American Athletic Conference Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 11, 2023 by David Griggs

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AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Florida Atlantic
  2. Memphis
  3. Tulane
  4. UAB
  5. East Carolina
  6. North Texas
  7. SMU
  8. Wichita State
  9. South Florida
  10. Tulsa
  11. Rice
  12. Temple
  13. Charlotte
  14. UTSA

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL AAC 1ST TEAM:

-Eric Gaines – JR, G – UAB
-Johnell Davis – JR, G – Florida Atlantic (Preseason co-Player of the Year)
-Alijah Martin – JR, G – Florida Atlantic (Preseason co-Player of the Year)
-Jahvon Quinerly – SR, G – Memphis
– Jaylen Forbes – JR, G – Tulane

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL AAC 2ND TEAM:

-RJ Felton – JR, G – East Carolina
-Jordan Brown – SR, F – Memphis
-Max Fiedler – SR, F – Rice
-Zhuric Phelps – JR, G – SMU
-Kevin Cross – JR, F – Tulane

PRESEASON ROOKIES OF THE YEAR: (Carl Cherenfant – Memphis, JJ Taylor – Memphis)

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

It is a new look for the American!  It looks a lot like how Conference USA used to look about twelve years ago!  In fact I believe (and John Stalica will correct me if I am wrong) that Temple and Wichita State are the only schools that were not in Conference USA at one time or another.  Speaking of Conference USA…

-Last year Florida Atlantic was picked to finish 5th in the CUSA preseason poll and had exactly one player selected to the preseason all-conference team.  The 5th place team in CUSA is rarely within a hundred miles of the NIT, much less inside the bubble for the NCAA Tournament.  As the season progressed we quickly realized that FAU was good:  LEGIT good!  We believed them to be a top-40 caliber team that was safely inside the bubble, and when they cracked the rankings we all felt they had earned it.  When they entered the NCAA Tournament as a #9 seed we all felt their seed was about right.  We thought they were good/top-40 and about where they belonged.  I would say that none of us saw them going to the Final Four…but if I said that then I wouldn’t be correct.  ONE of us did have them going that far!  Rocco Miller, from the end of January on, was saying that FAU was a legit protected seed/top-15 caliber team.  He had them beating Purdue in the Round of 32 and had them in his Final Four, and while they ended up beating Fairleigh Dickinson instead he was absolutely right about how good they actually were.  They WERE a legit top-15 caliber team, and appear to be top-15 again this year!

This year, their starting 5/entire rotation is back, Coach Dusty May is back, and given how they finished last season it is difficult to think of them as anything other than a legit top-15 team that can absolutely end up as a protected seed and maybe get back to the Final Four.  This team is good/talented all over the place.  They are deep, they can defend, they have guys who can score in the frontcourt, they have rebounders, they have guys who can hit from the outside, and they have guys who can contribute off the bench.  They also have some heavyweights on their OOC schedule, and as new members of the American they have a slightly stronger conference to help boost their metrics, so their resume will likely be looking really good by the end of the year.

-Memphis is coming off of a 26-win season where they made the NCAA Tournament, faced FAU in the Round of 64, and nearly beat them.  The problem is that only one starter is back so there will likely be a period of adjustment with so many players stepping into new roles.  The good news is they once again have a very strong recruiting class and were able to add several key transfers including Jahvon Quinerly from Alabama.

-It has been a very long time since Tulane was nationally relevant, but Coach Ron Hunter has done a masterful job building up this program.  They won 20 games a year ago, made it to the semifinals of the conference tournament, and have three key starters back from that team including Jaylen Forbes, who is one of the top forwards in the conference.  This could be a year where we really see the Green Wave make a lot of noise.

-UAB had an outstanding team a year ago where they won 29 total games, lost the Conference USA title game, and just missed making the NCAAs…and then followed that up with a run to the NIT finals.  The problem is that everyone from that team is gone and the Blazers are starting completely over.  Coach Andy Kennedy enters his fourth year and has a mixture of Power-5/JUCO transfers to help rebuild his roster.  They are unlikely to be as good as they were a year ago but they may not take a huge step back either.

-East Carolina is getting a little more love from the media this preseason than I thought they would.  Three starters are back from a team that had what was pretty much a meh finish to last season and was just 6-12 in conference play.  RJ Felton is a strong guard and there are some other good pieces so I suppose there are reasons to be optimistic heading into this year.

