Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Belmont PG Destinee Wells

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Jon Teitel

On Saturday Belmont beat Tennessee Tech 51-29 in the OVC women’s tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. The Bruins have owned the postseason for almost a decade, making the NCAA tourney 6 times in the past 7 years. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Belmont PG Destinee Wells about making the NCAA tourney yet again and developing a dynasty.

Photo credit: Belmont Athletics

You were born/raised in Tennessee: what made you choose Belmont? They made the decision easy for me during my recruitment since all of the players/coaches were nice and welcoming. I wanted to come here so that I could play immediately and win some games.

You play for Coach Bart Brooks: what makes him such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He cares about us as more than just players, such as with our mental health.

You are 5’6”: do you see your height as an advantage or disadvantage on the court? An advantage, of course! I have been small all my life but I am quick and use my speed to try to make my opponents uncomfortable.

Last year you were named OVC ROY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It was a huge honor for me, I was really nervous as a freshman and it was a big adjustment for me, but I had some amazing teammates who helped me get that huge accomplishment.

In the 2021 OVC tourney title game you scored a career-high 32 PTS and had 4 STL in an 8-PT win over UT-Martin en route to being named tourney MVP: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most? Championship games are the most fun time of the year. We worked hard during a difficult season and felt that we deserved it. Our goal was to get the win and I was willing to do whatever it took: it was so much fun!

In the 2021 NCAA tourney you upset Gonzaga before losing to Indiana: what did you learn from that tourney run that you think will help you this time around? In the offseason we worked hard in the weight room to get stronger/faster so we will be more prepared to compete this month and let our hard work show itself.

Last Saturday in the OVC tourney title game you scored a game-high 22 PTS in a win over Tennessee Tech: how does this year’s championship compare to last year’s championship? It felt great. We started out rough (only scoring 17 PTS in the 1st half), but then we pushed the ball and turned up our defensive pressure and were able to hold them almost scoreless in the 4th quarter (outscoring the Golden Eagles 13-3 in the final 10 minutes).

The Bruins have now made the NCAA tourney 6 times in the past 7 years: is it fair to call your program a “dynasty”? Yes. Our seniors have worked so hard, which is why the rest of us chose to come to Belmont: we wanted to be a part of that.

1 of your AAU teammates is now your college teammate: how nice is it to share all of your success with fellow starter Tuti Jones? It is amazing. We only played together for 1 year in AAU but then we grew closer over time. 1 day we jokingly said, “Hey, let’s go to Belmont!”…and we both ended up here. I love playing with her.

What kind of seed do you think you deserve, and what kind of seed do you think you will get? I think that we deserve an 8/9 seed but will probably get a 12/13. We will be ready to play whoever we get matched up with and I cannot wait!

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All-Access at the A-10 Tournament: HoopsHD interviews Rhode Island cheerleader Annie Reynolds

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Jon Teitel

Conference tournaments are about basketball but also so much more: the fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The A-10 Tournament is taking place in Washington, DC this week and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD will be covering all of the angles so you can look forward to a cascade of coverage in the days ahead. Jon Teitel’s next interview subject is Rhode Island cheerleader Annie Reynolds, who talked about winning a national championship and making the dean’s list.

You grew up in New Jersey: what made you choose Rhode Island? I was touring schools and when I got to Rhode Island it was rainy and the worst day ever…but my mom thought that I would end up here. It turned out to be the place where i wanted to be and the school is great.

How did you 1st get into cheerleading, and what is the best part? I did not start cheering until high school: I used to be a dancer/gymnast. I immediately fell in love with it after trying out and Rhode Island expanded my love for it. The best part is the people I met and the experiences I have with student from all over the country.

What do you think the role of a college cheerleader is today, and how has it changed over time? It has definitely changed over time: it used to be more of a sideline activity but has progressed into an elite-level sport. Not only do we participate on gameday but we complete at nationals every January. It is nice to have that secretive other side as it is becoming more recognized.

You previously helped lead your team to a national championship: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? That was easily the best moment of my life, I was a sophomore in 2020 and our coach said that we could win it all even though we had never competed at that level before. We gave it our all and the moment we found out we won was easily the best moment of my career!

