Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Kennesaw State coach Antoine Pettway

Posted on September 16, 2026 by Jon Teitel

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

We are less than 7 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 Kennesaw State coach Antoine Pettway, who talked about making the NCAA tourney last March and his expectations for this season.

You were born/raised in Camden, AL, and won a state title as a senior at Wilcox Central High School: what did it mean to you to win a title? I actually won 1 as a sophomore and another 1 as a senior: it meant everything. I came from a small community and all the businesses in town closed down for the day and we had 12 charter buses to drive everyone to the gym to see our game.

You arrived in Tuscaloosa as a walk-on but by your senior year you were captain of the team: what is the key to being a good leader? When people see how hard you work and how you put the team before yourself, it is easy to lead. You need to show up early and leave late.

Take me through the 2004 postseason as a player at Alabama:
In the 1st round you scored 6 PTS including the game-winning runner with 5 seconds left in a 1-PT win over Southern Illinois (www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaxq0mvaTFU): where does that rank among the highlights of your career so far? It is up there: we would not have reached the Elite 8 had we not beaten Southern Illinois. I wanted us to keep playing and I ended up making the shot. The 1st round is very hard.

In the Elite 8 you had 4 AST in a loss to eventual champion UConn: where does that Huskies team (featuring 6 future NBA players) rank among the best that you ever faced? That was the best team I ever played against. They had so much depth with guys after guys after guys. I tried guarding Ben Gordon but had no chance.

In 2023 you were hired as head coach at Kennesaw State: why did you take the job? It felt great. I met the athletic director/president and knew that we could compete for championships. There is a family atmosphere here and alignment with the administration.

Take me though the 2026 postseason:
Despite being a #6 seed in the CUSA tourney you won 3 games in 3 days against higher-seeded teams with a different leading scorer each night to clinch the title: how on earth were you able to become the only team in the nation to beat 3 top-4 seeds in its conference tourney? Last year our conference had so much parity: there was only 1 game separating the 5 teams seeded 3 through 7. We felt that if we played the way we were capable of then we would make a deep run…and we did.

In the NCAA tourney you had a 9-PT loss to Gonzaga: what do you think your team learned from that game that will help them this year? It was outstanding for our program to be on that stage and a great opportunity for us to showcase our school. We showed that we belonged and played well, but Coach Mark Few and his team were spectacular.

Last April you were named Ben Jobe national COY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It meant so much to me. I even had the chance to meet Ben, who is a terrific person. My name might be on the trophy, but there were so many people who had a hand in me winning it (players/administration/etc.).

You have an amazing group of sophomores including Trey Simpson/Amir Taylor/Kaden Rickard (and brought in Jacksonville State transfer JaCoby Hill to join them): was it easy to convince them all to stick around, and how crucial will that class be to your team’s success this year? We have a great group of dudes, and it was big for our program to bring back Trey/Amir/Kaden and bring in JaCoby. In this era of college basketball, players must quickly progress from freshmen to leaders: they all came back because they want to win another title.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We do not talk much about expectations. We have a certain standard that we operate to every day: we want to be the hardest working team in the country, feisty on defense, and play with space/pace on offense. We want to compete for championships every single year, and the way you do that is based on how you show up every single day.

Posted in News and Notes | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Miami OH coach Travis Steele

Posted on September 15, 2026 by Jon Teitel

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

We are less than 7 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 Miami OH coach Travis Steele, who talked about having an undefeated regular season last year and his expectations for this season.

You went to college at Butler and later spent 1 year as a graduate manager at Ohio State: when did you 1st realize that you wanted to become a coach? Probably in high school. My older brother John is now head coach at Charleston, and in a lot of ways I was in his shadow. He was an assistant to Herb Sendek at NC State, and I spent several summers sitting in on their meetings, getting my exposure to college basketball while still in 7th/8th grade.

In the 2017 NCAA tourney as an assistant to Chris Mack at Xavier, you made it all the way to the Elite 8 before losing to Gonzaga: what is the key to winning games in March? #1 is player leadership on the floor. The game is a game of runs, so the key is how to limit their runs. When you face adversity, you only have a certain # of timeouts, so you need your leaders to help you out while the ball is live. Guard play is important, but you must take care of the ball/rebound/defend.