-North Texas was incredible last year with 31 total wins, a top-40 NET, and 10 true road wins.  I felt they belonged in the NCAA Tournament but was not entirely shocked when they were not selected.  They still went on to win the NIT and cap a fantastic season for the Mean Green.  The problem is that most of the key players from last year are gone and they are shifting into a rebuilding mode.  Ross Hodge takes over as head coach and is tasked with replacing his top three scorers and four starters.  I have more questions than answers about their future right now.

-Wichita State is also in reset mode with four starters gone and a new head coach in Paul Mills, who had a fantastic run at Oral Roberts. Given time he can also do very well at Wichita State…but the key words there are “given time.”  It will likely be a rebuilding year for the Shockers.

-Amir Abdur-Rahim takes over at South Florida after a very successful run as head coach at Kennesaw State.  He took a program that was…well…terrible, and made them into one of the top programs in the Atlantic Sun.  He will have his work cut out for him.  The Bulls won just 14 games a year ago and are overhauling their roster. They do have some notable transfers who have been contributing players at D1 schools, particularly Chris Youngblood from Kennesaw State, so the Bulls may be a little better than expected this year.

It is hard to be at all excited about the rest of the teams in the league…

-Tulsa won just five games a year ago, has no starters back, and second year coach Eric Konkol could be in for another long season.

-While Rice was really bad in the second half of conference play last year I think they have at least some reasons to hope.  I do not see them finishing in the top half of the conference, but they should not finish at the very bottom either.  Four starters are back including Max Fiedler, who is one of the best frontcourt players in the conference, and they have been improving in recent years (albeit slowly).  We should see some more improvement from them this year.

-Temple has not been nationally relevant for a while.  Adam Fisher takes over as coach and while he does have some pieces to work with, the expectations are not exactly high.

-Charlotte won 22 games a year ago and as a program really seemed to be going in the right direction.  They do have a new coach in Aaron Fearne after Ron Sanchez decided to go an assistant coach at Virginia, which is not a move you see all that often.  Still, three starters are back including Lu’Cye Patterson who averaged double digits last year.  While I do not see them winning the league, it is kind of crazy to see them picked THIS low.

-As for UTSA…yeah, it makes sense they are picked this low.

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Summit League Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 11, 2023 by David Griggs

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

SUMMIT LEAGUE MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. South Dakota State
  2. Oral Roberts
  3. North Dakota State
  4. Saint Thomas
  5. North Dakota
  6. South Dakota
  7. Omaha
  8. Kansas City
  9. Denver

PRESEASON ALL SUMMIT LEAGUE 1ST TEAM:

-Luke Appel – SR, F – South Dakota State
-Parker Bjorklund – SR, F – Saint Thomas
-Frankie Fidler – JR, F – Omaha
-Zeke Mayo, JR, G – South Dakota State
-Isaac McBride – SR, G – Oral Roberts
-Boden Skunberg – SR, G – North Dakota State

PRESEASON ALL SUMMIT LEAGUE 2ND TEAM:

-Tommy Bruner – SR, G – Denver
-William Kyle III – SO, F – South Dakota State
-Andrew Morgan – JR, F – North Dakota State
-BJ Omot – SO, F – North Dakota
-Kareem Thompson – SR, G – Oral Roberts

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-South Dakota State has been the alpha program in this league for the past decade or so.  Last year was the first time since the 2013-2014 season where they failed to either finish in first place or win the conference tournament.  Still, they were good and finished second overall.  Six of their top eight players are back including Zeke Mayo, who is one of the best players in the conference.  Of all the teams in this league that have a shot at landing inside the bubble, South Dakota State appears to have the best shot.  For their out-of-conference schedule they are going to Kansas State, as well as to the Jacksonville Classic where they will face a decent UCF team, but like a lot of top Under the Radar teams it is hard for them to put together an ideal schedule that gives them the opportunities to impress the selection committee.  Eric Henderson is a fantastic coach and they have a roster that’s talented/experienced/deep.

-Oral Roberts was perfect in league play last year, going 18-0 in the regular season and then winning the conference tournament before losing to Duke in the NCAA Tournament.  They also have a new coach in Russell Springmann so there could be an adjustment period before we see them back at the top of the conference.  Expectations are still reasonably high, though, and they will once again have some guys who can really light it up from the outside.

-I like this North Dakota State team…a lot.  They were a very modest 14-17 against D1 competition last year, but during the last four weeks of the season they were really on fire, winning seven of eight before losing in the conference tournament championship game.  Four starters are back, and while their top player is not returning they still have a lot of talent/depth/experience including Boden Skunberg, who averaged over 15ppg last year and is a good outside shooter.

