You Ware It Well: HoopsHD interviews McDonald’s All-American Kel’el Ware

Posted on February 10, 2022 by Jon Teitel

If you want to win an NCAA title you usually need a good coach, a great resume…and a McDonald’s All-American. Only 3 championship teams since 1979 have not featured such a player (2002 Maryland/2014 UConn/2021 Baylor). The McDonald’s All-American Game has been canceled during each of the past 2 years due to COVID but hopefully the 3rd time is indeed the charm to see everyone back on the court in Chicago on March 29th. The rosters were announced on January 25th after selecting the 24 best high school basketball players in the nation from a list of almost 800 nominees. If you do not think these guys can make an immediate impact this fall just ask Coach Bruce Pearl how he likes having 2021 honoree Jabari Smith at Auburn! Duke seems to be the big winner so far as Coach Jon Scheyer will inherit a trio of 2022 honorees to join him in Durham next season. Earlier this week HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Kel’el Ware about being named a McDonald’s All-American and turning down a LOT of money.

In the summer of 2020 you were not even a top-100 national prospect but now you are among the best players in the country: how have you been able to improve so much over the past 18 months? Just playing AAU ball and getting some more exposure.

Last spring you had 19 PTS/8 REB and were named MVP of the Class 6A state title game after a 10-PT win over Little Rock Central: what did it mean to you to win a title? It meant a lot because not very many people can say they won a state title.

What has been the hardest part of being a high school basketball player during a pandemic? The breaks we have to take are the toughest part: we cannot always do everything that we used to do.

You received offers from several great schools including Arkansas/Auburn but committed to Oregon last August: what was the biggest factor in your decision? I really liked the environment in Eugene and had a great vibe when I talked with the coaches. I watched film of what they have done with big men in the past and I feel that I can be a great asset.

You are part of a great recruiting class including Dior Johnson/Tyrone Williams: how well do you know either of them, and what makes them such great players? I do not know Tyrone well but am starting to get to know him more and more. I know Dior better: he is a great ball-handler/playmaker so I know that he will be able to get me the ball.

I heard that you allegedly turned down a $900,000 contract with Overtime Elite to attend college next year: is that true, and do you have any regrets? It is true…and I do not have any regrets.

Last November you had 15 PTS/21 REB/18 BLK in a win over Maumelle: where does that rank among the greatest all-around games of your career? It is in the top-5.

Last month you were named a McDonald’s All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It meant a lot to me because there are not a lot of people who can get to that level: it is a great honor.

Your teammate Nick Smith Jr., who Draft Express recently named the top NBA prospect in the Class of 2022, was also named a McDonald’s All-American: how did you guys lose any games this season with so much talent on the court, and how do you think he will do at Arkansas? I think Nick will do great at Arkansas due to how he plays. We are having a great season but need to pick it up.

You are 7’: what position do you play now, and what position will you feel most comfortable at in college? I play center now and plan to do the same in college but can play anywhere on the floor.

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Under the Radar: February 9th

Posted on February 9, 2022 by David Griggs

Tonight’s feature conference is the Northeast Conference, which has always been one of our favorites.  Wagner is the standout team, but Bryant isn’t far behind them.  It promises to be an exciting finish to the season.

We run through the other 21 leagues and discuss Vermont’s dominance of the America East, how Longwood is still unbeaten in Big South play, the at-large chances of Loyola Chicago, Iona, North Texas, UAB, and New Mexico State, how close the SWAC and Sun Belt are with as many as five teams still being able to win the league, and much more.  And, as we do every week, we close with this week’s UTR Top Ten.

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

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Mr. Smith Goes to Arkansas: HoopsHD interviews McDonald’s All-American Nick Smith Jr.

Posted on February 9, 2022 by Jon Teitel

If you want to win an NCAA title you usually need a good coach, a great resume…and a McDonald’s All-American. Only 3 championship teams since 1979 have not featured such a player (2002 Maryland/2014 UConn/2021 Baylor). The McDonald’s All-American Game has been canceled during each of the past 2 years due to COVID but hopefully the 3rd time is indeed the charm to see everyone back on the court in Chicago on March 29th. The rosters were announced on January 25th after selecting the 24 best high school basketball players in the nation from a list of almost 800 nominees. If you do not think these guys can make an immediate impact this fall just ask Coach Bruce Pearl how he likes having 2021 honoree Jabari Smith at Auburn! Duke seems to be the big winner so far as Coach Jon Scheyer will inherit a trio of 2022 honorees to join him in Durham next season. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Nick Smith Jr. about being named a McDonald’s All-American and his future school’s huge upset win last night.

