In Memoriam: HoopsHD interviews Kim Skinner about his father Roy

Posted on April 17, 2022 by Jon Teitel

It has been a rough few years for Vanderbilt basketball but it looks like Coach Jerry Stackhouse finally has things going in the right direction as the team won 19 games this year for the 1st time since 2017. 1 of the best coaches in school history was Roy Skinner, whose stats remain solid almost 50 years after he retired: a record of 278-135, 2 SEC regular season titles, and a trip to the 1965 Elite 8 before a 2-PT loss to eventual national runner-up Michigan. Roy passed away in 2010 but HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Kim Skinner about his father Roy’s life/legacy. Today would have been Roy’s 92nd birthday so let us reflect on the man who brought in the SEC’s 1st African-American varsity basketball player in 1966.

Your father played basketball at Presbyterian: how good a player was he back in the day, and how did he get into coaching? I do not know how good he was but he played for Coach Norm Sloan, who had a big influence on him.

After working as an assistant to Coach Bob Polk at Vanderbilt for a couple of years he took over as head coach in 1960 and only had 1 losing season during his entire career: what made him so successful for such a long stretch of time? He recruited small-town boys from the country and got a lot of Kentucky boys who the Wildcats did not want. Vanderbilt had a lot to offer in terms of both academics and good character.

In the 1965 NCAA tourney Clyde Lee had 28 PTS/20 REB in a 2-PT loss to Michigan: do you think the refs were correct when they called John Miller for traveling as he drove to the basket in the final minute? To this day it is still a controversial call at Vanderbilt. It was just 1 of those calls where he tried to drive through 2 big players from the Wolverines. Nobody knew who Vanderbilt was at the time.

In 1966 he brought in the SEC’s 1st African-American varsity basketball player (Perry Wallace): how big a deal was it at the time, and what was the reaction like? There was not much reaction around town because he was accepted by everyone. I went on a road trip once and heard a lot of derogatory/nasty comments toward Perry. He was a great leaper so when they outlawed the dunk it really took a toll on him. His entire high school team was Black and they just dominated their conference. He was an excellent student and a member of the band.

In the 1974 NCAA tourney Adrian Dantley had 29 PTS/12-16 FG/10 REB in a 30-PT win by Notre Dame: could you tell at the time that Dantley was going to become a star? Dantley already was a star by then: he was almost as dominant as Pete Maravich.

He was a 4-time SEC COY: what did it mean to him to win such outstanding honors? Not much: he just took it in stride. There was a lot of pressure on him so he just took the award and put it in the closet, so to speak. It might have meant more to him than he showed but he just had to move on.

He won more than 80% of his home games: how much of an advantage did he get from “Memorial Magic”? I think it was something that just grew and helped the whole team. The arena only started out with seating for 5,000 but ended up with more than 15,000 seats. I think it gave them a boost in the arm: kind of like a “6th Man” who lifted the team.

He retired in 1976 and started working in the insurance business: why did he get out of coaching, and how did he like the new gig? Coaching was starting to change at that time with big dollars and a lot of media coverage, which seemed to put more pressure on teams to join the rat race. I think it was just putting too much stress on him with too many demands. He never got paid the big dollars that there are today and there were too many expectations. He loved insurance and got to help the Nashville Sounds baseball team, which he enjoyed a lot.

In 2009 he was inducted into the Vanderbilt Sports Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of his career? It was 1 of the best speeches I ever heard him give. He was kind to Vanderbilt and very grateful.

He passed away in 2010: when people look back on his career, how do you think he should be remembered the most? He brought Vanderbilt basketball to the forefront and made it a household name. It was the only game in town back then and was the talk of the town. That generation is getting older so the memories might pass but he really put the program on the map.

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Happy Birthday!: HoopsHD interviews Rhonda Lundin Bennett about Ramon Sessions

Posted on April 11, 2022 by Jon Teitel

As the NBA regular season comes to a close, 1 person who knows plenty about postseason basketball is Ramon Sessions. At Myrtle Beach High School he led his team to the 3A State Championship as a sophomore. As a player at Nevada he made the NCAA tourney 3 straight years from 2005-2007. After making the NBA (where he spent more than a decade), he won his 1st-ever playoff series with the Lakers in 2012 and swept the Raptors in the 1st round as a member of the Wizards in 2015. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Nevada senior associate AD/senior woman administrator Rhonda Lundin Bennett about Ramon’s life/legacy. Today is Ramon’s 36th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!