You were hired as head coach at Miami OH in 2022: why did you take the job? Miami gave me an opportunity to build a program. This school has a proud tradition with players like Wally Szczerbiak/Ron Harper, so I took it as a job where I could build a brand-new house, which excited me. At Xavier the house was already built so I just painted a room, but here I was able to do it my way.

Take me through last year’s magical season:
You were named conference/national COY: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It means that we have great players/staff. I think sometimes the head coach gets too much credit, and the assistant coaches do not get enough credit. We have players who fit our culture: as I told them, those awards are just a reflection of our team’s success.

You finished the regular season undefeated just 2 years after losing 17 games: how were you able to turn things around so well so quickly? It took awhile and was a slow build. I told our AD that it would probably take 3 years to see significant growth…and we won 25 games in year 3. Talent is part of the equation but “fit” is everything: build your culture, be the most connected team in the country, and perfect your style of play as best you can. It has been a culmination of culture/talent/teaching/leadership, and a lot of work went into it. Even when we were not winning as big during the 1st 2 years, the foundation was laid, and now people can see the fruit of that.

You had a 4-PT loss to UMass in the opening game of your conference tourney, then had a double-digit win over SMU in the 1st 4 before losing to Tennessee: what do you think your team learned from that postseason run that will help them this year? #1: how fragile things are. The finality of the season is just so abrupt. You never want to take anything for granted so we try to live in the moment and have fun with it. We all filled out a March Madness bracket while growing up, and while the SMU win was great, we want to get to a place we have never been before like the Elite 8/Final 4. We need to take the next step culturally, and in the weight room, by embracing physicality when we play a team like Tennessee. We took a lot from that game, and it has motivated us this offseason so that we do not have that feeling again next year.

You have now won 31 straight home games: has it reached a point where the fans expect you to win every time you enter Millett Hall? I am sure the fans do, and we do too. All great programs have a homecourt advantage. When I 1st got here it felt like there were about 6 fans at our games, and last year we had some sellouts, which gave us a huge advantage. We expect to win because we embrace the process and know that we have prepared the right way.

1 of your best players last year was Evan Ipsaro, who scored 13.9 PPG during the first 12 games of the season before suffering a season-ending ACL tear: how is his recovery going? Great: he should be full-go next week and we look forward to getting him back on the court. I was really hurting for him because he was having a conference POY-type season on both sides of the ball: he was probably our best defensive player and is the ultimate winner. I give our group a lot of credit for not skipping a beat: it is like the Bengals losing Joe Burrow. I am excited for him because he has put in a lot of work: he is everything we are about and a tough warrior who provides leadership.

You mentioned that your half-brother John Groce was hired as head coach at Charleston last March: who is the best coach in the family? The best coach was probably our grandmother: she was better than both of us! John is an incredible coach who has had so much success everywhere he has coached because he does things the right way.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Our goals are pretty simple: our mission statement is to be the toughest/nastiest team in the MAC and commit to getting better every day. The worst thing a coach can do is put a ceiling on his team: I do not know how good we can be, but I think that we have a chance to be very good. We want to win championships and play deep into March.

Posted in News and Notes | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Queens coach Grant Leonard

Posted on September 9, 2026 by Jon Teitel

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

We are still a couple of months 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 Queens coach Grant Leonard, who talked about making the NCAA tourney last March and his expectations for this season.

You played college basketball at William Penn, where you were a 2-time academic all-region player who graduated cum laude: how much importance do you place on academics? We are very fortunate that Queens attracts a certain level of student, so we weed out the below-average students before we even get to the recruiting process. Academics is huge for us: we have a 100% graduation rate, and the school allows us to be pretty picky.

How good a player were you back in the day, and how did you get into coaching? I probably thought I was a better player than I actually was. I went to a small private high school in Milwaukee where I played the 3&4, and in college I transitioned to the 2, and eventually played PG. It taught me to see the game from multiple angles. My high school coach has won more than 600 games and the teams I played on helped turn the program around. Players will follow you if you can help them develop.