Last summer you scored 31 PTS/10-18 FG for the Brad Beal Elite AAU team in a 3-PT loss to Team Final in the Peach Jam finals: how close did you come to winning it all, and how do you feel about facing your AAU teammate Brandon Miller in the SEC next year when he is at Alabama? We had a very good team and I would not be where I am today without them. It will be emotional to face Brandon because we are best friends but when we get on the court we will both try to win.

You played at Sylvan Hills for your 1st 3 years of high school: why did you switch to North Little Rock for your senior year, and how has it worked out so far? My family made a decision to move districts so I had no choice. It is working out well so far (his team is currently 19-3).

What has been the hardest part of being a high school basketball player during a pandemic? It has not been that hard: you just have to continue to work on your game so that you are prepared when you get to the next level.

You received offers from several great schools including Alabama/Auburn/Kansas but committed to Arkansas last September: what was the biggest factor in your decision, and how excited were you to watch them upset Auburn last night? Coach Musselman: he has a great program. I knew that it would be a dogfight yesterday: it was a big game for both the school as well as the whole state. They just have to keep it rolling with home games against Tennessee/Kentucky coming up later this month.

Last month you were named a McDonald’s All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It is a great honor because there are only so many guys who get that opportunity. I feel like I am doing something right but being a McDonald’s All-American it is not my ultimate goal so I will keep working.

Your teammate Kel’el Ware was also named a McDonald’s All-American: how did you guys lose any games this season with so much talent on the court, and did he really turn down a $900,000 contract from Overtime Elite to attend Oregon next year?! I am not sure what he turned down so you will have to ask him yourself. We have had a successful year but it is hard to maintain our focus on winning a state title with all the attention that we have received.

You are part of 1 of the best recruiting classes in the nation thanks to the Razorbacks bringing in another McDonald’s All-American next year in Jordan Walsh: how well do you know him, and what makes him such a good player? He is a versatile guy who can play any position and is a great defender. We both are dogs and we talk to each other a lot on the phone: it will be fun to play with him.

You are 6’4”: what position do you play now, and what position will you feel most comfortable at in college? Right now I am a combo guard and it will be the same in college.

Last month Draft Express named you the top NBA prospect in the Class of 2022: what would it mean to you to eventually get drafted by an NBA team? Those are just mock drafts so it does not mean anything right now. I will just keep working hard to try to reach the NBA eventually.

There was a viral video last October of you destroying some fraternity guys in a pick-up game in Fayetteville (www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhB3WRhTuoc): are you going to give them a rematch this fall? No: I am cool on that!

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Feb 9

Posted on February 9, 2022 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for Jon Teitel’s Interview with Phil Martelli in regards to Jameer Nelson

NEWS AND NOTES:

-Auburn’s winning streak is finally over.  It took an awful night from the freethrow line, an Arkansas team that was red hot, a crowd that was absolutely bonkers, and overtime, but someone finally knocked off Auburn.  Despite the loss, I thought the Tigers played a lot better in this game than they did in their near upset loss at Georgia.  I actually don’t even think this knocks them off the #1 line.  It was more of a really good win for Arkansas (even though they were at home) than it was a damaging loss for Auburn.

-It was a big night in the big ten with the top four teams all squaring off against each other.  All four are in position to earn protected seeds.  Purdue ran away from Illinois at home 84-68, which really won’t set the Illini back too much.  Winning at Purdue is a Herculean task.  Wisconsin got a really big win at Michigan State.  The Spartans are backpedalling a little bit while Wisky is looking at potentially landing on the top two lines.

-Villanova had to sweat a little bit, but got the 75-69 win at Saint John’s.  Nova has looked great at times this season, but not all of the time.

-Saint Mary’s had a tough game last night at Santa Clara and ended up coming up short.  SMC had really been on a tear, and while Santa Clara is outside the bubble (for now) they’ve been tough to beat this year, especially at home, and are playing really well now.  They can still make a run at the bubble.

-I’ve been beating up on North Carolina all season long, but I’ll give credit where credit is due.  They had a decent win at Clemson last night.  Clemson is not a tournament team by any stretch of the imagination, and they need to do a little more than just win at Clemson, but Clemson was 8-2 at home coming into this one, and UNC picked up a decent win, which is something they haven’t done very often this year.

