Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Mississippi State associate head coach James Miller

Posted on September 25, 2023 by Jon Teitel

We are still about 6 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 Mississippi State associate head coach James Miller, who talked about starting last season 11-0 and his expectations for this season.

In the 2018 CBI finals as an assistant to Grant McCasland at North Texas you lost the 1st game at San Francisco by double-digits: how were you able to regroup with 2 straight double-digit home wins to clinch the title? That is pretty unique to have a best-of-3 series in college basketball. We ended up on the same flight back to Texas with San Francisco after that loss! We had a really good crowd for Game 2, which helped us flip the momentum. Tourney MVP Roosevelt Smart played well for us during that entire run. We learned what we did wrong in Game 1 and then were able to make some adjustments.

You have spent the last several seasons working for Coach Chris Jans: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He holds everyone in our program to a high standard and demands the best from us on a daily basis. There are no holes in his game: offense, defense, and he still works as hard as he did when he was an assistant. You can never stop continuing to improve as a coach: he tackles 2-3 weaknesses every offseason and tries to turn them into our strengths.

In the 2022 NCAA tourney as an assistant at New Mexico State you had a 7-PT win over UConn: why does the 5 seed vs. 12 seed games produce so many upsets every year? There is so much parity in college basketball. Once you get past the top few seeds you get great teams regardless of their conference. The transfer portal has also allowed mid-major teams to get old so that you might be rolling out a 23-year old to face a 17-year old, which I think has a lot to do with it.

You also coached at Arkansas State/Omaha: what is the biggest difference between all of your former schools and schools who are part of the SEC? The resources: from travel to nutrition to academic support to whatever else we can provide. It is just stupid! These guys do not realize how good they have it: we are used to 7-hour bus rides but that does not happen any more. In the SEC anyone can beat you, whereas at New Mexico State we felt we would be all right if we showed up ready to play.

You started 11-0 last year (which tied the program’s 2nd-best start ever): did it reach a point where your team expected to win every time that they stepped onto the court? We developed confidence on the defensive end and a belief in each other…but we never thought that we would win every single night. We hit a bit of a wall right before Christmas break with a short amount of prep time. That run validated what Coach Jans had said during the preseason and showed that we could be in a lot of close games.

You became the 2nd team this century to limit each of your 1st 10 opponents to 60 PPG or less: what is the key to playing great defense? Every system is different but we really have a team concept that permeates throughout our program. If you want to get on the court then you have to play defense, take charges, and know your opponents’ personnel.

In the 2023 1st 4 your team missed a pair of last-second shots in a 1-PT loss to Pitt: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? It is bittersweet when you take the emotion out of it…but 6 months later you look back on it and are thankful that we got to experience that. It ranks pretty high because it was a competitive-yet-ugly game. There were a lot of things we could celebrate about last season but we really want to advance much further this year.

You have 1 of the most veteran rosters in the nation with 6 grad students/2 seniors: how crucial will all of that experience be to your team’s success? I think that it will be crucial. We returned all 5 starters and brought in some grad transfers. It is important to get old/stay old while also developing young talent. We are so much further ahead of last year from a system standpoint and are helping the new guys with things they are not used to.

Your schedule this year includes games against ASU/Washington State/Georgia Tech/Rutgers: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Opening the season vs. ASU at a neutral site (Chicago) will be exciting to see where we stand out of the gate. We will also play 1 of Northwestern/Rhode Island in the Hall of Fame Classic and are playing Rutgers right down the road from their campus in a hostile environment (Newark). We have a lot of neutral-site games that will prepare us for SEC play.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? You can see why we have high expectations this year. Coach said that he wants to win multiple games in March so that is what our mindset is: he is NOT just talking about the conference tourney. You need to win games in the fall and then compete every single night in the SEC. It is a process and we need to get better along the way.

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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Arkansas SO G Saylor Poffenbarger

Posted on September 24, 2023 by Jon Teitel

We are still about 6 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 Arkansas SO G Saylor Poffenbarger, who talked about starting last season 13-0 and her expectations for this season.

You won a gold medal with team USA at the 2019 FIBA Americas U16 Championship: what did it mean to you to represent your country, and what did it mean to you to win a gold medal? It meant a lot at the time but means even more now: the girls on that team remain some of my best friends even though our paths took us in different directions. Being 1 of the best girls in my age group was pretty cool.

