WAC Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 26, 2023 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

The WAC did not have an official Media Day, but they did release a preseason poll and preseason conference honors.

WAC PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL:

  1. Grand Canyon
  2. Stephen F. Austin
  3. Seattle U
  4. Utah Valley
  5. Abilene Christian
  6. Tarleton State
  7. Cal Baptist
  8. UT Arlington
  9. Southern Utah
  10. UTRGV
  11. Utah Tech

PRESEASON ALL-WAC TEAM:

-Ray Harrison – JR, G – Grand Canyon (Preseason Player of the Year)
-Gabe McGlothan – SR, F – Grand Canyon
-Cameron Tyson – SR, G – Seattle U
-Sadaidriene Hall – JR, F – Stephen F. Austin
-Drake Allen – JR, G – Utah Valley

COMMENTS FROM DAVID GRIGGS

-With New Mexico State moving on to Conference USA, Grant Canyon appears to be next in line to carry the flag for the conference and they are the near unanimous pick to win it this year. They’ve won 20+ games the last two years and I fully expect them to do that on a regular basis for the foreseeable future. Ray Harrison is an amazing player who averages just under 18ppg. He returns along with Jovan Blacksher, who missed much of last year with an injury but who appears to be back and is hopefully healthy. Also joining the Lopes is Collin Moore, who averaged over 14ppg last year at Georgia State. The Lopes are loaded with talent, they have a fantastic fanbase and home court, and are working toward becoming the type of program that cannot just make it to the NCAA Tournament but win games in the Round of 64.

-SFA was having a pretty good season last year, but fell apart at the start of March and lost their last two regular season games, then were upset by a really bad Utah Tech team in the WAC tournament. Four starters are back, including two double-digit scorers in Day Day Hall and Latrell Jossell, and they should be improved this year, and perhaps good enough to challenge the Lopes for 1st place.

-Chris Victor has won 20+ games in his first two seasons as head coach at Seattle U and appears to be set up to do it again. This program has taken some pretty big steps forward in recent years and with three starters back including Cameron Tyson (who is one of the best players in the conference), this team has a fair amount of talent/experience and should continue their improvement. I think they are a dark horse candidate to win the league this year.

-Utah Valley had an amazing season last year where they won 28 games, flirted with the NCAA Tournament bubble, and advanced to the semifinals of the NIT. The bad news is that they are now starting completely over. No starters are back and they have a new head coach in Todd Phillips. He is tasked with rebuilding the roster and they have gone into the portal to try and get some guys who can step in and contribute, but it feels like they just lost too much to repeat the success of last year.

-After four straight 20+ win seasons Abilene Christian won just 13 games a year ago, which was a major step back from what we had been seeing. They are looking to rebuild things this year, but they return just two starters and when you look at their roster it is hard to see anybody who is proven and can step up/contribute in a big way for them.

-Tarleton State is continuing their transitional phase and will likely struggle to finish in the top half of the league.

-Cal Baptist had a decent year last year with 17 total wins, but finished just 8th in the conference and now have a revamped roster after having to replace four starters. None of the returning players really stand out, but they are adding some JUCO transfers that really look like standout players, so this team can probably hang with a lot of the other teams in the league outside of the top two/three.

-UT Arlington has a new coach in KT Turner and he has his work cut out for him as it has been a while since they have…well…not stunk. They were playing better in the latter part of the season last year, or…perhaps a better way of putting it was that they were not playing as bad. They do have some promising-looking freshmen coming in so maybe they can take a step forward and start to build their program back up.

-Southern Utah has had a great run since being one of the worst teams in all of D1 a short time ago. They have had three straight 20+ win seasons, finished 3rd in the conference last year, and had 24 overall wins. The problem is that everybody is gone: not a single starter is back. Rob Jeter takes over as head coach and he has had some success in his career so hopefully he can start to build them back…but this is just a complete reset/rebuilding mode for the Thunderbirds.