Ramon grew up in South Carolina: what made him choose Nevada? I think that he was recruited late. Coach Mark Fox got to know him and offered him: he really connected with our staff and took a chance on us.

He set a school freshman record with 166 AST and was named to the WAC All-Newcomer team: how was he able to come in and contribute right from the start? He has an amazing court vision/basketball IQ in addition to being talented. He has true PG skills that not a lot of other players have.

A lot of his stats went down during his sophomore year and then went back up during his junior year: what happened? He missed a couple of early games due to a hip injury, which might have contributed to it. We had a fantastic team during his sophomore year so we had a lot of other people doing great things.

In the 2006 WAC tourney title game he had 9 AST in a 7-PT OT win over Utah State: what did it mean to him to win a title? It was a very special night here in Reno. We had a fantastic crowd and it was a special night for everyone in our program.

In the 2007 NCAA tourney he scored 16 PTS in a 6-PT OT win over Creighton: how were they able to pull out the win after Nick Fazekas fouled out with 3 minutes left? That was an amazing game! I think it was the only 1st round game between 2 ranked opponents. After Nick fouled out Ramon and his other teammates knew that they had to step up. We had a lot of depth back then like Marcelus Kemp/Kyle Shiloh if any of the stars fouled out.

He was selected in the 2nd round of the 2007 NBA draft by Milwaukee (8 spots behind Marc Gasol): did he see that as a validation of his college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? It was probably both: his goal was always to get the opportunity to play at the next level. Not many guys get drafted but he had worked so hard his entire life. He is a very humble man who really appreciates everything that basketball has afforded him.

In April of 2008 as a rookie he scored 20 PTS and had a franchise record 24 AST against Chicago (the 3rd-highest single-game total by a rookie in NBA history): what made him such a great PG? It was his court vision. He does not say a lot but you can tell that he is taking everything again. He had great insight into the game and is an incredibly hard worker who excelled to get better every day.

In April of 2009 he had a triple-double with 16 PTS/10 REB/16 AST against the Lakers: how was he able to balance all of the different aspects of his offensive game? He is a playmaker and just loves basketball. He worked so hard on every aspect of his game because that is who he is.

He led the NBA in games played during 3 different seasons: what was the key to his ability to stay healthy and stick around for more than a decade? I am unsure but seeing the way he approached everything in college leads me to believe he just continued to do that at the next level.

When people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? As someone who was willing to do anything he could to help us be successful. He donated $1 million to our program a few years ago and we named our practice facility after him. He developed such a connection to the Reno community that he returns here every summer to run a basketball clinic.

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Happy Birthday!: HoopsHD interviews Jeff Neubauer about Mike Rose

Posted on April 6, 2022 by Jon Teitel

Mike Rose is an excellent example of a player who kept improving during each of his 4 years in college. As a freshman at Eastern Kentucky he only scored 6.2 PPG in 20.4 minutes/game, but as a sophomore he started all 33 games and was named OVC Tournament MVP. As a junior he was top-5 in the conference with 15.3 PPG/81.5 FT%/1.8 SPG, and as a senior he scored 20 PPG while being named 1st-team NABC Division I All-District 19. After graduating he played professionally in Europe, Australia, and Canada. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Mike’s college coach Jeff Neubauer about recruiting/coaching 1 of the best players in school history. Today is Mike’s 35th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!

Why did Mike decide to go to Eastern Kentucky? I was an assistant coach at West Virginia when I 1st evaluated Mike at an early-morning open gym: I thought that he was very impressive. I became head coach at EKU the following April and when someone mentioned that Mike was still available I said we absolutely wanted him to come here. He spent the 1st year adjusting defensively but was phenomenal after that.

He was a 3-time All-OVC performer: did you feel like he was 1 of the best players in the conference during his time playing for you? He certainly was. He led us in scoring as a sophomore and became incredibly efficient.

He scored a team-high 19 PTS in a 1-PT win over Austin Peay in the 2007 OVC tourney final after Josh Taylor made a lay-up with 3 seconds to play: what was the feeling like in your locker room afterwards? That was my 2nd year here: we had a group that really defended well and had great leadership.

