Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Mississippi coach Chris Beard

Posted on September 30, 2026 by Jon Teitel

We are less than 5 weeks away from the tip-off of the 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 Mississippi coach Chris Beard, who talked about his great success in March and his expectations for this season.

I heard that after graduating high school you turned down offers to play college basketball to become a student manager at Texas: why? That is a little inaccurate: I begged a lot of places to let me play for them. I played for a pair of Texas Hall of Fame high school coaches and fell in love with the game and wanted to play for as long as I could. I applied to a D-3 school but then they had a coaching change, so the opportunity was taken away from me. I went to Texas at the last minute and decided to room with my high school teammate. I called myself a “4-year redshirt”, but later met Coach Tom Penders and his assistants, who gave me an opportunity that I did nothing to deserve. A couple of years later I had another opportunity to play at Concordia Lutheran and prepared to transfer there, but eventually decided to transfer back to Texas. The bottom line is that I love this sport, and when I finally reached the idea of going along the coaching route, I never looked back.

In 2001 you were hired as an assistant to Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight at Texas Tech: what made Knight such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? I try to put a lot of reflection into this and a couple of things come to mind. He was disciplined when coaching the team every day: it was a relentless pursuit of success. A lot of people can “do” that but very few can sustain that. He just did not let up: most people are not wired to keep their foot on the pedal non-stop. There was never a bad day/practice because the standard never changed. The other big concept was preparation. I had some previous success as a coach but Knight said it best: “Everybody wants to win…but only a few elite people want to PREPARE to win”. It is a choice: we prepared every day for practice so that our players would know what to expect during a game. Most coaches watch practice film and then shift to game prep, but every day for 8 years he would watch practice film.

You were a head coach at several different smaller schools before being hired at Texas Tech in 2016: what is the biggest difference between coaching at a Power 5 school and coaching somewhere else? In most ways, there is no difference, because you are trying to put a team together and win games. We are trying to teach our guys about life through basketball and graduate them and also be part of the community we live in. Some of the best coaches I ever faced were in D-2. The outside stuff is different, such as the media talking about you, which can lead to a lot of distractions. There are a lot of off-court responsibilities, so you must learn how to maximize the 24 hours you get each day. At this level you must respectfully tell some people “No” so that you can stay focused on your team. There are fewer distractions at a small college, but your staff is also smaller. I feel like I have gotten better at delegating things over the years.

Take me through the magical 2019 postseason:
You were upset by West Virginia in the Big 12 tourney quarterfinals: how were you able to get your team refocused on the NCAA tourney? I do not remember a lot of the wins as I get older, but I still remember the losses. Some coaches/players say they would rather have an early exit in the conference tourney so that they can rest up for the NCAA tourney, but I am 100% on the other side: if they are going to hand out a trophy, then I want to win it. We were prepared so you must recognize that Coach Bob Huggins is a Hall of Famer for a reason: they were playing their best when it mattered the most. Their backs were against the wall and they tried to win the conference tourney so they could get into the Big Dance. I always felt a responsibility during conference tourneys to provide a good experience for our fans who traveled for it. The 1st domino was giving our guys a full day off both mentally/physically. It was 1 of my favorite teams ever because I coached them hard. We decided to “learn and burn” by reviewing what happened but not dwelling on it. We met up in a movie theater in Lubbock: I had a hard conversation with the team, then I took a match and literally burned the stat sheet. We did not pick the right trashcan and were worried that we might burn the theater down! That phrase was used all the way to Monday night and the team embraced it.

In the NCAA tourney you beat 3 straight top-2 seeds (Michigan/Gonzaga/Michigan State) to reach the title game before losing to Virginia in OT: what is your favorite memory from that remarkable run? Those 3 opponents had 3 different styles of play. Michigan was a high-executing offensive team with a coach in John Beilein who subsequently went to the NBA, but our defense held serve. Gonzaga was the 1-seed with multiple NBA players: that game was about as well as we could play, and the Bulldogs did so as well. We talked about having the courage to play aggressively: Tariq Owens had a huge block on a jump shot, and Jarrett Culver found Davide Moretti for a big shot at the end after we ran the “Jordan-to-Kerr” play (www.youtube.com/shorts/BVGZib1le8g). I can count on 1 hand the # of times I have told my team that our goal is not to be tougher than our opponent, but rather to match their toughness while finding a way to win. There were times that we played tougher than the Spartans, and Coach Tom Izzo later said that we played so tough that we deserved to win. It was a great run and I will always be proud of those guys.

