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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Long Beach Legend: HoopsHD interviews Hall of Famer LaTaunya Pollard

Posted on August 6, 2023 by Jon Teitel

There are scorers and then there are SCORERS: LaTaunya Pollard was most certainly 1 of the latter. At East Chicago Roosevelt she was named Indiana Miss Basketball after becoming 1 of the highest-scoring girls basketball players in Indiana history. At Long Beach State she led her team in scoring for 4 straight years and finished her college career with 3001 career PTS. As a pro basketball player in Italy she set a league record by scoring 39.5 PPG in 1985. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with LaTaunya about scoring 99 PTS in 1 game and becoming a Hall of Famer. Today marks the 40th anniversary of her playing in the 1983 FIBA World Championship for Women gold medal game on August 6, 1983, so we take this time to remember her remarkable career.

You were born/raised in Indiana where you went 91-2 at Roosevelt High School: what made you choose Long Beach State? My decision was between Long Beach and UNLV. There were some really good players out West who I wanted to compete against (like Cheryl Miller).

You were a member of the 1980 US Olympic team but did not get to participate after the US decided to boycott the Olympics: what was your reaction when you learned the bad news? What can you do? When politics get involved in sports then anything can happen. I was young at the time so I did not wonder if it was my last chance.

In the 1983 NCAA tourney you made it to the Elite 8 before losing to eventual champion USC: what was it like to face Cheryl Miller in her prime? We actually lost to Cheryl every year! She was a very tough player but also had great players around her like Cynthia Cooper. Cheryl was the focus point of a solid team.

You finished your college career with 3001 PTS: what is the secret to being a great scorer? The Good Lord! God blessed me with a talent that was pretty much unmatched for a long time. I played basketball from a young age, and competing against boys from my neighborhood helped me become the player I was. I worked on my craft: I was a great defender/rebounder but shooting is what set me apart. It was a gift from God.

You were a 3-time All-American and in 1983 you won the Wade Trophy as national POY: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? I can say it was well-deserved: I did a lot of things on the court and people recognized my talent. Awards were not big for me: I would have traded all of them to take my team to the Final 4. Championships are what I really wanted but unfortunately it did not happen.

In the 1983 FIBA World Championship for Women gold medal game you scored 9 PTS in a 2-PT loss to the USSR: what was it like to face 7-footer Uljana Semjonova (who scored 23 PTS)? She was huge! It was a great experience to face Russia. Every time that I stepped onto the court I scored in double-digits so if I only scored 9 PTS then I must not have played that well. The Russian team played year-round while Team USA only had a short period of time to practice together.

After graduating you played in Italy and set a women’s pro basketball scoring record by scoring 99 PTS for Lanerossi Schio in a win over Latte Berna Gragnano on March 29, 1987: how on earth did you do that?! It actually should have been more than that because I missed a lot of baskets! We were the last-place team in the league and were not very good but our opponent that night was the 2nd-worst team. I honestly did not realize I had scored that many points at the time: I was never a selfish player but at the end of the game they told me I had 99 PTS. Had I known that I would have tried to score another point!

In 2001 you were inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It is 1 of my highest accomplishments. It takes a lot to be recognized and is probably 2nd only to making the Olympic team. I am looking at the trophy right now.

Since retiring from basketball you founded a company called “Fundamentals of Basketball” that teaches fundamental skills to kids of all ages: what makes your company different from others, and how is it going so far? God restored my life after I went through some challenges outside of basketball. There was some darkness in my life and in 2006 I made a promise to spend the rest of my life serving God. I do that by helping kids in my community. I speak the gospel to these kids: it is not just basketball but also the ministry. When you come to my camp you will hear about Jesus Christ and I think a lot of them have a new reason to believe in salvation: that is what sets my camp apart.

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I heard LeBron James talk about his legacy once and he said, “I hope I did enough” so I would say the same thing.

