Missouri Valley Conference Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 24, 2021 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE For All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Drake
  2. Loyola Chicago
  3. Northern Iowa
  4. Missouri State
  5. Southern Illinois
  6. Bradley
  7. Valparaiso
  8. Evansville
  9. Indiana State
  10. Illinois State

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 1ST TEAM:

-AJ Green – JR, G – Northern Iowa
-Tyreke Key – SR, G – Indiana State
-Isiaih Mosley – JR, G – Missouri State
-Roman Penn – SR, G – Drake
-Gaige Prim – SR, F – Missouri State

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 2ND TEAM:

-Marcus Domask – JR, F – Southern Illinois
-ShanQuan Hemphill – Sr, F -Drake
-Ben Krikke – Jr, F – Valparaiso
-Austin Phyfe – Jr, F – Northern Iowa
-Lucas Williamson, – SR, G – Loyola Chicago

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 3RD TEAM:

-Shamar Givance – SR, G – Evansville
-Ja’Shon Henry – SR, F – Bradley
-Lance Jones – JR, G – Southern Illinois
-Rienk Mast – SO, F – Bradley
-Braden Norris – JR, G – Loyola Chicago

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-I will start with this.  This league sent two teams to the NCAA Tournament last year and I think it could get as many as three teams in this year.  We normally classify this as an “Under the Radar” league but the top of this league is VERY good.

-Last year Drake won 26 games and made the NCAA Tournament.  All five starters are back this year.  Darian Devries has done an unbelievable job since taking over as head coach and should be able to put together the program’s fourth straight 20-win season and land them back inside the bubble.  They have balance, depth, and are a good defensive team.

-Loyola Chicago also won 26 games a year ago, also made the NCAA Tournament, and pulled off a major upset against top-seeded Illinois in the Round of 32 to make the Sweet Sixteen.  Four starters are back from that team.  They may not just be good enough to land inside the bubble, but it wouldn’t shock me at all to see Loyola in the top-25 before the year is over.  They do have a new coach this year in Drew Valentine, which could be an adjustment, and if they have a weak spot it is probably in the frontcourt since they lost a key big man in Cameron Krutwig, but this is still a team with a ton of potential.

-Northern Iowa was actually a team we were really big on heading into last season, but it just seemed like they could never get a full-strength team on the floor.  This year, they have a lot of experience and some key players that once again look to be healthy.  I know it may sound nuts to look at a team that won just ten games a year ago and say that you feel they have a shot at making the NCAA Tournament, but…I kinda do think they have a shot at making the NCAA Tournament.

-Missouri State is a team that returns all five starters from a year ago.  They also played really well down the stretch winning eight of their last ten, with the last loss being a nail-biter to Drake in the conference semifinals.  This is another really good team.  This is another team that may be good enough to end up inside the bubble and make the NCAA Tournament.  They’ve got good shooters, depth, and are really strong in the post.

-Like a lot of teams in the Valley, Southern Illinois returns a lot of experienced players.  All five starters are back and the experience alone should make them better than they were a year ago.  I don’t think they’re quite good enough to have a legit shot at landing inside the bubble, but they’re certainly good enough to compete with some of the top teams in this league on any given night.

-The media doesn’t seem to be all that big on Indiana State when it comes to the preseason poll, but with three starters back, including two of their top three scorers, I don’t see them finishing at the bottom of the conference.

-Evansville won just nine games a year ago but they’ve got four starters back and should improve with that experience.  However, seeing as how they completely went into the tank down the stretch, they definitely have work to do.

-Bradley had a rough season last year and are sort of in reset mode.  It could be a year where the Braves experience quite a bit of growing pains.

-Valpo won just ten games a year ago and is down some key players, so they’re also sort of in reset mode.  Ben Krikke is a solid player in the frontcourt, but I have more questions than answers when it comes to their success.

-Illinois State won just seven games a year ago and could be in for another long season this year.

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Big East Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 24, 2021 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE For All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

(Need a new graphic.  Sorry UConn!  Well, I’m not sorry for Leigh Delvecchio, but I am sorry for everyone else!)