In 2025 as coach at Mississippi, you won the Jim Phelan Award as national COY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? After educating myself on the history of that award we did not take it for granted: it is a “we” award. When you inherit a new job, you are always fighting against time while trying to get things done. We had a good season thanks to good players/staff and exceeded everyone’s expectations. We had some assistant coaches who left some very good jobs at other schools because they believed in our vision.

You have led 4 different schools to the NCAA tourney over the past decade and are undefeated in your 6 opening-round games: what is the key to winning games in March? The year before I was hired at Little Rock I also reached the postseason as coach at Angelo State: we had a team that was good enough to win the D-2 tourney and were a free throw away from reaching the Elite 8. All those teams featured good players who embraced the goal of not just reaching the tourney but winning it. When you get to a “win or go home” moment (as opposed to a 7-game NBA playoff series), that is what makes the tourney so special. We try to put our organization into that must-win scenario several times during the regular season so that it will not be a unique experience in the postseason. It is always a little risky to do that as a coach, but there are some key games every season that we compare to the NCAA tourney (such as playing a pair of games with only 1 off day in between). Our plan has to be finding a way to win: we cannot get too high/low and just need 1 more point than our opponent when the buzzer goes off. It all comes down to 40 minutes, and we try to tap back into that experience.

You are 1 of 6 active SEC coaches who has won at least ⅔ of his career games: I know it is hard to face talented opposing rosters in conference play, but what is it like to face such talented opposing coaches night after night? You need to want to be in this fight. I am not a big cliché guy but whoever said “pressure is a privilege” is exactly right. This is why we all chose a long time ago not to have a Christmas break and (hopefully!) not a spring break. Nobody is making you play in the SEC: they chose to do this, which is important to remember. It can make some people wilt, but this is what we signed up for. Growing up I would play basketball in the local rec center and then go play outdoors. We always wanted to play against the best: the gym was popping, and if you lost then sometimes you would have to wait 4 hours to get back onto the court. I understand the pressure of winning, but I do not recall any games that were not a 1-possession game. You get to play on national TV against a team with several NBA prospects and a Hall of Fame coach in front of a sold-out crowd: you must want the heat!

Your roster has a nice mix of players from foreign countries (Argentina/France/Australia), transfers from Power 5 schools (ASU/Florida/Seton Hall), and freshmen (Yohance Connor/Jaron Saulsberry/Daniel Patton): what sort of recruiting philosophy do you have? Above all, we are just trying to get the best players we can from all over the world who fit our culture and want to win. Basketball is a global game and if you can compete in the SEC then you can compete on the national stage. Ultimately, we want guys who want to play together. You also want to find some in-state players who have a connection to our school.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Our goal is always the same: can we become a team, establish an identity on both ends, and give ourselves a chance to win the game. We will not shy away from expectations: we are trying to put together a team that can play/win on Monday night. Sometimes you have a “probable” path but mostly you have a “possible” path. We have enough talent in our locker room, so it comes down to how you play. We want to get better as the year goes on and keep that compass aligned to develop into a winner.

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America East Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on September 29, 2026 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of our Preseason Coverage, Including Interviews, Podcasts, and Conference Previews

AMERICA EAST MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Vermont
  2. UMBC
  3. Binghamton
  4. NJIT
  5. Bryant
  6. UAlbany
  7. UMass Lowell
  8. Maine
  9. New Hampshire

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-AE TEAM:

-David Bolden – SO, G – NJIT
-Keegan Harvey – SR, F – Bryant
-Demetrius Lilley – SR, C – Binghamton
-Victor Okojie – SO, F – UMass Lowell
-Jeremiah Quigley – SR, G – Binghamton
-Gus Yalden – JR, F – Vermont

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Vermont being the AE preseason favorite is sort of like me being the Hoops HD preseason favorite to get buzzered the most during our podcasts. While other teams have competed with them, and UMBC finished ahead of them in the standings last year/beat them in the championship game, Vermont is still the conference’s flagship team. They won 22 games last year and have won 20+ for so many years in a row now that I have lost count. Gus Yalden is back: he is one of the best players in the conference and can score from pretty much anywhere on the floor. Darrel Yepdo, who was a standout player at UMass-Lowell, also joins the roster this year, which is a big pickup for the Catamounts. They are balanced, they should have a fair amount of depth, and it is hard to pick against them this year.

-UMBC did unseat Vermont last year. They were 14-2 in league play and won the conference tournament on their home floor before losing in the First Four of the NCAA Tournament. The problem is that only one starter is back and ten new players join the roster. Flash Burton averaged over 15ppg for Rider last year and is a great addition, but no one else appears to have all that much proven experience at the D-1 level.