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The Hoops HD Report Special: Discussion with Ken Pomeroy

Posted on July 20, 2023 by David Griggs

Ken Pomeroy, publisher of KenPom.com, is our guest on this special edition of the Hoops HD Report.  We focus on his site and ratings and talk about how he got started in publishing his site, what exactly his rankings are trying to measure, and look at some misconceptions that people have about how his rankings work.  We also discuss the NET, which is used by the NCAA, and how similar it is to the KenPom rankings, and we speculate on how the NCAA Selection Committee may be utilizing the different types of metrics.

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

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TBT Preview: HoopsHD interviews Jimmy Boeheim of Boeheim’s Army

Posted on July 20, 2023 by Jon Teitel

UConn won the NCAA tourney in April and Denver won the NBA Finals in June but there is still 1 more basketball champion to be crowned this summer. The Basketball Tournament (aka the TBT) kicks off on July 19th with 8 regions of 8 teams playing in Dayton/Louisville/Lubbock/Syracuse/West Virginia/Wichita 1/Wichita 2/Xavier. Each region will send 1 team to the quarterfinals, with the championship game taking place during the 1st week of August, and the winning team walking away with $1 million in prize money. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel will spend the weeks ahead interviewing as many TBT participants as possible. We continue our coverage with Jimmy Boeheim, who will be playing for Boeheim’s Army after being a 1st-team Academic All-American at Syracuse.

You were born/raised in New York: what made you choose Cornell for college? Cornell was my only offer coming out of prep school. I always took school seriously so it was always my dream to play in the Ivy League. I really loved the coaching staff at Cornell as well as the campus/proximity to home.

In the 1st round of the 2019 CIT you scored a career-high 31 PTS/14-20 FG in a 9-PT loss at Robert Morris: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? Yeah: I remember feeling really good during that game. I made some threes early and was able to score around the basket too: my teammates found me all game long.

As a junior you led the team in PPG/RPG/3PM: how were you able to balance all of the different aspects of your game? During my first two years at Cornell I was really able to grow my game (posting up, 3-PT shooting, having the ball in my hands more, etc.). I think that all of the work I put in and the great belief my coaches/teammates put in me to get me the ball in great spots worked together for that year.

You did not play during your senior year after the Ivy League canceled the season due to COVID-19: what was your reaction when you heard the news, and looking back on it now do you think that it was the right decision? I was really bummed out. I thought we had a great team that year and had spent 4 years building for that season so it was unfortunate.

You transferred to Syracuse where you got to play with your brother Buddy/for your father Jim: even though you did not make the 2022 NCAA tourney, was it still the best year of your life due to the family aspect? It was an incredible year and very surreal. I loved getting to spend the extra time with my brother/father and getting to play for the team I looked up to while growing up.

You graduated magna cum laude from Cornell and then were named 1st-team Academic All-American during your graduate year at Syracuse: how did you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? It was a challenge at times, but after my freshman year I started to figure out how to be efficient with my time and make sure I was spending the appropriate amount of time on each.

Since graduating you have played pro basketball in Greece and the Czech Republic: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball overseas? The game is much more physical overseas.

Your twin sister Jamie played college basketball and your brother became an unrestricted free agent a few weeks ago after playing for the Pistons last season: who is the best athlete in the family? It has been awesome to see all that Buddy has been able to accomplish while playing in NBA games: it has been very surreal to watch.

You are playing for Boeheim’s Army in the TBT for the 2nd straight summer: how is the team looking so far, and what will you do with your share of the $1 million prize money if you win it all? I think we have a good-looking roster and I am excited for the event. I will be heading overseas shortly after the TBT so if we win then I will likely save most of the money and donate the rest of it.

How is your father enjoying retirement, and will we get to see him in attendance at any of your TBT games? He is loving it: just relaxing and enjoying the extra time he has. He has been doing a lot of golfing/fishing and just spending lots of time with our family.

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