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON COACHES POLL:

  1. Villanova
  2. Connecticut
  3. Xavier
  4. Saint John’s
  5. Seton Hall
  6. Butler
  7. Providence
  8. Creighton
  9. Marquette
  10. Georgetown
  11. DePaul

 

BIG EAST PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR:

-Collin Gillespie – SR, G – Villanova

BIG EAST PRESEASON FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:

-Aminu Mohammad – FR, G – Georgetown

BIG EAST PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 1ST TEAM:

-Nate Watson – SR, C – Providence
-Julian Champagnie – JR, G/F – Saint John’s
-Jared Rhoden – SR, G/F – Seton Hall
-Paul Scruggs – SR, G – Xavier
-Zach Freemantle – FR, F – Xavier

BIG EAST PRESEASON ALL CONFERENCE 2ND TEAM:

-R.J. Cole – SR, F – Connecticut
-Tyrese Martin, SR, G – Connecticut
-Posh Alexander – SO, G – Saint John’s
-Justin Moore – JR, G – Villanova
-Jermaine Samuels – SR, F – Villanova

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Villanova appears to once again be the top team in the conference and perhaps one of the top teams in the nation.  The debate with them (at least for now) seems to be are they a Final Four-caliber team, or just merely a top-10-caliber team?  The are deep.  They are talented.  They have perhaps the best player in the entire conference in Collin Gillespie, they can shoot, they can rebound, and they can defend.  Other than that, this team is REALLY going to struggle this year!

-As hard as this is to believe, it’s been five years since UConn had a 20+ win season, but they appear to be on their way back in a big way.  They staggered out of the gate last year, but finished really strong down the stretch, played their way into the NCAA Tournament, and with four starters back can carry that momentum into this season.  Dan Hurley has the pieces to make this a top-25-caliber team this year.

-The next group of teams appear to be a toss-up.

-The preseason polls don’t seem to be favoring Providence all that much, but if I had to pick a dark horse it would be the Friars.  They had an unspectacular overall season last year so it’s understandable that people aren’t all that high on them, but with four starters back, some quality additions, and an exciting style of play, I could see the Friars making some noise this year.

-Saint John’s has some key returning players mixed in with some key transfers.  Coach Mike Anderson looks to have the personnel he needs to play the style he wants to play, so the Johnnies may surprise some people this year.

-Xavier is picked to finish 3rd, and while they certainly have the potential to do that with the talent they have coming back, this is also a team that for the last few seasons has started off really impressively, and then tapered off down the stretch.  Last season the Muskies won just two games after February 1st.  I see possibilities for this team, but I won’t be a full-blown believer until they can start winning consistently in the last third of the season.

-Seton Hall is coming off a rather unspectacular season where they finished just 14-13.  I see them once again finishing in the middle of the pack this year.

-Butler has all five starters back!  That’s the good news!  The bad news is they won just ten games a year ago.  So…if you believe that experience can equal improvement then there are reasons to be optimistic. but they certainly didn’t look good down the stretch last season so it could be another long year for the Bulldogs this year.

-Creighton made the Sweet Sixteen last year for the first time since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams: it was a huge monkey off their backs!!  The problem is…absolutely no starters are back.  They are in complete reset mode, and while I think the long term health of this program is good I could see this being a rebuilding year.

-Georgetown had a long, unimpressive, and frustrating season last year that was followed up with one hell of a finale when they managed to win the Big East Tournament!  Several pieces from that team are gone, and when it comes to this year I have a feeling they may look more like the team that finished in 8th place last year than the team that won the conference tournament.

-Shaka Smart begins his era at Marquette this year!  And, WOW!  he has his work cut out for him!!  No starters are back, and they are also in complete reset mode.  I think Shaka is an incredible coach who will get this program rolling rather quickly, but it most likely won’t be this year.

-DePaul….has work to do.

