CAA Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 25, 2023 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

CAA MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Charleston
  2. UNC Wilmington
  3. Drexel
  4. Hofstra
  5. Delaware (tied 5th)
  6. Towson (tied 5th)
  7. Northeastern
  8. William & Mary
  9. Stony Brook
  10. Elon
  11. Monmouth
  12. Campbell
  13. Hampton
  14. NC A&T

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-CAA 1ST TEAM:

-Ante Brzovic – JR, F – Charleston
-Tyler Thomas – SR, G – Hofstra
-Charles Thompson – SR, G – Towson
-Trazarien White – JR, F – UNC Wilmington
-Amari Williams – SR, F – Drexel

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-CAA 2ND TEAM:

-Jyare Davis – JR, F – Delaware
-Anthony Dell’Orso – SO, G – Campbell
-Max Mackinnon – SO, G – Elon
-Reyne Smith – JR, G – Charleston
-Tyler Stephenson-Moore – SR, G – Stony Brook

COMMENTS FROM DAVID GRIGGS:

-The biggest story out of the CAA from last season was Charleston. They won 31 games, climbed into the national rankings, won the conference tournament, and then played a great game against San Diego State (who was the eventual national runner-up) in the Round of 64. It is understandable that they would be the preseason favorites after doing all that, but they did lose three key starters and will have to rebuild the roster. Ante Brzovic is back and he gives them a huge presence underneath. Reyne Smith also gives them some experience and talent out on the perimeter as he is a very good outside shooter. They do have some experienced guys returning who came off the bench last year to go along with a few notable transfers. Pat Kelsey has done a fantastic job for this program since he took it over and it would not shock me at all to see them at the top of the league again this year.

-UNCW had a great season last year that was kind of overshadowed by Charleston. They won 24 total games, and while they had a couple of head-scratching losses they nearly beat Charleston in the CAA Championship game. Four starters return, and considering how good they were a year ago it would not shock me at all to see them compete with and even finish ahead of, Charleston this year. Trazarien White is probably their best player but they are balanced and they have depth. I like this team a lot and think we will be seeing them a lot in the Under the Radar Top Ten this year.

-Drexel has four starters back and is getting a lot of preseason love this year. I do not like them quite as much as the top two teams in the league…but I do like them quite a bit. Injuries were a big reason they struggled down the stretch last season. They clearly were not the same team as they were when they were healthy so we should see a big improvement if they can just keep their guys on the court. Amari Williams is a fantastic frontcourt player and they have enough experience and talent out on the perimeter to give them a lot of weapons. I was going to pick the Dragons as a sleeper team, but since they have been picked to finish 3rd I guess they really are not sleepers at all.

-Last season Hofstra actually finished 16-2 in league play and won 25 games overall. They tied Charleston in the standings and it was a fantastic year for Speedy Claxton in his second year as head coach. They should have gotten more credit but because of the national attention Charleston was getting they kind of got lost in the shuffle. Three starters are back including Tyler Thomas, who is one of the best guards in the conference. I think this Hofstra team could end up having another monster year this year.

I love the top-four teams in this league! But after that…it starts to look like a low level UTR conference. It would not shock me to see each of the the top-four teams go unbeaten against the other ten teams in the league.

-Delaware was just 8-10 last year and has just two starters back. While they have an outstanding player in Jyare Davis, they are not a very good shooting team and I cannot see them competing with the top four teams.

-I love what Pat Skerry has been able to do at Towson: I say that every year but it is the truth. They have now had back-to-back 20+ win seasons, but with just two starters back they are sort of tasked with having to rebuild their roster this year and we could see them take a bit of a step back. Charles Thompson is a standout guard, and they are adding what appear to be some notable transfers, so perhaps the Tigers can keep winning at the same clip they have been.

-Northeastern Coach Bill Coen is a good coach. Having said that, there is no ignoring the fact that they have failed to win more than ten games in each of the last three years, and you have to start to wonder if he is ever going to build them back up. Three starters are back, and hopefully that experience translates into a few more wins, but I gotta be honest: I am just not seeing it.

-William & Mary has never been to an NCAA Tournament: could this be the year!!?? Well, the answer is almost assuredly….no. We did see improvement last year in the sense that they were not as bad as they had been the previous two years, and they do have some terrific outside shooters, most notably Gabe Dorsey. I think we will see continued improvement this season, but they are still a long way from the top of the league.

-Stony Brook has just two starters back from a team that won just 11 games a year ago. They have a very good guard in Tyler Stephenson-Moore but the rest of the roster is questionable. They do have some guys back from injuries and they have also got some transfers coming in that may be able to contribute.