He was named MVP of the OVC tourney: how was he able to play his best when it mattered the most? He played in that conference tourney exactly like he played in the regular season. When he had an open shot he made it and also became a great rebounder.

What are your memories of the 2007 NCAA tourney (he scored 13 PTS in a loss to #1-seed UNC, who was led by Tyler Hansbrough with 21 PTS/10 REB)? We got off to a really bad start: UNC was the fastest team I saw in the nation that year. We had a nice stretch with our 1-3-1 defense and cut the deficit to 4 PTS early in the 2nd half but it was not enough.

In 2008 he scored a career-high 33 PTS in a win over Covenant: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot he put up seemed to go in because he was “in the zone”? I do not recall that specific game but he consistently made shots. I do remember 1 game where 1 of his teammates said that he might end up with 50!

In January of 2009 he made game-winning 3-PT shots in back-to-back games vs. Southeast Missouri/Chicago State: what is the key to being a “clutch” shooter? That was part of a 3-game road trip where we won all 3 games. Mike grew up in Missouri and went to high school in Chicago so to have so much success on his “home turf” was just the perfect script.

He finished the 2009 season as the top 3-PT shooter in the country (48.1 3P%): how big a weapon was the 3-PT shot in your offensive attack, and what is the key to 3-PT shooting? He made over 3 threes/game including several big shots for us throughout his career. I spent a decade at EKU and we were 1 of the most lethal 3-PT shooting teams every year.

After graduating he played 1 game in Turkey, then a few months in Australia, and later signed to play in New Zealand: what is the biggest difference between pro basketball and college basketball? I have found that guys who can really score do well professionally.

When people look back on his career, how do you think he should be remembered the most? As a champion. Mike was our leading scorer in 2007 and won a lot of games for us. He worked out for a couple of NBA teams before heading overseas but what he did here was win.

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The Hoops HD Report Season Finale: Final Four and Championship Review

Posted on April 5, 2022 by David Griggs

Tonight Chad and the panel look back at a thrilling National Championship game where Kansas came from behind to beat North Carolina, as well as both Final Four games that each team won with Kansas blowing by Villanova, and North Carolina winning an all time classic against their bitter rivals in Duke.  After that each panel looks back at both the Tournament and the season and discusses some of the highlights from what was an incredible year.

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

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Duke band member Grace Dessert

Posted on April 3, 2022 by Jon Teitel

Last night Duke lost to North Carolina 81-77 in the Final 4, which was the final game of Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s incomparable career. And what a game it was for these 2 Tobacco Road foes in their 1st-ever meeting in the NCAA Tournament: 18 lead changes, 12 ties, and neither team led by more than 7 PTS all evening. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Duke band member Grace Dessert about having a front-row seat for 1 of the most memorable games in the history of this remarkable rivalry.

You are from San Diego, CA: what made you choose Duke? When I was applying to colleges I was hoping to find a place with awesome academics as well as school spirit. I was excited to leave home and go somewhere where I could be around driven students who care about learning and where people loved being a part of their school. I always knew that I would join the marching band in college so I also looked for schools where I could do that. Duke really was the perfect choice.

You are majoring in Neural Engineering through the Pratt IDEAS program (a make-your-own-major program): how did you pick that subject? I was planning to major in neuroscience and music as a freshman on the pre-med track. However, during freshman year I realized I thought very differently from all the other neuroscience majors, but I really connected with my friends in engineering and got excited about the same things they got excited about. So, I dropped the pre-med track and switched to the engineering school. I was still very interested in neuroscience though, and was behind in credits for the Biomedical Engineering major, so I decided to combine them by making my own major. I have always loved learning about the brain and am very math/science-oriented, so this major is a way for me to approach neuroscience from a very technical perspective.

Last year you were named a National Goldwater Scholar: how do you balance your work in the band with your work in the classroom? It is tough at Duke to balance classes and research with any extracurriculars, but because I love band so much it makes the job much easier. The Duke Band also is a smaller time commitment than a lot of comparable marching bands because we work hard to be as efficient as possible. Everyone at Duke is very focused on academics so to have a successful band we need to fit the Duke student lifestyle.

