Conference USA Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 17, 2024 by David Griggs

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CONFERENCE USA MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Lousiana Tech
  2. Western Kentucky
  3. Sam Houston
  4. Middle Tennessee
  5. Liberty
  6. UTEP
  7. New Mexico State
  8. Jacksonville State
  9. Florida International (tied 9th)
  10. Kennesaw State (tied 9th)

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-CUSA TEAM:

-Zach Cleveland – JR, F – Liberty
-Kaden Metheny – SR, G – Liberty
-Daniel Batcho – SR, F – Louisiana Tech
-Jestin Porter – SR, G – Middle Tennessee
-Camryn Weston – SR, G – Middle Tennessee
-Christian Cook – SR, G – New Mexico State
-Lamar Wilkerson – SR, G – Sam Houston
-Otis Frazier III – SR, F – UTEP
-Tyrone Marshall Jr. – SR, F – Western Kentucky
-Don McHenry – SR, G – Western Kentucky

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Louisiana Tech had a good season last year, and was really playing well down the stretch. Daniel Batcho, who is perhaps the best big man in the conference, returns to the lineup. They will also look to several transfer players, some who saw limited roles at P4 schools and others who were standouts in JUCO, to help fill out the roster. I know they had a fair amount of roster turnover, but I liked how this team looked a year ago and think they will be strong again this year.

-For the past several years when you would look at Western Kentucky, you would think that they were always talented and always had high expectations, yet never get the feeling they played all the way up to their ceiling. Hank Plona takes over as head coach, and he inherits a team that returns four starters after having a so-so year, but then won the conference tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Don McHenry is one of the stronger players in the conference, and with three other starters returning, along with Braxton Bayless (who transfers in from Niagara), the Toppers once again look to have a lot of talent, and once again look like they can win the league. But…will they live up to it?

-Sam Houston is having to rebuild a little bit after their 1st place finish a year ago. Just two starters are back, but they are also adding some solid transfers, most notably Josiah Hammons (who was a standout player at Incarnate Word a year ago). They also return several players who gave them some quality minutes off the bench and they look like they will be a solid team again this year.

-Middle Tennessee has fallen off in the last couple of years, and after just a 14-19 campaign a year ago they are not expected to be conference frontrunners this year either. Jestin Porter and Camryn Weston make up a solid backcourt, and they add a couple of decent-looking transfers with some D-1 experience. If they can get some strength in the post we should see a turnaround this year.

-Liberty won just 18 games last year and has not quite made the big splash in CUSA that we thought they would when they first joined. Having said that, a 5th place finish does seem a bit low for the Flames. Zach Cleveland gives them some strength at the forward position, and Kaden Metheny is a strong guard who can really hit from the outside. They add some transfers who were standout players at the D-2 level, and if those guys can step up we could see some improvement this year.

-UTEP has three starters back from a year ago. They are really tough to beat in El Paso, but are sort of homecourt-heroes given how they tend to struggle on the road. With more experience this year and the addition of a few quality transfers we may see more consistency out of the Miners this year.

-New Mexico State was a consistent WAC frontrunner, but after some severe off-court issues a few years ago they have not quite bounced back to what they used to be. Three starters are back for Coach Jason Hooten, who enters his second year and is tasked with getting things turned around and perhaps building up the culture as well. Christian Cook is their top player, but Dionte Bostick who was a great player for Cal State Northridge last year also joins the roster. I think the Aggies will have a big bounce back this year. It is kind of surprising to see them picked this low, but I guess I get it. They were not all that good down the stretch last year.

-Jacksonville State is tasked with replacing their top scorer along with two other starters, and the prognosis does not seem to be that good. Coach Ray Harper has had success throughout his career, but has struggled in recent years at Jax State and most signs are pointing to them struggling again this year.

-Last year Kennesaw State struggled in the Atlantic Sun and could not recapture the great run they had the year before when Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim departed for South Florida and took several top players with them. This year, they are new to CUSA, and the level of competition will be higher: it could be a long year for the Owls.

-Florida International is also likely in for a long year. They will look to some transfers from lower divisions to try and step in and contribute this year.

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Big East Conference Preview

Posted on October 17, 2024 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE For All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

UConn won their second straight National Championship last year, and despite losing a big part of their roster to the NBA, they still look to be stacked again this year and will once again be in a position to win the Big East. Marquette and Creighton are also really strong teams, and we think all three of them have a really good chance at ending up as protected seeds. Xavier has sustained a substantial injury already, but they still have some solid pieces and we think they can return to the NCAA Tournament after missing it a year ago. Butler is a team we feel could be a sleeper, and Saint John’s with a revamped roster can also make a run at the NCAA Tournament. Georgetown and DePaul have been the doormats of the league the past few years, but they’ve both added some pieces and should be improved this year. We discuss all that, and more!

