Hoops HD

Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Montana State cheerleader Jaclyn Saunders

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Jon Teitel

Last Saturday Montana State beat Northern Colorado 87-66 in the Big Sky tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Bobcats lot their conference opener to the Bears in early December but got revenge at the right time as they made the NCAA tourney for the 1st time since 1996. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Montana State cheerleader Jaclyn Saunders about dealing with COVID protocols and winning the conference tourney.

You grew up in Montana: what made you choose Montana State? My grandpa and sister both attended Montana State so I decided to keep the tradition going. I also wanted to stay in Montana and heard that MSU had a good Computer Science program.

How did you 1st get into cheerleading, and what is the best part? I started cheering during my freshman year of high school. A lot of my friends were going to try out and I thought that I would give it a try, too! The best part of cheer is the close-knit family type of relationship the girls and guys on the team have. There is truly nothing else like it!

What do you think the role of a college cheerleader is today, and how has it changed over time? The role of a college cheerleader today is as both an athlete and supporter of our athletic teams. I do not believe our role has changed much over time as much as the way that others have viewed us has. Cheerleaders may have just been seen as sideline entertainment in the past but now we are more recognized as strong athletes in our sport.

You are majoring in computer science: why did you pick that subject, and what is the post-graduation plan? I grew up playing computer games 24/7 with my sister. I was always curious how games like that were made, as well as computers in general. I guess I could have been considered a tomboy in my early years and that just carried on through college! Right now I am doing an internship involving web development so I might continue with something like that.

You were named to the undergraduate honor roll last spring: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? I learned some major time management in high school while doing sports and taking difficult classes. Those skills transferred over to college although it is definitely not easy. I just have to stay motivated and make sure to spend some time with friends as well as get some rest.

How frustrating has it been to be a cheerleader for a great basketball team during a pandemic? There have definitely been some setbacks as far as the pandemic goes for both cheer/dance but we are very fortunate to be able to do our sport. We were only able to do one event the entire 2020-21 season so this year has been much better and nearly back to normal!

Last Saturday in the Big Sky tourney title game the Bobcats beat Northern Colorado: how excited was everybody to see them make the NCAA tourney for the 1st time since 1996? The atmosphere was amazing for that game. The stadium was nearly packed and probably 90% of the attendees were Bobcat fans. I was confident that they would make it to the championship game…but to have both the men’s and women’s teams winning the tournament was crazy. The fans were ecstatic to say the least.

How does your school decide who gets to go to the NCAA tournament, and what will it mean to you to see your group doing its thing in front of a national TV audience? For both the men’s and women’s tournaments we are allowed 12 spirit squad members plus a mascot. Our coach decides who goes to both the tournaments, but for cheer we try to have 6 couples for stunting purposes. Even seeing ourselves on the big screen during the Big Sky tournament was a huge deal. My family kept sending me videos of us on TV when the men’s game aired on ESPN. We are hoping to get some airtime for the games this week as well!

Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for the NCAA Tournament? We have been practicing hard all season and are just ready to show off our hard work and do our best to support the Cats.

You play Texas Tech on Friday: any predictions? I have heard from multiple people outside of MSU who have the Cats upsetting Texas Tech in their brackets. We have had great seasons in all of our athletics with football going to the national championship and now BOTH of our basketball teams in March Madness. We are on a roll and I do not think our winning streak will end any time soon!

Posted in Interviews | Tagged Jaclyn Saunders, Montana State | Comments Off

All-Access at the 1st/2nd rounds in San Diego: Notre Dame press conference

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Jon Teitel

The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The 1st/2nd rounds are taking place in 8 cities around the country and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is covering all of the angles so you can look forward to a cascade of coverage in the days ahead. Jon Teitel commences our coverage from San Diego with the Notre Dame press conference.

I asked SR G Prentiss Hubb about becoming the 1st player in the NCAA tourney since 2011 (maybe ever?!) to play at least 44 minutes and have at least 7 AST with no turnovers. He said the change really happened after he had 4 TO in the loss to Virginia Tech in the ACC tourney and wanting to prove that he is good at handling the ball. He wants to be the PG presence for his teammates and if he can hold onto the ball then they can just keep the offense flowing.

I asked Coach Brey where this ranks among the greatest St. Patrick’s Days in his career, and whether we will see anything special tomorrow like a green jacket or green uniforms. He said they will stay with their blue road uniforms tomorrow. There were so many great/fearless plays by his kids that he hopes it can get them over the hump in a close game. When you wake up after a few hours of sleep and open the window to some lovely 80-degree ocean views in San Diego it is a lot nicer than the lake-effect snow that is probably hitting South Bend tonight!

