WSU’s Ron Stone Jr. talks pizza toppings, Oppenheimer, Steph Curry and more

LAS VEGAS – Ron Stone Jr. held the paddle over his right shoulder. He surveyed the scene around him, looking at the Heisman Trophy winner he had just vanquished in pickleball and the onlookers who watched him do it.

“Who wants smoke next?” Washington State’s senior edge rusher asked, a giant smile on his face.

In this spacious ballroom at Resorts World, the site of Friday’s Pac-12 media day, Stone walked to the net to shake USC quarterback Caleb Williams’ hand. He flashed another wide grin to a camera. Then he walked off somewhere else, off to do whatever Ron Stone Jr. does at an event like this in a city like this.

Lucky for us, that list of things includes chatting with The Spokesman-Review. Stone was in a light mood, so we kept it that way. Here are Stones’ thoughts on just about everything but football.

Spokesman-Review: Give me your hottest take on whatever comes to mind.

Ron Stone Jr.: I mean, pineapple can go on pizza. I don’t know if that’s a hot take. Hot takes are tough because you don’t really know it’s a hot take until someone says something, and you’re like, oh.

S-R: Right, but pineapple on pizza still seems kind of extreme.

Stone: I mean, you could say that about, like, mushrooms. Or anything. All toppings are kind of extreme, if you think about it. You think about at the base level, like spinach. Are we putting veggies? Who knows?

S-R: Any thoughts on the “Barbie”/”Oppenheimer” movies that came out this weekend?

Stone: I just saw a tweet the other day. How many years was it? I don’t even know how many years ago it was now. Thirteen, something like that. “The Dark Knight” and “Mamma Mia” came out on the same day. So we’re just seeing that happen again, and I’m looking forward to it. Gotta see “Oppenheimer” first. But “Barbie” is definitely going to be on the must-watch list.

S-R: I just saw “Oppenheimer” last night, and it was unreal.

Stone: OK. I’m looking forward to this now.

S-R: You’re from the Bay Area. Does that make you a Golden State Warriors fan?

Stone: (Nodding) Come on.

S-R: Where does Steph Curry fall in your all-time rankings?

Stone: All-time ranking? It’s tough. It’s hard to say he’s not the best point guard of all time. He’s an impactful player. He’s at least top seven, top eight.

S-R: I agree with you. I know Magic Johnson won a million titles, but you see this guy hoop, and …

Stone: That’s what I’m saying. Steph does stuff that not anyone really (does).

S-R: I chatted with Cam Ward earlier, and he mentioned he used to come to Vegas for AAU basketball tournaments. I asked him if he’s the best basketball player on the team, and he said yes. Do any other names come to mind for you?

Stone: Sam Lockett. Dawg. Raam Stevenson. Not a dawg, but he can hoop. I mean, I just haven’t seen Cam do enough for me. He’s got all these records in a small town that he can keep and all, but what’s he gonna do against real competition?

S-R: Have you seen him hoop?

Stone: Not hoop for real, for real. So it’s hard to say.

S-R: Do you play basketball at all?

Stone: Nah. I retired back in my freshman year of high school. Haven’t looked back since.

S-R: I feel like you could get some rebounds, though. Run the floor a little bit.

Stone: Oh, I was the board man. I was the defensive mastermind. (But) I hated basketball. Once I could stop playing, I did.

S-R: You’re one of the last guys on the roster who was recruited by Mike Leach. What do you remember about that process?

Stone: Odd guy. One of the better minds. You loved having a conversation with him. Obviously super upset with his passing. He’s such an impact for a lot of players like myself. He was great. That was a great time.

S-R: What made you want to play for him?

Stone: Because he got the job done. He found a way. Odd or not, he found a way to win games.

This Q&A has been lightly edited for clarity and length.