Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Ohio State SR G Jacy Sheldon

Posted on September 9, 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 Ohio State SR G Jacy Sheldon, who talked about her game-winning shot in last year’s NCAA tourney and her expectations for this season.

You are a lifelong Buckeyes fan who wanted to remain close to your family: how easy a decision was it to choose Ohio State for college? I grew up in Ohio so going to Ohio State was always a dream of mine. As I got older, I was fortunate enough to visit different schools. For me, it came down to the family-like culture at Ohio State, but I wanted to be a part of a winning culture as well. I also wanted to stay close to my family and my sister: it has been so special to see them at so many of my games.

In 2021 you made the all-conference academic team: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? The biggest tool for managing my time has been experience. Now that I am a 5th-year I have had time to learn. It still is not easy, however, so getting in a routine really helped me. I like to plan out when I am going to be in the gym and the different times throughout the day to help manage my time. That way when I am not in the gym I can get some schoolwork done.

In January of 2022 you scored a career-high 33 PTS in a 6-PT win over Michigan State: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? That game was a fun one. Like you said, when you see that many shots go in you do kind of feel like you are in a zone and the hoop looks bigger. I just tried to continue getting my teammates involved while also taking those scoring opportunities when they came.

In 2022 you were named Honorable Mention All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? I was honored. Anytime you get those awards it is usually related to the team’s success. I guess I did not realize the significance until somebody mentioned that Kelsey Mitchell was the last player at OSU to receive All-American honors.

You were also #3 in the conference that year with 86.4 FT%: what is the secret to making FTs? I practice free throws a lot. I include them multiple times throughout my shooting workout: this way I am shooting free throws while I am tired. We also work on them a lot in practice. Free throws are a good time for me to relax and catch my breath.

You were named to the 2022 coaches’ All-Defensive Team and last November you tied a school-record with 11 STL in a win over Boston College: what is the key to playing great defense? I like defense and the press that we run. A lot of those steals come from deflections that my teammates make. Our press contributes to a lot of the steals we get: we like to speed teams up and make them uncomfortable. It also gives us a chance to anticipate plays, which our team likes to do. The key for us is playing as hard as we possibly can and when we do that then we get more steals.

Take me through the 2023 NCAA tourney:
You made a jumper in the lane with less than 2 seconds left in a 2-PT win over North Carolina (www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvNBh0jTkpI): did you think the shot was going in, and where does that rank among the highlights of your career? That shot against North Carolina was a great highlight in my career. The original play we wanted to run broke down so Eboni Walker made a great play and I just tried to get a shot up. Once I elevated and created some space for myself I could tell that it looked pretty good. More than anything though our team fought for that win: it was a great effort by everyone. It is hard to win in March so our goal was to find any way possible to come out on top in that game.

You beat UConn to help your team reach the Elite 8 for the 1st time in 30 years before losing to Virginia Tech: what did you learn from your postseason run that you think will help you this year? Our tournament run was fun last year: we have a lot to look back on and be proud about but did not make it as far as we wanted. In a way I think it is going to motivate us even more. We know what it feels like to make it far in the tournament and have things not go our way and we do not want to relive that feeling. This group is really motivated this year and I think we have a lot to prove.

You missed 23 games last year due to a right leg injury: how is your health doing at the moment? I took some time off after the tournament and I am now feeling much better!

Your father Duane played college basketball, your mother Laura did track and field in college, and your brother Ajay plays basketball for Ohio: who is the best athlete in the family? Oh geez: you are going to get me in trouble! If you asked every member of my family they would say themselves, especially my brother, so I will have to go with me. Emmy has some pretty good hand-eye coordination though so do not forget about her.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? We have a lot of goals for this season. We are first going to take it game-by-game and not look ahead. One of our annual goals is to win the Big Ten regular season as well as the conference tournament. We also want to make it back to the NCAA Tournament. This year we want to be headed to Cleveland during the first weekend of April. Our expectations are to come to practice each day and compete: we want to get better every day and push each other to be the best.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Iowa JR G Kylie Feuerbach

Posted on September 8, 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 Iowa JR G Kylie Feuerbach, who talked about her team’s run to the title game last season and her expectations for this season.

In 2018 you made the game-winning 3-PT shot to win the AAU national title: did you think the shot was going in, and where does that rank among the highlights of your career so far? That was obviously an unforgettable shot for me. When I released it I thought that it was going in: our coach drew up a play and I was ready to go. I remember the setting/crowd: it was super-cool.

1 of your AAU teammates was Caitlin Clark: how good was she back in the day, and could you tell back then that she was good enough to become the best college basketball player in the nation? A few months ago I was looking back on some film from when I was in 7th/8th grade. I played a game against Caitlin and what is crazy is that she moves the exact same way yet is constantly evolving. She has great court vision and is a great leader: she has always been amazing but improves exponentially each year by working so hard.

