Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Charleston Cougarettes dance team assistant coach Remy Hayes

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Jon Teitel

Last Tuesday Charleston beat UNC-Wilmington 63-58 in the CAA tourney title game to clinch an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Cougars won 31 games this year and claimed the school’s 1st NCAA tourney bid since 2018. 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 Charleston Cougarettes dance team assistant coach Remy Hayes about a season for the ages.

You grew up in Madison, NJ: how did you end up at Charleston? Growing up I spent a lot of time in North Carolina and knew from a pretty young age that I wanted to go to college somewhere in the south. I looked at a bunch of options, but as soon as I stepped foot on campus I knew that College of Charleston was the one.

You were a captain of the Cougarettes Dance Team when you were in college: what is the key to being a good leader? I think a good leader has to be able to build meaningful relationships with those around them. I think making genuine connections and maintaining positive relationships is something that helps leaders continue to grow. I also think that leaders need to be adaptable. Each person you lead may need something different from you and finding the best way to motivate each individual is something I am constantly working on.

You graduated in 2014 with a degree in exercise science and later got your Masters’ degree from Northeastern in Sports Leadership: why did you choose those subjects? I wish I had a better answer for undergrad other than I enjoyed the topics and had some great professors. I really loved my biomechanics class and how physics applied to how our bodies move. After I started working in athletics I got really interested in leadership programs and Northeastern had a great Masters’ program that I could do online while continuing to work at CofC.

You spent several years working for the athletic department doing student-athlete academic services/compliance: why did you decide to focus on coaching the dance team full-time last year? The opportunity to coach the dance team presented itself at a time when I was reevaluating my career. In every professional role I have ever had personal interaction and hands-on experience with students has been my favorite part. Directly helping young adults grow/learn/succeed is something that I have always been passionate about and something I was missing in my role at the time. It was not an easy decision, and I really miss working in CofC’s athletic administration, but I am still around and some of my best friends still work in the department. I will say that coaching and being involved with dance, something that has defined me for my entire life, has been the best decision I could have made.

What has been your favorite moment so far this season: upsetting Virginia Tech back in November, your 20-game winning streak in the middle of the season, beating UNC-Wilmington last Tuesday, other? Well, winning the CAA championship has definitely been a highlight this season. For me, it was getting to see the hard work behind the scenes from the administration to the support staff (and of course our coaches/student-athletes) pan out into such a successful season. Fans do not typically get to see all of the hard work that goes into a successful season but I have been lucky to have a front-row seat to the dedication/details that the student-athletes/coaching staff/entire department put into each day. For it all to culminate in such a historic season is pretty incredible.

Your basketball team had a few mediocre years before exploding this year with a record of 31-3: what is the atmosphere like on campus now that the NCAA tourney is finally here? Charleston as a city has so much to offer that a lot of people miss out on supporting the college’s athletic teams. However, to gain the attention/interest of the entire city and have people all over Charleston trying to get tickets to games is something special. I have been around this program for almost 13 years and never seen the arena and fans as excited as they were this season. It makes it so much more fun for the spirit programs as well: dancing/cheering in front of excited fans is something my team always appreciates.

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 used seniority to decide on who is traveling: we have 3 seniors and 3 juniors so the numbers worked out easily for us. The exposure and ability to continue to represent CofC is incredible. Our team competes at UDA Nationals in January so once basketball season ends so does our season. For our seniors to get this experience in their last months of college is beyond special and something I am thankful they will have memories of.

Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for next week? We like to keep things fun and fresh so there will be some new things during the timeouts, and we always love to get Clyde the Cougar involved, so keep an eye out for him as well!

Any predictions for the Cougars’ game on Thursday afternoon vs. San Diego State? The only answer is a Cougar win!

Will your husband Sean get to join you at the NCAA tourney next week or will he have to stay home to watch your dog Louie?! Sean is also a CofC alum and a huge basketball fan so there is NO chance he would miss the tournament. As soon as Orlando was announced as our site he booked a hotel!