-Elon has not won more than ten games for the past three seasons, and while three starters return and we could see some improvement come along with that experience the expectations still are not very high. Max Mackinnon gives them some strength in the backcourt but they will need some other guys to step up.

-King Rice has been at Monmouth for 12 seasons, which is kind of hard to believe, but the days of this being a nationally-relevant program and a media darling now seems like it happened in another lifetime. This team managed just seven wins a year ago, and although all four starters are back, most people (myself included) are expecting to see them closer to the bottom of the standings than the top.

-Campbell comes into the CAA from the Big South, and their new conference mates do not seem to have very high expectations for them. I cannot say that my own expectations are all that high but they certainly are not this low. Three starters are back, and while the Big South is not as good as the CAA overall I think it actually is comparable to the CAA outside of the top-four teams. The Camels will not compete with the likes of CofC/UNCW/Hofstra/Drexel, but they can probably hold their own with everyone else and finish a little better than 12th.

-Hampton is coming off of an eight-win season and has just two starters back. Jordan Nesbitt is a pretty solid player but he cannot do it alone.

-NC A&T is basically starting over. All five starters from last year are gone and they have a new head coach in Monte Ross who certainly has his work cut out for him.

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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Little Rock coach Darrell Walker

Posted on October 25, 2023 by Jon Teitel

We are still about 2 weeks away from the tip-off of the college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to prepare for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with Little Rock coach Darrell Walker, who talked about winning a title with Michael Jordan and his expectations for this season.

In the 1981 NCAA tourney as a player at Arkansas you scored a game-high 23 PTS and your teammate US Reed swished a 49-footer at the buzzer to clinch a 1-PT upset of defending national champion Louisville (www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-TtGo8CwUM): what are your memories of 1 of the most fantastic finishes in NCAA tourney history? I remember Coach Eddie Sutton in the huddle telling us to get the ball to US and that we were going to win the game. It was a spectacular shot.

In 1983 you were named All-American/conference POY: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? I had put in some hard work to become a complete basketball player so to make a Sweet 16 and win some conference titles felt good.

In the decisive Game 5 of the 1984 Eastern Conference 1st round as a player with the Knicks (your 1st-ever playoff series), Bernard King scored 44 PTS in 41 minutes despite having the flu and a pair of dislocated middle fingers while Isiah Thomas scored 16 PTS in the final 93 seconds of regulation to force OT: which of these 2 amazing achievements impressed you the most? Both of them were pretty impressive. Bernard was just phenomenal for that entire series as he averaged about 43 PPG. I remember it being very hot at Joe Louis Arena that night due to the lack of air conditioning but we were able to get the win.

In 1993 you won an NBA title with Chicago as they became the 1st team to win 3 straight titles since Boston in the 1960s: what did it mean to you to win a title, and what was it like to have Michael Jordan as a teammate? It was great to win a title back home in Chicago where I grew up. Playing with MJ was like going around with the Rolling Stones 24/7. It was so fun that year to see him play so well despite all of the pressure/expectations.

You played for some of the best coaches in NBA history including Hubie Brown/Chuck Daly/Phil Jackson: what was the most important thing that you learned from any of them? I took something from all of them: Chuck was a master at dealing with players, Hubie was all about preparation, and Phil never seemed to get uptight.

You were a 2-time conference DPOY and your 1.5 career SPG remains top-80 in NBA history: what is the secret to being a great defender? Wanting to do it! All good defenders want to guard their opponent even though it is a thankless job, and footspeed also helps.

Your wife Lisa was an All-American sprinter at Arkansas and joined you in the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame: who is the best athlete in the family? You are talking to him! If she was standing here I would tell you the same thing.

Your roster at Little Rock only has 2 in-state players: what sort of recruiting philosophy do you have? We are a small mid-major but my staff and I know a lot of people all over the basketball world. We recruit guys from everywhere but the key is having good contacts.

Your team allowed opponents to shoot almost 40 3P% last year: how big a priority is perimeter defense this year? It has been very important and I have stressed it all summer. We scored more than enough PTS to win some games last year but to be honest we were horrible on the defensive end. We moved on from last season and have some guys whose focus will be on contesting shots this year.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? To win games and be 90% better defensively. We want to hold teams in the 60s so it is all about the defense: if we defend better then we will win games.