-Binghamton is getting a lot of love…and I confess that I am not entirely sure why. They won just 8 total games a year ago and failed to even make it into the AE Tournament. Demetrius Lilley is a solid scorer and rebounder and he alone can give Binghamton a formidable frontcourt, but he will need some help. KiJan Robinson joins the roster after averaging over 10ppg for New Hampshire last season. Will that be enough for them to finish as high as third??

-NJIT’s 16 wins last year was their best season in a while. The problem is only one starter is back. David Bolden averaged double figures last year and will probably be a key player for them in his sophomore year. They do have some guys transferring in who can hit from the outside, but they do not appear to be super-strong in the frontcourt, which could be an issue.

-Bryant won just 9 total games last year, which was a huge downfall after winning 20 or more in three of their previous four seasons. Two starters are back, including Keegan Harvey who averaged over 10ppg and was a very good outside shooter. He is a big guy with range, and big guys with range can come in handy! He will need some help so some of the transfers will have to step up.

-UAlbany struggled last year going below .500 in league play, and the prognosis is that they will struggle again this year. Ollie Engen is a player to watch. He averaged just under 20ppg while playing in Canada last year. They also have some other guys who can shoot, so it is possible they can outperform their preseason expectations.

-A few years ago UMass-Lowell was among the best teams in the conference. They won just 15 games a year ago and with no starters back the expectations are once again not very high. I think Coach Pat Duquette has done a good job during his 13 years considering he took over when the team was transitioning up to D-1, but they appear to be going through a rough patch right now. They just do not have much in terms of proven D-1 experience.

-Two years ago, Maine won 20 games and was one of the great Under the Radar stories of that season. Last year they won just 8, and this year is not expected to be much better. No starters are back. Ace Flagg is on the roster, and he is Cooper Flagg’s twin brother. Perhaps they could try and pass Cooper off as Ace? It is the best idea I can come up with. They do not have anyone with a whole lot of proven experience at the D-1 level, so for them to be successful, unproven players will have to step up and prove themselves.

-I do not think New Hampshire will finish in the top half of the league, but with three starters back I am a little surprised they are being picked dead last. Now to be fair, they were awful last year, and were perhaps playing their worst ball at the end of the year, but they do have a few good outside shooters and Kaleb Myers tranfers in from NAIA. He also played on Nicaragua’s national team and had some impressive showings with them. I am thinking they will do better than last. That is a low bar, but I think they will clear it.

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Fall Reading List: HoopsHD interviews Keith O’Brien about his book “Heartland”

Posted on September 29, 2026 by Jon Teitel

We have seen a few Cinderellas in past NCAA tourneys, from the 1st round (UMBC in 2018) to the Final 4 (George Mason in 2006). 1 of those non-power-conference schools who made it all the way to the title game was Indiana State back in 1979, featuring an up-and-coming player you might have heard of named Larry Bird. If you are looking for a good book to read this fall, we recommend Keith O’Brien‘ book commemorating that legendary Sycamore squad called “Heartland: A Forgotten Place, an Impossible Dream, and the Miracle of Larry Bird”. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Keith about Bird’s journey to Terre Haute and how Indiana State almost ended up winning a title.

Why did you decide to write this book? For 50 years we have been telling the Larry Bird story while weaving it together with Magic Johnson. They played in the epic title game in 1979 before saving the NBA, but they had only met 1 time before the title game: they were neither friends/rivals. I wanted to zoom in on the origin story of Bird in the 1970s, which gave a completely different story with a new cast of characters who formed/saved Bird.

For all of Bird’s on-court success, he had to overcome his fair share of off-court familial troubles (suicide/divorce/etc.): what impact did all of those obstacles have on his life either on or off the court? The adversity he faced as a child in French Lick/West Baden Springs absolutely shaped him as a player. French Lick was a hard place to grow up in the 1960s/1970s due to poverty and unemployment, and his dad struggled with alcohol. Bird had 2 older brothers, so if he wanted to get in a pick-up game as a kid, he would have to scrape/claw/fight.

He began his college career at Indiana, but ended up leaving school after just a few weeks: how good do you think the Hoosiers might have been had Hall of Fame coach Bob Knight been able to bring the best out of Bird? I love a good hypothetical! After Bird left Bloomington in September of 1974, Knight’s teams went 63-1 over the next 2 years without Bird. Had he stayed, I think they could have won 2/3/4 titles in a row while Knight built a dynasty along the likes of John Wooden’s Bruins. It would have been incredible had Bird stayed.