You were hired as an assistant at Queens back in 2013 when they were still D-2: what is the biggest difference between D-2 and D-1? The 1st part is positional size: we kept our whole team when we moved up to D-1 and were able to win 18 games despite being 2-4” shorter at every position, but by the end of the season we were worn down. The other big difference is scheduling. In D-2 we scheduled to be the #1 seed in the tourney, but in a 1-bid D-1 league you are scheduling so that your team will be the best version of itself in March. I want our team to learn the lessons that we need to learn before we enter conference play.

Your non-conference schedule includes road trips to Oklahoma State/BYU/LSU/Houston/Baylor: is there any 1 opponent that you feel will be your biggest test or that you are most excited to face? As a coach, I would say Houston. They have become a top-5 program in the sport over the last 5 years and their defensive culture is so elite. We have a pretty good offense, but it will be an unbelievable test for us. As a fan, the Marriott Center in BYU is an unbelievable environment. We played there 2 years ago and I thought it was even better than Duke because their fans were off the charts.

Last year your offense ranked top-20 in the nation with 84.5 PPG: what is the key to having a great offense? Everyone is a little different in how they get there, but the key for us is rim pressure. The A-Sun has been 1 of the top-2 leagues in the nation in offensive efficiency over the past few years, so you need to score points in the paint and take care of the ball. We have been playing fast, but you cannot play carelessly.

Take me through your incredible postseason run last March:
Chris Ashby scored 34 PTS/10-19 3PM in a 5-PT OT win over top-seeded Central Arkansas: how big a deal was it to win the 1st Atlantic Sun tourney title in school history? I do not even know if I can put it into words. We are a championship-minded program and expect to be in the fight every year. We put that pressure on ourselves after moving up from D-2 so that is the benchmark. The goal is to build a program that has realistic championship aspirations each year. For the school/community/city, it was such a rallying point. The skyline turned Queens Blue for the game, and most of the restaurants/sports bars were sold out. I have not seen that kind of energy in the city since the Panthers made the Super Bowl back in 2016.

In the NCAA tourney you lost #2 seed Purdue: what do you think your team learned from that game that will help them this year? I say tongue-in-cheek that we were “upset” by Purdue: they have a phenomenal program so hats off to Coach Painter and his team. That is where we were in D-2 and that is where we want to be in D-1. I am a big believer in analytics…but even though Purdue took a lot of long 2s they still had 1 of the most efficient offenses in the history of the sport.

Your top-11 scorers last year were from 8 different states and 2 foreign countries: what sort of recruiting philosophy do you have? This year will look a little different as we have several top players from the Carolinas. You need to find kids who fit your school’s vision: when you come here you must go to class and perform community service and learn to communicate at a super-high level. They need to want to play basketball the way we do it: we build community through basketball. I had to look for guys who are bigger because our footprint changed, so this year we have guys from Slovakia/Turkey in addition to Americans from several states.

You had a birthday last month: what did you do for the big day? I went lake-surfing, which was very cool. I have ocean-surfed a bunch, but catching a wave on the lake is very different: I have an adventurous spirit.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We are very process-driven so we do not set any numeric goals. Our standard is to be in the fight for both a regular season title and conference tourney title. We have players/coaches who have tasted it and seen it: we are the only team in the nation besides UConn who has 3 all-league players coming back. Isaiah Henry did not start a single game last year, but he has taken the biggest jump and will probably be our leading scorer this year. If we can stay healthy, I think it is reasonable for us in the years ahead to eventually win an NCAA tourney game.

Posted in News and Notes | Tagged , | Comments Off on Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Queens coach Grant Leonard

Season preview: HoopsHD interviews new Furman assistant coach Jordan Lyons

Posted on September 8, 2026 by Jon Teitel

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

We are still a couple of months 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 commences our coverage with new Furman assistant coach Jordan Lyons, who talked about his NCAA-record-tying game with 15 3PM back in 2018 and his expectations for this season.

You were born/raised in Georgia: what made you choose Furman? Throughout my recruiting process at the time coaches Niko Medved/Bob Richey did a great job of building relationships with me and my family. Furman checked all the boxes: education/location/basketball/etc. The program was clearly ascending and I wanted to be a part of that.

In 2017 you were named to the conference All-Freshman team: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I just bought into the culture even though I knew my role would be different than what I was accustomed to in high school/AAU. I wanted to help the team win so I took care of the ball, defended, and made sure I had good looks from 3-PT range. I felt like I would have a chance to contribute as a freshman and the staff trusted me to be part of the rotation.