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The Hoops HD Report: Pac 12 Conference Preview

Posted on October 25, 2023 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

This is the final year of the Pac-12 in its classic format. The panel takes a look at it, and feels that it isn’t quite as strong as the rest of the P5 leagues. Still, we really like Arizona and feel they can run away from the league. USC is also very talented and they shouldn’t have any trouble making the NCAA. UCLA, who has had several great seasons in a row, had a new roster and we discuss whether or not their new personnel is the best fit for their system. Colorado is another team with big preseason expectations, and while a lot of us like them we also question whether or not they are being overvalued. Oregon is another team with a lot of question marks. They struggled with injuries last year, but what is their potential if they can stay healthy. We look at and discuss all 12 teams in the Pac 12.

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

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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Temple assistant coach Bobby Jordan

Posted on October 24, 2023 by Jon Teitel

We are still about 2 weeks away from the tip-off of the college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to prepare for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with Temple assistant coach Bobby Jordan, who talked about getting hired last April and his expectations for this season.

You played basketball at Drexel: how good a player were you back in the day, and how did you 1st get into coaching? I am a lot better coach than I was a player based on my 2 career points! I went to Drexel so that I could get into coaching and learn the ropes from Bruiser Flint.

You were head coach at IMG Academy: how are they able to keep producing 5-star recruits year after year? I was just down there recruiting last week: it is like Disneyland for student-athletes. Recovery, development, weight room, classroom: it is a real school and they offer anything you want and everything you need. Kids talk about wanting to be challenged every day: when I was there we had 22 future D-1 players in our program.

As an assistant at Wagner in 2022 you won 16 games in a row: did it reach a point where your team just expected to win every time that it stepped onto the court? We had a special team that year and were rolling. Elijah Ford tore his ACL during win #14 vs. LIU and then the streak ended a couple of games later against Merrimack. We had a few guys come back that season for an extra year after COVID despite only winning 8 games during their 1st year in 2020 so it was really special.

You were hired by new head coach Adam Fisher as an assistant last April: why did you take the job, and how is it going so far? I am a Philly guy and have lived here for most of my life. Even when I was at Wagner I would make the daily commute from Philly, where my wife is from (she played at Penn). Temple has a great tradition and it is a special opportunity.

The AAC has featured more conference realignment this year than any other with 6 teams joining the league from C-USA and 3 teams departing the league to join the Big 12: I know you were not in the league last year but what impact has all of this change had on you (if any)? When you see 3 teams leave for the Big 12 you might fear that our level of competition is going down, but we bring in a Final 4 team in FAU and a pair of teams in North Texas/UAB who faced each other in the NIT title game. It hurts to lose traditional powers like Cincinnati/Houston but I think the conference got deeper. It puts a chip on our shoulder to have a pair of top-25 teams in the league like Memphis/FAU.

You are playing in the Diamond Head Classic in December: how excited are you to spend Christmas in Honolulu?! I think that my kids are more excited than me because they have been talking about it a LOT! I got to experience it before as a player and my wife got to coach there while at Penn so hopefully we will get a couple of wins while we are out west.

You only have 2 seniors on the roster: have you figured out who will be your team’s leader yet? As we get closer to game action we are looking at our leaders more. We brought in 5 transfers and they have done an unbelievable job of jelling together. It has been really cool to see the guys working hard both on and off the court.

1 of your new additions is Steve Settle III, who transferred from Howard after scoring 13 PTS vs. Kansas in the NCAA tourney last March: what kind of role do you expect him to play this year? He has been mature in his approach to everything he does since stepping onto campus. He has re-transformed his body in the weight room and we expect him to have a big impact on our program: hopefully he can score more than 13 PTS while leading us back to the NCAA tourney.

The Eagles have the best record in the NFC and the Phillies are 1 game away from making the World Series: what is it like to be a Philly sports fan this month?! It seems like at least 1 of our teams are playing on a daily basis. My family and I were not in Philly last year for the Eagles/Phillies and were crushed while watching them lose the Super Bowl/World Series. It is a tough city…but when you play a certain way and win they love you. They play hard and have great camaraderie, which is what we are hoping to do here at Temple.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? The 1st thing we talk about is the tradition/legacy of this program. We have the 6th-most wins in D-1 history and we want to rise to the level that came before us and make our fans/students/alumni proud.