You began your career at Iowa State, where you started 24 games as a freshman: why did you decide to transfer, and what made you choose Iowa? Iowa State was just not the best fit for me. Iowa has a great coaching staff and it was closer to my home. I knew a lot of the girls on the team from AAU ball and they have a great/stable program that felt perfect to me.

How would you describe the rivalry between the 2 schools for someone who has never seen it in person? Either location is a hostile environment for the road team. There is a lot on the line for those in-state rivalry games and they are very intense.

You play for Coach Lisa Bluder, whose 850 career wins are top-15 in NCAA D-1 women’s basketball history: what makes her such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from her so far? I have learned countless things from her such as, “Be where your feet are”: when you are in practice you cannot be thinking about your exam the next day, which helps me a lot. She also talks about the fact that she cannot “coach effort”: it is all under your control. She is also a great person and respects us as much as we respect her: we have a great team chemistry.

You missed all of last year due to a torn right ACL: how bad was it, and how is your health doing at the moment? I tore my ACL/MCL/meniscus but I had a great surgeon who I am very thankful for. I feel that everything happens for a reason even though it is hard for any athlete to be injured. Looking back on it now I feel like the time has gone by very fast and I was cleared for contact/scrimmages a few weeks ago. Everything is going great and I am getting right at it and focusing on my conditioning.

Your teammates won a school-record 31 games without you and made it to the NCAA tourney title game before losing to LSU: what was your favorite part of that magical run? You cannot compare it to anything: it was a great experience. We made the most of it by working hard and just kept it going. Even though I was not playing it was still fun to sit courtside and watch the team.

Last year your school was 2nd in the nation in attendance: how much of a home-court advantage do you have at Carver-Hawkeye Arena? It is quite the experience because we have great fans and our games are already sold out for this season. From our perspective we are very thankful for our fans who show up for every single game.

Next month your team is hosting an outdoor scrimmage vs. DePaul at Kinnick Stadium with proceeds benefiting the Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital: how excited is everyone for the “Crossover at Kinnick”? We are super-excited: seeing the atmosphere at the Nebraska outdoor volleyball game a week ago was amazing. It will be another unforgettable experience to see our fans show-out.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? We have the same goal every year: get to the Final 4. I will work as hard as I can and try to help the team.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Miami assistant coach Kotie Kimble

Posted on September 7, 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 Miami assistant coach Kotie Kimble, who talked about making the Final 4 last season and his expectations for this season.

In the 2006 Big South tourney title game as a student assistant at Coastal Carolina, Craig Bradshaw scored 8 PTS including a hook shot with 9.1 seconds left in a 1-PT win by Winthrop: did you think the shot was going in, and where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? You are taking me back to some bad memories! Unfortunately, the hook shot looked good the whole way: it is probably top-2 or top-3 of my most devastating losses. The 2 schools had a huge rivalry at the time and were not fans of each other. We beat them twice during the regular season but they got us when it mattered the most. Buzz Peterson was our head coach and we entered the title game on a 12-game winning streak.

In the 2011 NCAA tourney as an assistant coach at UNC Asheville you beat Little Rock before losing to #1-seed Pitt: what is it like to actually win a tourney game as a #16-seed? That was awesome! It was the 1st year of the 1st 4 and we had some really good all-conference guards in Matt Dickey/JP Primm who led the way. I remember the win like it was yesterday and the joy in the locker room after beating Little Rock in OT: we still talk about those memories today. We got done late, boarded the plane to DC around midnight, and arrived around 4AM…but our guys still loved it.

In 2018 as an assistant coach at William & Mary you became the 1st team in NCAA history to shoot 50+ FG%/40+ 3P%/80+ FT%: what is the secret to being a good shooter? 1 key is to recruit really good shooters, which is something we did very well. We valued shot-making ability so we went out and found those guys. I credit Coach Tony Shaver and our entire staff for spending time in the gym and taking plenty of practice time to focus on shooting: as a result our guys blossomed.

You were hired by Miami head coach Jim Larranaga as an assistant in 2022: what makes him such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He is great for a lot of reasons and his resume speaks for itself. He has an unbelievable ability to motivate/inspire/empower. If you watch our guys, especially in March, they play with a tremendous amount of freedom and the spirit of our team is special. It all starts with Coach L because he gives them the confidence.

In the 2023 NCAA tourney you made it all the way to the Final 4 before losing to eventual champ UConn: what is your favorite memory from your postseason run, and why do you think that so many of last year’s top seeds (including #1-seed Houston, whom you upset in the Sweet 16) were unable to have a great run of their own? What a run! Being a part of the 1st Final 4 in school history was amazing. There were a lot of great moments: we rallied back in the 1st game to beat Drake and save our season but my favorite moment was vs. Texas in the Elite 8. They were a really good team and we were down by double-digits with under 10 minutes left but the fight we showed was awesome. Jordan Miller had a perfect game (7-7 FG/13-13 FT) and seeing the joy on the faces of all of our upperclassmen was really special.