Why did a school like Indiana State in a city like Terre Haute turn out to be a better fit for Bird? Terre Haute was a smaller community and Indiana State was a smaller working-class school. A lot of their student body in the 1970s were trying to become the 1st in their family to graduate. Coach Bill Hodges was from Indiana, grew up poor, and knew what it felt like to be overlooked. Hodges did everything he could to make Bird feel comfortable, including things that Knight never did.

Rather than simply recruit as much talent as possible, how did Bob King consciously construct his roster around Bird? If they could have brought in 3 more Larry Birds then they certainly would have done that, but he had to sit out a year and nobody knew exactly what he could do. After that 1st season they realized they had something great, but that team was not part of a major conference or playing on national TV, so it was hard to recruit other top high school players, which is why they had to search around and find the right pieces to fit around Bird.

Photo credit: Indiana State University Libraries

In the summer of 1977, Bird joined a team of college All-Stars that traveled abroad to face some competition in Europe: how did Bird do against the best college players in our country/the best players in several foreign countries? That was the summer where everything changed for him. They barnstormed across Europe after Larry’s 1st college season, and when he 1st showed up, most people thought that he would not even make the team. By the end of the summer, he worked his way into Coach Denny Crum’s starting lineup, which was huge. People told me that at time Larry was the best player on the floor during scrimmages. Even though Crum mixed up the lineups for scrimmages, Larry’s team always won.

Many sports fans got their 1st exposure to Bird when he appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1977: how big a deal was it at the time? It was a massive deal. SI was the sports bible in those days before ESPN and the Internet. To be on the cover was to be a “made man”, and that issue sold out in Terre Haute within minutes. It put both him and the city on the map, and in a lot of ways he would never again have an anonymous moment in his life.

What kind of relationship did Bird have with the media while in college? It was contentious when the media began to write stories about him in the weeks after he appeared on the SI cover. They wanted to tell the great story about the underdog, but Bird was uncomfortable speaking about his life. I read almost everything that was written about him at the time, and even though the stories were mostly positive, they really bothered Bird and he basically shut out the media for the next year and a half.

Photo credit: Indiana State University Libraries

Is it possible to tell the story of Bird without Magic, and have you ever seen a better individual rivalry in any team sport? Probably no, unless you tell a story solely about their high school days. We have had many great rivalries in sports: Manning-Brady, Ali-Liston, etc. Bird-Magic is obviously in the pantheon…but it is in the eye of the beholder whether it is the greatest rivalry.

The Celtics decided to draft Bird in the spring of 1978: it seems like a smart decision a half-century later, but did people think Red Auerbach had lost his mind? A lot of people did not like it. Bird had never played on national TV so most people in Boston did not know who he was. Bird declared that he was not coming there for at least a year, which was hard to swallow for Celtics fans, but Auerbach did not mind taking a chance on Larry. He also did not mind waiting a year for him: he said that a year would go by faster than you think, and other teams would kick themselves for not drafting him.

The magical season of 1979 got off to a rough start in the fall of 1978 due to the double-whammy of Coach Bob King having a brain aneurysm and assistant coach Stan Evans quitting the team: how close did the program come to falling apart before it even tipped off? It very nearly did fall apart. I spent a lot of time in Terre Haute talking to people and reviewing documents. On the day that Hodges was given the job because King was not returning, people were worried that Bird would pull up stakes and immediately join the Celtics, which would have been devastating. Hodges was a new coach with an inexperienced staff, so they were the classic “no one believes in them” team. Would they have made the NCAA tourney if King was healthy? Yes, but King liked to play in a conservative fashion, so I do not think they would have made it all the way to the title game. In contrast, Hodges took the governor off the engine.

Photo credit: Indiana State Athletic Department

How much credit does part-time assistant coach/Hall of Famer Mel Daniels deserve for Bird’s development that year? I think Mel deserves credit for preparing Bird for the NBA. They would play full-court 1-on-1 after practice. These days a guy like Mel in his mid-30s would still be playing in the NBA. He taught Bird the subtle art of “trash talk” during those individual sessions.

Even though Bird was the star of the show, was Bob Heaton the team’s most “clutch” player after making the 2 biggest shots of the season (a halfcourt heave at New Mexico State and a lefty quadruple-bouncing buzzer-beater to beat Arkansas in the Elite 8)? Without Heaton, there is no undefeated season and they might not have made the Final 4. It took an entire collection of guys to put together that miracle run.