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The Hoops HD Report: Big Ten Conference Preview

Posted on October 23, 2023 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

A full panel takes a look at the Big Ten Conference that looks to be absolutely stacked this year. Purdue is the near unanimous preseason favorite with all their starters back from a year ago, including Zach Edey who may be the best player in the country. Michigan State also looks strong as they have built an incredibly talented roster even by Michigan State standards. Wisconsin is a team that lost a lot of close games last year, but returns a lot of pieces and with all that experience they could take a big step forward. Northwestern appears to have one of the strongest backcourts in the league, and we discuss what their NCAA Tournament chances are. We run through and discuss all 14 teams.

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

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SEC Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 23, 2023 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

For the Hoops HD SEC Preseason Preview Video Podcast – CLICK HERE

SEC MEDIA DAY PRESEASON MEDIA POLL:

  1. Tennessee
  2. Texas A&M
  3. Arkansas
  4. Kentucky
  5. Alabama
  6. Auburn
  7. Mississippi State
  8. Florida
  9. Missouri
  10. Ole Miss
  11. Vanderbilt
  12. Georgia
  13. LSU
  14. South Carolina

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SEC 1ST TEAM:

-Grant Nelson, SR, F – Alabama
-Trevon Brazile – SO, F – Arkansas
-Johni Broome – JR, F – Auburn
-Justin Edwards – FR, G – Kentucky
-Tolu Smith – SR, F – Mississippi State
-Santiago Vescovi – SR, G – Tennessee
-Wade Taylor IV – JR, G – Texas A&M (SEC Preseason Player of the Year)

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-SEC 2ND TEAM:

-Mark Sears – SR, G – Alabama
-Davonte Davis – SR, G – Arkansas
-Riley Kugel – SO, G – Florida
-Antonio Reeves – SR, G – Kentucky
-Zakai Zeigler – JR, G – Tennessee

COMMENTS FROM DAVID GRIGGS:

-Since the arrival of Coach Rick Barnes Tennessee’s program has been remarkable. They won 27 games two years ago, 25 last year, and seem poised to be a Final Four-caliber team again this year. If there is an area where they have come up short it is in the NCAA Tournament. While they have fielded multiple Final Four-caliber teams over the years, they have never actually reached one. In fact, since becoming a program that is regularly nationally-relevant in roughly 2005-2006, they have advanced beyond the Sweet Sixteen just once, which is not bad, but for a program that is routinely ranked in the top-ten you would expect them to do better than that. Their top three starters are back from last year, and they add to it an incredibly strong recruiting class and a notable transfer in Jordan Gainey who was a standout player at USC Upstate a year ago. They are picked to win the SEC, they are certainly good enough to do that, and I think that they (again) have the makings of a potential Final Four team.

-I am super excited about Uncle Buzz and his Texas A&M team this year! I know they are getting a lot of respect and are starting off ranked in both the major preseason polls, but as much love as they are getting I still think they can be even better. In fact, I think they can win the SEC! They nearly won it last year, and four starters are back including Wade Taylor IV, who is the SEC Preseason Player of the Year and an NBA-caliber talent. Two other double digit scorers are also back, and while they may not be the deepest team they have enough guys on their bench to give them quality minutes when they need them. I am all in on the Aggies this year: I think they can end up with a protected seed and they can win this league!

-Last year, Arkansas entered the season with a super-talented roster, and while they had a good year overall they were just 8-10 in the conference and sort of fell short of expectations. They did make the NCAA Tournament and advance to the Sweet Sixteen, so they did become good at the right time. This year, preseason expectations are once again extremely high as they will begin the year ranked 14th in both the major polls. Just two starters are back but they have a lot of talent and experience coming in via the portal, particularly Khalif Battle from Temple, who averaged just under 18ppg a season ago. It may take the Razorbacks a little time to gel but once they do this is going to be a dangerous team.

-Two years ago I was not all that big on Kentucky coming into the year, and while they were upset in the Round of 64 by Saint Peter’s they had a fantastic season prior to that and won a lot of big games on the road. Last year they returned everyone from a team that had looked so good so often the year before. They were my preseason pick to win it all! And…well…they did not. They were good but not Final Four-good, and really not even legit-protected-seed-good. This year, Kentucky has a roster stacked with talent but that is also really young. Whereas most top programs now prefer to recruit proven and experienced players out of the portal, Kentucky is still looking to sign a lot of super-talented freshmen. With that approach comes a lot of uncertainty. We have seen Kentucky go to Final Fours with this approach…and we have also seen them fall way short of expectations. Antonio Reeves returns to the roster and his experience is probably very important to the chemistry of this team. He is a likely starter this year (although he came off the bench for most of last season), and will be out there with four super-talented freshmen who will likely all soon be in the NBA.