You began your career at UConn: what is it like to get recruited/coached by Geno Auriemma? It was an interesting recruiting process: it was obviously my dream so the recruitment process was very easy-going/insightful. I have so much respect for Geno but I was in a different stage of my life so I struggled with being pushed a certain way. I was not loving basketball as much as I did when I 1st committed there but he has written the basketball story on the woman’s side.

Why did you decide to transfer, and what made you choose Arkansas? It was during COVID so I was struggling mentally as well. I wanted to re-love the game and realized that I would have to “go down a bit” at a place where there was less pressure than at UConn. I wanted to go somewhere where I could work out with a balance. The staff here has really good people who gave me the comfort that I needed and I have fallen back in love with the game.

You started last season 13-0: did it reach a point where the team started to feel invincible? The point of non-conference play is to build confidence and we were able to use that to our advantage. We grew closer as a team and discovered our strengths/weaknesses. We just played together and trusted ourselves because we were winning.

You were named to the conference all-freshman team: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I had a mindset of just playing and not saying much and doing what I was expected to do. This year I plan to lead by example because I have a better grasp of how to get my teammates to respond. It was hard for me because there could have been some animosity but I just changed my mindset without worrying about outside expectations.

You broke the school record with 225 defensive REB despite playing guard: what is the secret to being a good rebounder? When I was younger my trainer helped me learn how to read the ball off the rim. Defense/rebounding is just an effort thing so it was a “controllable” that I COULD worry about.

In the 2023 WNIT you won 3 straight games before losing to eventual champ Kansas: what did you learn from that postseason run that you think will help you this year? We had to show a lot of maturity because a lot of teams have a different approach if they miss the NCAA tourney. We were disappointed…but used it as fuel and do not want to feel that way again. It shows the importance of every game/possession, which was the biggest takeaway.

The SEC has had 3 different schools appear in the past 6 NCAA tourney title games (South Carolina twice/Mississippi State twice/LSU once): do you feel that it is the best conference in the country? I do: from players to coaches it is definitely better than my prior conference.

Your mother Amy played basketball at Missouri and your brother Reese plays QB at Albany: who is the best athlete in the family? Oh God! We have a very competitive family: my mom would probably pick 1 of us…but my brother and I would each pick ourselves.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? I just want to be more consistent in all areas of my game. I want to have more fun out there so that I do not feel so frustrated that the joy is taken out of the game.

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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Creighton assistant coach Ryan Miller

Posted on September 23, 2023 by Jon Teitel

We are still a couple of months 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 Creighton assistant coach Ryan Miller, who talked about making the Elite 8 last March and his expectations for this season.

As a player at Mitchell High School you won the 1994 South Dakota State AA title, and in 2017 as an assistant at TCU you won the NIT: what is the key to winning championships? Having a team where every guy from 1-15 is willing to sacrifice and remains focused on doing their job.

In 2013 you were inducted into the Northern State Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? They have a history of athletic success, particularly in basketball, so it was a great honor. My coach, Bob Olson, was 1 of the best to do it. Whenever you get honors like that it is because of the people around you who sacrificed themselves to give you the opportunity to succeed. I have been very blessed to have amazing coaches dating back to high school so I received all of the details to learn what goes into winning. It has been a fantastic basketball journey and is still awesome.

You have been an assistant for a lot of great coaches including John Calipari/Steve Alford/Jamie Dixon/Greg McDermott: what is the most important thing that you learned from any of them? I have worked with so many great coaches (including Dave Rice) and each 1 of them have characteristics that make them successful. John is a great marketer and Greg is an offensive genius who also understands how to create a defensive scheme that exposes our strengths. I think he was a little ahead of his time with analytics when it comes to 3-PT shooting.

Last year you made the Elite 8 before Darrion Trammell made a free throw with 1.2 seconds left in a 1-PT win by San Diego State: what is your favorite memory from your postseason run? Just how our team overcame adversity. We lost 6 games in a row in late-November/early-December after having a good showing in Maui. We started executing and if a kid had a good shot he would pass it up to find a teammate who had a great shot. It was a heartbreaking loss to the Aztecs but the rally of the team was extraordinary.

