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We continue our season preview coverage with Wofford SR SG Nathan Hoover. There were only 8 teams in the entire country last year who lost 5 or fewer games and 1 of those 8 was Wofford. The Terriers lost to 4 high-major teams in non-conference play last November/December, then went 18-0 in SoCon play, won 3 games in 3 days to clinch a conference tourney title, and beat Seton Hall by 16 PTS in the NCAA tourney before a 6-PT loss to Kentucky to end 1 of the greatest seasons in school history. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Nathan about being a great shooter and having a new coach.
You grew up in Memphis: what made you choose Wofford? The previous coach came to my high school and also my house. When I came here for my visit and saw the new gym that they were building it just felt like the best fit.
You played in all 33 games as a freshman and were named to the conference All-Freshman team: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I put in a lot of work during the offseason and got into the gym a lot. I started playing better and adjusting to the college game as the season progressed. Eventually I felt as comfortable as I was back in high school.
Last season your team won 30 games and went 18-0 in conference play: where does that season rank among the greatest in school history? I believe it is 1 of the top seasons ever around here. I know there were some past conference champs who should have won a game in the NCAA tourney, but our conference last year was very difficult and we won several Tier 1 games. I think we are the best.
In the 2019 NCAA tourney you scored 18 PTS in a win over Seton Hall and 19 PTS in a 6-PT loss to Kentucky: how close did you come to beating the Wildcats, and what did you learn from that postseason run that will help you this year? We were very close to beating Kentucky: it came down to a couple of possessions. I played well in our final few games so that has helped my confidence out a lot, which is the best thing to have. I am very excited to see what the future holds both for me and the team.
Last year you shot 90.6 FT% and led the conference with 46.9 3P%: what is the secret to being a great shooter? The main thing is to get up enough shots to be able to shoot well during games when you are being guarded and coming off of screens. I focus on repetition until it becomes 2nd nature.
Last April your former coach Mike Young was hired as head coach at Virginia Tech: were you surprised that he left, and how is the transition going under new coach Jay McAuley? I was not surprised that he left: I was happy for him to get a job at a big school and I wish him success. It was rough for a couple of weeks because we did not know who we were going to get to replace him but it has been great to have Coach McAuley. He has brought in some amazing assistants who have connected with us and I feel very good about our entire coaching staff.
Your non-conference schedule includes games against Butler/Missouri/UNC/Duke: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? I do not think that any 1 game is the hardest. We beat North Carolina at their place 2 years ago so we are prepared to play anyone at any place. We will play as hard as we can to give us the best chance to win no matter who the opponent is.
You graduated your top-2 senior scorers from last season in Fletcher Magee/Cameron Jackson: how will you try to replace all of that offense? We have great players coming back who were big keys last year so we all have a lot of confidence/trust in each other.
You are 1 of 3 seniors on the roster: how much pressure is there on you to be a leader this year? I have been leading my teams all through high school and had a pretty big role last year as well. I am very energetic and people seem to like that.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I want to carry our team as far as we can go. I would like to be nationally recognized even while playing at a mid-major school and become conference POY. Hopefully we can go even farther as a team than last year.