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Miami associate head coach Bill Courtney

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Jon Teitel

Last Friday Miami lost to Duke 85-78 in the ACC tourney semifinals but still earned an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Hurricanes made the Elite 8 last March and have now clinched the school’s 2nd straight NCAA tourney bid. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Miami associate head coach Bill Courtney about playing against Jim Boeheim in the NCAA tourney.

You were a 2-time 1st-Team All-Patriot League player at Bucknell: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? I had a great experience playing for Coach Charlie Woollum all 4 years. I did not play much as a freshman but by my senior year I was 1 of the leaders.

You were also captain for 2 years: what is the secret to being a good leader? You need to be a hard worker, which was a big thing for me. I prided myself in being 1 of the hardest workers in the league so I put in the time to do that, which allowed me to gain confidence. My teammates did not love it when I pushed them into the gym but I just tried to lead them in the right direction.

In the 1989 NCAA tourney you scored 2 PTS in a loss to Syracuse: what was it like to face Jim Boeheim in the postseason, and can you believe that he finally retired last week? How about that!? I was so young as a freshman that I did not know how to handle their zone defense. Sherman Douglas was my favorite player growing up in DC so it was a thrill to actually play against him. Coach Boeheim was a legend even back then and now my friend Adrian Autry has taken over for him. Adrian was our director of basketball operation at Virginia Tech in 2010 while I was an assistant to Seth Greenberg!

In 2007 you were named to the Bucknell Athletics Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It is right near the top. I have a great affinity for the place so to share that honor with my wife/2 boys was awesome. They had always heard that I could play but never actually thought that I could play!

You work for Jim Larranaga at Miami after having previously been his assistant at Bowling Green/George Mason: what makes him such a great coach, and what kind of bond have you 2 developed over the past 3 decades? He is not only my mentor but 1 of my best friends/father figures: he has been everything in my life since he hired me at age 26. I coached his son Jay, who remains 1 of my best friends and was the 1st person I hired when I became head coach at Cornell. We had a couple of years at the beginning here that we struggled but are succeeding now because he is 1 of the best to ever do it. He has built programs/teams everywhere he has been and done a remarkable job of having the same values/ethics throughout his life to do it the right way.

In 2022 you made the Elite 8 before losing to eventual champion Kansas: what did your team learn from that run that you think will help them this year? You need to have fun with it! We had more fun than anyone last year and felt loose/confident, which is also how we played. Coach gives his players the confidence to do their best so we will do what we have done all year to have success.

This will be the 10th postseason appearance of your coaching career: what is the key to winning games in March? If you start to try new things then it can hurt you a bit. Everyone always says “guard play”, which I agree is extremely important at tournament time since most of the games are close. You need guys who can make plays at the end of the game and the ball is in their hands. A lot of the big shots in tourney history were made by guards. We started 4 guards last year who were all tremendous at making plays down the stretch.

You are known as a great recruiter: what impact has NIL money had on your ability to recruit players (if any)? It has made things more complicated, for sure. Every state has different laws and every program has a different way of doing things. We have not been involved in that as a coaching staff because Florida state laws do not allow it: we just recruit normally as we always do.

Your team was top-25 in the nation this year in both PPG/FT%: how were you able to have such an amazing offense despite having only 1 SR on the roster (Jordan Miller)? What really helped us was recruiting very unselfish kids, as well as getting players via the transfer portal who were great teammates and willing to share the ball. We have 1000-PT scorers who will turn down a good shot for a better shot. Isaiah Wong is 1 of the best scorers in school history…but is also 1 of the best AST guys on our team.

How do you feel about being a 5 seed, and what do you know about Drake? Drake is very good! We played in the same tourney in Orlando with them last year and they have a very veteran team. Tucker DeVries is probably going to become a long-time NBA player and they do not make a lot of mistakes. They are very efficient on offense and Darian DeVries is a terrific coach so we have our work cut out for us. The MVC has always been an underrated league.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Nevada cheerleader Hallie Borgel

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Jon Teitel

Last Thursday Nevada lost to San Jose State 81-77 in OT in the MWC quarterfinals but was still able to earn an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Wolfpack won 22 games this year and claimed the school’s 1st NCAA tourney bid since 2019. 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 Nevada cheerleader Hallie Borgel about being a great student.