-UTRGV has three starters back from a team that won just 5 conference games a year ago, but the program has been improving since Matt Figger took over as head coach. I do not think this team will finish near the top of the standings, but I think they will do better than where they have been picked to finish. They have a couple of notable JUCO transfers coming in to go along with the three returning starters, and I think they will be able to finish closer to the middle than to the very bottom.

-As for Utah Tech: yeah, it is going to be a long year for them.

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Big West Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 26, 2023 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

There was no official Big West Media Day, but there were preseason polls, awards, and honors

BIG WEST PRESEASON POLL:

  1. UC Santa Barbara
  2. Long Beach State
  3. Hawaii
  4. UC Irvine
  5. UC Davis
  6. Call State Fullerton
  7. UC Riverside
  8. Cal State Bakersfield
  9. UC San Diego
  10. Cal State Northridge
  11. Cal Poly

PRESEASON ALL BIG WEST TEAM:

-JoVon McClanahan – SR, G – Hawaii
-Ajay Mitchell – JR, G – UC Santa Barbara
-Elijah Pepper – SR, G UC Davis
-Bryce Pope – SR, G – UC San Diego
-Aboubacar Traore – JR, F – Long Beach State
-Lassina Traore – JR, F – Long Beach State

COMMENTS FROM DAVID GRIGGS:

I love this conference except for one thing: it causes me to lose quite a bit of sleep!!! This year it appears to be very wide open. I think there are as many as six different teams that have a chance to win it.

-UC Santa Barbara tied for first place last year, won 27 total games, and won the conference tournament. They are the preseason favorites to repeat as league champions this year, but they are losing three key starters including Miles Norris, who was their best player. Ajay Mitchell is back, who averaged over 16ppg last year and is one of the best guards in the conference. They do return a lot of their bench but do not look quite as strong as they were a year ago. I do think they will be at or near the top of the standings…but repeating the 27 total wins is a tall order.

-Long Beach State is getting a lot of preseason love. They had a rather ‘meh’ season a year ago, but with four starters back including Marcus Tsohonis (who averaged over 14ppg last year) and Lassina/Aboubacar Traore (who both received preseason all-conference honors), this is a team that is both talented/experienced. I also really like Dan Monson as a coach. Having said that, while they should be really good this year, I felt they should have been really good last year and…well…they were not. They have the pieces of a team that should win a lot but…will they?

-Hawaii has a solid backcourt with Noel Coleman/JoVon McClanahan. They are not quite as strong in the frontcourt but they are not bad either. Three starters are back from a team that won 21 D1 games last season, and while they did not look particularly strong at home in their exhibition game against Saint Mary’s a few days ago, it was just an exhibition game. I like this Rainbows team. I like how they finished the season last year, I like their guard play, and I like what they have coming back. I think they can actually win the Big West.

-I am a little surprised that UC Irvine was picked this low…but only a little. They did lose their top-two scorers from last year and the teams that are picked to finish ahead of them are good. Still, three starters are back from a team that won 23 games and made the NIT a year ago, and the Eaters are a team that typically goes deep into their bench so they have guys that can step up. They also added some pretty solid looking freshmen and transfers so I expect that the Eaters will be in the mix like they usually are.

-UC Davis is coming off their best season in a while and with three starters back it will be interesting to see if they can continue that momentum into this year. Elijah Pepper is an outstanding guard and one of the best players in the conference and Ty Johnson gives them a big presence underneath. They did kind of slump off in the second half of conference play last year and I can see why that would give some people some pause, but this is a talented team with a quality coach in Jim Les. I think they can make a lot more noise this year than what we are used to seeing them make.

-Cal State Fullerton has had back-to-back 20+win seasons and with three starters back from a year ago including Max Jones (who was a double-digit scorer), they may be poised for another big season. I am a little surprised they are not picked a little higher than this. They finished 4th last year, made it to the championship game of the conference tournament, won 20 games, have some good experience coming back, and appear to be adding some nice pieces to their roster.