Photo credit: Shelley Keever Reyenga

The Sycamores made it all the way to the title game undefeated before losing to Michigan State: I assume it can not really be called a “Cinderella story” when they had the national POY/a future Hall of Famer in Bird? I would disagree 100%. They were not ranked in any preseason poll and were picked to finish 3rd/4th in their own conference. They were 1 of the original Cinderella stories, and 1 that we will not see much of anymore. These days college basketball programs need to spend $8-12 million on their roster just to make the Sweet 16: that is roughly the price of admission. Can a team like Indiana State put together that kind of run today against an opponent with a $15-20 million roster? Not a chance!

Photo credit: Indiana State University Libraries

What is the legacy of that 1979 squad regarding its impact on both “March Madness” and the 1980s era of the NBA? People often say that the 1979 title game created March Madness…but I think that is a little inflated. The NCAA tourney was growing throughout the 1970s and kept setting viewership records, although Bird/Magic came along at the right moment. The NBA had been struggling at the time, and 1 year later the 2 superstars were in the NBA representing both coasts, which helped a lot. I wonder what would have happened if Bird had been drafted instead by Indiana rather than a bigger market like Boston. Their rivalry saved the NBA in that window of time before Michael Jordan and others showed up a few years later.

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Metro Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on September 28, 2026 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of our Preseason Coverage, Including Interviews, Podcasts, and Conference Previews

METRO MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Fairfield
  2. Merrimack
  3. Siena
  4. Iona
  5. Marist
  6. Quinnipiac
  7. Saint Peter’s
  8. Mount Saint Mary’s
  9. Sacred Heart
  10. Manhattan
  11. Canisius
  12. Niagara
  13. Rider

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-METRO 1ST TEAM:

-Abdou Khadre Kebe – JR – Mount Saint Mary’s
-Keith McKnight – SO – Quinnipiac
-Bryce Eaton – Jr – Saint Peter’s
-Declan Wucherpfennig – SO – Fairfield (Preseason Player of the Year)
-Kosy Akametu – SR – Iona
-Jadin Collins-Roberts – SR – Marist
-Denver Anglin – SR – Merrimack

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-METRO 2ND TEAM:

-Brendan Coyle – SR – Siena
-Todd Brogna – SR – Merrimack
-Pace Prosser – JR – Siena
-JoJo Wallace – JR – Sacred Heart
-Tony Williams – SO – Fairfield

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Fairfield is the media’s pick to win the league this year and I can see why. After a so-so start to league play last year, they won seven of their final ten, which included a run to the conference tournament semifinals. Declan Wucherpfennig is picked to be the best player in the conference after a standout freshman year where he averaged over 12ppg/8rpg. Tony Williams is another player who saw key minutes as a freshman a year ago. Qadir Martin was a strong scorer and rebounder at Mercyhurst last year and helps make up what should be a strong frontcourt.

-Merrimack was last year’s first-place team and expectations are again high despite having just one starter back. They are adding some strong players from the portal. AJ Lesburt averaged double digits at Brown last year and Denver Anglin was a strong player for Iona. I do not think the Warriors will be quite as strong this year as they were a year ago, but they should still be good.

-Siena won the conference tournament last year and then gave Duke a hell of a game in the Round of 64. This year, like a lot of teams are having to do this year (and every year), Siena has had to rebuild its roster with just one returning starter. Pace Prosser transfers in after being a standout player in D-2 where he averaged over 18ppg and was good from the outside. Tan Yildizoglu averaged double figures at VMI last year, so the Saints do have some pieces to work with.

-Iona finished right at .500 in league play last year and seem to be heading back toward the middle of the league this year. They do have some guys coming in from bigger conference programs who saw limited minutes, and Kevon Vanderhorst was a strong player for Drexel last year, so the Gaels do have some potential.

-Marist has just one starter back, but Jack Graham is transferring in from New Hampshire who is a good outside shooter. Some of the guys who saw limited minutes a year ago will have to step up if Marist is going to contend for the top of the league.

-Quinnipiac lost all five starters from a season ago and Tom Pecora, who is a good coach, is having to start almost completely over. They do have a couple of guys transferring in that played in key roles at D-2 schools, but they just do not have much in the way of experience. It could end up being a long season for the Bobcats.

-I am a little surprised that Saint Peter’s is being picked as low as 7th: I actually like this team. I think they can finish much better than that. In fact, I think they can win the league. Three starters are back from a team that finished 2nd last year with Bryce Eaton and Elijah Perkins making up a pretty solid backcourt. Ken Walker is a D-2 transfer who averaged over 2oppg and was a good outside shooter. Bryson Wilson also joins the roster, who was a strong player for Binghamton last year. I look at this team and think they have a lot of pieces. I think they are going to do much better than where the preseason polls have them.