-Last year Alabama had their best season that I can ever remember and they entered the NCAA Tournament as legit national title contenders. Off the court they were less than spectacular, but on the court they were phenomenal. Nate Oats is an outstanding coach, and while they do lose three key starters including Brandon Miller, who was among the best players in the nation, I still like the pieces they have coming back this year and I once again think they will be a team that can earn a protected seed. Mark Sears is back and Aaron Estrada has transferred in after having an outstanding year at Hofstra. Grant Nelson, who was an outstanding big man at North Dakota State, also joins the roster. I know a lot of people probably dismiss players from Hofstra/North Dakota State as not being SEC-caliber players, but in the case of these two…they absolutely are! This is a VERY good Alabama team! Maybe not as good as last year, but still very good.

-People who work on and follow the site think I have some vendetta against Auburn: I do not. Most years, including both last year and even their Final Four year, I am quick to point out that they were not a good road team. And…well…they were not! They were just 4-8 in true road games a year ago and lost to teams like West Virginia/Georgia/Vanderbilt who were nowhere near the NCAA Tournament. Now, it may surprise everyone to learn that I actually do like Auburn coming into this year and think they can be a bit of a surprise team. Johni Broome is one of the best big men in the conference who can score/rebound/defend. He and Jaylin Williams make up a very solid frontcourt. They will likely once again be a pressure team, and while they are not quite as experienced in the backcourt they do have an experienced player n KD Johnson who can effectively run things.

-Mississippi State is not getting nearly as much love as I thought they would be or should be. While they just barely squeaked into the NCAA Tournament a year ago after going just 8-10 in conference play, all five starters are back, and this was a team that finished the season winning nine out of twelve before getting drilled by Alabama in the conference tournament. Chris Jans is also a very proven coach and he has shown the ability to develop not just the starting 5, but the bench as well. Not only do I think Mississippi State could be an NCAA Tournament team this yar. I think they can be a top-25 team.

-Florida is a bit of a question mark this year and Coach Todd Golden’s seat may be starting to feel a little warm. Only two starters are back from a year ago but both are really solid players who can score from the outside (Will Richard/Riley Kugel). The Gators also hit the portal and have Tyrese Samuel coming in from Seton Hall, EJ Jarvis from Yale, and Walter Clayton Jr. from Iona, all of whom were double-digit scorers. Golden has done a good job building an impressive roster: now they just have to win some games! I am not going to go so far as to guarantee that they will make the NCAA Tournament, but if you are asking me what I think their chances are I would say over 50%.

-Missouri had their best season in quite some time last year, winning 25 games and making it to the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament. They have a major rebuilding job ahead of them with just two starters back, and Dennis Gates is relying on some incoming transfers to step up and contribute. I do not think Mizzou will be as good as they were a year ago, but I do think the program is moving in the right direction and they will be much better than they were two and three years ago.

-The Chris Beard era begins at Ole Miss! Beard has won everywhere he has been, and after being forced out of Texas for off-court issues I will not get into, he is faced with perhaps his toughest rebuilding job yet. Ole Miss won just three SEC games a year ago and has not had a 20+ win season in four years. Just two starters are back but both were double-digit scorers, and Brandon Murray transferring in from Georgetown also gives them some much needed experience. Beard can win and I do think he will win at Ole Miss. I just do not think he is going to win a whole lot this first year.

-Jerry Stackhouse, after being the butt of a lot of our jokes, has actually done an outstanding job at Vanderbilt. They won 19 games two years ago and 22 last year. Their biggest problem has been keeping guys there. They were 11-7 in a very tough SEC a year ago, and while three starters are back and they do appear to have a very strong backcourt, they also have five new freshmen on the roster. I like what Stack has done and was really impressed with how much they improved throughout last season, but when I look at them this year it just looks like a building year.

-Mike White is a really good coach and he should be able to win at Georgia, but the Dawgs went just 16-16 a year ago and are in a bit of a rebuild mode with just one starter returning. Still, it was a big improvement from the year before, and they do have some good looking transfers coming in to fill out the roster, but while I think Georgia is heading in the right direction I do not think they are quite there yet.

-Matt McMahon begins his second year at LSU as the program tries to rebuild itself. Expectations are not exactly high this year. Two starters are back and they add Carlos Stewart to the roster, who transferred in after a great year at Santa Clara, but this probably is not the year we see LSU in the mix for an NCAA/NIT bid.

-South Carolina had a rough year last year where they won just 11 games and they could be in for another long year this year. The expectations are not high and their run to the 2017 Final Four now seems like it was a lifetime ago.

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