-Saint Thomas is entering year three of what is a five-year transition, and they actually managed a winning record last year with 17 D1 wins.  The stated reason for the transitional period is to help teams become assimilated to D1…but that is crap.  If you win 17 D1 games then YOU ARE ALREADY ASSIMILATED!!!  They are picked to finish in the middle of the league, which is actually pretty incredible for a team that is in the third and arguably most difficult period of transition.

-North Dakota was noticeably improved last year, and with three starters back (including BJ Omot) we may see that improvement continue into this season.  They won just 11 D1 games but did win six of their last eight before falling to Oral Roberts in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.

-THE YOTES!!!  As a fan I will always have a huge soft spot for the Yotes of South Dakota!  As an analyst…well…it is gonna be a rough year.  All five starters are gone from a team that won just ten D1 games and was absolutely pitiful in the second half of conference play.  Perhaps a roster overhaul was what they needed, but when you look at what they added to this year’s roster it just does not seem like this is going to be their year.

-Omaha won just eight D1 games a year ago so it is no surprise that they are not getting a lot of love from the media.  Four starters are back, and with that experience we may see some improvement, but for a team that lost 12 of their last 14 it is hard to get your expectations up all that high.

-I do not think Kansas City will finish near the top, but I am a little surprised the Roos are picked to finish this low.  Three starters are back along with Anderson Kopp, who was a double-digit scorer before having to take a medical redshirt last season.  They are also adding some decent-looking JUCO transfers.  They are picked 8th but I do not see them as the league’s doormat this year.

-Every year I seem to overvalue Denver, but having said that I do not quite understand why they are picked last.  Tommy Bruner averaged just under 16ppg and is one of the best guards in the conference.  With him and the addition of some decent looking JUCO players I cannot quite see them as the doormat of the league this year either.

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Southland Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 11, 2023 by David Griggs

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

SOUTHLAND MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. SE LA
  2. McNeese
  3. New Orleans
  4. TAMU-CC
  5. Northwestern State
  6. Nicholls
  7. TAMU-Commerce
  8. Houston Christian
  9. Lamar
  10. Incarnate Word

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL SOUTHLAND 1ST TEAM:

-Christian Shumate – JR, F – McNeese
-Jordan Johnson – SR, G – New Orleans
-Roger McFarlane – SR, G- SE LA
-Bonke Maring – SR, C – Houston Christian
-Shahada Wells – SR, G – McNeese

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL SOUTHLAND 2ND TEAM:

-Nick Caldwell – SR, G/F – SE LA
-Tyson Jackson – SR, F – New Orleans
-Javohn Garcia – JR, G – McNeese
-Jerome Brewer Jr – SO, F – TAMU-Commerce
-Micah Thomas – SR, G – Nicholls
-Alec Woodard – SR, G – SE LA

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-SE LA is the preseason media favorite with four starters returning from last year’s team.  They finished a very respectable 12-6 in the league despite having only eight scholarship players throughout most of conference play.  With more depth and more experience this year they are definitely good enough to win the league.  Roger McFarlane is one of the best guards in the conference and a terrific outside shooter so he is a player to watch.

-McNeese is coming off of an unspectacular year where they were just 6-12 in league play and finished 8th in the conference, but with Will Wade taking over as coach (after being fired from LSU amidst allegations of NCAA violations) and the addition of several players who were contributors at D1 programs prior to transferring in, the expectations are immediately high.  They do have some talent and we likely will see a big turnaround.

-New Orleans won just ten D1 games a year ago, but they were very good in the final few weeks of the season, winning six of seven before losing in the semis of the conference tournament.  With three starters back including Jordan Johnson (who shot over 48% from beyond the arc last year) and Tyson Jackson (who also averaged in double figures), expectations are high for the Privateers considering how strongly they finished the season last year.

-TAMU-CC had a great year last year!  They were the first place team!  They won the conference tournament!  They advanced to the NCAA Tournament!  This year…none of their starters are back, their coach is gone, and they have to start completely over.  Only two players are back from last year’s roster so it is hard to know what to make of them just yet.

-Northwestern State is also in a reset mode after a really good season a year ago where they won 22 games.  Rick Cabrera takes over as head coach and he has just one starter returning.  They do have some guys coming in who were really strong at the JUCO level, namely Addison Patterson and Jamison Epps, but while they are adding several strong JUCO players they are kind of light on guys with D1 experience.

