We are less than 2 weeks away from the tip-off of the new college basketball season, which means that we still have a little time left to prepare 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 Alabama State coach Tony Madlock, who talked about winning an NCAA tourney game last March and his expectations for this season.
You were born/raised in Memphis: how easy was your decision to go to college at Memphis? It was probably the easiest decision I have ever made. I grew up watching Memphis State just like everyone else in town: it was probably a lifelong dream for most Memphis high school basketball players to join the Tigers.
You made the postseason during each of your 4 years, and in the 1992 NCAA tourney you made the Elite 8 before losing to Cincinnati: what is the key to winning games in March? Just getting hot at the right time. I have seen it from several different perspectives as a player/assistant/head coach. In mid-February you want to be playing your best basketball, and then carry it into March.
After graduating you played pro basketball in South America: what was the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball in other countries? That was a long time ago! I played for 1 year in Caracas and it was a great experience as a 22-year old to see if I was good enough to be a pro. I got to live in another country and experience a different culture. My son is now 22 and is playing in Germany but I assume it is a little different now compared to when I played.
You spent 3 years as an assistant to your former teammate Penny Hardaway at Memphis: what makes him such a good coach, and how excited are you to face him when you head back to the FedEx Forum in December? His basketball IQ is off the chart. When you watched him play in high school/college/NBA you always knew that he was a PG at heart with the ball in his hands. He can relate to the young men he is coaching. I am starting my 4th year here, but we have already played them twice: getting to go home and coach in front of family/friends is always a fun time. It is more than just another game due to my ties, plus I have some guys on my roster from Memphis.
After being hired as head coach at Alabama State in 2022, your win total increased from 8 in Year 1 to 13 in Year 2 to 20 in Year 3: how have you been able to turn things around so much during the past 3 years? I have had really good players who bought into what I have tried to preach. My coaching staff/administration have also been great: this school had not been to the Big Dance since 2011, so it was a long time coming. They gave me the support/resources I needed and hopefully we can continue that momentum.
Take me through the 2025 postseason:
In the SWAC tourney you won 3 games in 3 days by a combined 11 PTS to clinch the title: what did it mean to you to win a title, and what was the reaction like when you returned to campus? It meant everything: when I took this job, I told the president/athletic director that my goal from Day 1 was to bring a SWAC title to Alabama State. All those games were tight so we knew that we would need a stop/basket to win each game. When your team starts to believe that they are good, they will go out and play that way.
In the 1st 4 Amarr Knox scored 16 PTS including the game-winner with 1 second left in a 2-PT win over St. Francis (www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBm8i7frBPg): where does that shot rank among the highlights of your career? It is at the top, no doubt: that was the 1st tourney win in school history. We were the 6PM game so we opened March Madness with everyone in the country watching. It meant so much to our school/city.
Your son TJ averaged double-figures during each of the past 4 years and played for the Pistons in the NBA Summer League: how proud are you of all his success? I am so proud. TJ was All-Conference 3rd-team as an 18-year old and helped us make 1 of the biggest turnarounds in the country at South Carolina State. He was All-SWAC each year he was here and had a great career: I would not be in this position without him.
Of the 16 players on your roster, 15 started their college careers elsewhere and all 16 grew up outside Alabama: what sort of recruiting philosophy do you have? When you look at the landscape of college athletics it is tough. I want to take 1-2 high school kids each year and then redshirt them if I can. For everyone else you just need to fill up your roster with D-1 or JUCO transfers.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Our word this year is “reset”. I saw Jalen Hurts talking about some advice he got from Michael Jordan earlier this year: he never talked about trying to “repeat” but focused on “reset”. We have a lot of new faces and are excited about this team. I have no idea who will be our star guys yet, or even our starters. I have 14 guys who are about even, but I cannot play them all, so I need the cream to rise to the top!
