Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Bellarmine SR G CJ Fleming

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 Bellarmine SR G CJ Fleming. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with CJ about winning the 1st D-1 postseason game in school history last March and his expectations for this season.

You were born/raised in Ohio: what made you choose Bellarmine? My older brother Ryan played at Northern Kentucky and was in a tournament that Bellarmine was hosting. I came down here to watch him and the atmosphere was great: I told my dad that day that I wanted to come here.

You play for Coach Scott Davenport: what makes him such a good coach? He cares so much for us and wants to prepare us for our future down the road.

In 2018 you played in all 32 games and were named to the conference All-Freshman team: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? We had a really good team that year with some great seniors who took me under their wings and showed me the ropes until eventually they trusted me. It was just a great year with some great guys.

In 2019 you led your team with 33 STL and were #2 in the conference with 46.9 3P%: how do you balance your offense with your defense? That is just something we do as a team starting in summer workouts. We get individual instruction and do lifting every single day. Each team has a culture but it really is a family here and we do everything together.

Last year you made the leap to D-1: what is the biggest difference between D-2 and D-1? We have gotten this question so many times! The size/speed of the guys is the biggest difference. We also had to learn about opponents in a whole new league.

You started the year 3-5, then won 10 conference games in a row: how was your team able to turn things around in mid-January after getting swept at home by Lipscomb? We started out with games against 2 prestigious programs in Duke/Notre Dame, which helped to prepare us for the rest of the season. The Lipscomb sweep got us introduced to the league, and then we just took it 1 game at a time and focused on the little things.

In the 2021 CBI you beat Army before losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Pepperdine: what did you learn from that postseason run that will help you this year? It was absolutely amazing to win the 1st D-1 postseason game in school history. We struggled in the 1st half against Army but played much better in the 2nd half. That experience will benefit us in the long run.

Your brutal non-conference schedule includes games at Purdue/St. Mary’s/Gonzaga/UCLA/West Virginia: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? All of them will. Just to have 1 of those teams on our schedule is awesome for our university, and having all 5 will be incredible.

You and Ethan Claycomb were the only 2 seniors on the roster last year: what is the key to being a good leader? Experience does help: we are the old guys of the bunch and try to show the younger guys how we do things. I tell them what to expect and how the games will go.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? We talk a lot about having a “destination”: it sounds corny but we just take it day by day and are not looking that far ahead.

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