-Coach Mike Magpayo has done a truly amazing job at UC Riverside. For a program that had not had much success at any point in their history before he arrived, they won 22 games last year and the expectations are now higher. They will be rebuilding somewhat this year with just two starters back and hoping some guys can step up and play bigger roles this year. I do not see them winning 20 games again this season, but I do think their program is heading in the right direction.

-Cal State Bakersfield has struggled the last two years and won just 11 games a season ago. Part of the reason they struggled was due to injuries, but even when they were healthy they struggled. Kaleb Higgins is a quality player and if he can stay healthy this year we should see some improvement, but I still think they will end up in the bottom half of the standings.

-UC San Diego is struggling as a transitional team and will likely struggle even more this year. I do think the long-term prognosis is pretty good but I also think they are entering the hardest period of their transitional phase.

-Andy Newman takes over as head coach at CSUN and he has his work cut out for him. This team has won fewer than ten games for the last three years and could be in for another long/frustrating year this year.

-It has been a while since Cal Poly won as many as ten games. They were the last place team a year ago, and while their roster is being overhauled the overall outlook for them this season is…well…not good.

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The Hoops HD Report: AAC, A10, MWC, and WCC Previews

Posted on October 25, 2023 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

Tonight, we have four conference previews in one post.  It’s the four conferences that don’t quite fall into the category of being power conferences from top to bottom, but still send multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament every year. Last year, half of the Final Four came out of these four conferences in Florida Atlantic and San Diego State, and Gonzaga also ended up making the Elite Eight. This year, we feel that FAU, who is now in the American, could once again end up as a protected seed and maybe even get back to the Final Four. The Atlantic 10 was collectively disappointing last year as they failed to get any teams inside the bubble, but this year most of the panel seems to think Dayton can land inside the bubble, and that we may see a second team end up in The Dance. The Mountain West has some pretty good teams in San Diego State, Boise State, and New Mexico all looking pretty strong. In the West Coast, it looks like a two-horse race between Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s, both of whom appear to be Solid top 25 teams. We discuss all that, and more in the four videos below.

AMERICAN ATHLETIC:

ATLANTIC 10:

MOUNTAIN WEST:

WEST COAST:

And for all you radio lovers, below are the audio only versions of the shows…

AMERICAN ATHLETIC:

ATLANTIC 10:

MOUNTAIN WEST:

WEST COAST:

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America East Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 25, 2023 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

AMERICA EAST MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Vermont
  2. UMass Lowell
  3. Bryant
  4. Binghamton
  5. Maine
  6. UMBC
  7. UAlbany
  8. New Hampshire
  9. NJIT

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA EAST TEAM:

-Abdoul Karim Coulibaly – SR, G – UMass Lowell
-Clarence Daniels – SR, F -New Hampshire
-Sherif Gross-Bullock – GR, G – Bryant
-Aaron Deloney – SR, G – Vermont
-Earl Timberlake – SR, G – Bryant
-Kellen Tynes – JR, G – Maine

COMMENTS FROM DAVID GRIGGS:

-Vermont has been the class of this league for most of the 21st century. Last year was no exception as they went 14-2 during the conference regular season, won the conference tournament, and were back in the NCAA Tournament. They are the preseason favorite again this year largely because of that history, but with just one starter back the Catamounts are having to reload their roster. Aaron Deloney returns, who is one of the better players in the conference and an outstanding outside shooter, and they do have a couple of guys who saw significant minutes coming off the bench last year, but they have turned to the portal to fill out the rest of the roster. TJ Long was a standout player at Fairfield and he should be able to contribute right away, and they have some other guys with D1 experience coming in as well. I like this Catamounts team. Ever since John Becker took over as head coach they have seemingly been at or near the top of the standings and I am not expecting things to be any different this year.