-West Virginia snapped their seven game losing streak in dramatic fashion as they blew Iowa State’s doors off 79-63.  Iowa State is now starting to drown a little bit as they are now 3-8 in conference.  If WVU can string together a few more wins they should get back inside the bubble.

-Toledo will be a dangerous team in the Round of 64 if they can get there.  They’ll probably need the automatic bid to do it, but I get the sense they are an example of an Under the Radar team that’s better than their paper.  They beat a pretty good Ohio U team rather handily yesterday 77-62.

-Wyoming’s winning streak continues as they held off Utah State in overtime at home last night 78-76.  Had Utah State pulled off this win we’d be seriously talking about them for an at-large bid.

-Indiana lost on the road.  Again.  This time to Northwestern 59-51.  They are still inside the bubble, but their resume is rather flimsy, and the lack of road wins isn’t helping them.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-GEORGIA AT FLORIDA (SEC).  Florida is straddling the bubble and can’t afford to lose at home to a team that’s as bad as Georgia.

-HOUSTON AT SMU (American).  Houston is in my opinion one of the ten best teams in the country even if the top of their resume is a little light.  This won’t be an easy road game to win, and SMU still has an outside shot at making a run at the bubble, but Houston is good enough to win games like this.

-OHIO STATE AT RUTGERS (Big Ten).  This would be a good road win for Ohio State.  They have a pretty good resume, and Rutgers is nowhere near the field, but Rutgers has proven to be very tough to beat at home this year.

-XAVIER AT SETON HALL (Big East).  You get the sense that both of these teams are in a bit of a tailspin.   I don’t think it’s quite to the point of either of them needing to panic, but it is to a point to where both teams need to have a sense of urgency coming into this one.

-WAKE FOREST AT NC STATE (ACC).  Wake Forest is right on our bubble, and it’s kind of hard to ignore a team that’s cracked the top 25.  NC State isn’t that good, so this is a road game that Wake should be expected to win.

-GEORGIA TECH AT MIAMI FL (ACC).  We have Miami FL inside our bubble, and they will stay there so long as they can continue to hold serve and avoid losses in games like this one.

-LOUISVILLE AT NOTRE DAME (ACC).  Notre Dame needs to finish strong, but they are in a stretch where they have been playing really well and where their resume is steadily improving.  They’ve got a winnable game at home tonight and need to hold serve.

-SAINT JOSEPH’S AT DAVIDSON (Atlantic Ten).  Davidson is well inside the bubble and should stay there so long as they hold serve the rest of the way.

-BAYLOR AT KANSAS STATE (Big 12).  Baylor has fallen down to our #2 line, but their ceiling is just as high now as it has ever been even if they haven’t always played up to it, and this should be a winnable road game for them.

-ALABAMA AT OLE MISS (SEC).  Most of Alabama’s resume is solid, but there is one area where it is severely lacking, and that is when it comes to true road wins.  This is a winnable road game.  They need to win it.  It’s as simple as that.

-TEXAS TECH AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12).  Oklahoma’s tournament chances appear to be on life support, but they can bounce back really quickly if they’re able to pick up this win.  Texas Tech has been playing really well, but could use a few more road wins on their resume to really round it out and make it look like a 100% solid protected seed resume.

-TENNESSEE AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC).  Tennessee is in good shape.  This is a tough but winnable road game for them.

-LOYOLA CHICAGO AT BRADLEY (Missouri Valley).  Loyola has looked really good in their last couple of games and will want to keep that because any loss against non-tournament caliber teams, which is pretty much the whole league, will poke holes in their resume.

-SAN DIEGO STATE AT SAN JOSE STATE (Mountain West).  San Diego State is squarely on the bubble and needs to avoid a loss tonight.

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Happy Birthday!: HoopsHD interviews Phil Martelli about Jameer Nelson

Posted on February 9, 2022 by Jon Teitel

The national POY award is often given to a player from a major conference (Duke’s Zion Williamson, Kentucky’s Anthony Davis, etc.), but occasionally a guy from outside the top conferences plays so well that there is no choice but to give it to him instead (Dayton’s Obi Toppin, La Salle’s Lionel Simmons, etc.). 18 years ago it was Jameer Nelson from St. Joseph’s, who had a sensational season (20.6 PPG/5.3 APG/2.8 SPG) and won every piece of hardware imaginable: Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award/Wooden Award/Naismith Award/Oscar Robertson Trophy/etc. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Jameer’s college coach Phil Martelli about his former star player and what they accomplished together. Today is Jameer’s 40th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!