You are majoring in Kinesiology/Exercise Science: why did you pick those subjects, and what do you plan to do after graduating? I knew that I wanted to do something in a sports-related field. I want to help out other athletes who are having a difficult time, as it has been very beneficial for me in the past and needs to become more acknowledged.

You made the dean’s list last semester: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? It is definitely a challenge but the key is certainly time management. You need to have a schedule: we have study hall/tutoring and can always reach out to our coaches if we need more help. When you are a freshman and college is new and your schedule is crazier and you are practicing 5 times/week it takes a bit of time to get it down.

What is the atmosphere like on campus this week now that the conference tournament is here? It is crazy that we are finally here and everyone is excited. There are posters/gameday emails and it has all been great: everyone has been so supportive for this peak of the season.

How does your school decide who gets to go to DC, and what does it mean to you to see your group doing their thing in front of a national TV audience? A lot of it is based on gameday performances/availability: 1 group went to the men’s tourney and 1 went to the women’s tourney. We love the Ryan Center but it is great to come to this elite venue: the environment is incredible and I feel lucky to be a part of it.

Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for the A-10 Tournament this weekend? We have been preparing a couple of different things, but the thing the fans like most is seeing our mascot Rhody go up in the air as we spin around him!

Any prediction for your game vs. Duquesne? I have a good feeling but do not want to jinx it. The energy is so high and when we have a lot of fans in the crowd there is typically a very good outcome.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Delaware coach Martin Ingelsby

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Jon Teitel

On Tuesday Delaware beat UNCW 59-55 in the CAA tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to next week’s NCAA tournament. The FIGHTIN’ Blue Hens went 7-8 in 2021 but bounced back this year to claim the school’s 1st NCAA tourney bid since 2014. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Coach Martin Ingelsby about making the NCAA tourney as a player back in the day and heading back there again as a head coach.

You were a team captain as a senior at Notre Dame: what is the key to being a good leader? Being a great teammate. I was always a lead-by-example guy and took great pride in connecting with my teammates. You also need to be able to rally your team to get them to work hard.

In the 2001 NCAA tourney you had 9 AST in a win over Xavier and 9 PTS in a loss to Mississippi: what is your favorite memory from that tourney run? It was honestly Selection Sunday: just sitting in the basement of Coach Brey’s house and watching it on TV. We had not made it in 9 years and helped put the program back on the map. I just tried to do whatever I could to help our team win.

After playing 4 years for Coach Mike Brey you later spent 13 years on his staff at your alma mater: what makes him such a great coach, and do you think that we will hear the Irish’s name called on Selection Sunday? Mike is my mentor and I look up to him so much and learned a lot from him. He has an unbelievable ability to connect with people and make it fun: guys would run through a brick wall for him. I think they are a lock for the NCAA tourney: I am so proud of him and his team to play great down the stretch and finish in a tied for 2nd place in the ACC.

In 2015 you won the ACC tourney as an assistant and made it all the way to the Elite 8 before a 2-PT loss to Kentucky: where does that 38-win Wildcat team rank among the greatest that you have ever seen, and what would it feel like to face Coach John Calipari again next week? They were undefeated at the time and the best team in the country that year. It was a joy to be a part of that group: they believed in each other. To go down to Tobacco Road and beat Duke/UNC back-to-back to win the ACC tourney title was a special run. It is scary to think about the talent Kentucky had on that team: I tell my kids that Devin Booker was their 6th Man!

Last night in the CAA tourney title game you had a 4-PT win over a UNCW team that had been 5-0 against your school all-time in the CAA tourney to become the 1st #5 seed to ever win the CAA tourney: how were you able to get the job done when it mattered the most despite all of that history working against you? It was defense/toughness. Our group really dug in for 3 games in 3 days. We did not finish the regular season well (3 straight losses) so we regrouped and relied on our senior leadership…otherwise it would have been over quickly. I am so happy for them that we could get it done. We went through a gauntlet, beating the 1/2/4 seeds, which shows how talented we are.

FR PF Jyare Davis was named conference ROY/conference tourney MVP: how has he been able to make such a huge impact despite being a freshman who only started 3 games all year? He is such a hard worker who went to Providence for a year before transferring. He put in a ton of the work in the gym and took advantage of an opportunity when Dylan Painter went down with an injury. He can step outside or score in the post: he bought into his role and showed where he can make an impact at this level.