You were born/raised in Las Vegas: how did you choose Nevada? Choosing Nevada was not my initial plan, but I can safely say that I could not imagine myself at any other university. I knew I wanted to stay close to home but felt the pressure to go far and be fully independent. As I was entering my senior year of high school I initially planned on heading south and moving on from being a cheerleader to pursuing Greek Life. I looked at so many colleges and always had the University of Nevada on my list just in case. I then decided to try out for Nevada’s Cheerleading team in early March of 2019 to see if this would be my sign to become a part of the Pack or to move far away from my initial home. Making the team my freshman year changed my life in the best way possible. Even my parents (who are UNLV alumni) were so ecstatic about my decision and supported me from the beginning!

You have been cheering since you were 13 years old: how did you 1st get into it, and what is the best part? Well, I was juggling both cheer/soccer at the time. My father was a big soccer star at UNLV (1990 conference POY) and inspired my sisters and I to follow that same path. I enjoyed soccer for the most part but did not feel like it was for me the same way that it was for my dad/2 sisters. I started taking tumbling classes at a local gym in Las Vegas, quickly picked up the skills, and convinced my parents to let me try out for a competitive team. They were fully supportive of cheer being my main sport/focus and I went on to compete for 4 more years! The best part of cheerleading to me is the friendships that I have made. Over the years I have made lifelong friends/mentors who I will cherish forever.

You are majoring in Journalism with an emphasis in PR/advertising: why did you choose those subjects? I always loved to write and problem-solve while growing up. I thrived in English classes and knew that I could not choose a career path that did not let me show my creativity to its fullest. The journalism school at Nevada is one of the best programs and I became more interested in PR and advertising as I entered my junior year. I chose this emphasis because I knew with my crisis-solving mindset and writing skills that I would excel best with this focus. However, I did not know that journalism could be such a diverse degree with many different routes to choose from!

You have a 3.6 GPA: how do you balance your work in the classroom with your work on the cheer team? It is not easy and did not come naturally to me, but I learned over time the importance of juggling different things all at once. I learned that in order to excel in all of the things I am involved in I have to equally give my time to each thing. I create calendars everywhere…and I mean everywhere: on my phone, in my room, on my laptop, and anywhere else I can find a place to write down my to-do lists! There are some days where I want to quit and give up, to be fully honest with you. Cheering a full season of basketball and football while being a community-based team is a LOT on top of school. However, I never expected to be able to balance everything immediately. It took me a good 2 years to finally be able to confidently balance my life accordingly. This has helped me with the mindset of balancing a job and family one day as I grow into adulthood!

You graduate in a few months: what is the post-graduation plan? I am so excited to be able to say that I will be staying in Reno post-graduation. I never thought when coming to Reno at age 18 that I would still be here full-time at age 22. I am planning to workas a Summer Intern at TrailRunner International, which is a remarkable crisis communication firm in Truckee. I will be working there for the entirety of summer and hopefully work full-time come the fall: fingers crossed!

1 of your hobbies is watching movies: what is the best 1 you have seen recently? I watch so many movies each week: where do I begin?! I would have to say the best one that I have seen recently is “The Menu”. It was so intriguing and like nothing I have seen before. I am a thriller movie lover at heart and this was a perfect movie for my liking.

Nevada was on the bubble all weekend: what was the reaction like on Selection Sunday when you finally heard their name called? I was actually in line at a pharmacy with my boyfriend. I got a text in our Mountain West chat from our coaches and we all were completely stunned and over the moon! The people in the pharmacy probably were eyeing me for the right reasons as I could not contain my excitement. We all expected the Mountain West tourney to be our final goodbye to the season…but that just shows that you never know what could possibly lie ahead despite all of the odds stacked against you.