Posted in CBB | Tagged Notre Dame | Comments Off

All-Access at the 1st/2nd rounds in San Diego: Wright State press conference

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Jon Teitel

The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The 1st/2nd rounds are taking place in 8 cities around the country and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is covering all of the angles so you can look forward to a cascade of coverage in the days ahead. Jon Teitel commences our coverage from San Diego with the Wright State press conference.

I asked JR G Tanner Holden whether he learned any lessons from their prior game against a team with size last November at Purdue (7’4” Zach Edey/6’10” Trevion Williams) and how he can follow up arguably the best all-around game of his career in the win over Bryant (37 PTS/11 REB). He said that Purdue was definitely a tough matchup for them and that they were not very confident in ourselves. He had a great game against Bryant but it says a lot about his team. He happened to be the leading scorer but gave all the credit to his teammates/coaches for putting him in position to be successful.

I asked Coach Scott Nagy what kind of advantage he had due to the fact that he has over 500 more wins as a head coach then Tommy Lloyd does. He said the best advantage remains his players. He has coached a heck of a lot of good players, and Tommy has plenty of great players on his team. Being in his 5th tourney helps a little bit, as does playing last night, as his team should be a little calmer tomorrow. He told the team that while a lot of people think just getting to the NCAA tourney is nice, winning a game in the tourney last night was 1 of the greatest experiences of his life.

Posted in CBB | Tagged Wright State | Comments Off

All-Access at the 1st/2nd rounds in San Diego: Seton Hall press conference

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Jon Teitel

Posted in CBB | Tagged seton hall | Comments Off

All-Access at the 1st/2nd rounds in San Diego: Arizona press conference

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Jon Teitel

The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The 1st/2nd rounds are taking place in 8 cities around the country and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is covering all of the angles so you can look forward to a cascade of coverage in the days ahead. Jon Teitel commences our coverage from San Diego with the Arizona press conference.

I asked Dalen Terry whether his team has won 31 games because they are cocky or they are cocky because they have won 31 games. He said that if he waves to the opposing fans or if Kerr Kriisa sticks out his tongue then it is just their personality and gets them going. It is not anything intentional: just another edge for their team to use to keep winning.

I asked Coach Tommy Lloyd about facing an opponent with a great scorer like Tanner Holden (37 PTS vs. Bryant) and whether his defensive philosophy is to let anyone else BUT the great scorer try to beat him or to let that guy score as much as he wants because he is just 1 player. He said that they will play a normal defense to start because the Raiders have other good players like Grant Basile. In a single-elimination game you want to do your best to guard everyone well. Holden is a natural scorer who scores a lot of 2s and 1s, which is really impressive.

I saw 2001 national runner-up/current Arizona director of player relations Jason Gardner hanging out at open practice and asked him if any of his old teammates might be dropping by this weekend. He said that Justin Wessel should be here, and that the further the Wildcats go the more alumni might show up.

I finished up by taking a few photos of the team preparing to take the court for open practice:
Oumar Ballo:

Christian Koloko:

Kriisa and Lloyd taking in the view:

Bennedict Mathurin:

Terry looking RIGHT at me:

and Azuolas Tubelis:

Posted in CBB | Tagged arizona | Comments Off

All-Access at the 1st/2nd rounds in San Diego: Alabama press conference

Posted on March 17, 2022 by Jon Teitel

The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The 1st/2nd rounds are taking place in 8 cities around the country and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is covering all of the angles so you can look forward to a cascade of coverage in the days ahead. Jon Teitel commences our coverage from San Diego with the Alabama press conference.

I asked anyone who played in the OT loss to UCLA in last year’s Sweet 16 what they learned from that game that will help them this time around. JR PG Jahvon Quinerly (2nd from right) said he knows that free throws are a big thing (the Tide shot 11-25 from the line vs. the Bruins) but that they have figured it out. It is a game of runs and you need to be able to answer your opponent’s run. Responding to adversity is also key because it gets crazy during March, which is why the older guys have to teach the younger guys how to do so.

I asked Coach Nate Oats if having the #1 strength of schedule in the nation is a happy accident, and if not then whether he did so specifically to succeed this week. He said it was not an accident, as it helped his team get into the NCAA tourney. The Tide beat 3 teams from last year’s Final 4 (Baylor/Gonzaga/Houston), 2 of which are #1 seeds again this year, as well as great mid-major teams like Davidson/South Dakota State. His team is battle-tested so hopefully it pays off this week.

Arizona fans must adore this team: Quinerly committed to Arizona in 2017 but reopened his recruitment after the Emanuel Richardson scandal, and Oats beat them by 21 PTS in the 1st round of the 2018 NCAA tourney as coach at Buffalo. At least the towels are ready for prime time!