In 2001 Jameer was named national Freshman of the Year at St. Joseph’s: how was he able to come in and be so successful right from the start? He had gifts such as leadership and was a spectacular teammate. He was way beyond his years in terms of how he thought about the game and we had great players around him. It was God-given talent.

In 2004 he helped lead the Hawks to a 27-0 regular season record: how was the team able to stay focused for every single game that year? The players on that team never let it get bigger than a game. They competed every night and had the ability to focus on daily improvement without getting ahead of themselves. Jameer was the captain and we had great internal competition. Delonte West led us in AST for 2/3 of that year. They knew how to practice and knew how to rest.

In the Elite 8 that March he scored 17 PTS but John Lucas III made a 3-PT shot with 6.9 seconds left in a 2-PT win by Oklahoma State: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? I do not really rank the wins or losses. That year we lost in the A-10 tourney title game at the end to Xavier: that loss (which snapped a 27-game winning streak) probably stayed with me the longest. We squeezed every ounce of talent out of our players and they deserved to be the champion. We were a little school and we all wanted to experience the Final 4.

He finished that season by being named national POY: what did it mean to him to win such an outstanding honor? To quote him, “I did not come back to school to be POY: I just wanted to be the best teammate I could.” Every award was nice but he always stated that he accepted it on behalf of his teammates. A lot of people say things like that but he really meant it. He had extraordinary grace and to this day is a revered teammate to the guys who played with him.

He still holds several school records including 2094 PTS/714 AST/256 STL: what is the key to being a good PG, and do you think that anyone will ever break his records? Do not forget most career wins! His season records could eventually be broken if they get on a run because that would mean 3-4 extra games each season. In terms of his career records, he was a once-in-a-lifetime player and is the greatest to ever play there. He is the standard in terms of captain/teammate/greatness. I try everyday to find 1 who can do it again, but my sense is that I was gifted by God once in my life.

In the summer of 2004 he was drafted 20th overall by Denver (3 spots behind Josh Smith) and then traded to Orlando: did he see that as a validation of his college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? I sat there with him: he was the last player in the “green room” and could not believe that he was going to get to put on a hat and shake hands with David Stern. For some guys it is the end of the journey but he saw it as the start of his career. He was in the league almost 15 years and has continued to work since the day he was drafted.

In 2009 he was named an All-Star: how frustrating was it for him to miss the game due to a torn labrum in his right shoulder? He was crushed about that…but had the inner belief that it would happen again.

Take me through the 2009 playoffs:
He beat Cleveland in 6 games in the Eastern Conference Finals: how was he able to become the only team to ever beat LeBron James in the Eastern Conference Finals? No idea! LeBron is right there with the greatest ever and his playoff record speaks for itself, but the Magic had Dwight Howard/Stan Van Gundy. They were a tight team despite being banged up.

He lost to the Lakers in the Finals: what was it like to face Kobe Bryant/Phil Jackson with a title on the line? It hurt him to lose that series because to this day he still wants a ring. The Philly flavor of Kobe Bryant vs. Jameer resonated with him and he just tried to be healthy and contribute. He has always been confident rather than cocky, and I bet if you asked him today if they would have won a title if he was healthy that he would say yes.

His 5.2 APG remains in the top-125 in NBA history and his 1119 3PM remains in the top-100 in NBA history: how proud are you of all that he has accomplished? He is extraordinary about being a totally-engaged father and I think that he will be a standard for everyone in retirement. He has a burning desire to emulate his father Pete, who was a great man. He rakes the field for his daughter’s softball games and helps his son work on his basketball game. He will be fully engaged in whatever he does, be it parenting or owning a car dealership or something else. 1 of the greatest honors of my life is to call him my friend. To finish our texts to each other by saying we love each other is a gift that I do not take for granted.

When people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? In the NBA he will be remembered as a pro’s pro: I view him as a guy like Elton Brand. At St. Joe’s he will be the greatest to ever play here, and in Philly he will be on the Mount Rushmore with guys like Lionel Simmons/Tom Gola.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Feb 8

Posted on February 8, 2022 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES:

CLICK HERE for the latest HOOPS HD REPORT Video Podcast

-Virginia had not looked good at any point this season, but they looked good last night and picked up one of the more improbable wins all year.  They went into Cameron and knocked off Duke 69-68.  Virginia pretty much led the whole way, but Duke got the lead in the final minutes and appeared to have control, but a 3pt shot in the final seconds gave UVA the win.  They still have a ways to go to make the field, but for the first time since November it seems possible!

