We are keeping our fingers crossed in the hope that we can return to a “normal” version of college basketball this fall: fans in the stands, announcers without masks, etc. Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen but we will try to restore some order with season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. We continue our coverage with Mount St. Mary’s SR F Nana Opoku. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Nana about being named conference tourney MVP last March and his expectations for this season.
You were an AAU teammate of Mac McClung/Oscar Tshiebwe: how dominant was your team with all of that future D-1 talent? We were the best Adidas Circuit team that summer and one of the best in the country. It took us a while to figure everything out, but after that things went uphill and we began to win more games/tournaments. We eventually lost to a team featuring Reggie Perry, who played for the Brooklyn Nets last year: he is about the same size now as he was back in high school (6’8″).
You were born/raised in Virginia: what made you choose Mount St. Mary’s? Mount St. Mary’s felt like family. They really wanted me to be here and were excited about having me enroll. All of the coaches let it be known that they wanted me to play for them.
You play for Coach Dan Engelstad: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? The most important thing I have learned is that player-led teams are often the most successful. When a coaching staff allows the players to dictate the culture and hold each other accountable, great things can happen. I think that Coach Dan does a great job of connecting with us and empowering us to be who we are in the team structure.
After an OT loss at Fairleigh Dickinson last February your team was 8-10: how were you able to turn things around and win 4 straight games to make the NCAA tourney? I would say leadership from within the team. Everyone knew after that game that we were in playoff mode and it was do-or-die from that point. We knew what was at stake and what we needed to do to give ourselves the chance to compete in the conference tournament.
In the NEC tourney title game you had 18 PTS/5 BLK in a 5-PT win at Bryant en route to being named conference tourney MVP: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most, and what was the reaction like when you got back to campus? I was able to play well in that big-time game partly due to momentum from the semifinal game and partly because I knew the task at hand. I knew the opportunity that was on the other side: going to the NCAA tournament! I was not nervous: I just wanted to lay everything on the line and leave it all out there. When we got back to campus everyone was excited: guys were exhausted from the trip but it was a once in a lifetime feeling.
In the NCAA tourney you had 9 PTS/3 BLK in an 8-PT loss to Texas Southern: what did you learn from that game that you think will help you this year? I learned that a game can easily change in a matter of seconds. As a team, we know what we need to do out on the court: even when things are not going our way we have to stick to what we know. Everyone in that tournament was fighting to advance so I realized that even though we thought we accomplished something by being there, everyone else wanted it just as bad as we did. We definitely learned that we have to close games better going into this season.
Last year you averaged 2.1 BPG and were named conference DPOY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It meant that all of my work did not go unnoticed. It meant that people realized me as an elite defensive player in the league. I was just doing whatever it took to help my team win…but getting the award did feel great!
Your non-conference schedule includes an 8-day stretch in November with games at Villanova/Kentucky: which of these teams do you feel will present your biggest test? Villanova, Kentucky, and Ohio will all be challenging games but starting the season off at Villanova is a special challenge. They bring back a lot of players like Justin Moore/Brandon Slater (guys from the DC/Maryland/Virginia area) who have experience in big games and they all are part of a good team.
You are 1 of 4 seniors on the roster: how much pressure is there on you to be a leader this year? I feel like there is not really pressure since the leadership came from within last year. We did not have one single person as a captain: different guys on the team lead in their own way. The title of “leader” is not really necessary with our group, but as an older guy I know that I can pass down my experience/knowledge of the game to the younger guys. I want to pass the torch to the next group of Mount Basketball players.
What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? My goal for this season is to accomplish the same (if not more) with this new group of guys. Personally, I want to shoot the ball better from both the FT line and 3-point range. I also want to be a better overall leader in terms of helping my team when it matters most.