-UMass Lowell has had a rather unspectacular existence as a D1 program but they had a bit of a breakout season last year winning 26 total games and finishing in second place in the conference. They lost to Vermont in the championship game and missed out on a postseason tournament, but it was still a historically good year for the River Hawks. With three starters back expectations are incredibly high again this year. They can score, they can defend, Abdoul Karim Coulibaly is an outstanding guard and there are other guys who can play and contribute as well. I think they can challenge Vermont this year!

After the top two teams there is a bit of a drop off…

-Bryant was a modest 8-8 in the conference last year but kind of fell apart down the stretch. There are a couple of very talented players on this team, most notably Sherif Gross-Bullock (who averaged 17+ppg last season), but some recent off-court issues involving Coach Jared Grasso that I will not get into could prove to be a distraction, and given that they kind of fell apart down the stretch last year I do not like them as much as either Lowell or Vermont.

-Binghamton also finished 8-8 in league play and won just 13 games overall. They were terrible down the stretch as they lost five of their last six, and with just two starters back it could be a long year this year.

-I very much want to like this Maine team! I do not think they are as good as Lowell or Vermont but I do think they have the pieces to be a lot better than what we are used to seeing. They won 13 games a year ago, which may not be impressive in and of itself, but it was a substantial improvement over what we typically see them do. With four starters back from a team that was 7-9 in league play and playing better down the stretch than they were at the beginning, there is reason for Maine to hope!! Chris Markwood had a great debut season as head coach last year, Kellen Tynes is one of the better players in the entire conference, and he has some experience and guys that can contribute around him. Let’s Go Maine!!!!

-UMBC has been consistently around the middle of the pack but they are basically starting over this year with all five starters gone from a year ago. They have several guys coming in who were either quality D2 or JUCO players but I can understand being skeptical as to how successful they are likely to be this year.

-UAlbany used to be a consistent frontrunner in this conference, but it has been a while since they have even managed to put together a winning season: they won just eight total games last year while finishing dead last in the league. Just two starters are back, and while they have added some transfers that will likely contribute this year, it is looking like it is going to be another really long season.

-Nathan Davis takes over as head coach for a New Hampshire team that was not bad last year while going 9-7 in conference play, but has just two starters back and are in a bit of a transitional period. Clarence Daniels will be really strong for them in the frontcourt: he averaged a double-double last season and is a good outside shooter. While I do not think the Wildcats are going to be good this year, I am a little surprised to see them picked this close to the bottom.

-NJIT has seemingly struggled ever since they came into the conference and they have failed to win ten games in three of the past four years. Just two starters are back from a year ago and it is looking like it could be another year at the bottom of the standings for the Highlanders. However, they were the first-ever Team of the People so we at Hoops HD will always have a soft spot for them.

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CAA Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 25, 2023 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

CAA MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Charleston
  2. UNC Wilmington
  3. Drexel
  4. Hofstra
  5. Delaware (tied 5th)
  6. Towson (tied 5th)
  7. Northeastern
  8. William & Mary
  9. Stony Brook
  10. Elon
  11. Monmouth
  12. Campbell
  13. Hampton
  14. NC A&T

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-CAA 1ST TEAM:

-Ante Brzovic – JR, F – Charleston
-Tyler Thomas – SR, G – Hofstra
-Charles Thompson – SR, G – Towson
-Trazarien White – JR, F – UNC Wilmington
-Amari Williams – SR, F – Drexel

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-CAA 2ND TEAM:

-Jyare Davis – JR, F – Delaware
-Anthony Dell’Orso – SO, G – Campbell
-Max Mackinnon – SO, G – Elon
-Reyne Smith – JR, G – Charleston
-Tyler Stephenson-Moore – SR, G – Stony Brook

COMMENTS FROM DAVID GRIGGS:

-The biggest story out of the CAA from last season was Charleston. They won 31 games, climbed into the national rankings, won the conference tournament, and then played a great game against San Diego State (who was the eventual national runner-up) in the Round of 64. It is understandable that they would be the preseason favorites after doing all that, but they did lose three key starters and will have to rebuild the roster. Ante Brzovic is back and he gives them a huge presence underneath. Reyne Smith also gives them some experience and talent out on the perimeter as he is a very good outside shooter. They do have some experienced guys returning who came off the bench last year to go along with a few notable transfers. Pat Kelsey has done a fantastic job for this program since he took it over and it would not shock me at all to see them at the top of the league again this year.