Take me through that magical month of November 2018:
You tied an NCAA record with 15 3PM in a win over North Greenville (www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOjELpI4YXQ): was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? It was a special night. I always tell people that it was a program night: it was not just about me. My teammates poured a lot of confidence into me and Coach Richey was able to inspire all his players. I felt really good during warmups, found my rhythm early, and it just translated into the game. My teammates kept finding me and putting me in spots to be successful.

Your 54 PTS that day tied for the 10th most in conference history: what is the secret to being a great scorer? First, you have to be an obsessive worker and live in the gym the right way by working on shots that you will actually take during a game. You also need a certain level of swagger in yourself that if you do things the right way then you will be able to perform when the lights come on.

You had a pair of road wins over 2018 Final 4 teams Villanova/Loyola Chicago: what was it like to finish the month undefeated and then be ranked in the top-25 the following month? It was a special start to the year after working so hard during the spring/summer. We had an unbelievable senior class the previous year who graduated so a lot of people wondered how we could replace their production. We all had that mission and carried that edge into the season while trying to get better every day. To start 12-0 and then be favored to win on the road at LSU showed all the work that we had put in: we started to put the program on the national scene.

After graduation you played pro basketball in the US/overseas: how did basketball here compare to basketball in other countries? Ball is ball: there are a lot of very good players all over the world. It was a blessing to play in different countries: in Europe the game is super-fundamental because they are taught how to play the game from a young age. There is more athleticism in America but the game is more tactical abroad.

You were inducted into your high school’s Hall of Fame in 2022: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It is definitely up there and was a special evening for me and my family. It shows that you left a legacy that people around you view as everlasting. We energized an entire community for 4 years and for people to recognize that is something I am very grateful for.

You returned to Furman last May to become an assistant to Coach Richey: why did you take the job, and how is it going so far? The opportunity to come back to my alma mater is special because the school means a ton to me. Anytime you can give back to the next generation of guys, it is something that I could not pass up. I previously coached at the Naval Academy, which was another 1 of the biggest honors of my life: everything is about something bigger than yourself. When Coach offered me an elevated role here it made a ton of sense: he is like family to me.

You lost each of your top-7 scorers from last season: has that just become the norm for teams outside the Power 5 in the era of the transfer portal? We won the league last year and some of our great players had other opportunities elsewhere. However, we were able to keep many great players who will play pivotal roles for us this year due to our retention. We brought in a couple of transfers and 3 high school seniors, so we have a lot of depth/skill.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We have a chance to be special. The goal every year is to “win on Monday night”, which is the night of our conference tourney. We want to get back to the Big Dance and play on the biggest stage: we talk about it every day and do not shy away from it. Our “best” is still TBD…but if we improve every day then there is no ceiling as we try to become the last team standing.

Posted in News and Notes | Tagged , | Comments Off on Season preview: HoopsHD interviews new Furman assistant coach Jordan Lyons

Man of Morehouse: HoopsHD interviews Morehouse Director of Athletics Harold Ellis

Posted on August 19, 2026 by Jon Teitel

Morehouse is the nation’s only historically Black men’s college and the alma mater of many famous African Americans from various backgrounds including civil rights (Martin Luther King Jr.), directing (Spike Lee), and acting (Samuel L. Jackson). Even though their athletic program is not D-1 (yet!), they also have several notable sports alumni including Donn Clendenon (1969 World Series MVP), Edwin Moses (2-time Olympic gold medalist hurdler), and John David Washington (who was a UFL running back before becoming an actor). The only Morehouse alum who played in the NBA is Harold Ellis, and he has served as director of athletics at his alma mater since 2023. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Harold about his legendary NBA debut and the success of the Maroon Tigers.

You were born/raised in Atlanta: what made you choose Morehouse? Morehouse has a history of success with young African American men: many political/business leaders in the city went here. I wanted to go to a great school, and Morehouse was at the top of my list. Academically and athletically, it was the perfect fit.

You scored 23+ PPG during each of your 4 years in college: what is the secret to being a great scorer? I could say “not playing in high school”: I only averaged 3 PPG because I sat on the bench a lot! I tell kids to go somewhere that they can play. I had the opportunity to play as a freshman, and after that I never sat down: I just wanted to become the best to ever play here.