Last May you were 1 of 6 D-1 assistant coaches who participated in the prestigious “Champion Forum”: what did you learn during your time in Indianapolis? It was an incredible experience and I felt privileged to be 1 of the 6. I learned how to be a better assistant for my current boss: the purpose is to prepare us to take the next step…but the best way to do that is to be a better version of myself. They also prepared us to be head coaches by showing us what a CEO looks like and the obstacles along the way. I liked being among other elite guys in the business and they did an incredible job of putting on that event.

While you bring back several players from your Final 4 squad you do not have a single senior on the roster: have you figured out yet who will be your on-court leader? We lost 2 starters in Isaiah Wong/Jordan but return 4 of our top-6 players (Nijel Pack/Wooga Poplar/Norchad Omier/Bensley Joseph) so we have some guys in the locker room who have experienced success with multiple Elite 8s under their belt. I think the leadership will come from those 4 guys and they have been great all spring/summer. We took a trip to France last month where our guys were able to bond and find their voices.

1 of your new players is Matthew Cleveland, who transferred in from Florida State: what sort of role do you expect him to have this year? He will play a very big role for us: he has 2 years of experience in the ACC and is really impressive. He has fit in well and his versatility really stands out to us. He can guard multiple positions and play both the 3/4 on offense. He rebounds really well for his position: he had 7+ RPG last year. We are thrilled to have him on the right side after the dagger last February (www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4u9_BDwcMU).

Your schedule this year includes a trip to the Bahamas, playing Kentucky in Lexington, and playing Colorado in Brooklyn: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? They are all tough: with success comes more challenges/opportunities so we are getting invited to play in the Bahamas and play good teams like Colorado at neutral sites. The non-conference schedule will be challenging so we will learn a lot about our team early. UCF is also coming here in November after we battled with them at their place last year before winning by 2 PTS.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? Our goal every year is to get the most out of our team. We need to spend more time with our guys but there is a buzz around our program so we expect to win the ACC and compete for a national championship. We have a group that can be very competitive on the national level but we need to continue to improve. We have to find our niche but we are excited about our chances.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews UCSB head coach Joe Pasternack

Posted on September 6, 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 UCSB head coach Joe Pasternack, who talked about winning a school-record 27 games last season and his expectations for this season.

You were a student manager for Bob Knight at Indiana in the late-1990s: what made him such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? He was so meticulously detailed in his approach to game preparation as well as at practice every day. He was kind of an “intolerant teacher” who demanded exactness but was an amazing leader.

You spent a few years as head coach at New Orleans from 2007-2011: what impact did Hurricane Katrina have on you and/or your program? I took over the year after Katrina: we were not able to play in our arena and our “offices” were just a little closet. The student body decreased from 23,000 to 10,000: since there were not enough student fees to help support the athletic department they decided to move us out of D-1. Imagine seeing opposing coaches in the handshake line recruiting your players!

As an assistant to Sean Miller at Arizona you helped recruit/develop several future NBA players including Aaron Gordon: how proud were you to see him win an NBA title with Denver a few months ago? It was amazing. I started recruiting him when he was just a high school freshman. He is an incredible player/person.

In 2021 you were named conference COY at UCSB: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It was all about the players. We had an All-American in JaQuori McLaughlin and made the NCAA tourney.

In the 2023 Big West tourney you won 3 games in 3 days to clinch your 2nd NCAA tourney bid in 3 years: how were you able to turn things around after 3 straight double-digit conference losses in mid-February? We had a lot of injuries toward the end of the year that really hurt us before we had an incredible turnaround. Once we learned how to play without them we won 7 games in a row including the Big West title game.

In the 2023 NCAA tourney you lost to Baylor: what did you team learn from that loss that you think will help them this year? It gave our younger guys a taste of the NCAA tourney and made us all a really hungry team. We are excited to start this season and get back to that moment.

After winning a school-record 27 games last year (giving you 6 straight winning seasons) you were rumored to be a leading candidate to become head coach at Cal but ended up signing a 5-year contract extension: was there 1 biggest factor in your decision to stick around or was it just as simple as being very happy with the great situation you already have? I talk to FAU coach Dusty May a lot and 1 of the things he often says is, “don’t touch what’s happy”. I am very fortunate to be here and my family and I love Santa Barbara.

Your roster has 6 players from California and 7 players from foreign countries: what sort of recruiting philosophy do you have? It is all about getting the best student-athletes who fit our university. We “fish in all territories” (junior college, the transfer portal, etc.) and have a very diverse roster.