You are the flute section leader in the Duke University Marching and Pep Band: how did you 1st get into music, and what is the best part? I started playing the flute in second grade because I went to an elementary school that really prioritized music. I spent the rest of elementary/middle/high school playing classical/jazz flute in various competitive groups and orchestras. In high school I joined the marching band in my first year and later became section leader/drum major. I had so much fun building that band up and just loved the community and energy so much that I knew I wanted to continue being in a band. I always loved music, but most of all for the people you get to play with and communities you get to be a part of, so in college I ultimately dropped my other musical interests to commit fully to marching and pep band.

You are also VP of the band: what kind of responsibilities do you have in such a role? As vice president I do not have a ton of official duties, but I fill in with whatever leadership work needs to be done. I help the president/director organize pep band travel, I run three of our band’s intramural sports teams, and help organize the section wars competitions throughout the year (where different sections compete in a variety of challenges from fitness to costume contests to meme making competitions). I also help run interviews for the next round of leadership and with various administrative tasks to keep the band going.

You are planning to take a gap year and then go to graduate school to get a PhD in Biomedical Engineering: what is the post-PhD plan? I hope to become a professor and lead a research lab at a university.

You were in New York City for the ACC tourney and have been traveling with the basketball team for the entire NCAA tourney: what has it been like to join Coach K on this journey? There has been a lot of stress and a lot of joy. My goodness we have had so much fun! It is very sad knowing that any loss would be our last game of the season…and the last game for Coach K…and the end of my band experience. Last night was our last game, but more than anything I feel so incredibly grateful to have been along for this journey. I love band with all of my heart and I love our team and our school with all of my heart. What a special time we have had together.

How does your school decide who gets to go to the postseason? We have a complex point system for band travel that rewards leadership, seniority, and attendance. Based on this point system and the instrumentation we need for the travel bands, we award bids to band members to travel. I have been lucky enough to have a “perfect bid”, meaning that I have gotten to go to every round of the NCAA and ACC tournaments with the men’s team. It has been incredible and I know that I will never forget this past month.

Last Saturday the Blue Devils had a 9-PT win over Arkansas in the Elite 8: what was the reaction like when you got back to campus, and can you explain the UNC-Duke rivalry to people who have only watched it on TV? We flew back to campus the night of the Arkansas game and arrived a bit before the team. We managed to catch the team coming back and got to welcome them home. Everyone was so incredibly elated: I have never seen such energy and love for our team. The Duke-UNC rivalry is the biggest rivalry in basketball. From day one as a Blue Devil you know who to love and who to love to hate, and you know what colors you should and should not wear. We try to keep it kind-hearted, as most of us have friends at UNC, but on gameday (the biggest day of the entire year) you are a Blue Devil and only a Blue Devil. There is so much emotion and history wrapped up in these games. Playing UNC for the last time under Coach K, and for the first time we have ever met them in the NCAA tournament, in the Final Four, with 70,000 people in the stadium: there is nothing that felt more grand. Every point was exhilarating and we danced and yelled as hard as we ever had. It was an incredible game and a tragedy of an ending…but someone has to win and someone has to lose and I love our team no matter what. It is hard to remember that our team, composed of guys who we idolize so much, are mostly 18 and 19 year-olds. Coach K has the most beautiful perspective on the game. We walked off that court defeated and sad, but we walked off with our heads held high because of the legacy of basketball and leadership and joy that he, and we, have created.

Any predictions for Monday night? I am hoping so much that Kansas beats UNC because the Tar Heels need someone to teach them a lesson (I say this in the kindest way possible!). We also got to meet a bunch of the Kansas band members because we were staying at the same hotel: they were awesome so I am rooting for them.

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Happy Birthday!: HoopsHD interviews former Florida A&M coach Mike Gillespie

Posted on April 2, 2022 by Jon Teitel

It has been 15 years since the Rattlers made the NCAA tourney but they had a nice stretch back in the day when they made it 3 times during a 9-year stretch from 1999-2007. The coach responsible for 2 of those 3 tourney appearances was Mike Gillespie, who led the 2007 team to the school’s 1st 20-win season in almost 2 decades. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Gillespie about playing for a Hall of Fame coach and winning an NCAA tourney game in 2004. Today is Coach Gillespie’s 71st birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!