-Mount Saint Mary’s was a modest 11-9 in league play last year and has just one starter back. Redd Thompson Jr., who was a double-digit scorer at Longwood last year, transfers in, and Miquel Llompart was a standout player in D-2 a year ago, but others will have to step up in order for the Mount to finish near the top.

-Sacred Heart appeared to have a talented roster last year, but finished 9th in league play, which was nowhere near what their expectations were. With just one starter back they are having to start over. They do have a couple guys in Jaden Slaughter and Griffin Barrouk who can hit from the outside and they have gone into the portal to get some D-2 standouts as well as some guys who played smaller roles at bigger programs.

-Manhattan won just 12 games total last year and their entire starting lineup is gone. The days of them being one of the flagship teams in this league now seem like they were a long time ago. Anthony Pacciarelli averaged an amazing 26ppg in D-2 last year, and he will be joined by several other transfers, including Ben Tweedy from Colgate who is a good outside shooter. I think they can do a little better than where they are being picked, but with so much roster turnover it is hard to say.

-It has been a rough two years for Jim Christian at Canisius, and this year does not appear that it will be any easier. After winning just 10 total games last year, the entire starting lineup is gone and there just does not appear to be much in the way of talent or experience on the roster.

-Niagara won just 8 total games a year ago and finished 340th in the NET, which is among the bottom-25 in all of D-1. No starters are back, so the positive way to look at this is that they are getting a fresh start. Their roster is made up of several D-1 transfers, and they do have some guys who can really shoot the ball, but most saw limited minutes a year ago and will have to play a bigger role this year for this team to experience any success.

-Rider won just 4 games a year ago, and while they were not in contention for the Centenary Award, they were close. No starters return from that team and Coach Kevin Baggett is trying to rebuild with some D-1 transfers who saw limited roles at their previous schools.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews new Troy coach Adam Howard

Posted on September 27, 2026 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for All of our Preseason Coverage, Including Interviews, Podcasts, and Conference Previews

We are 5 weeks away from the tip-off of the 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 new Troy coach Adam Howard, who talked about being hired last March and his expectations for this season.

You played basketball at Western Kentucky, where you made the 2008 Sweet 16: what was it like to face a #1-seed in UCLA that had 4 future NBA players on the roster? It was cool. We did not know it at the time, but we had 2 future NBA players of our own in Jeremy Evans/Courtney Lee. It got tight there for a minute and if we made a 3 then it might have ended up as a different ballgame, but it was still a lot of fun.

How did you 1st get into coaching? It was the path that I always wanted to take. I grew up in a small town in Kentucky (a state that loves its basketball) and always wanted to make my high school coach proud as his PG. I walked onto the team at WKU and played for Darrin Horn. After graduating I did whatever I could to get my foot in the door as a D-1 coach.

You spent the past 15 years as an assistant coach at 7 different schools: was that your preferred journey or is that just the “nature of the beast” when you are an assistant? I am proud of my journey as a mid-major guy who got to work his way up the ladder and eventually got hired by great head coaches like Fred Hoiberg/Will Wade. I would not change anything: I had some adversity but continued to grow at each stop…although now that I have a family I hope we can stay here for a while.

You were previously assistant at Troy from 2016-2018, and your team posted the highest GPA among Sun Belt programs in both seasons: how much importance do you place on academics? It is very important. Once the ball stops bouncing it is important to have your degree, so 1 of our team’s responsibilities is to be a good student-athlete and represent us in the right manner. We must handle our business both on/off the court.

Last year as an assistant to Will Wade at NC State your team was #9 in the nation with 38.8 3P%: how crucial is the 3-PT shot to your offensive strategy? Some of the best teams that I have been a part of featured guys who could shoot the ball very well. It was a big reason that we were able to reach the NCAA tourney last year: you cannot have enough good shooting, and we work on it every day.

You were hired at Troy last March: why did you take the job, and how is it going so far? I took the job because it is a good job! I got to start my career at a place like Troy. We are part of a very competitive league, and I did not have a lot of other options, so I am glad that they chose me. I will do everything I can to put our program in position to stay at the level it is at. There has been a ton of turnover but the previous success over the past few years allowed us to get a good roster. These jobs are very hard to get, and it is a very attractive job.

You take over a program that has won 20+ games for 5 straight seasons: where do you draw the line between putting your own system into place vs. “ain’t broke/don’t fix”? We were able to keep some good players who will also help us in the locker room. We are not just waiting to get the program off the ground: we hope to win 20+ games and make the NCAA tourney. If things go our way, then we will have a chance to win a championship in our 1-bid league. We must work accordingly and have a chip on our shoulder, but I am fortunate to be at a place that has an expectation of winning.

