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We continue our season preview coverage with Colgate assistant coach Mike Jordan. The Raiders lost a home game last February to fall to 13-10 overall, and then proceeded to turn things around by winning 11 straight games to make the NCAA tourney for the 1st time since 1996. 2019 conference COY Matt Langel deserves a lot of the credit but had 3 awesome assistants to rely on in Dave Klatsky/Pat Moore/Mike Jordan. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Jordan about his famous basketball name and having a brutal road schedule this November.
You played for Coach Fran Dunphy at Penn: what made him such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? He was an awesome person who was very knowledgeable about the game. He pushed you to be your best and never accepted anything less. I learned to always be the best I can even though my best might be different than someone else’s best.
In 1996 you were named Ivy ROY and in 2000 you were named Ivy POY: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It is always good to be recognized for the work you put in but the awards did not compare to winning an Ivy championship during my final 2 years of college: that is all that matters at the end of the day.
After graduating you played pro basketball for more than a decade in 9 different countries: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball overseas? The 24-second shot clock is a big difference. They also have club teams abroad rather than college teams. They have a different style where everyone can shoot the ball, even if we are finally leaning toward that model a little in the US. The big men overseas are very good passers.
What is the best part of being a basketball player named Mike Jordan, and what is the not-so-best part? The best part is that nobody forgets your name…and the worst part is that nobody forgets your name! If you ever do anything bad you will always hear about it.
You currently work for Coach Matt Langel at Colgate, who was your former teammate with the Quakers: what was he like as a player, and what is he like as a boss? He was a very good shooter/hard worker and knew how to play, which is what we teach our guys now. I am very fortunate to work for 1 of my best friends: he learned a lot from Dunphy and allows us to do a lot of things as assistants. He allows us to grow as coaches, which is perfect for me, and is very family-oriented so our kids are always around the gym. He is a very understanding boss and it is a very unique situation for me: I am lucky to work for a guy like that.
In the 2019 conference tourney title game Jordan Burns scored a Patriot League tourney-record 35 PTS in a win over Bucknell en route to being named tourney MVP: how was he able to play his best when it mattered the most, and how big a deal was it to win the school’s 1st Patriot League regular season/tourney titles since 1996? It was a big deal for our players/staff. We had been close before and were down a bunch the previous year while Bucknell was having a party down on the other end of the court: it was like a nightclub with a DJ and people dancing! I made our guys watch that and Jordan worked hard every day to step up and become a better player. He wanted to beat Bucknell because he remembered how it felt in 2018 and he did not want to feel that way again.
In the 2019 NCAA tourney you had a 7-PT loss to Tennessee: how close did you come to pulling off the upset, and what did your team learn from that game that will help them this year? We were close: Rap (Rapolas Ivanauskas) not being able to play hurt us size-wise since he is such a big guy who can spread the floor but we had a good chance to win even without him. When the opportunity comes you have to step up. We try to teach the players that each possession matters: the game is so fragile that you can win or lose it on a crucial turnover or not boxing out or letting someone get into the lane. It all comes down to the details.
Last year Langel was named conference COY, PF Rapolas Ivanauskas was named conference POY and Tucker Richardson was named conference ROY: is there anyone on your team who did NOT win an award last season?! We also had a couple of guys on the all-defensive team and they all earned everything that they achieved last year. However, they were happiest that we got to play in the NCAA tourney, which trumped everything else as the team’s highlight of the year.
Your non-conference schedule includes 3 straight road games in November at Clemson/Syracuse/Auburn: how do you prepare for such a brutal road trip? We have to prepare for NJIT 1st because they beat us last year, and then you prepare just as if it was anyone else on your schedule. We have to play a little smarter/better and not give those high-major teams extra possessions/easy points. If they earn it and beat us then so be it, but if we trust our scouting report and stick to the script then we will be fine.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Same as usual: continue to get better each day and compete for a championship. Most people probably have us as favorites but the league is very good this year so it is wide open.