You faced a couple of possible NCAA tourney teams earlier this year in non-conference play (Davidson/Iona): which of them impressed you the most? Both of them are really good teams. Davidson was our season-opener: we wanted to challenge ourselves out of the gate. They have 5 guys who can shoot the ball so well that it is hard to defend them for 40 minutes. As far as Iona, when you have Coach Rick Pitino on the sideline you always have a chance and I have so much respect for what he has done. I think both of them can win a game or 2 next week.

Your father Tom scored 7 PTS for Villanova in the 1971 NCAA title game and 2 of your uncles also played college basketball: who is the best athlete in the family? Probably my dad: he had a storied career at Villanova and played in the NBA for a couple of years. He was my high school coach and is the reason I do what I do: I cannot tell you how many times growing up when people would stop me on the street and tell me that they saw my dad play. I have a lot of siblings and sports were a big part of my childhood.

Your brother Brad had a good 2021, as he wrote/produced “Mare of Easttown”, which won 4 Emmy Awards: is 2022 the year that you win the award for “Best Performance by an Ingelsby in a Leading Role”? Let’s hope so: it was a good start last night! I am proud of my brother: he found his niche and watching his show gave me something to do every Sunday night during COVID. He is very talented at his craft and works really hard at it.

What kind of seed do you think you deserve, and what kind of seed you think you will get? I think that our metrics are pretty good, with a challenging non-conference schedule and a lot of wins away from home. I would love to be a 14/15 seed but we are just fortunate to be in the tourney and I just want our guys to be able to enjoy it. I was fortunate enough to play/coach in the NCAA tourney and I want them to get to experience it as well. There was such joy in being able to accomplish that goal.

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All-Access at the A-10 Tournament: HoopsHD interviews La Salle cheerleader Maria Johnson

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Jon Teitel

Conference tournaments are about basketball but also so much more: the fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The A-10 Tournament is taking place in Washington, DC this week and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD will be covering all of the angles so you can look forward to a cascade of coverage in the days ahead. Jon Teitel’s 1st interview subject is La Salle cheerleader Maria Johnson, who talked about majoring in Communications and life in Philly.

You grew up in Schuylkill Haven, PA: what made you choose La Salle? Since I grew up in a small town I wanted to go somwehere new: nobody from my high school has been there in about 4 years. I like the small college atmosphere/college size/personalized help I get from teachers.

How did you 1st get into cheerleading, and what is the best part? I started in 4th grade because my little brother was playing football. I went to his games and figured that instead of just sitting in the stands I would cheer for the team. I always loved it: it is a big part of my life and taught me a lot about teamwork.

What do you think the role of a college cheerleader is today, and how has it changed over time? Maximizing your school spirit in all areas: classroom/practice/games/etc. The stigma has changed a bit about whether we are a real sport: more people are open to it because of the more advanced stunts we do and our day-to-day routine, as well as a greater presence on social media.

How frustrating has it been to be a cheerleader during a pandemic? Really frustrating. A big part of what we do is showing our facial expressions/being loud…and masks hide all of that. It is also hard to hold a practice if a teammate tests positive.

You are majoring in Communications/PR: why did you pick those subjects, and what do you plan to do after graduating? I have always been into social media and like doing branding for organizations like my sorority/hometown employer. That is where our generation is heading and I enjoy doing it. I can spend hours editing videos/posts to make them perfect: someone once told me to find a job that you would do for free and this is it.

You have an internship in Center City: where at, and what are your responsibilities there? It is a restaurant called “Tequilas” (www.tequilasphilly.com), which is a family-run business. I do their social media pages, monitor their give-away contests, etc.

What is the atmosphere like on campus this week now that the conference tournament is here? Everyone is really excited to see how far we can go: we have high hopes!

How does your school decide who gets to go to DC, and what does it mean to you to see your group doing their thing in front of a national TV audience? It is awesome, we started during COVID and got a new coach this year so it feels like a fresh start.

Does your squad have anything extra-special planned for the A-10 Tournament this weekend? 1 of our teammates recently got a concussion so our plans have changed but we are just trying to make the best of the situation and will play it safe.

Any predictions for today’s game vs. St. Joe’s? I think that we are going to win!