Your roster includes players from Brazil/Finland/France/Ireland/Japan: what sort of recruiting philosophy/budget do you have? We do not really care where players are from: if they can help us win, then we will take them. We had relationships/connections with several of them and people thought they could come here to help us. They all came here to get on the floor and get off to a good start. We brought in 13 news guys who should help keep us in the top half of our league.

You have a game in Raleigh this November on Friday the 13th: is it just another game on your schedule or is it going to feel weird? It will be cool after building some very good relationships. My wife/kids will make the trip because we still have several friends in the area, and it will be a good way for us to measure where we were at. I still have some good friends on their staff, but we will try to treat it just like any other game.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We want to be a team that is not shy about what we want to do: we want to cut down some nets and get to the NCAA tourney. I know that I am a 1st-year head coach, but we have several transfers who want a bigger role so we will work in a manner that allows us to get back to the NCAA tourney while getting better each day (and hopefully stay healthy).

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King in the North: HoopsHD interviews Raptors radio play-by-play man Eric Smith about Kawhi Leonard

Posted on September 26, 2026 by Jon Teitel

The 2026 NBA offseason featured several blockbuster moves, including 4-time MVP LeBron James signing as a free agent with Philadelphia and 2-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo being traded from Milwaukee to Miami. The most intriguing move might play out north of the border, after the Clippers traded Kawhi Leonard to Toronto, the city where he was named Finals MVP after leading the Raptors to their only NBA title in 2019. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Raptors radio play-by-play man Eric Smith about Kawhi’s prolific past in Toronto and what we can expect this time around.

Kawhi played 2 years at San Diego State, and then was selected 15th overall by Indiana in the 2011 Draft before being traded to San Antonio that night: was it just a situation where the Pacers did not realize at the time how great he could become? The best answer I can give you is “I do not know”, but pro sports teams will often identify a certain asset based on who they like. For example, Coach Pat Riley preferred the proven asset of a player who was already in the league rather than the unproven asset of a draft pick, which is why he traded away several of his picks in the past. Sometimes there might be a “wink wink” deal where a team drafts a guy and then flips him to another team right away. If we could rewind 15 years, I assume Indiana would go back and change things.

He is nicknamed “The Claw” due to his 7’3″ wingspan/11” hands, was named to the All-Defensive Team 7 times, and is a 2-time DPOY: how much of an advantage does his athleticism give him on defense? Massive. There is no denying that the hands/wingspan are huge pluses, but when you add it to the mindset/instinct/God-given talent, it becomes an amazing arsenal. What impressed me is that there are few players who can do it on both ends of the court/field (especially in basketball). To have someone equally potent is special: he can take the big shot on offense AND make the big play on defense. Deflections/steals/blocked shots: the whole shebang. We are not talking about a 6’2” guy: he has the height/speed/intelligence and is the total package. Giannis Antetokounmpo is also a current example…but Kawhi was the 1 who broke the mold.

In the summer of 2018 he was traded to Toronto: how big a deal was it at the time, and was there any concern about his health and/or the fact that he could become a free agent the following year? It was a major surprise to the media/fans, and it caused ripple effect around the league. To this day, it was a big deal when DeMar DeRozan left town because he and Kyle Lowry were the 1-2 punch that helped the team keep making postseason runs (before running into LeBron James, as many other teams did). An opportunity presented itself to Toronto to acquire 1 of the premier players in the game in Kawhi. He might have been available due to his health/history, but the usual way for teams to acquire a top-10 player is to draft him or sign him as a free agent. It was a roll of the dice, but they figured IF their medical team could get him back to playing shape and manage it for the course of a season, then there would be something special in the making. “Load management” has become a household term in sports, but it started that season when Kawhi played 60 games and sat out 22 during the regular season. I think that load management enabled him to suit up for every single game in the postseason, which is when it matters the most!

