Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Memphis pom member Anna Merritt

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Jon Teitel

Last Sunday Memphis beat Houston 75-65 in the AAC tourney title game to clinch an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Tigers lost a pair of games to the Cougars during the past few weeks by a combined 10 PTS but the 3rd time was the charm as they claimed the school’s 2nd straight NCAA tourney bid. In addition to shining a light on the players who got the job done on the court, it is also important to recognize the spirited students who have worked just as hard on the sidelines, such as band members/cheerleaders/dancers. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Memphis pom member Anna Merritt about teaching the next generation of dancers.

You are from Nashville, TN: what made you choose Memphis? The dance team and the program that Coach Carol Lloyd has created. I wanted to continue dancing while continuing my education: it just felt like home.

You have been dancing for most of your life: how did you 1st get into it, and what is the best part? I tried soccer for a couple of years…but it did not go over that well. There is a dance studio 5 minutes from my house and my mom suggested I try that instead. When you are with those people 24/7 it becomes like a family so the friendships are the best thing that have come out of it.

You are studying Exercise Sport & Movement Science: why did you choose those subjects? In high school I had an elective focus on health sciences and it just registered very well in my brain. All of my orthopedists/physical therapists have made a positive impact on my life so I want to make that kind of impact on the lives of other athletes.

You also teach at a local dance studio called Sequel Dance Complex: how old are your students and what kind of dancing do you teach? I teach kids from ages 3-18 and all different styles: contemporary, hip-hop, and everything else.

What is the post-graduation plan? As of now my plan is to finish up my degree at Memphis and then go to PT or PA school. I will apply to the Tennessee College of Health Sciences so I plan to be around Memphis for quite a while.

Your team lost to Houston twice in the regular season but then beat them last Sunday in the AAC tourney title game: where does that last game rank among the most exciting that you have ever seen? I was at the 1st 2 games but was not at the AAC tourney. Even while watching the game last weekend on TV I could still feel all of the emotion on the faces of the players and our squad on the sideline.

What is the mood like on campus now that the NCAA tourney is here? I think that everyone is excited to see how far we can go. More people are getting engaged in athletics after seeing how much of an impact the team has made this year.

How does your school decide who gets to go to the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? The travel decision ultimately belongs to the coach. It depends on how many appearances we have made throughout the season as well as our grades. We are super-excited to dance/cheer at the game because we have not really traveled to an event like this before.

Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for the NCAA tourney? No, we will just do our same-old same-old and cause a ruckus on the sideline while cheering for our boys!

Any predictions for the Tigers on Friday night in Columbus? I feel like we will win so I am excited.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Maryland cheerleader Karen Gottlieb

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Jon Teitel

Last Friday Maryland lost to Indiana 70-60 in the Big 10 tourney quarterfinals but was still able to clinch an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Terps won 17 games under Mark Turgeon in 2021 and 15 games under Danny Manning in 2022 but have won 21 games under Kevin Willard in 2023 and claimed the school’s 1st NCAA tourney bid since 2021. In addition to shining a light on the players who got the job done on the court, it is also important to recognize the spirited students who have worked just as hard on the sidelines, such as band members/cheerleaders/dancers. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Maryland cheerleader Karen Gottlieb about being a captain.

You are from Gaithersburg, MD: what made you choose Maryland? I have lived in Maryland for my entire life so even from a young age UMD was at the top of my list. I had a deep interest in attending a prestigious/reputable institution. Additionally, I am a homebody and definitely prefer to stay close to my family/pets. UMD satisfied all of those requirements for me and I had the most amazing college experience attending the University of Maryland!

You have been on the UMD cheer team for 4 straight years and are a co-captain this year: what is the key to being a good leader? I have always strived to be a leader on every team that I have been on. The key to being a good leader for me is the ability for open/free-flowing communication. I believe that as an older member and inherent leader on the team I need to be a welcoming/inviting person who anyone on the team can feel comfortable enough to speak with about any positive/negative things they are experiencing without fear of judgment. It is extremely important to have a successful relationship between the team, its leaders, and the coaching staff.