-Nicholls is yet another team with a new coach (Tevon Saddler) and an overhauled roster.  Micah Thomas is the only returning starter and they are a team that, like many teams in this conference, is a little hard to read coming into the year.

-TAMU-Commerce won an impressive 12 D1 games as a first year transitional team, but the second/third years of the four-year transition are often the hardest.  Most key players have either graduated or transferred to teams that are not barred from the NCAA Tournament, and it is hard to replace them with players who can contribute at the same level because the team is barred from the NCAA Tournament.  It could be a long year for the Lions.

-Houston Christian won just ten games a year ago, and finished outside the KenPom top-350.  Bonke Maring is a really solid player and their top returner.  The bad news is that he is their only key returner.  They’ve added some JUCO guys to fill some key roles and we may see some improvement this year…but it may end up being another long season.

-Lamar won just six D1 games last year, and while three starters are back expectations are low.

-The expectations for Incarnate Word are even lower as they have just one starter returning and are looking to overhaul their roster.

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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Ohio State director of professional development Terence Dials

Posted on October 11, 2023 by Jon Teitel

We are still about 4 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 Ohio State director of professional development Terence Dials, who talked about some of his team’s new additions and his expectations for this season.

You played for Coach Thad Matta during your final 2 years as a player at Ohio State: what makes him such a great coach? Thad was a motivator who was able to get the best out of his guys by letting them play free, which did not happen under the previous coach. He instilled a lot of confidence in us, which is why we were able to be so successful.

As a senior in 2006 you averaged 15 PPG/8 RPG and were named conference POY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It meant a lot. We went 26-6 that year so it was a testament to all of our coaches/players who all had 1 common goal and believed in what Coach Matta was preaching. We made the Big 10 tourney title game before losing to Iowa and made the 2nd round of the NCAA tourney before running out of gas against a juggernaut in Georgetown.

After going undrafted you spent almost a decade playing pro basketball overseas: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball in other countries? It is more about fundamentals in other countries. Players born in the US are more physically advanced from a younger age. When you see team USA play in U16/U17 tourneys we are more physically imposing. A lot of basketball in the US is about a highlight-driven/1-on-1 kind of game but the game overseas was a little bit slower for me. The NBA game is built for entertainment while European ball is more about “real basketball”.

In 2015 you were inducted into your school’s Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? That is right up there with winning a Big 10 title and playing in the NCAA tourney. When you get inducted into the Hall of Fame at a prestigious school like Ohio State it is very humbling. It was never in my thoughts because I was just playing because I loved the game.

After a few years out of basketball you were hired at your alma mater in 2019 as director of professional development: why did you take the job, and how do you like it so far? I took the job because it gave me an opportunity to be around the sport and get paid for it: there is literally no better feeling than coming to “work” and having fun on the court while talking strategy with coaches and helping student-athletes. It was a no-brainer for me and is very fulfilling because I love my school: I am so glad that Coach Chris Holtmann gave me the opportunity.

How much involvement do you have with NIL stuff, and how would your own college experience have been different if NIL had been around 20 years ago? That is something new on my plate so I am starting to help guys get out in the community because there are a lot of local small businesses who love the Buckeyes. A lot of it is relationship-based: the more people you engage with, the more possibilities are out there. It is a mind-shift for them but it is happening. I see what a lot of the players now are getting and the biggest thing is to take care of your own. 20 years ago I was the best player on my team for 3 straight years so I feel that I would have garnered a few dollars! However, I am not mad that I missed out because I walked so they could run. It is just about advancing the culture and how the NCAA views student-athletes: the NIL intentions are correct.

2 of your new additions this year are FR Scotty Middleton and grad transfer Jamison Battle: how are the new guys looking so far? They are looking pretty good. Jamison is a proven commodity in the Big 10 after playing at Minnesota the past 2 years so we know he can shoot/score and is very smart. Scotty is a highly-ranked recruit but we do not know how he will perform until the bright lights come on. He is a big-time communicator and is 1 of the more vocal freshmen that we have: he has been doing a really good job in practice.

Last summer you started co-hosting a podcast with Coach Holtmann called “More Than Coach Speak”: any advice for those of us who want to do our own podcast? Like with anything you should do your research with whoever you have as a guest so that you do not offend anyone or look unprepared. You should read all of your notes in advance and just let the conversation flow a little bit, which Coach and I have gotten better at. You can always ask a foundational question if things go dry but a back-and-forth conversation is the best. It is easier than I thought it would be to start.