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Championship Week Video Notebook Day 9

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Chad

WELCOME SELECTION COMMITTEE MEMBERS!!!  We are a just a week away from Selection Sunday, and we are here to make sure you have all the information you need!!!

CLICK HERE to check out the HOOPS HD SURVIVAL BOARD to see who is a lock, who is under consideration, who needs the automatic bid, and who has been elimianted

CLICK HERE for our latest BRACKET PROJECTIONS

CLICK HERE for the CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT INFO TAB, which has all the brackets, match-ups, and tip times

CLICK HERE for our discussion with Selection Committee Chairman Tom Burnett.  It is VERY important that the committee, and especially the chairman, listen to this interview so they know what to do!!

Chad, John, David and David are back to recap an exciting Day 9 of Championship Week, which saw 6 automatic bids handed out, including thrilling finishes in the Summit League and Colonial, a blowout and a brawl in the Northeast Conference, and a team that lost in its tournament semifinals winning a bid in the ASun.  They recap all the other action and look ahead at Wednesday’s action which will include the Patriot League championship, America East semifinals and 11 other conferences beginning action!  All that and a whole lot more!

For those of you that prefer audio only, check this out:

Wednesday’s Tournament Action:

PATRIOT LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP

AMERICA EAST SEMIFINALS

METRO ATLANTIC QUARTERFINALS

MEAC QUARTERFINALS

SWAC QUARTERFINALS

ACC SECOND ROUND

CONFERENCE USA SECOND ROUND

WAC SECOND ROUND

ATLANTIC TEN FIRST ROUND

BIG EAST FIRST ROUND

BIG SKY FIRST ROUND

BIG TEN FIRST ROUND

BIG 12 FIRST ROUND

MOUNTAIN WEST FIRST ROUND

PAC-12 FIRST ROUND

SEC FIRST ROUND

SOUTHLAND FIRST ROUND

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All-Access at the CAA Tournament: Title game Tuesday!

Posted on March 8, 2022 by Jon Teitel

Conference tournaments are about basketball but also so much more: the fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The CAA Tournament is taking place in Washington, DC, this weekend and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD will be covering all of the angles so you can look forward to a cascade of coverage. Jon Teitel wraps it up with a recap of the title game on Tuesday.

Another game, another great pregame meal: pasta/meatballs/chicken/tomato/mozzarella/cake! The good news about the title game is that we had 2 decent crowds (finally!) because 1 of the schools was 40 minutes away from punching their ticket. Even though UNCW was the higher seed there were a LOT more fans from Delaware:

Let’s tip it off:

It was a back-and-forth game in the 1st half with neither team leading by more than 6 PTS. Blue Hen 6’9″ SO PF Andrew Carr dominated inside during the 1st 20 minutes with 11 PTS/4-5 FG/6 REB, but UNCW used a balanced scoring effort to take a 34-30 lead at halftime. It remained close in the 2nd half with neither side pulling away but Carr kept doing work on both ends of the court and finished with quite the nice stat line (17 PTS/12 REB/3 BLK/3 STL). I wish I could find the guy who I gave my pregame prediction to (Delaware by 4) because now you just have to take my word for it, as the FIGHTIN’ Blue Hens won it 59-55 and will be making their 1st NCAA tourney appearance since 2014. I was able to head down to the court to try to get some celebration shots, so see below:

Coach Martin Inglesby celebrating with his son:

…and making sure that his championship hat fits:

…and hoisting the trophy:

You can advance them in the bracket:

You rarely see a freshman who is named tourney MVP, but CAA ROY Jyare Davis has been receiving a lot of hardware during the past couple of weeks:

When you punch a ticket you need some proof:

I LOVE the idea of bringing the trophy into the stands to share it with the fans:

Grad student Dylan Painter got a taste of cutting down the nets when he played for Villanova, so maybe he is the lucky charm:

Jameer Nelson knows better than anyone that they do not just hand you the trophy if you are a #1 seed, as his 2004 St. Joseph’s Hawks were undefeated before losing in the A-10 tourney to Xavier, but tonight he was just a proud papa watching Jameer Jr. follow in his footsteps and make it to the NCAA tourney:


That is a wrap on the CAA tourney, congrats to Delaware, and check back later this week as the A-10 tourney comes to DC in a glorious never-ending parade of postseason basketball!

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