You played basketball at DePaul for Hall of Fame Coach Ray Meyer: what made him such a great coach, and what is the most important thing you ever learned from him? My dad played for Coach Meyer in the late-1940s: he was a really good player. I actually started at NC State for 1 year before transferring to DePaul. Ray was a tremendous teacher of fundamental skills: the 1 thing I learned was his attention to detail in teaching.

1 of your teammates was future NBA 1st round pick Bill Robinzine: was he the best teammate you ever had? Bill was a heck of a player but was never recruited. His dad also played at DePaul…but Bill Jr. was actually there on a band scholarship! He really blossomed during his sophomore year and was an unbelievable athlete. In 1982 he committed suicide in his car, which was very sad.

In 1991 you became coach at Tallahassee CC, where you went 258-56 in 10 seasons including back-to-back 30+ win seasons in 1996/1997: how were you able to be so successful, and what is the biggest difference between JC basketball and D-1 basketball? I started the program from scratch: no ball, no uniforms, no nothing. We were nationally-ranked during each of my 10 years there. I wish I could say that it was the coaching but I was blessed to have some really good players.

You moved to Florida A&M in 2000 despite the fact that the school had suffered through many scandals, and you ended up working for 5 presidents and 5 ADs during your time there as coach: why did you decide to take the job, and what impact did all of those administrative changes have on your program? Before I got there they had 11 straight losing seasons as well as a low graduation rate. It was always my dream to be a D-1 coach and I did not have to move because I was already in Florida. I had to bring in around $300,000 each year so our non-conference schedule was full of “guarantee games” that we just did not have a chance of winning.

Take me through the 2004 NCAA tourney:
Terrence Woods scored 21 PTS in a win over Lehigh: what did it mean to you to win a game in the tourney? To be the 1st coach in school history to win a tourney game was an amazing feat. We entered the conference tourney as the #5-seed and then Terrence hit a shot at the buzzer for a 1-PT win over Hampton en route to being named conference tourney MVP. I honestly thought we were better than Lehigh and it was a great thrill to beat them on national TV.

Woods scored a tourney-school record 24 PTS in a loss to #1-seed Kentucky: did he just carry your entire team that season, and what was the reaction like when you got back to campus? We went to the shoot-around in Columbus…and there were about 15,000 Wildcat fans in the gym. It was 60-52 at the half, which was the highest scoring 1st-half in tourney history. Terrence got knocked down after every shot and was dehydrated at halftime so he only made a couple of shots in the 2nd half. We were a 30-PT underdog but only lost by 20. Coach Tubby Smith later told me that the reason his team was upset by UAB in the following round is because they spent so much energy trying to beat us.

What are your memories of the 2007 NCAA tourney (Clif Brown scored 32 PTS including a career-high 6 3PM in an 8-PT win by Niagara)? We won our conference tourney after tourney MVP Brian Greene converted an alley-oop in the final seconds to beat Delaware State. The NCAA had a rule that we could not play against a team we had already played that year. We had played #1-seed Florida in December so they put us in the play-in game against Niagara that Tuesday. We never even got to step on campus to enjoy the win and just ran out of gas. I had 8 guys from Chicago so I wish they would have sent us to Chicago to play Kansas.

You were twice named MEAC COY: what did it mean to you to win such outstanding honors? It is nice to be recognized by your peers, especially when you fight and battle. I was proud to represent the school.

In 2007 you were hired to be coach of the Jacksonville Jam of the Premier Basketball League, but the owner suspended operations in February 2008: why did you take the job, and how did it feel to get shut down before you could really get going? We played 9 games after starting practice in November. We only had 1 player get paid during the season but not a single guy quit the team. The league itself suspended play and the owner did not get the financial backing he had hoped for. I was lucky to have such loyal players.

You have been running basketball camps for over 30 years: what makes your camp different from other camps, and what do you hope to do in the future? I teach skill development and spend an unbelievable amount of time trying to study the game even though I am over 70. I want to give the kids the utmost attention to details to help them become the best players they can be. I love to teach/coach, which is what I have been doing my whole life. My dad Gordie was the all-time winningest coach in the history of college baseball (1893 wins) and was still coaching at St. Francis (IL) at age 85!

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