mammoth going forward. He tied it back to the team name and the attributes of a mammoth.<\/p>\n

\u201c(Michael) Kesselring on our team\u2019s like 6-7. These things are as high as 14 feet tall. They go 25 miles an hour. We didn\u2019t want the Snuffleupagus logo, whatever. We wanted something that was strong and powerful and like people could see that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Why choose \u201cMammoth\u201d \u2014 a singular name \u2014 instead of the plural \u201cMammoths\u201d like most sports teams? The decision was intentional.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see it\u2019s united. It\u2019s one. It\u2019s not \u2018Mammoths\u2019. It\u2019s \u2018Mammoth,\u2019 like we\u2019re one group,\u201d Smith said. <\/p>\n

On the NBA draft lottery<\/p>\n

The Utah Jazz have a 14% chance of securing the first overall pick in Monday\u2019s NBA draft lottery. In the first round of the draft, the Jazz also have the 21st overall pick. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a pretty good draft. I think everyone is pretty focused on it. There\u2019s a lot of teams gunning. There\u2019s a lot of fanbases who all want No. 1. The Jazz have never really moved up in the draft, I think, in our history or had the No. 1. So, why not now? Why not us, right? Like I think it\u2019s a good thing,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

“It’s a pretty good NBA Draft coming up..<\/p>\n

The Jazz have never really moved up in the draft or had the number one pick..<\/p>\n

Why not now and why not us..<\/p>\n

We’ve got a young squad and we’ve got a lot of picks” ~ @RyanQualtrics<\/a> #PMSLive<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/KGPfrNQbEj<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 8, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Smith was asked if he was worried that the Jazz might not get the first overall pick because the NBA doesn\u2019t want projected first overall pick Cooper Flagg<\/a> going to a small market.<\/p>\n

Smith refuted the idea that Utah is a small market.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou got a top-three tech economy. You got 7 million people coming in here to ski. We have nothing in common with small market. The only thing we have in common with it is people don\u2019t move to Utah necessarily to live downtown in that urban environment. <\/p>\n

\u201cBut you look at Park City, you look at where we are. We have 250,000 college kids within 90 minutes,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have the No. 1 economy in the country with the lowest unemployment. It\u2019s been that way. We\u2019ve had a branding problem for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The relationship between the Jazz and Mammoth<\/p>\n

Smith said there\u2019s a good synergy and collaboration between the Mammoth and Jazz.<\/p>\n

Smith, Hardy and Lauri Markkanen were at a Utah Hockey Club game together last season when Utah\u2019s Mikhail Sergachev dove in front of a slapshot.<\/p>\n

The puck hit him in the head, and he was \u201ckind of out,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

Hardy was in disbelief that Sergachev would do that with Utah up 5-2 with six minutes left in the final period. <\/p>\n

Markkanen explained to his coach that it didn\u2019t matter because, \u201cYou got to get in front of the puck. You have to dive in front of the puck,\u201d Smith recalled.<\/p>\n

The next night, the Jazz beat the Dallas Mavericks. <\/p>\n

After the game, Smith went into the locker room and saw Drew Eubanks going around to his teammates saying, \u201cHey, way to get in front of the puck, guys. Way to get in front of the puck.\u201d<\/p>\n

Confused, Smith asked Hardy what he did in film session. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s like, \u2018I just showed (Sergachev) getting in front of the puck,\u2019 and he\u2019s like, \u2018All I\u2019m asking you guys to do is get back on defense, right? No one\u2019s being asked to get in front of a 90 mph puck,\u2019\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n

On extending Will Hardy<\/p>\n

It\u2019s been a busy week for Smith, the Mammoth and the Jazz. <\/p>\n

On Monday, the Jazz announced the extension of head coach Will Hardy<\/a>. The deal will keep Hardy in Utah through 2031.<\/p>\n

On Thursday, Smith called Hardy \u201can incredible partner\u201d and described his extension as \u201ca really, really easy decision.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was the youngest coach in the league when we hired him, and we\u2019re growing up and we\u2019re in a rebuild and we believe that as we kind of roll out of this rebuild that we want him to see a lot of fruits of the labor,\u201d Smith said. \u201cWe like him more now than when we hired him and I think that\u2019s a pretty cool spot, and fortunately enough, he likes us because he\u2019s definitely a coach that would have a lot of demand out there.\u201d<\/p>\n