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? As I mentioned briefly above, we are a community-based team at heart. With that, choosing the team to represent the program at NCAA is about members who showed up to events around the Reno community, as well as those who showed dedication/ commitment to the team for the entire season. Being picked is an honor: I have been fortunate enough to represent Nevada at multiple tournaments/games. Moving on from the Mountain West Tournament to the NCAA Tournament will be sort of a culture shock. None of us have been to a tournament this big/extravagant during our years as cheerleaders. It will mean the absolute world to me to be able to say that I cheered alongside some of the best athletes and people on the biggest stage in college basketball!

Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for the NCAA tourney? As of now we have nothing planned. Between finding out that we made the field yesterday and then flying out today, we have not really had the time to plan anything fun to do while we are in Dayton…and hopefully moving onto Denver! I think the best things go unplanned and we all know how to make a good time out of anything! For the games, we  have planned out some great stunts and dances to show to the crowd.

Any predictions for the Wolfpack on Wednesday night vs. ASU? I am an optimistic person at heart. Seeing how our season has unfolded, I learned to expect the unexpected. This group of boys is probably the best that I have seen during my four years as a cheerleader. Their record alone shows that, but when I say “best” I mean best at playing as a unit rather than as individuals. I am going to say that my Wolf Pack will come out on top in Dayton. I think with this chance that they were given they will show up and shut down ASU!

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Drake cheerleader Savannah Ervin

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Jon Teitel

Earlier this month Drake beat top-seeded Bradley 77-51 in the MVC tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Bulldogs won 25 games last year and made the CBI quarterfinals but have already won 27 games this year to claim the school’s 2nd NCAA tourney bid in the past 3 years. 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 Drake cheerleader Savannah Ervin about being a captain.

You are from Bettendorf, IA: what made you choose Drake? I chose Drake because it has a good Occupational therapy program that is also accelerated, which means that I will finish my degree earlier than I would be at a different school.

You have been cheering for 8 years: how did you 1st get into it, and what is your favorite part? I first got into cheer during junior high. I had been dancing my whole life but some of my friends were trying out for the team so I thought that I would too. For a while I cheered/danced at the same time but it was too much work to do both so I had to pick 1. I decided to go with cheer (obviously!) and have not stopped cheering since. My favorite part of cheer is forming extremely close bonds with my teammates and stunting as well.

You are a co-captain of the team this year: what is the key to being a good leader? I think the key to being a good leader is making sure that you know what is going on. If you are unaware of what is happening and are unorganized then you will be be unable to lead anyone else. I also think that an extremely important part of being a leader is to find a good balance. You need to be able to tell people the expectations that they need to meet, but not sound bossy when you do so.

You are majoring in health sciences on the pre-occupational therapy track and minoring in psychology and behavioral analysis of developmental disabilities: how did you choose those subjects? I chose these subjects because I have always been interested in people with special needs ever since I was on an all-inclusive cheer team. I became close friends with so many of the other cheerleaders and wanted to be able to work with them for the rest of my life. I have continued doing extensive volunteer work with people who have disabilities and wanted to understand how to help them when they need it.

You are only a sophomore but what is the post-graduation plan? I am hoping to have a good-enough internship that I can just jump into a job right away. I want to work in a clinical setting at the moment so I am on the hunt for hospitals with internships for future occupational therapists.

What has been your favorite moment so far this season: upsetting Mississippi State back in December, winning back-to-back double-OT games to start February, Senior Night, other? I think that my favorite moment of this basketball season was Arch Madness. The energy in that packed stadium was incomparable. All of our fans were cheering our team to victory alongside the cheerleaders and it felt so good to know that our team had the most support in order to get that victory!

In the MVC tourney title game your team had a huge win over Bradley: what has the reaction been like since you returned to campus? Although the cheerleaders have been acting crazy since this amazing win (I am not sure if we will ever be able to let it go!), I feel like everyone else’s reactions have stayed the same.