You did gymnastics for several years before switching to competitive cheerleading at age 10: why did you make the switch, and what is the best part? I absolutely loved gymnastics when I was really young. However, as I got older, the number of practices/week increased significantly and it was definitely taking a toll on my physical/mental well-being. My parents and I knew that there was a cheerleading gym across the street from my gymnastics gym so one day we decided to look into it. After attending a cheerleading practice and absolutely adoring it, my parents decided to pull me out of gymnastics and enroll me at the cheerleading gym: Dream Allstars in Gaithersburg, MD. I stayed at my competitive cheer gym for seven years and the best part was definitely the team atmosphere. Like UMD cheer, my teams at Dream had a very supportive/competitive environment that pushed everyone to be the best athlete they could be. Every cheer team I have ever been on has been like a family.

You are in a sorority at UMD: what is Greek life like on campus? Being a part of Greek life at UMD is something that I have absolutely loved during my college career. The thing about Greek life at Maryland is that it is pretty small so you can have just as amazing a time at school without being a part of a fraternity/sorority. I love being a part of a community, which is why I decided to join my sorority and also become a member of the cheerleading team. Greek life at UMD is extremely inclusive and has given me so many lifelong friendships and memories that I will cherish!

You are double-majoring in economics and public policy: why did you choose those subjects? When I started my freshman year at UMD I was undecided about what I wanted to study. When I was in high school I took AP macroeconomics/microeconomics classes and excelled at both. My mother also majored in economics when she was in college so I decided that I wanted to give it a try. I ended up enjoying it so much that I finished all of my Econ courses prior to my senior year! Because I had scored well during my AP economics class in high school I was able to enter UMD with a few Econ credits. These credits allowed me to have a schedule that was fairly open, which is why I decided to add a second major. I had an interest in working in the public sector so I added public policy to learn about governmental relations. Now that I am a senior, I am so happy that I added public policy because I have developed a deep interest in working in local/state-level politics.

What is the post-graduation plan? I am in a program at Maryland that has allowed me to take around 10 credits of graduate courses in my undergrad in order to graduate with a master’s degree in just 1 year. The program that I am enrolled in is part of the Smith School of Business, and in May of 2024 I will graduate with a Master of Science in marketing analytics. I am also in the process of auditioning for the Baltimore Ravens Cheerleading team and will find out in a few weeks whether I am selected to be a member!

Last Friday your team lost to Indiana in the Big 10 tourney quarterfinals: what is the mood like on campus now that the NCAA tourney is here? The loss last Friday was obviously not intended, but with the NCAA tourney now starting the mood on campus is excited/hopeful. The UMD fan base is die-hard and extremely optimistic for a good outcome in the upcoming tournament game. Maryland fans are supporters for life and we want nothing but the best for our teams!

How does your school decide who gets to go to the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? Travel is limited to 8 individuals from the cheer team: the coaches select athletes based on seniority, position need, and other factors. Typically, we all get a chance to travel at some point but there are some instances when that cannot happen (like tournament season). The UMD cheerleading team has the amazing opportunity to represent our school at the NCA Collegiate Cheerleading National competition on April 6th/7th in Daytona, Florida. Therefor, this time of year is extremely busy for the cheer team. We are divided up so that we can allocate some cheerleaders to compete at nationals and some others to travel to both the men’s/women’s basketball tournaments. I was not selected to cheer at the NCAA Tournament but am thrilled to see my teammates cheering on our team in person.

Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for Birmingham? The squad that is in Birmingham has already sent so many pictures of everyone hanging out and having a great time together. They have had some free time and decided to go to Top Golf and have a nice team dinner. Having the opportunity to travel to away games and tournaments is a huge privilege that the cheerleaders get to participate in so they are super-excited to cheer at the game on Thursday.

Any predictions for the Terps on Thursday afternoon vs. West Virginia? I predict that the UMD men’s basketball team is going to beat West Virginia with flying colors! I wish them luck: Go Terps!

