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


I asked SR G Myles Cale what advice he had for his younger teammates in March since his 153 games played is the most in school history (including a few NCAA tourney games). He told them to treat it like a regular game, have fun, and enjoy the weather/fans. It is the same game that you have been playing since you were a kid so just treat it like that and you will excel.


I asked Coach Kevin Willard how big a factor FT shooting will be, as his opponents have made a ridiculous 77.3 FT% but TCU is only shooting 66.8 FT%. He said he has to be nicer to the referees! He does not know if it is a coincidence but said his team’s FT attempts have gone down since January. He would like them to get to the line more but at this time of the year you are stuck with who you are.

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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:

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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!

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


I asked Kevin McCullar how his health is after missing 8 games this year, and what he did after turning 21 on Tuesday. He said that his health is great and this his ankle is healed up, and that he has just been locked in on the tournament and will wait to celebrate afterward.


I asked Coach Mark Adams about the key to winning games in March (having won the 2010 NJCAA title as coach at Howard College), and if he wins tomorrow is there any chance that his former star Jae Crowder might pop in to check out his practice on Saturday before the Suns play in Sacramento on Sunday night. He said that he felt pretty good when he won the title but did not know at the time that he had a future NBA player on the team! Crowder was such a great team player and an unbelievable leader, and the Red Raiders have some guys like that on this team. It is such a great experience to cut down the nets but he said there is nothing better than being the best in the country.


I did not see any band/spirit squad member but did see the Westwood 1 radio of Dave Pasch/PJ Carlesimo walking into the arena.

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


I asked 2 of the players about what it takes to win it all having previously won gold medals in international play. Mike Miles, Jr. (right) said it is not easy but they just need to stay focused on their main goal. Emanuel Miller (left) said that since they are going up against the best players/coaches in the country it will take a complete team effort.


I asked Coach Jamie Dixon about his journey with his PG Mike Miles Jr. over the past 9 months, starting with winning a gold medal last summer. He said it has been fun to see Mike grow and become more of a leader/outspoken after being more of a quiet guy when originally recruiting him. A big reason he took the job with USA Basketball was to be with Mike. It was also great for TCU because they never had anyone coach Team USA before. He told Mike that he had to be the leader because he was the only 1 who had played for Coach Dixon before. They needed his leadership as a sophomore this year because they do not have any grad transfers, unlike Seton Hall who has 6-7 of them.


The Horned Frogs band/mascot are ready to support their team during the open practice:

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


I asked SR G Amin Adamu whether people from his hometown of London care about March Madness. He said that it is a big deal, where everyone tunes in and gets excited about their brackets.


I asked Coach Danny Sprinkle about facing Donovan McNabb(!) as a player for Montana State in the NCAA tourney 26 years ago, and what lessons he learned as a player that he has shared with his guys this week. He said he does not recall if McNabb even got into the game (note: he played 3 minutes off the bench) but will never forget how big Syracuse was. He also remembers that their zone defense was a big problem in the 2nd half…when the Orange outscored them by almost 30 PTS! The thing he wants to get across to his guys is to play a “no-regret” game. He wants to come out, be aggressive, compete, and let the chips fall where they may. They do not need to be better than Texas Tech all season long, just for 40 minutes tomorrow. He wants his guys to knock down some shots and play with confidence.


The Bobcats band/cheerleaders are ready to support their team during the open practice:


And CBS broadcaster Steve Smith showed up to prepare for tomorrow’s quadruple-header!

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