The Big 10 will be adding several new teams next year: how do you feel about the future conference realignment? We all know why we are realigning: football/money. The 4 new teams are really good schools/programs and will boost our conference footprint on the West Coast. I look forward to going out to California during the winter where there is not 6” of snow: LA will be a breath of fresh air!

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? Last year was a down year so we are looking to be much better this year and compete for a Big 10 title in a very tough conference. Michigan State/Purdue are bringing most of their rosters back so it is a tough task ahead, but if we get better every day then we can be peaking in February/March. There are definitely some salty vibes in our office and we have a chip on our shoulder.

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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Detroit Mercy women’s coach Kate Achter

Posted on October 10, 2023 by Jon Teitel

We are still about 4 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 Detroit Mercy women’s coach Kate Achter, who talked about her recruiting philosophy and her expectations for this season.

In 2005 as a freshman at Bowling Green you were named conference tourney MVP: how were you able to make such a smooth transition from high school to college? The reality of the transition was that it was not easy at all. I did not start the first handful of games as a freshman, and even when I was able to get the confidence to be on the floor the pace/strength was a lot to handle. Thankfully I played with exceptional teammates who took a ton of pressure off me so that I was able to just focus on competing. Once I figured out that I was a better competitor than just a basketball player, it all seemed to sync up.

In 2007 you were part of the 1st women’s team in MAC history to make the Sweet 16: what is your favorite memory from that postseason run? My favorite memory from that postseason run came after our last game. We got beat up pretty bad by ASU and we were all exhausted/dejected. As we pulled onto campus our coaches asked us to go over to the rec center because there was a dance-a-thon and the school wanted to welcome us back. We had not even gone back to our houses yet and now we all had one more thing to do: you can imagine how thrilled we all were! So we all headed over in our matching bright orange/black travel suits…and were absolutely blown away. The students rushed the stage, cheered us on the whole way up to the stage, and gave us a champions welcome. We could not believe it; they were so proud to be Falcons because of what we had done. It was easily one of the coolest things I have ever been a part of.

As a senior you were named conference POY/All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? Those are two of the best honors of my career and ones that came with so much work/preparation. I am immensely proud to be one of the few to have ever earned that recognition at Bowling Green, but I certainly understand that those awards are not earned alone. I had tremendous teammates/coaches who were a huge part of my individual success.

Your 688 AST remains #1 in school history: what is the secret to being a good PG? The biggest key: have teammates who can make the open shots you are giving them. The other is knowing when/where the opening will come: sort of an “if this, then that” approach to reading the game.

After graduation you played pro basketball in Greece: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US v. basketball overseas? For me the biggest difference aside from language was experience/age. I was competing against grown women as opposed to 18-22-year-olds. Everything that was a struggle during my freshman year of college was immediately multiplied ten times over.

In the 2012 Sweet 16 as an assistant at St. Bonaventure you had a pair of single-digit wins before losing to eventual national runner-up Notre Dame: could you tell at the time that Skylar Diggins was going to become a star? Absolutely. Scouting that Notre Dame group was a nightmare: they had so many options out of their Princeton offense and so many weapons to hurt you with. Skylar was obviously the head of the monster, but man: they had a lot for us to contend with.

You have a BS/Masters in education, and during your 6 seasons as head coach at Loyola Chicago your team’s GPA increased from a 2.4 to a 3.5: how much importance do you place on academics? Academics have always been/will always be a priority for me as a head coach. We are on a similar path here at Detroit and our women are responding like champions. I know that the ball will stop bouncing one day and it is my job to help prepare our women for that day.

In 2018 you were inducted into the Bowling Green Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It is the biggest honor of my career. I think the thing that is still hard for me to wrap my head around is that the Hall of Fame was never my goal: winning was the goal. Now that I am part of the Hall of Fame my ties to BGSU will never fade. What we did as a team will always be recognized for a number of reasons, but to also be recognized personally for being a big part of that success is surreal.