Your team was 3rd-best in the nation by allowing just 9 FTM/12.4 FTA: what is the secret to playing defense without fouling? It is an everyday process to stay disciplined. You have to show your hands but play with your feet and make “vertical wall challenges”. Coach McDermott wants to make sure we take more FTs than our opponents because even the worst FT shooters will get 1 PT/possession.

You lost a few guys from last year but have some nice returning pieces like Ryan Kalkbrenner/Baylor Scheierman as well as some new additions like Steven Ashworth: how is the team coming together so far? It is coming together well. We had a trip to the Bahamas last month that allowed some of the new guys to jell with the old guys as we build an identity/chemistry. We are lucky to have some great leaders who have been there/done that. We have an exciting roster and will try to avoid any slip-ups early.

Your schedule includes games against Iowa/Oklahoma State/Nebraska/Alabama: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? All of those teams will present a big test: we lost a heartbreaker to Nebraska last year and Iowa is also a rivalry game. Alabama is a really good SEC team and Mike Boynton does a great job at Oklahoma State.

Your brother Mike won back-to-back NBA titles, your nephew Mason is 1 of your players, your father Tom/uncle Chris/uncle Alan/brother Jared/cousin Macy all played college basketball: who is the best athlete in the family? I would have to go with Mike. There was not much to do growing up so my parents put a basketball in our hands as soon as we popped out of the womb! Mike is 1 of the best shooters in NBA history and took it to the next level by making big shots both at Florida and in the NBA.

You have a birthday later this month: what are your plans for the big day? We start practice on the 26th and my birthday is the next day so I will celebrate it with family/friends. When you get top-10 preseason rankings you put a big bullseye on your back and you cannot sneak up on anybody. We will celebrate it…and then prepare to win a championship.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? Since I arrived here the foundation was already set, but the goal is to have a great non-conference season by competing as hard as we can. The next part is to have a great conference season with a true round-robin schedule in the Big East, then hopefully put ourselves in position to get a high seed in the NCAA tourney and make a long run. We want to bust down that Final 4 door. March is tricky and matchups matter: the best programs are on the top-4 seed lines and get favorable matchups.

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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Duke C Ryan Young

Posted on September 22, 2023 by Jon Teitel

We are still a couple of months 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 Duke C Ryan Young, who talked about having a “perfect game” last December and his expectations for this season.

You were born in Montreal and grew up in New Jersey: what made you choose Northwestern to start your college career? I moved around a lot growing up: my parents are both American but were working in Montreal. When I was in high school I received a lot of initial interest from Ivy/Patriot schools and later got recruited by some Power 5 schools. The 2 biggest things I was looking for were a good balance of academics/athletics: both Northwestern and Duke exemplify that balance. I vibed well with the Northwestern staff and thought it was the best place for me.

You led the team with 6.1 RPG as a redshirt freshman: what is the key to being a good rebounder? It is about effort more than anything else: maybe 80% effort and 20% positioning. I knew that I wanted to do anything to help my team win and at the time that was rebounding and being a great energy guy.

You were a 3-time Big 10 Distinguished Scholar and named to the ACC All-Academic team in 2023 while studying for your accelerated MBA after transferring to Duke: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? The 1st thing is the tremendous amount of guidance/help from our phenomenal support staff/academic coordinators. It is difficult to fall behind because there are so many people ensuring that you receive the help you need and know what you are doing. The 2nd part is over-communicating early and often: at Northwestern we stuck around after the 1st day of class, gave our professors a detailed travel letter, and discussed what we could do to make up the time we would be missing. If you are up front with people about the sacrifices you have to make then most people will be pretty understanding.

Last New Year’s Eve you became the 1st player in school history to have a game with 20+ PTS/10+ REB while not missing a single FG/FT in a win over Florida State: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up went in because you were “in the zone”? I think so. There was a lot of hype around it being a “perfect game” but all of my shots were essentially layups within 4’ of the basket. It was an awesome team win and I had it going from the paint so my teammates did a phenomenal job of finding me. It is always fun to make every single shot but the best part was getting a good win against a good opponent.