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews USC Song Girl Hannah

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Jon Teitel

Last Thursday USC lost to ASU 77-72 in the Pac-12 tourney quarterfinals but was still able to clinch an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Trojans have now had 4 straight seasons with at least 22 wins and claimed the school’s 3rd straight NCAA tourney appearance. In addition to shining a light on the players who got the job done on the court, it is also important to recognize the spirited students who have worked just as hard on the sidelines, such as band members/cheerleaders/dancers. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with USC Song Girl Hannah about the USC-UCLA rivalry.

What made you choose USC? It just has it all: rigorous academics, spirit, any club you can think of, any sport would want to watch, etc. Los Angeles is a great place to live and when I took a tour of the campus it just felt like home. It also has a strong alumni connection: my dad went here as well.

How long have you been cheering for, and what is the best part? I have been dancing since age 3 and joined a competitive team during high school. The best part is being part of a team and getting to dance with your best friends. It is a sisterhood that we are all passionate about.

You are majoring in Psychology with a Pre-Med emphasis: why did you choose those subjects? Psychology has always been really interesting to me: how the mind works, how mental illness forms, etc. Knowing how the human body works and how we process information is just fascinating.

You were recently accepted into the Master’s program for Global Medicine at Keck Medicine: what is the long-term career plan? I would love to be a doctor someday. I love kids so maybe a pediatrics, but I also love sports so maybe orthopedics.

What was your favorite moment this season: going to the Bahamas, beating UCLA on January 26th, Senior Night, other? There were lots of great moments but beating UCLA at home is always great. Even attending our weekly practices is so fun.

What is the USC-UCLA rivalry like for people who have never seen it in person? It is crazy and very intense. We were on a flight to the Pac-12 tourney last week and the pilot was a USC fan so he gave us a shout-out…followed by some UCLA fans in their seats singing the Bruins fight song. They are a great competitor and we both have passionate fans.

Last Thursday in the Pac-12 tourney quarterfinals your team had a 5-PT loss to ASU: how nervous was everyone on Selection Sunday, and what was the reaction like when you heard the Trojans name called? I always believed in the Trojans and were confident that they would make it. I am so excited to be here with the team and our band!

How does your school decide who gets to go to the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? It is based on seniority but we also look at who has the most availability and who has been to the most games during the season. We love any opportunity to perform and are going to kill it!

Does your team have anything extra-special planned for Columbus? We have been walking around and it is a very beautiful city: it has been nice to get a change in the weather. I am sure that we will have something special planned in addition to our performance for some middle school students. We get to do special gigs and share our Trojan spirit with people around the world.

Any predictions for the Trojans on Friday afternoon vs. Michigan State? I am very confident in our athletes/coaches and think that we will win. I am sure they will go far and I am very excited.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Tennessee cheerleader Sarah McGregor

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Jon Teitel

Last Friday Tennessee lost to Missouri 79-71 in the SEC tourney quarterfinals but was still able to clinch an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Volunteers have now received a top-5 seed in 5 of the past 6 years and claimed the school’s 3rd straight NCAA tourney bid. In addition to shining a light on the players who got the job done on the court, it is also important to recognize the spirited students who have worked just as hard on the sidelines, such as band members/cheerleaders/dancers. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Tennessee cheerleader Sarah McGregor about growing up in Knoxville.

photo credit: Ally Robinson

You are from Knoxville: what made you choose Tennessee? Growing up in this college town I went to football/basketball games with my family. The environment is like no other in Vols Nation.

You have been cheering for most of your life: how did you 1st get into it, and what is the best part? I started in gymnastics and then got into cheering around age 8. The best part is the lifelong friends that I have made.

You are majoring in kinesiology: why did you choose that subject? It is like exercise science: specifically the study of human body movement. It can lead me into so many different kinds of careers.

What is the post-graduation plan? I plan on applying to physical therapy school this summer.

1 of your hobbies is sailing: do you have a favorite sailing destination? The British Virgin Islands! My family and I have been there 3 times and I cannot wait to go back because it is so beautiful.