Your roster includes 4 players from Michigan and 5 players from foreign countries: what sort of recruiting philosophy do you have? I think our roster only tells a small piece of what our recruiting philosophy is. The international influence on our roster is mostly inherited. I took over a team that had 6 players from Spain/Portugal. Many of those players are currently seniors…but the Michigan part we had to work really hard on. Our overall geographic philosophy is to be within about 4 hours or so of Detroit, with a hard focus on the city itself. That does not mean we cannot look outside that radius: it just means we want to protect our home base first. Some of our must-haves for recruiting include being a competitor, a two-level scorer, and a great teammate.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? I expect our team to be better in almost every area. We have experience in positions we did not have a year ago and we became more athletic across the board. I think we will still have moments where we are learning to come together as a team, but overall it should be much improved. The goal right now is focused on improving through each phase of our season: non-conference, conference, and postseason play. Obviously, we have numbers that we would like to reach, but I think those are the intimate pieces that we get to hold onto as a team. For now, the goal is to improve our win total from last year and have a whole lot of fun checking off the boxes in getting there!

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Name, Image, and Lots of money: HoopsHD interviews Travis Diener of the Be The Difference NIL Collective

Posted on October 9, 2023 by Jon Teitel

The marketplace for college athletes to engage in Name/Image/Likeness (NIL) deals was created in 2021 after the NCAA v. Alston case and now it seems like every college is ready to start spreading the wealth. There are already more than 100 “collectives” either in operation or being formed. They allow alumni/fans/whoever to donate money to assist a specific school in creating opportunities for student-athletes to make some money off of their celebrity. We have reached out to many collectives and will try to interview representatives from as many of them as possible to see how each of them operates. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with Travis Diener of the Be The Difference NIL Collective, who discussed what his group is about and what it has accomplished so far.

In 2001 you were named a Parade All-American: which of your fellow honorees impressed you the most (Tyson Chandler/Channing Frye/LeBron James/other)? It was probably Tyson because I competed against him on the AAU circuit. We played the SoCal All-Stars in the Peach Jam, and then he went right to the NBA out of high school as the 2nd overall pick.

In the 2003 NCAA tourney as a player at Marquette you made the Final 4 before losing to Kansas: what is the secret to winning games in March? You need to be pretty talented from 1-10, which we were. You also need some luck and a few bounces to go your way: we almost lost our 1st game to #14 seed Holy Cross. It is all about matchups: we had some great matchups along the way until Kansas blitzed us.

You spent 5 years in the NBA: what is your favorite memory from your time in the league? I am from a small town in Wisconsin so growing up my dream was just to play high school basketball for my uncle. To end up playing with/against the best players in the world (some of whom were my idols) was always memorable.

In the 2020 TBT title game you made the title-winning 3-PT shot to clinch the $1 million 1st prize for Golden Eagles: did you think the shot was going in, and where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It felt good! It is all about muscle memory and I had taken that shot before tens of thousands of times. That kind of capped off my long basketball journey in my late 30s: to play with some guys who I had actually coached and relive those moments is something that I will never forget.

Last July you held a “Champions for Literacy” basketball camp: what is it like to work with former Marquette teammate/newly inducted Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade? It was great! Our lives have obviously gone in different directions since we joined the NBA, but to get back together with him and have a 3-day weekend celebrating literacy in southeast Wisconsin was a lot of fun.

You are executive director of an NIL collective called “Be The Difference” that was formed last year: how complicated was it to create (if at all), and why did you do it? It was not too complicated but was something that needed to be done. If you look around the college landscape I think that NIL is a top priority for a lot of student-athletes. If you want to stay competitive nationally then you need a collective in place to provide opportunities for players to better both themselves and their community.

Your focus is on basketball: how/why would you decide to open it up to other sports? We started off with men’s/women’s basketball and the next 2 sports where we will sign people up are volleyball/lacrosse. Now we are in a place where we can continue to better the experience for student-athletes in several sports.

Do you think the NIL model will be as effective at a non-football school, and what is the biggest difference between your collective and those at football schools (if any)? Not having football is not detrimental because men’s basketball has always been a huge focus for our alumni/donors. Even in my era we had an extremely high budget and were treated well. A lot of our time/effort is spent on basketball because we do not have as many sports as other schools do.

What kind of deals have you been able to work out so far? We partner with nonprofits like Big Brothers/Big Sisters and our main vision is for our students to represent themselves and the school in the right way. We will continue to grow and add new organizations in the future.

Earlier this year we saw a basketball team’s season suspended (New Mexico State) and a football team’s coach fired (Northwestern) due to hazing: how concerned are you about entering contractual relationships with teenagers who might end up behaving badly? When you are talking about 18-19 year old kids they are still trying to grow/develop, but it comes down to the fact that I trust our coaches/administration and the character of players they are bringing into the program. We have not just talented players but also good human beings.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , | Comments Off on Name, Image, and Lots of money: HoopsHD interviews Travis Diener of the Be The Difference NIL Collective