You finished last season with 68.5 FG%: what is the secret to being a great shooter? If you are taking mostly layups it is easy to keep your percentage up but I take pride in not forcing my shots. I am not as big/athletic as some of the other centers in the top conferences so I try to be a smart player who does not make mistakes. Typically that means I am not taking fadeaway shots or forcing threes. You have to perfect your craft and be patient until you get a good shot.

Last year you went 2-0 vs. the Tar Heels: how do you describe the Duke-UNC rivalry to someone who has never experienced it in person? I felt I was in a pretty unique position because I grew up a Syracuse fan due to my parents. I was not really invested in the Duke-UNC rivalry but I quickly learned that everyone in this state takes it pretty seriously. It means a lot historically and there are a ton of former players who come back for it. It is awesome for the fans to have something to get excited about: just watch them camp out for weeks to watch a 2-hour basketball game! It is a fun thing to be a part of.

You have several great freshmen on the roster including Jared McCain/Caleb Foster/TJ Power/Sean Stewart: which of them has impressed you the most? As a 6th-year guy I have seen a lot of freshman groups but what impressed me the most is how hard they are working collectively as a group every day to get up extra shots at 6 or 7AM. In my experience that is pretty rare, which is why I took note of it. We have more returning players than Duke has had in a number of years but the freshman still came in with a chip on their shoulder. It would be easy for a teenager to defer and just learn from the older guys but they came in excited and ready to prove that they can have an impact here. They all bring different things to the table.

Your schedule includes games against Arizona/Michigan State/Arkansas/Baylor: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? I played a lot of games against Michigan State when I was at Northwestern and they are unique due to how fast they get the ball up the court. I have never played Arizona/Baylor before so they will be great tests for us early in the year.

Your father Patrick was a member of the crew team at Syracuse, your mother Tammy played volleyball at Syracuse, your sister Jordan played volleyball at GW, and your brother Kyle played basketball at Siena: who is the best athlete in the family, and who does your family cheer for when you play against Syracuse?! I think my mom might be the best: she never lets us forget that she was recruited at the highest level and played/excelled at a number of sports. Our game at the (JMA Wireless) Dome last February was very special: I had my grandparents there along with a number of friends/extended family. It was special to feel their support…but I made sure they were all wearing Duke gear!

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? Individually, my goal remains to be part of a program that I can help win championships. I want to have an impact and do whatever it takes to help this team reach the postseason. We feel that we are as good as any team in the country. We have 4 starters coming back from a team that won the ACC title last March, but there is still a sour taste after losing to Tennessee in the 2nd round of the NCAA tourney so the goal is to make it to Phoenix next April. It is a long way away and there is an unbelievable amount of work that goes into it.

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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews FGCU SR G Brylee Bartram

Posted on September 21, 2023 by Jon Teitel

We are still a couple of months 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 FGCU SR G Brylee Bartram, who talked about making the NCAA tourney last March and her expectations for this season.

At Seffner Christian Academy you joined the school’s varsity team in 7th grade: what was it like to be teammates with players who were several years older than you? It was definitely interesting. Since that time I have been used to being around older players. It was a little intimidating at 1st but it turned out well for me as I got to push myself against bigger/faster/stronger players. It helped me develop into the player/person I became by having to work harder.

You eventually broke the national high school record for boys/girls with 533 career 3PM: what is the secret to making shots from behind the arc? There is not a secret: it just happened naturally. I did not even know what the record was until a couple of weeks before I broke it. If you put in the work then you know you will make the shots: it is about confidence.

You began your college career at Florida and then transferred to Vanderbilt: why did you decide to leave the SEC, and what made you choose FGCU? Florida was pretty close to home and then COVID hit and everything was crazy. I liked my time at Vanderbilt but after their staff got fired I felt the new coach was not the right fit for me. It was a tough decision to transfer mid-year, which was a crazy process, but it was the right decision. I knew a little about FGCU and really thought that I could see myself in my home state so my family/friends could come see me play.

Last year you went 17-1 in conference play with only an OT loss at Liberty in January: how close did you come to going undefeated? Pretty close. We also lost some non-conference games to a pair of great teams in Stanford/Duke. We could have played better in all of our losses but that is easy to say after the fact: we just want to play our best basketball.