You are a 2-time UCA Game Day National Champion: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It was surreal! I had never been in a position to win something like that. To be wearing Tennessee on my chest while winning a national championship was such an honor. Knowing that we had such a close team who had the same goal made it even more special.

Last Friday in the SEC tourney quarterfinals you lost to Missouri: what is the mood like on campus now that the NCAA tourney is finally here, and is everyone sad because Zakai Zeigler tore his ACL vs. Arkansas a couple of weeks ago? Everybody is on spring break so there is not much happening on campus but there is a LOT of excitement on social media. We wish Zakai the best: everyone was so sad when he got injured.

How does your school decide who gets to go to the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? It revolves around our school schedule. For some tourneys we choose only upperclassmen but this time we are taking 2 freshmen. This is my 1st tourney because COVID messed up my 1st couple of years. We go to a great university and will represent it well.

Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for Orlando? Nothing special: just supporting the team the best way we know how: by keeping spirits high and getting our fans involved.

Any predictions for the Volunteers on Thursday night vs. Louisiana? I think we will come out with a win and then have another game on Saturday.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Texas Southern Tiger Sensations dancer Jada Prescott

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Jon Teitel

Last Saturday Texas Southern beat Grambling 61-58 in the SWAC tourney title game to clinch an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Tigers lost 20 games during the regular season but got hot at the right time and claimed the school’s 3rd straight NCAA tourney bid. In addition to shining a light on the players who got the job done on the court, it is also important to recognize the spirited students who have worked just as hard on the sidelines, such as band members/cheerleaders/dancers. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Texas Southern Tiger Sensations dancer Jada Prescott about bringing some HBCU spirit to the NCAA tourney.

You were born/raised in Houston: what made you choose Texas Southern? I wanted to be somewhere close to home because I am family-oriented. Once I visited the campus it felt like home and a place where I needed to be.

You have been dancing your whole life: how did you 1st get into it, and what is the best part? I have been dancing since I was little. My mom put me into ballet/step/cheer and I eventually realized that I am best at dance.

You are a Game Day Co-Captain: what is the key to being a good leader? Just separating friendship from leadership. I have a lot of responsibilities as co-captain but sometimes it is hard to separate the 2 and remember your position.

You are majoring in Healthcare Administration and will also be graduating with a certificate in Business Management: why did you choose those subjects? In high school I had to choose a major and always wanted to start my own clothing line. My mom always told me that I should get a job in the health field because I want to be secure for my future.

Your long-term plan is to become an OBGYN: how many years of medical school will that take? It takes 2-4 years. I was talking to my academic advisor about my credits/transcript so I think it will only take me 2 years.

You also want to start your own dance team: what will make your team different from other teams? Since I am starting from scratch and doing it on my own, it will test my ability to run a business. I want to be fair and teach kids that even if you take a loss to not be bitter about it but rather use it as a lesson. My girls (or dudes!) will build their own character by learning how to deal with failure.

Last Saturday in the SWAC tourney title game you had a 3-PT win over Grambling: how on earth were you able to win 3 games in 4 days after going 11-20 during the regular season?! Everyone can have a rough start and things might not be perfect at the beginning: the key is how you finish your season. At the end of the day we are 3-time champs, which shows that no matter your seed or your # of losses anyone can win the title.

How does your school decide who gets to go to the NCAA tourney, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? We can only send 5-6 dancers so we usually just take our veterans who have experience or our seniors who only have 1 opportunity left. It will be great to give everyone a taste of what a real HBCU looks like!

Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for the NCAA tourney? We shall see: maybe for our halftime performance. We are overly-prepared and super-excited.

Any predictions for the Tigers tonight vs. Fairleigh Dickinson? We will take a W!: I have so much confidence and it is go time!

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Southern Utah Associate Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator Katie Gruys

Posted on March 15, 2023 by Jon Teitel

Last Saturday Southern Utah beat Cal Baptist 82-73 in the WAC tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Thunderbirds were making their 1st appearance in the WAC tourney after spending the past decade in the Big Sky and clinched the 1st NCAA tourney bid in school history. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Southern Utah Associate Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator Katie Gruys about helping to recruit a little basketball player you might have heard of named Sabrina Ionescu.