In 1990 you made the D-2 Final 4 before losing to Bakersfield: what is the key to winning games in March? You need experience: we won our conference tourney the previous year and had a lot of veteran leaders returning to the team. This year we have an experienced group coming back who knows how to win, just like the guys we had on that 1990 team.

After going undrafted in 1992 you began your pro career with the Quad City Thunder in the CBA: at the time did you think that you could/would eventually make it to the NBA? When I came out of college I played in the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament and then made it to the NBA Draft Combine. I played well enough to get drafted but did not know what route I would eventually take. My CBA coach was incredible, and trying out for the CBA was harder than making the NBA: everybody on that team ended up playing in the NBA or Europe at some point, which prepared me to make the jump.

In September of 1993 you were a member of Team USA at the Tournament of the Americas: what did it mean to you to represent your country, and what did it mean to you to win a gold medal? That was another great experience. I had low expectations going into the tryout but ended up making the team. It is rare for anyone to represent their country, much less to win a gold medal, so it was an honor/privilege. It was like a dream come true.

That fall you signed with the LA Clippers: did you see that as a validation of your CBA career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? I will never forget that day: it validated all my hard work going back to high school. Signing with the Clippers was the cherry on a top and a monumental moment for both me and my family.

In your very 1st start on January 14, 1994, you scored a career-high 29 PTS/11-14 FG in a 7-PT win at Boston: what are your memories of what sounds like the best night of your life? Imagine being in the starting lineup in the Boston Garden after growing up as a Larry Bird fan. Right before the game I learned that Bird was officially retiring because his back finally gave out but just seeing him in person was great. I got to dunk on Robert Parish and was named Coors Light Player of the Game! It was a lifelong dream to play my 1st game in that arena.

After retiring as a player, you spent several years as an NBA scout: how long did it take you to figure out how good a player was or the best way to stop his team’s game plan? It did not take long: even now I can quickly figure out if a guy has a chance to be great. I like to see if a guy practices how he plays because games can come easy for some people.

In 2009 you made the playoffs during your only year as an assistant coach with Detroit: what was it like to face Cleveland and their 24-year-old star named LeBron James? It felt like we were going to get swept! We were the #8 seed but thought we had a chance. We had a good team at that time with Joe Dumars as the boss and some good pieces on the roster…but LeBron (who won his 1st MVP award that year) was already at his peak.

In 2023 you were named athletic director at your alma mater: why did you take the job, and how is it going so far? It has been going great. I took the job because I wanted to help impact young people: in the NBA people get paid and then go home, but in college you get to work with them for 4 years and then see them walk across the stage to graduate. We have been doing this at Morehouse since 1900 and just had our most successful athletic season ever with several teams winning championships including Cross Country/Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field/Basketball.

Posted in News and Notes | Tagged | Comments Off on Man of Morehouse: HoopsHD interviews Morehouse Director of Athletics Harold Ellis

Call to the Hall: HoopsHD interviews Hall of Fame coach Tubby Smith

Posted on August 17, 2026 by Jon Teitel

They are running out of Halls of Fame in which to induct Tubby Smith: he joined the Kentucky Hall of Fame in 2013, the High Point Hall of Fame in 2016, the Tulsa Hall of Fame in 2021, the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame in 2023, and last month the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame announced that he would be part of its Class of 2026. If you look at his resume it is easy to see why he belongs: 642 wins, 18 NCAA tourney appearances, an NCAA title in 1998, and even a gold medal as an assistant for Team USA at the 2000 Olympics. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Tubby about winning a title and being elected to yet another Hall of Fame.

You were born in Maryland as the 6th of 17 children: what was the best part of having such a huge family? When you have so many siblings you have a lot of support/mentors: there are so many people that care about you and love you. With 12 sisters/4 brothers I had a lot of people in my corner who helped me grow by teaching me to read/write. I cherish every second I spend with my siblings.