-UNCW had a great season last year that was kind of overshadowed by Charleston. They won 24 total games, and while they had a couple of head-scratching losses they nearly beat Charleston in the CAA Championship game. Four starters return, and considering how good they were a year ago it would not shock me at all to see them compete with and even finish ahead of, Charleston this year. Trazarien White is probably their best player but they are balanced and they have depth. I like this team a lot and think we will be seeing them a lot in the Under the Radar Top Ten this year.

-Drexel has four starters back and is getting a lot of preseason love this year. I do not like them quite as much as the top two teams in the league…but I do like them quite a bit. Injuries were a big reason they struggled down the stretch last season. They clearly were not the same team as they were when they were healthy so we should see a big improvement if they can just keep their guys on the court. Amari Williams is a fantastic frontcourt player and they have enough experience and talent out on the perimeter to give them a lot of weapons. I was going to pick the Dragons as a sleeper team, but since they have been picked to finish 3rd I guess they really are not sleepers at all.

-Last season Hofstra actually finished 16-2 in league play and won 25 games overall. They tied Charleston in the standings and it was a fantastic year for Speedy Claxton in his second year as head coach. They should have gotten more credit but because of the national attention Charleston was getting they kind of got lost in the shuffle. Three starters are back including Tyler Thomas, who is one of the best guards in the conference. I think this Hofstra team could end up having another monster year this year.

I love the top-four teams in this league! But after that…it starts to look like a low level UTR conference. It would not shock me to see each of the the top-four teams go unbeaten against the other ten teams in the league.

-Delaware was just 8-10 last year and has just two starters back. While they have an outstanding player in Jyare Davis, they are not a very good shooting team and I cannot see them competing with the top four teams.

-I love what Pat Skerry has been able to do at Towson: I say that every year but it is the truth. They have now had back-to-back 20+ win seasons, but with just two starters back they are sort of tasked with having to rebuild their roster this year and we could see them take a bit of a step back. Charles Thompson is a standout guard, and they are adding what appear to be some notable transfers, so perhaps the Tigers can keep winning at the same clip they have been.

-Northeastern Coach Bill Coen is a good coach. Having said that, there is no ignoring the fact that they have failed to win more than ten games in each of the last three years, and you have to start to wonder if he is ever going to build them back up. Three starters are back, and hopefully that experience translates into a few more wins, but I gotta be honest: I am just not seeing it.

-William & Mary has never been to an NCAA Tournament: could this be the year!!?? Well, the answer is almost assuredly….no. We did see improvement last year in the sense that they were not as bad as they had been the previous two years, and they do have some terrific outside shooters, most notably Gabe Dorsey. I think we will see continued improvement this season, but they are still a long way from the top of the league.

-Stony Brook has just two starters back from a team that won just 11 games a year ago. They have a very good guard in Tyler Stephenson-Moore but the rest of the roster is questionable. They do have some guys back from injuries and they have also got some transfers coming in that may be able to contribute.

-Elon has not won more than ten games for the past three seasons, and while three starters return and we could see some improvement come along with that experience the expectations still are not very high. Max Mackinnon gives them some strength in the backcourt but they will need some other guys to step up.

-King Rice has been at Monmouth for 12 seasons, which is kind of hard to believe, but the days of this being a nationally-relevant program and a media darling now seems like it happened in another lifetime. This team managed just seven wins a year ago, and although all four starters are back, most people (myself included) are expecting to see them closer to the bottom of the standings than the top.