And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…

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Atlantic Sun Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 17, 2024 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE For All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

ATLANTIC SUN MEDIA DAY PRESEASON COACHES POLL:

  1. Lipscomb
  2. Austin Peay
  3. North Alabama
  4. Eastern Kentucky
  5. Jacksonville
  6. FGCU
  7. North Florida
  8. Stetson
  9. Queens
  10. Bellarmine
  11. Central Arkansas
  12. West Georgia

ATLANTIC SUN MEDIA DAY PRESEASON MEDIA POLL:

  1. Lipscomb
  2. Eastern Kentucky
  3. Austin Peay
  4. FGCU
  5. North Alabama
  6. Stetson
  7. North Florida
  8. Jacksonville
  9. Queens
  10. Central Arkansas
  11. Bellarmine
  12. West Georgia

MEDIAY DAY PRESEASON ALL-A-SUN TEAM:

-Devontate “Tae Tae” Blanton – Eastern Kentucky
-Keeshawn Kellman – FGCU
-Jacob Ognacevic – Lipscomb
-Will Pruitt – Lipscomb
-Isaac Haney – Austin Peay
-Sai Witt – Austin Peay
-Ben Johnson – Bellarmine
-Robert McCray V – Jacksonville
-Jacari Lane – North Alabama
-Daniel Ortiz – North Alabama

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Lipscomb had a strong finish to the regular season a year ago and appeared to be one of the favorites to win the ASun Tournament, but they ended up losing their first tournament game. Just two starters are back, but Will Pruitt is one of the better players in the conference and they return enough experience off the bench to where it looks like they will once again be at or near the top of the standings. They appear to be balanced, solid in both the backcourt and the frontcourt, and have a fairly deep bench.

-Expectations are high for Austin Peay this year despite having just one starter back. Isaac Haney averaged double digit figures a year ago, as did Sai Witt who came off the bench, so they do have some pieces. Akili Evans was also a key player and double-digit scorer for Sacramento State last year, so the Govs appear to have some pieces.

-After a rough OOC campaign last year, Eastern Kentucky turned it around and ended up finishing 1st in the ASun last year and seemed to be on pace to make the NCAA Tournament, but they lost in the quarterfinals on their home court and are now tasked with rebuilding. Just one starter is back for Coach A.W. Hamilton, but it is Tae Tae Blanton who is one of the better players in the conference. This a transfer-heavy team with guys with some limited D-1 experience and some standout players from lower divisions. It is hard to say just how good they will be considering how different they look this year.

-North Alabama, who has not been up at D-1 for very long, has had two straight fairly-solid years and shown quite a bit of improvement as a program. This year the expectations are perhaps as high as they have ever been. Just two starters are back for the Lions, but Jacari Lane is one of the better players in the conference and is a very good outside shooter. I like this team this year. They are not my pick to win the league…but I think they may finish just behind Lipscomb.

-FGCU had a frustrating season last year, but they were looking better down the stretch and with three starters back there is reason to be somewhat optimistic heading in to this season. Pat Chambers is a solid head coach, and with experienced guys like Keeshawn Kellman returning to the roster (who is a solid all-around player) and Isaiah Thompson (who was affected by injuries last year) hopefully being healthy again, there is reason to be optimistic at Gulf Coast.

-I am a little surprised that Jacksonville is picked to finish in the top half of the league. They do have two returning starters and do seem to be adding some key transfers, but they also struggled all of last season. Having said that, I guess finishing toward the middle of the pack is within their capabilities.

-Stetson won 22 games a year ago, which was their best season in recent memory, and it has been fun watching them progress over the years. Having said that, much of last year’s team is gone and they are now tasked with replacing most of their key players. They are adding several players who were standouts in either JUCO or the lower divisions, but it remains to be seen if they can perform like that at the D-1 level.

-I have been a fan of North Florida coach Matt Driscoll for quite some time. They did lose their top player from a year ago, and he was such a big piece of the team that you wonder if they can replace him, but three other starters are back along with some standout players from JUCO and NAIA, so the Ospreys could be set up to surprise some people this year.