You played basketball at High Point: how good a player were you back in the day, and how did you get into coaching? I was an all-conference player and finished about 5th/6th in the career scoring column, but now am just outside the top-10. Gene Littles was the best scorer to ever play here, which was before my time. I had 3 coaches during my 4 years: it was just part of the changing landscape back in the 1970s. I had some great teammates who were wonderful mentors and gave me a lot of guidance. My high school coach inspired me to get into teaching/coaching. I was at an all-Black school, and George Washington Carver High School coach Cecil Short asked me if I wanted to try out for basketball. I later played for Coach Gene Wood at Great Mills High School.

As an assistant to Rick Pitino at Kentucky you worked alongside Ralph Willard/Herb Sendek/Billy Donovan/Bernadette Locke-Mattox: what was it like to have so much coaching talent on the same sideline? At the time we were working so hard because that was what Rick expected, which set the stage for me to become a head coach. It is a 24/7/365 job: you can take time off, but you are trying to help young men reach their dreams. That staff was outstanding and I learned so much from all of them.

In the magical 1998 NCAA tourney during your 1st year as head coach at Kentucky, your “Comeback Cats” overcame double-digit deficits in each of their final 3 games against Duke/Stanford/Utah: what did it mean to you to win a title? I do not know if I can explain it. It goes back to having outstanding players/assistants like George Felton/Shawn Finney/Mike Sutton. When Rick left to join the Celtics there were still several great players on our roster like Scott Padgett/Jeff Sheppard. We were dubbed the “Comeback Cats” because we had to come from behind about 15 times that season.

It is very rare for a coach to win a title without a 1st-team All-American or future NBA lottery pick: is that just proof that you do not need the best talent to have the best team, or is there more to it than that? There is always more to it. We had outstanding people/leaders both on and off the court. Jeff’s son Reed now plays for the Houston Rockets. They understood teamwork/sacrifice commitment: those players still have a great bond even today. Not many people get the opportunity to win a title, much less be on a college team, so it is a blessing. I cannot say they were “overachievers”: they understood the value of hard work and had been together for a while.

You served as an assistant coach for Team USA at the 2000 Olympics: what did it mean to you to represent your country, and what did it mean to you to win a gold medal? That goes back to CM Newton. I started with USA Basketball in 1994 when I won a gold medal as coach of the Junior Olympic team, which allowed me to serve my country. We were representing the Southeast and started 0-3, but ended up winning the championship on a last-second shot. CM was on the selection committee: I became an assistant coach along with Larry Brown/Gene Keady under Rudy Tomjanovich. You cannot win without talented players and we had several like Kevin Garnett/Gary Payton/Alonzo Mourning. That famous dunk by Vince Carter remains 1 of the best that I ever witnessed: www.youtube.com/shorts/5-H_kVvxwhQ

You worked at 7 different schools (Tulsa/Georgia/Kentucky/Minnesota/Texas Tech/Memphis/High Point) during your 31 years as a head coach: would you have preferred to stay at 1 place the entire time, and how were you able to keep winning wherever you went? Absolutely: when I went to Tulsa, it was 1 of the best places that I ever lived. However, I kept getting great opportunities to go elsewhere and CM gave me some good guidance. Vince Dooley at Georgia was an oustanding AD: people know him for football but he was also a freshman basketball player at Auburn. The only place I did not really win was at my alma mater: the transfer portal/NIL came into existence during the end of my career and changed a lot of things.

Your son GG played for you at Georgia, your son Saul played for you at Kentucky, and your son Brian played basketball at Mississippi: who is the best athlete in the family? They were all very talented players. GG started during his final 3 years and went to the NCAA tourney a couple of times. Saul was 1 of the top assist guys while at Kentucky and won a national championship as a freshman. The 1 regret I have is that I did not get to coach Brian at Kentucky, but he still had a good career at Ole Miss playing for my friend Rod Barnes.

You turned 75 earlier this summer: what did you do for the big day? Nothing special. My wife Donna and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary last December so we had a big celebration with about 150 people in attendance. I probably played golf on my birthday.

You have already been inducted into several Hall of Fames and last month you were elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? Any type of award is a blessing. I am truly grateful that they selected me along with some outstanding people like Ted Owens/Jay Wright/Glen Rice/Danny Ainge/Walt Hazzard. I could not be more honored to join those legends.

Posted in News and Notes | Tagged | Comments Off on Call to the Hall: HoopsHD interviews Hall of Fame coach Tubby Smith