Last March in the Atlantic Sun tourney you won 3 games by double-digits to clinch the title: how much of a home-court advantage did you have at Alico Arena, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? We were very lucky to get the #1 seed and worked hard for that so that we could play at home. Our fans are great and show up every night and give us energy. The title game was electric and we played a really good game. I was proud of what we did but knew that it was not over yet so we celebrated…but stayed focused.

In the 2023 NCAA tourney you beat Washington State before losing at Villanova: what did you learn from your postseason run that you think will help you this season? We learned that we can compete with anybody. There was a lot of talk about us being a #12 seed but we never doubted ourselves. We played 2 really good teams and it gave us a lot of experience. We know the changes that we need to make to get a different outcome.

You are majoring in entrepreneurship: why did you choose that subject, and what is the post-graduation plan? I felt like it was a unique opportunity: I never had majors like that available to me before so it really intrigued me. Growing up I worked in different jobs and had different side hustles so I changed my major. It was a risk but I really love it. I eventually want to open my own business like a bar/restaurant but in the short-term I plan to get my real estate license. I have a lot of good connections so I think that I will have some really good options to choose from.

You lost all 5 of your starters from last year but still have 1 of the most veteran rosters in the nation with only 1 true freshman and 1 true sophomore: how do you think all of your upperclassmen will be able to replace all of that experience? It is a big transition but also not unusual for our program. We had a lot of players graduate but have a solid group of returners who continue to work and know what it is like to play here. We have some experienced transfers and everyone is jelling together to find our flow. We have a really talented team and everyone brings something to the table.

Your father Greg played basketball at Penn State and your brother Blake played college basketball: who is the best athlete in the family? We are a very competitive family and grew up competing against each other: our goal growing up was always to beat dad! It is hard to say who is the best because we are all different, which is why we butt heads when we play against each other, but we love each other through it.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? I am going into this season continuing to be consistent in my approach to every game/practice. The ultimate goal is to win a national championship but we also want to win our conference and play our best every single day. If each individual improves then the team will improve so I will try to take my own game to another level.

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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Xavier SR G Dayvion McKnight

Posted on September 20, 2023 by Jon Teitel

We are still a couple of months 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 Xavier SR G Dayvion McKnight, who talked about transferring from Western Kentucky and his expectations for this season.

In 2020 you were named Kentucky “Mr. Basketball” (joining past honorees such as Jack Givens/Darrell Griffith/Allan Houston): how big a deal was that, and what made you choose Western Kentucky? It was a big deal for me. There was only 1 Mr. Basketball from Shelby County before me so my family/I were very proud. Western Kentucky was just 2 hours down the road so I felt it was the best move for me.

You played in all 29 games as a freshman: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? Coach Rick Stansbury just wanted me to do anything I needed to do to get on the floor: pass, rebound, etc.

In December of 2021 you had the 4th triple-double in school history with 11 PTS/10 REB/10 AST (and no turnovers) in a win over Centre: where does that rank among the best all-around games of your career? I would say #1.

You lost to FAU 3 times in a 2-month span last season while averaging 16 PPG/6 RPG/3 SPG: were they just another good CUSA team or 1 of the best teams that you have ever faced or something in between? They were definitely 1 of the best teams I have ever faced. They played great together and meshed well and were all about winning.

You rank #3 in WKU history with 412 AST/147 STL: what is the key to being a good PG? Just helping your teammates get open/score. You have to do a little of everything on both offense/defense.

Why did you decide to transfer, and what made you choose Xavier? There was a coaching change so I felt it was time for me to move on. I talked to Sean Miller and he is a good coach for PGs.

You are 1 of several transfers on the roster including Quincy Olivari/Abou Ousmane/Logan Duncomb: how are the new guys fitting in with the old guys? We are meshing really well. There are only 3-4 guys returning from last year’s team so we have plenty of new guys. Those 3 other guys you mentioned all played in CUSA so we already knew each other.

You turned 21 last summer: what did you do for the big day? It was during 4th of July weekend so I just enjoyed a good cookout with my family.

Your schedule includes games against Purdue/Washington/Houston/Cincinnati and 1 of San Diego State/St. Mary’s: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Every non-conference game will be a big test, and the Big East is the best conference out there.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? I want to lead the country in AST, be 1 of the best defensive guards in the country, and get to March Madness.

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