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? Drake had a selection party yesterday when we found where we are going. All  of the cheerleaders are so excited to have this game on national TV because it truly is a moment in history for our school. 

Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for the NCAA tourney? We do not have anything special at the moment, but I am guessing that once we figure out where we are going our coach (Morgan Petersen) will come up with a fun outing for all of the cheerleaders to indulge in whenever we have some downtime. She loves to surprise us as well.

Any prediction for the Bulldogs on Friday night vs. Miami? I am just hoping that we try our hardest and make it as far as we can.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks

Posted on March 13, 2023 by Jon Teitel

Earlier this month Virginia Tech beat Louisville 75-67 in the ACC tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Hokies wrapped up their 8th straight winning season by clinching the school’s 3rd straight NCAA tourney bid. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Virginia Tech coach Kenny Brooks about being a 1 seed.

You played basketball at JMU for Coach Lefty Driesell: what made him such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you ever learned from him? He has been extremely influential in my life/career. I thought that he was the craziest man in the world when I played for him…but now I find myself doing a lot of the same things that he did! I am forever indebted to him and still talk to him every now and then. In 10-20 years hopefully my players will feel the same way about me.

In the 2014 NCAA tourney as coach at JMU you upset Gonzaga for the school’s 1st NCAA tourney win since 1991: where does that rank among the highlights of your career so far? That was huge! We had made it to the NCAA tourney before but never won it so we had to take the next step. It was monumental for our program and I was very proud of our kids. Once you win a tourney game you need to learn how to win more.

You were a 4-time CAA COY: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It is not everything and does not validate anything: there are some years when I did not win COY but still felt that I did a great job of coaching. When my kids come up and tell me that I am their COY that is all I need: I do not need a piece of hardware. That happened again this year even though I do not have the trophy.

You remain the winningest coach in JMU women’s history: do you think that anyone will ever break your record? All records are made to be broken! I got married on that campus and my kids were born there. My career has been so rewarding.

In 2016 you were hired at Virginia Tech: why did you take the job? I wanted to go out and challenge myself on the highest level. When this job became available I had to take my talents here and see what I could do against the best.

Last week you had 3 wins in 3 days to win the ACC tourney title: what was the feeling like in your locker room afterwards? It was surreal! All of the emotions involved in building a program from the bottom: my 1st year we were #13 in the ACC…and this year we are #4 in the country. The ACC trophy is a LOT heavier than the CAA trophy, which is symbolic because there are a lot of heavy-hitters/national champs in this league. It has not sunk in yet but I will get to reflect on it this summer at my lake house.

You play an up-tempo style of basketball: what makes it so effective? We are a very versatile group so if we have an easy opportunity then we will take it. We have the fastest PG in the country but also have 1 of the best centers in the country. It makes it exciting to come watch us because you never know what you will see.

SR Liz Kitley is the 2-time defending ACC POY and the all-time leading scorer in school history: where does she rank among the greatest players that you have ever coached? She is in a league by herself. I have had several WNBA Draft picks but she is #1. I have had some special kids but the way she operates and the level she has taken us to is 2nd to none…although I might have some former players get mad at me for saying that!

You only have 3 players on the roster from Virginia: what sort of recruiting philosophy do you have? I try to get kids who fit our culture regardless of where they are from. Geographically we are close to North Carolina: it takes me several hours to get to the Tidewater area. We have a top-20 recruiting class coming in with players from Connecticut/New York/Charlotte so we recruit nationally and want kids who love being at Virginia Tech.

How do you feel about being a 1 seed, and how far can this team go? Being a 1 seed is a monumental accomplishment…which comes with responsibility because we will have a target on our back. My associate head coach from last year (Shawn Poppie) is Chattanooga’s head coach and is 1 of my best friends in the business. The NCAA has a sick sense of humor having us face each other, but that is what makes the tourney fun. Some people thought that UConn should have been a 1 seed so I think our group will use that as motivation: it is great for our program.

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2023 NCAA Tournament Bracket

Posted on March 12, 2023 by Chad

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