FULL SHOW: Stampede & USD Softball coaches on their titles; Wolves taken to woodshed in San Antonio episode artwork

EPISODE · May 13, 2026 · 1H 24M

FULL SHOW: Stampede & USD Softball coaches on their titles; Wolves taken to woodshed in San Antonio

from Happy Hour with John Gaskins · host John Gaskins

"They can't kill us."   That bold and true remark came from Sioux Falls Stampede coach Ryan Cruthers after the Herd beat Fargo 3-2 in a thrilling winner-take-all Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals in Sioux Falls on Tuesday night.   At the same time, the San Antonio Spurs put the Minnesota Timberwolves on life support in a 126-97 romp in Game 5 of that Western Conference Finals series in the NBA.   How and why did both results happen?   Well, that's what our little show called "Happy Hour with John Gaskins" is for.   Cruthers joined the Happy Host for a look back on Tuesday's epic victory in front of 5,791 howling fans in the PREMIER Center. The second-year head coach also described the team identity that allowed it to finish with the second-best record in the USHL and come back from 2-1 deficits to capture both must-win Game 4's and Game 5's in each of its two playoff series.   As for the post mortem on the T'Wolves nightmare in San Antonio, our motley crew of the Happy Hour host, USF basketball coach Chris Johnson, and fellow Wolves die-hard Jon Oppold — owner of Wolves watch bar Orion Pub — slice and dice the ugly Game 4 and how the Wolves can turn around and take Game 6 and Game 7, like they did against the Denver Nuggets to reach the conference final two years ago.   In between all the playoff hoopla and puckla, South Dakota softball coach Robert Wagner looked back on the Coyotes' run through the Summit League Tournament, including two wins over No. 1 seed Omaha capped by a 2-1 nailbiting championship round clincher. Not bad for the No. 4 seed out of six.   Wagner also tells the story of his decade at the helm in Vermillion. Before, he had spent his life and softball career in Pac 12 territory — Washington, Utah, and Arizona. What kind of challenges has he faced in his 10 seasons at USD and how has he and his program overcome them?   The Coyotes will be the biggest underdogs in the NCAA Tournament when they play No. 1 Nebraska — not just the region's top seed, but the top-ranked team in the entire country — in front of over 3,000 fans in Lincoln on Friday night.   But, hey. Already, one team from Nebraska seeded No. 1 couldn't kill the Coyotes in the postseason. Perhaps the Huskers will struggle to do it, too.    

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 13, 2026

Embed this episode

Ready to play

FULL SHOW: Stampede & USD Softball coaches on their titles; Wolves taken to woodshed in San Antonio

0:00 1:24:40

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

No similar episodes found.

No similar podcasts found.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Happy Hour with John Gaskins?

This episode is 1 hour and 24 minutes long.

When was this Happy Hour with John Gaskins episode published?

This episode was published on May 13, 2026.

Can I download this Happy Hour with John Gaskins episode?

Yes. Use the download control on the episode player to save the publisher-provided media file.
URL copied to clipboard!