Take me through the magical 2019 playoffs:
In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, he scored 41 PTS including a buzzer-beater from the corner that bounced on the rim 4 times before falling in to beat Philadelphia (www.nba.com/watch/video/tdih-kawhi-leonard-game-winning-buzzer-beater-vs-phi-in-game-7-2019): where does the 1st-ever Game 7 buzzer beater in NBA history rank among the biggest shots in his career/Raptors history/NBA history? I have not had a chance to ask him, but I assume it is among the top 2 or 3 on his list (if not #1). I moonlighted as the team’s TV sideline reporter in the past and was in the corner about 15-20 feet away from his shot during the broadcast: you can see the top of my head in photographs! You could hear a pin drop during those 4 bounces…and then I never heard the arena louder than when the ball went in. I was interviewing Lowry after the game but looked over at Kawhi (who was getting interviewed by TNT) bleeding down his arm due to a cut: it was literally a case of blood/sweat/tears. It is hard to not give some love to guys like Lowry/Fred Van Vleet, who made a lot of big shots in the Finals against the Warriors, as well as RJ Barrett last spring in Game 6 as a Canadian kid on the same end of the floor as Kawhi (www.reddit.com/r/torontoraptors/comments/1t1dosc/a_courtside_look_at_rj_barretts_goahead_3pointer)…but I still think Kawhi’s shot still has to be #1. It was such a dramatic moment but was not in the Finals like Michael Jordan over Bryon Russell in Game 6 to clinch the 1998 Finals.

In Game 6 of the Finals, he scored 22 PTS in a 4-PT win over Golden State to clinch the series: how big a deal was it for Toronto to win the title? I was back on the radio for play-by-play in that 1. I almost felt it was more special to win it on the road because the focus was on the players. Raptors fans travel a lot: I think there were about 2000-3000 of them in Oakland. As the 1st team outside the US to win the title, it was massive. I wrote a book last year about different eras of Raptors’ history viewed through the eyes of role players. I started finding that it was easy to break it down by era: pre-Vince Carter, post-Vince Carter, then a 7–8-year drought before reaching the championship era. I recall LeBron in Toronto 1 time saying that he has never been a part of something like this in his career even though the Raptors LOST the game (www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqPQgokbG8I). 1/3 of the league has still never won a title but even if they never win another 1 again, they are in the 2/3 that has won 1.

In the summer of 2019 he signed as a free agent with the Clippers: what was the reaction like in Canada? There was disappointment, but the possibility was discussed a lot during the season. The Raptors knew they might only have him for 1 year, and the Southern California kid decided to head home to sign with the Clippers. They knew it was a gamble, but a gamble worth taking. He was not a malcontent who caused problems: he was a pro’s pro. The only 2 destinations mentioned were Toronto/Los Angeles, so it was not a huge surprise, but there were barely 2 weeks to relish the win before poof: he was gone. It was a bit of a kick in the teeth while trying to bask in the glow of a title, but what lessened the blow to some extent is that the Raptors were still right there with as good a chance as anyone of winning a title in 2020. They were neck-and-neck with Milwaukee until COVID hit: they were still a damn good team until losing to Boston in the bubble in Game 7.

He is a 2-time NBA champion and 1 of 3 players to be named Finals MVP for multiple teams (along with (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar/LeBron): how is he able to play his best when it matters the most? It is such a small list: everyone tries to rise to the occasion but not everyone can. Steph Curry was the best player on the Warriors who scored the most points…but Andre Iguodala was still able to win a Finals MVP award in 2015 because of what he did on both ends of the court. Kawhi has the ability when healthy to be 1 of the few players in the history of the game who is equally dangerous on both ends of the court, which he proved again in the 2019 Finals. He will be a menace on defense and get his team out on the run: that is why he is a future Hall of Famer.

This summer the Clippers traded him to Toronto for 2 players/5 draft picks: how is the 2nd time around going so far? From a fan base perspective, people are very excited. Nothing has really happened yet, but training camp opens next week with Media Day on Monday so the best answer I can give you is “we shall see”. Kawhi is clearly motivated to be here due to his familiarity with the organization/city/medical staff. Even at age 35 he remains 1 of the best and is coming off 1 of the best seasons of his career. No disrespect to Brandon Ingram, because he was a good teammate/person who had an outstanding All-Star season…but you must give something to get something. When the dust settles, I just ask if you are a better team now than you were before the trade. You have a core that is still in place from a 45-win season that took Cleveland to a Game 7 (Scotties Barnes/RJ Barrett/Immanuel Quickley), so I think they are a better team now than in May, and there is every reason to be optimistic, especially after Kawhi signed an extension the other day.

In 2021 he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team: when people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? He already is 1 of the greatest players ever by virtue of being on that list and is a no-doubt future Hall of Famer: the awards/accolades speak for themselves. 2-way players are usually starters/fan-favorites, but it is rare for them to be the best player on the floor, much less among the best in the history of the game on both ends of the floor. Even if we ignored all his offensive stats, I think you could make the case that he is a top-75 player based on his defense and defensive awards/accolades alone. Then when you add the offense, it is an absolute no-brainer and what makes him a “unicorn”.

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