We are less than 18 days 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 VCU coach Phil Martelli Jr., who talked about making the NCAA tourney last March and his expectations for this season.
You made 2 NCAA tourneys as a player at St. Joe’s: how good a player were you back in the day? Not very good, but I was fortunate to play for my dad. Someone said that when you coach your son, he needs to be either the best or worst player on the team rather than in-between. Jameer Nelson was clearly our best player back then…which tells you where I was!
In 2025 you were named conference COY at Bryant: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? We had great players, which certainly helped spark us. I think the award should go to the “coaching staff of the year” because they all put in a lot of work that goes into that.
Last year you had a very difficult non-conference schedule and started conference play 2-2: how were you able to flip the switch and win 17 of your next 18 games? Your record is just a product of your schedule: we started 2-2 in the A-10 because we lost a tough game to 1 of the best teams in the conference in St. Louis and lost another 1-2 possession game at GMU (who started 18-1 last season). If those games had been separated, then we might have been 14-2 and nobody would have batted an eye. We just stayed true to who were and kept going and flipped that 1% of possessions in our favor.
Your team scored 80.8 PPG last year (the program’s highest in 50 years): what makes your aggressive/up-tempo style of play so effective? You need good players: we always want 5 weapons on the floor, but they do not all need to be shooters. We want interchangeable guys who can do different things. We are hunting great shots and always stay on the attack. If we start the possession with good pace and get the ball moving side-to-side, then we can be very hard to guard. We put a lot into player/skill development, which is what wins the day.
Take me through the 2026 postseason as coach at VCU:
You had an 8-PT win over Dayton in the conference tourney title game: what did it mean to you to win a title in a conference you are so familiar with? It is always great to win a championship. I spent the last 3 of my 4 years in St. Joe’s where we were the best team in the regular season but did not get to cut down the nets. To allow our players to do that was extra-special because I never got to climb that ladder in my uniform.
In the NCAA tourney you trailed North Carolina by 19 PTS before pulling off the 4-PT OT upset to give the Rams their 1st NCAA tourney win in a decade: how did that game change your life (if at all)? Not really: it is very much business as usual. I think that I am a funny dad at home and hope I am still the same husband/coach I have always been. It is a nice memory…but we still show up every day and try to get another 1.
Your father Phil was named 2004 national COY at St. Joe’s after going undefeated during the regular season, your mother Judy was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame after winning 3 straight national championships at Immaculata, and your brother Jimmy is your associate head coach: are most of your family conversations about basketball because that is the common denominator for everyone? It is the common denominator, but not the end-all/be-all. My wife played in a championship game and coached some undefeated high school championship teams. People might be surprised to hear that we have very normal conversations at the dinner table or on the patio: they are not different than any other family and there are a lot of laughs/love.
You spent last Thanksgiving in the Bahamas and will spend this Thanksgiving in Maui: what does your family think about your non-conference schedule? It is just what we do. Thanksgiving in this line of work becomes a bit of a throw-away holiday: it is kind of part of the deal. We will get a couple days at Christmas to spend some time together, which will be great.
You brought in several notable transfers this year including Torey Alston/Blake Harper/Nyle Ralph-Beyer: which of them have impressed you the most so far? All those guys look good. Blake is a gifted offensive player and has a great feel for the game. Torey is super-productive and has a high motor. Nyle is a terrific shooter, so they all bring something to the table.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We are always chasing “great”. At the end of the year if people say we had a “good” year then it is like nails on the chalkboard for me. We do not put any numbers on that, but if we live up to that standard every day then people will eventually say we had a “great” year.