1 of those international players (Belgian G Ajay Mitchell) was named conference ROY in 2022 and conference POY/conference tourney MVP/conference Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2023: is he just another good player or potentially the greatest player in school history or something in between? Ajay is an incredible player and we are really fortunate to have him. He is an even better person, believe it or not, and 1 of the highest character individuals that I have ever coached.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? It is about the “now” and focusing on the present. We never make team goals: it is about being locked into the process and knowing that the results will follow. We just try to take care of business today and control what we can.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews UNC Asheville F Drew Pember

Posted on September 5, 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 commences our coverage with UNC Asheville F Drew Pember, who talked about being named conference POY/DPOY and his expectations for this season.

You were born/raised in Knoxville and began your college career at Tennessee: why did you decide to transfer, and what made you choose UNC Asheville? 1 of the biggest reasons was playing style but I also wanted to get some more playing time. My former high school teammate Trent Stephney loved it here and convinced me that I would be a good fit in their system. 

You play for Coach Mike Morrell: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? The biggest takeaway is “growth”. Even if we make turnovers or have questionable shot selection it is not “bad” but  just a chance to grow. Off the court he is kind of a bro and just 1 of the guys, but on the court he demands our respect and we have all bought into that. He is good at teaching and being lenient with different concepts/scenarios: he has been phenomenal.

Last January you scored a school-record 48 PTS/8-10 3PM in an 8-PT OT win over Presbyterian: was it just 1 of those situations where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? Yeah: it was a surreal feeling. I do not remember a lot about that game except the 1st 5-7 minutes. My teammates did an unbelievable job of finding me for good looks so I just had to make open shots. I took what the defense gave me: there was nothing planned but my teammates believed in me.

You finished the season by being named conference POY/DPOY and were the 1st Big South player to ever lead the league in PPG/RPG/BPG in the same season: how do you balance your offense with your defense? It is hard because I am not a big individual stat guy: I know that I would not have won any of those awards without getting some shots and having others sacrifice some minutes. I get a lot of rebounds due to my teammates blocking out so it is kind of skewed: I am a by-product of the team and just play my role. I plan to take a bigger leadership role this year but we will have a bigger target on our backs. I am not focused on individual accolades and have never been like that.

You led the nation with 266 FTM/318 FTA: what is the secret to getting to the line and then making your FTs after doing so (career 84.2 FT%)? Just not settling. With my height I can take a shot whenever I want, which opens up driving lanes/opportunities for my teammates. Free throws are free points: I did not realize how many I had made until about halfway through the season. I put a lot of emphasis on my FTs and will continue to do that and convince my teammates to do the same.

In the 2023 Big South tourney you had 3 single-digit wins in 3 days en route to clinching the title and being named tourney MVP: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? Just having your teammates believe in you. Even back in June of 2022 we thought that we could win it. Coach Morrell harps on being 1% better tomorrow than you were today. It was surreal in the locker room: it did not hit me until a few days later. I was so happy for Tay (Tajion Jones), who had been here for like 18 years! He worked his tail off and you could see him in the gym every day, which translated to his hot stretch vs. Campbell in the tourney title game (he finished with 24 PTS). Now we know what it takes to win games like that and we will keep pushing this year.

In the 2023 NCAA tourney you scored 13 PTS/4-8 FG in an 86-53 loss to UCLA: what did you learn from that game that you think will help you this year? I am really thankful that they beat us like that: it was kind of a shock and the moment was bigger than I had prepared for. When you get punched in the mouth like that it makes you want to get better. Our team learned a lot about ourselves: we have not really looked at the film but eventually we will go back to watch it and learn from it.

How close did you come to going pro last spring, and why did you decide to return to Asheville? I was not as close to going pro as people thought. I had good numbers last year but losing to UCLA left a really bad taste in my mouth and I did not want to go out like that. I knew I had to get stronger and that has been my primary focus: I have lived in the weight room since that loss. I still need to work on reducing my turnovers and continuing to get shots up. It would have been nice to go pro but hopefully I can bring the Asheville community another banner this year. The physical aspect is where I needed to grow the most.

Your mother Allison played college volleyball and your father Donny played college basketball: who is the best athlete in the family? It is me, for sure! My dad could not really jump a lick but I got a little bit of bounce from my mom. I think they would agree that it is me…but my dad and I would bicker back and forth.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? Win games, be a good teammate, and be a good leader. I feel there is still a lot that I can do for my team: I do not care if they want me to get the water bottles/towels during timeouts!

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The Hoops HD Report – Realignment Discussion

Posted on August 28, 2023 by David Griggs

Chad and the panel discuss what has been a very busy offseason in regards to conference realignment.  We talk about how the emergence of the conference TV networks have helped spur a lot of the realignment as conferences look to expand into bigger markets, we discuss what impacts this could have on the future value and popularity of college sports, and we briefly talk about how this may or may not impact the Under the Radar conferences.  All that, and much more….

And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…

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