-Queens is in their 3rd transitional season, and once they complete the transition I think they will be a strong program within the ASun, but for now they are still taking their lumps. It is a great atmosphere and they have a lot of potential, but this year they just do not seem to have the pieces.

-Central Arkansas has won just nine games in each of the last two seasons, and this year things are not expected to go much better. Elias Cato is a solid player, but other than him they do not seem to have the personnel they need to compete with most of the teams in the league.

-Bellarmine is finally eligible for the postseason!! That’s the good news. The bad news is that they are not expected to be very good at all. They won just 8 games a year ago, and have just one starter back, so they are tasked with having to rebuild. I do think this team will be much better than many expect. They were plagued with injuries a season ago, and they did underperform, but this is a team that plays a unique (and fun) style that can be difficult to play against, and they have enough guys with D-1 experience that I think they will be closer to the middle than the bottom.

-Welcome to D-1 West Georgia! This team won 27 games a year ago and made the D-2 Tournament. I think they will be a solid D-1 program once they complete the transition, but as seemingly all transitional teams do, they are likely to struggle.

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ACC Conference Preview

Posted on October 16, 2024 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE For All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

The ACC enters its first year with 18 programs, and it looks like Duke and North Carolina are the clear frontrunners. Both will begin the season ranked in the top ten, and just about everyone has them finishing 1st and 2nd in the conference. Miami FL struggled last year, but is another team we think can make quite a bit of noise. Clemson is rebuilding after a run to the Elite Eight, but still looks to have some solid pieces. Wake Forest has high expectations this year and looks to have a real shot of making the NCAA Tournament. Stanford, Cal, and SMU are in their inaugural season as ACC members, but at what cost to the rest of the league? We discuss whether or not the conference has been diluted with some of the new additions. We discuss all that, and more!

And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews UNLV SR PG Kiara Jackson

Posted on October 16, 2024 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE For All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

We are still about 3 weeks away from the tip-off of a new college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to start preparing for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with UNLV SR PG Kiara Jackson, who talked about being undefeated in conference tourney play and her expectations for this season.

You were born/raised in Texas: what made you choose UNLV? I chose UNLV because I had a great relationship with the coaching staff, and they made it feel like a home away from home. I also felt like I could come in and play right away as a freshman.

You play for Coach Lindy La Rocque: what makes her such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from her so far? I think what makes her a good coach is that she is our biggest critic but also our biggest cheerleader. She is going to push us and be hard on us, but she is also going to encourage us. There are times when she believes in us more than we believe in ourselves.

You played in 32 of 33 games as a freshman: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I just came in, worked hard, and did what the coaches were asking me to do.

You were named conference 6th Player of the Year as a sophomore and All-MWC 1st-team as a junior: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It meant a lot: it just showed that all the hard work I had put in was paying off.

Last year you led the nation in AST/TO ratio at 3.49: what is the secret to being a great PG? I think the secret to being a great PG is trusting my teammates: I could not get those assists if not for them.

You lost 7 games as a freshman and only lost 6 games combined during the past 2 years: has it reached a point where the fans just expect you to win every time you step onto the court? I think the fans do expect us to win every time we step on the court, but it is also an expectation we have for ourselves.

You are 9-0 in conference tourney play: what is the secret to winning games in March? It starts over the summer, putting the work in all year long, and trusting that your work will pay off when it is tournament time.

You are 0-3 in NCAA tourney play: what will it take to get over the hump next March? I just think we need to go in believing that we can play with these other teams.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? My goals for this upcoming season are to just have fun with my teammates and leave it all out there on the court for my last year. My expectation is that we become 4-peat champs!

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American Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 16, 2024 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE For All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

AMERICAN MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. UAB
  2. Memphis
  3. South Florida
  4. Wichita State
  5. Florida Atlantic
  6. Temple
  7. North Texas
  8. Charlotte
  9. East Carolina
  10. Tulsa
  11. UTSA (tied 11th)
  12. Tulane (tied 11th)
  13. Rice

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-AAC 1st TEAM:

-Yaxel Lendeborg – SR, F – UAB
-RJ Felton – SR, G – East Carolina
-PJ Haggerty, SO, G – Memphis
-Tyrese Hunter – SR, G -Memphis
-Jamal Mashburn Jr. – SR, G – Temple

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-AAC 2ND TEAM:

-Efrem “Butta” Johnson – JR, G – UAB
-Alejandro Vasquez – SR, G – UAB
-Kyky Tandy – SR, G – Florida Atlantic
-Colby Rogers – SR, G – Memphis
-Jayden Reid – SO, G – South Florida

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-UAB won 23 games a year ago, then won the conference tournament to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament before losing to San Diego State in the Round of 64. While the team was good overall, they went through stretches where they underperformed. Still, the potential was noticeable and with four starters back including Yaxel Lendeborg (who averaged a double-double last season), the Blazers could be in for a very big year. I think they can finish in 1st place in the conference and land inside the bubble come March.