You are from Minnesota: what made you choose Oregon for college? I was born in a town of 2000 people called Annandale. I grew up playing 5 sports but basketball was my favorite. My older brother Nick was my track coach and I chose Oregon because it is Tracktown USA! When I went there I was missing basketball and Paul Westhead was the basketball coach. He had a lot of injuries that year and some of his players ended up putting me through a tryout that I was unaware of. After that 1st season I knew that I had to do both sports.

You spent your 1st 2 years playing for Paul, who won an NBA title with the Lakers in 1980 and a WNBA title with the Mercury in 2007: what was it like to play for him, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? It was just FAST because he wanted us to get out and go. I learned that it is a business and he has been everywhere. Basketball is all the same regardless of the league/style of play. Your shooting efficiency goes up when you reverse the ball, which is something we use at Southern Utah.

You were a walk-on but were eventually awarded a scholarship during spring practice on May 18, 2015: where does that day rank among the highlights of your career so far? I cried like a baby: it was my birthday week and it came completely out of left field. They had me host a lot of recruiting visits, including kids like Sabrina Ionescu, and they appreciated how much I bought into what they did. I even kept a journal of what was going on in practice. It is definitely in the top-3 but I think that going to the big dance this week is now #1. I have a jersey in my office signed by Sabrina saying, “Thanks for helping me commit and be a Duck”, but I cannot take all of the credit!

Before coming to Southern Utah you spent 2 years as an assistant at Willamette University: what is the biggest difference between D-3 vs. D-1? The biggest difference is the size of the staff. I was a grad assistant at Clemson but got a lot of advice from people to go to D-3 and become an assistant. It was just me and the head coach at Willamette so I got to do a little of everything and get a lot of experience in my early 20s. Now we have 3 assistants so it is much less work.

In your 1st season on the SUU staff as Academic Advisor you helped your team finish in the top-5 in the nation in GPA: how much importance do you place on academics? It is huge. We had such smart girls that 1st year so they made it extremely easy on me. We even had 1 girl who was valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA.

You are the associate head coach/recruiting coordinator: what is the key to being a good recruiter? Relationships. I know that it sounds like a cliche but you never know when it will pay off for you with a big-time recruit. I have been fortunate to have recruited most of the players on our roster: we have a bunch of kids from the Northwest due to my relationships with AAU/high school coaches/parents. I also like to talk to opposing coaches to see what they have to say about a kid. I am big on talking to people via Facetime and I think a lot of kids just want to know that we believe in them.

Last Saturday in the WAC tourney title game your team had a 9-PT win over Cal Baptist: what did it mean to you to win a title, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? I was just so happy for the team and so proud of them because they have worked so hard. To see it come to fruition is amazing and Coach Tracy Sanders has been the best boss that I could hope for. Our kids always had a chip on their shoulder and underdog mentality. The locker room involved everything from crying to dancing.

You have 6 players this year averaging 8-16 PPG: how crucial has that offensive balance been to your team’s success? It has been huge because we have different people stepping up every night. Some of our mismatches are in the post and some of them are in the backcourt. It has made us a better team, which is why we won a championship.

What kind of seed were you expecting, and how do you feel about being a 14 seed? I was expecting anything from a 12-16 so I feel good about a 14. I was hoping for a 14/15 so I feel good about it.

I know it has been a while since you were a grad student in the ACC at Clemson but do you remember anything about Notre Dame? We are excited to go somewhere different with strong traditions and our girls will be prepared/ready to go. We only played Notre Dame once when I was at Clemson and I think we only lost by 4 PTS. Muffet McGraw was the head coach back then (now it is Niele Ivey) so it was a great experience for me. They have always had really good bigs who could rebound the ball. I actually visited their campus for track and field. I grew up Catholic so you always have to take a picture with Touchdown Jesus…but does it get any better than playing the Irish on St. Patrick’s Day this Friday?!

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