-Kansas at Texas was a well played game.  Kansas appeared to be in control as they held a 76-72 lead with less than a minute to go, but Texas scored the last 7pts of the game for teh 79-76 win.

-Toccoa Falls was back in action last night, but fell to Charelston Southern 97-60.

 

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:

-NORTH CAROLINA AT CLEMSON (ACC).  North Carolina’s resume is one where they haven’t beaten anyone that’s likely to make the field, but also hasn’t lost to anyone that’s likely to miss it.  Every game the rest of the way will have a pivotal feel to it.

-MARQUETTE AT UCONN (Big East).  Both teams are still in the rankings, and while UConn has dropped two straight I still think they are good enough to earn a protected seed if they can get hot again.  As for Marquette, a win today would be another high caliber road win.

-AUBURN AT ARKANSAS (SEC).  Auburn struggled their last time out on the road and will have a much tougher test today against an Arkansas team that has been playing well lately and who will be jacked up for this one.

-KENTUCKY AT SOUTH CAROLINA (SEC).  Kentucky has looked like one of the best teams in the country these last couple of weeks and they shouldn’t have too much trouble picking up another road win tonight.

-WISCONSIN AT MICHIGAN STATE (Big Ten).  Both teams are good, both are potential/probable protected seeds, and this would be a big win on either team’s resume.  Michigan State has struggled a bit with close wins against Wisconsin and Penn State, neither of whom are good, and a loss to Illinois (who is very good).  This is a chance for them to pick up a big win at home and kind of snap out out if.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT TCU (Big 12).  TCU is coming off a somewhat surprising loss to Kansas State and needs to rebound, but they’re still trending up and they’ve got a winnable game at home tonight.

-IOWA STATE AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12).  Iowa State is sinking a little bit and could really use this win tonight.  West Virginia is absolutely drowning.  They’re on a seven game losing streak and need to win this one tonight, as well as their next two, just to climb back into the picture.

-RHODE ISLAND AT VCU (Atlantic Ten).  VCU is outside our bubble, but can make the field if they finish strong and stubbing their toes in games like this.

-SAINT LOUIS AT LA SALLE (Atlantic Ten).  Saint Louis is another team that’s outside the bubble, but appears to have a path to making the field if they can finish strong.

-OHIO U AT TOLEDO (MAC).  Neither team has much of a chance at getting an at-large, but both are really good teams.  They appear to be the two best in the MAC, and either one would be tough to beat in the Round of 64.

-LSU AT TEXAS A&M (SEC).  Both teams need this one.  LSU has lost six of their last seven and is falling down the seedlist, and TAMU is outside the bubble with no notable wins on their resume right now.

-VILLANOVA AT SAINT JOHN’S (Big East).  Villanova is well within the range of a protected seed and will stay within that range after tonight if they can hold serve (and probably even if they can’t).

-ILLINOIS AT PURDUE (Big Ten).  Illinois has really kicked it into gear lately and is coming off a really decisive and impressive road win at Indiana.  If they can pick up this road win tonight their resume goes from looking good to looking DAMN good!

-BUTLER AT CREIGHTON (Big East).  Creighton has looked slumpish in their last couple of games, so having a winnable game like this at home should help them out.

-UTAH STATE AT WYOMING (Mountain West).  Wyoming has become red hot lately and will look to keep that momentum going with a win tonight.  Utah State hasn’t been in the talk for an NCAA bid very much this year, but they can certainly get there if they can pull this win off tonight.  It will definitely at least get them on the board.

-INDIANA AT NORTHWESTERN (Big Ten).  Indiana appears to be on their way to making the field, but they could really use this road win as a means of continuing to go that way.

-PACIFIC AT USC.  Buy game.

-PORTLAND AT SAN FRANCISCO (West Coast) . The Dons have gotten hot all of a sudden and should be able to hold serve in this one tonight.

-UCLA AT STANFORD (Pac 12).  UCLA appears to be pretty safe for a protected seed at this point, and Stanford remains outside the bubble and needs to string together some big wins to get on the right side of it.

-SAINT MARY’S AT SANTA CLARA (West Coast).  This one should be fun!  Saint Mary’s has cracked the rankings and has been playing really well lately, and Santa Clara has shown signs of being really good as well.  They still have a lot of work to do if they want to make the field, but a win tonight would be a big step in the right direction.

-COLORADO STATE AT NEVADA (Mountain West).  Colorado State is inside the bubble, but they aren’t cemented into it and can fall out of it if they were to go into a tailspin.  This is a winnable road game, and avoiding a loss would be advisable.

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