-Memphis is super-talented. It seems like they always are…but they also seem to consistently fall short of expectations. Last year the Tigers did win 22 games, but they missed the NCAA Tournament and NIT altogether and finished just 5th in the conference. Just one starter is back from that team so it is basically an entirely new roster for the Tigers. PJ Haggerty was a standout player at Tulsa, Tyrese Hunter averaged double-figures at Texas a year ago, PJ Carter was pretty good at UTSA, and Colby Rogers was a standout player at Wichita State. All were good players in the AAC last year, so Memphis has the pieces (again). The question is whether or not they will play up to the sum of those parts.

-South Florida had a breakout season last year under first-year Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim, but their OOC schedule was not quite strong enough to land them in the NCAA Tournament despite 25 total wins. Just two starters are back from last year’s team, and they do appear to be in a bit of a rebuild mode, but Abdur-Rahim has shown an ability to get guys to play at a high level. There are several transfers coming in with notable D-1 experience, so do not be surprised if they surprise us again.

-For the last three years, Wichita State has been nothing more than an also-ran in the AAC. They were just 14-19 last year, and while three starters are back, and while that experience should help them, there is not much here to make me think they will be contending for a top spot in the conference. AJ McGinnis is transferring in from Lipscomb, and he is a very good outside shooter and should be a huge asset to the Shockers, but I do not see them keeping pace with the top three teams.

-Florida Atlantic had a hell of a run over the last two years. With no previous basketball history or tradition they landed inside the bubble two years ago and advanced all the way to the Final Four in 2023. Last year they returned to the NCAA Tournament before losing in the Round of 64. This year…pretty much all of that is gone. Dusty May departed for Michigan and there are no returning starters, so it is a complete reset mode for the Owls. Leland Walker was a very good PG for Eastern Kentucky last year and should be a huge asset this year, but I do not think we will see them back in the range of the bubble like we have the last two years.

-Temple had a ten-game losing streak right as conference play was getting underway, but they did turn things around and looked much better down the stretch. They actually made it to the AAC Championship game before losing to UAB. Just two starters are back from that team, but Jamal Mashburn Jr. transfers in and will be another key player for the Owls this year. I am probably valuing their run to the championship game a little too much, but I can see Temple being a bit of a darkhorse in the AAC this year.

-North Texas is looking to rebuild after a modest 19-15 season last year. They lost almost all of their scoring, but are adding two solid transfers in Johnathan Massie from Longwood and Latrell Jossell from Stephen F. Austin. They will need those guys to step up if they are going to be competitive this year.

-Charlotte had a decent 19-12 season last year, and were actually looking fairly strong before a 3-game losing streak late in conference play. Just two starters are back from last year, and while they do add a solid grad gransfer in Nika Metskhvarishvili, the expectations are not all that high for the 49ers this year.

-East Carolina is one of those programs that I have always felt should be more consistently better at basketball, but for whatever reason is not. And this year it is not looking like that is going to change. Three starters are back, but seeing as how they Pirates lost 6 of their last 7 to end last year it is not as if they ended things with a lot of momentum built up. RJ Felton is one of the better players in the conference, but he will need some help from his supporting cast if ECU is going to finish closer to the top than to the bottom.

After just five wins in 2023, Tulsa showed a fair amount of improvement last year with a 16-15 overall season. Having said that, they still have a long way to go. But, I do think we will see them do better than where they have been picked in the preseason poll and perhaps continue their upward trajectory.

-UTSA won just 11 games a year ago and with no starters back they are kind of starting over from scratch. They have gone into the transfer portal to try and rebuild their roster, but chances are it will be another long season for the Roadrunners.

-I love Ron Hunter as a coach, and I keep waiting for Tulane to start to break through. Having said that, I think we will be waiting a little longer. All five starters are gone from a year ago. Michael Eley is a solid transfer from Siena, but other than that it just does not look like they have the pieces this year.

-Rice won just 11 games a year ago, and with just one starter back it looks like they will be close to the bottom of the league again this year.

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