-Campbell comes into the CAA from the Big South, and their new conference mates do not seem to have very high expectations for them. I cannot say that my own expectations are all that high but they certainly are not this low. Three starters are back, and while the Big South is not as good as the CAA overall I think it actually is comparable to the CAA outside of the top-four teams. The Camels will not compete with the likes of CofC/UNCW/Hofstra/Drexel, but they can probably hold their own with everyone else and finish a little better than 12th.

-Hampton is coming off of an eight-win season and has just two starters back. Jordan Nesbitt is a pretty solid player but he cannot do it alone.

-NC A&T is basically starting over. All five starters from last year are gone and they have a new head coach in Monte Ross who certainly has his work cut out for him.

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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Little Rock coach Darrell Walker

Posted on October 25, 2023 by Jon Teitel

We are still about 2 weeks away from the tip-off of the college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time 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 Little Rock coach Darrell Walker, who talked about winning a title with Michael Jordan and his expectations for this season.

In the 1981 NCAA tourney as a player at Arkansas you scored a game-high 23 PTS and your teammate US Reed swished a 49-footer at the buzzer to clinch a 1-PT upset of defending national champion Louisville (www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-TtGo8CwUM): what are your memories of 1 of the most fantastic finishes in NCAA tourney history? I remember Coach Eddie Sutton in the huddle telling us to get the ball to US and that we were going to win the game. It was a spectacular shot.

In 1983 you were named All-American/conference POY: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? I had put in some hard work to become a complete basketball player so to make a Sweet 16 and win some conference titles felt good.

In the decisive Game 5 of the 1984 Eastern Conference 1st round as a player with the Knicks (your 1st-ever playoff series), Bernard King scored 44 PTS in 41 minutes despite having the flu and a pair of dislocated middle fingers while Isiah Thomas scored 16 PTS in the final 93 seconds of regulation to force OT: which of these 2 amazing achievements impressed you the most? Both of them were pretty impressive. Bernard was just phenomenal for that entire series as he averaged about 43 PPG. I remember it being very hot at Joe Louis Arena that night due to the lack of air conditioning but we were able to get the win.

In 1993 you won an NBA title with Chicago as they became the 1st team to win 3 straight titles since Boston in the 1960s: what did it mean to you to win a title, and what was it like to have Michael Jordan as a teammate? It was great to win a title back home in Chicago where I grew up. Playing with MJ was like going around with the Rolling Stones 24/7. It was so fun that year to see him play so well despite all of the pressure/expectations.

You played for some of the best coaches in NBA history including Hubie Brown/Chuck Daly/Phil Jackson: what was the most important thing that you learned from any of them? I took something from all of them: Chuck was a master at dealing with players, Hubie was all about preparation, and Phil never seemed to get uptight.

You were a 2-time conference DPOY and your 1.5 career SPG remains top-80 in NBA history: what is the secret to being a great defender? Wanting to do it! All good defenders want to guard their opponent even though it is a thankless job, and footspeed also helps.

Your wife Lisa was an All-American sprinter at Arkansas and joined you in the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame: who is the best athlete in the family? You are talking to him! If she was standing here I would tell you the same thing.

Your roster at Little Rock only has 2 in-state players: what sort of recruiting philosophy do you have? We are a small mid-major but my staff and I know a lot of people all over the basketball world. We recruit guys from everywhere but the key is having good contacts.

Your team allowed opponents to shoot almost 40 3P% last year: how big a priority is perimeter defense this year? It has been very important and I have stressed it all summer. We scored more than enough PTS to win some games last year but to be honest we were horrible on the defensive end. We moved on from last season and have some guys whose focus will be on contesting shots this year.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? To win games and be 90% better defensively. We want to hold teams in the 60s so it is all about the defense: if we defend better then we will win games.

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