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Happy Birthday!: HoopsHD interviews former UNC Wilmington player Brian Rowsom

Posted on October 23, 2021 by Jon Teitel

Brian Rowsom began his career at UNC Wilmington as a 6’6″ forward but after growing 3″ taller he was able to average a double-double as a SR (21.8 PPG/11.5 RPG). After graduating he was drafted by the Indiana Pacers and ended up playing pro basketball for more than a decade in the NBA/overseas. Since retiring as a player in 1999 he has gotten into both coaching/broadcasting. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Brian about being a great scorer and making the NBA. Today is Brian’s 56th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!

Since there was no rec center in your hometown you learned to shoot on a basket in your grandparents’ backyard: were you able to play against any opponents or did you just practice shooting by yourself? I played with/against other kids in my backyard. I was the only kid in the neighborhood who had his own basketball hoop so they all came and played there.

In 1987 as a player at UNC Wilmington you scored a school-record 39 PTS in a win over ECU: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? I had actually wanted ECU to recruit me out of high school so I really tried to play even better against them. That night I was definitely in the ”zone”.

You were named All-CAA during each of your final 3 years: how were you able to dominate throughout your college career? I worked hard in college because I had always dreamed of playing in the NBA and knew that the only way I could even have a chance to fulfill my dream was through hard work. That in turn helped me to become a good college player.

You graduated as your school’s all-time leading scorer/rebounder: did you realize at the time how prolific a player you were? I was aware of all the records I broke in college but still think that I could have done even better, especially from a team standpoint. We could never quite get past Navy at that time…as they had David Robinson! I was always thinking more in terms of the team.

In the summer of 1987 you were drafted in the 2nd round by Indiana (8 spots behind Steve Alford): did you see that as a validation of your college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? Getting drafted was the official event that made me realize just how far I had come as a player from a national standpoint: it was truly a dream come true!

You played 4 games for Indiana, then spent 2 years playing for the Charlotte Hornets: do you have a favorite memory from your NBA career? My first 2 points against Sacramento as a Pacer will always be special, plus the crowds in Charlotte were the biggest/loudest in the NBA at the time: it was phenomenal!

After retiring from the NBA you played professionally in Israel/Japan/England: what was the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball in other countries? Playing overseas really broadened my horizons. I learned about other people, cultures, and ways of doing things. The basketball competition is about the same but the talent level overseas is not as good as the NBA. Being overseas has been a real blessing for me: I love it.

In 2004 you coached your team to an undefeated league championship in the Ontario Pro Basketball Association, and in 2005 you were named ABA Coach of the Year with the Carolina Thunder: what is the key to being a successful coach? Coaching is often about “feeling” so I always think back to when I played and use that as a way to understand what to do when coaching. I can tell when my players need to be pushed more and when I need to let up on them in certain situations because I remember what my own coaches did in such instances. I have learned that good defense and team play will always equal success on the basketball court no matter where you play or coach.

You coached several pro basketball teams overseas: where do you hope to end up in the future? My ultimate goal is to coach in the NBA so I am using this as a way to build my coaching style and resume. If that opportunity presents itself then I will be ready!

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I want them to remember that I got all that I received through hard work and dedication, and that if I can do it then they can do it too!

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Hoops HD Report: Pac 12 Conference Preview

Posted on October 23, 2021 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE For All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

We look at and discuss all the teams in the Pac 12.  UCLA had a tremendous end to a decent season where they made it all the way to the Final Four after being one of the last teams selected for the NCAA Tournament.  All five starters are back, and they appear to be a national title contender this year.  Oregon is another team that appears to be very strong.  Arizona has a new coach, but still has some strong pieces.  Colorado also has a lot of potential this year.  Oregon State had an amazing run to the Elite Eight, and we discuss whether or not we think they can build on that.  All that, and much more!

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

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Hoops HD Report: Big Ten Conference Preview

Posted on October 22, 2021 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE For All of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

The Panel looks at all 14 teams in the Big Ten and discusses how strong Michigan and Purdue appear to be.  Other teams like Ohio State, Illinois, Michigan State, and Maryland all appear to be top 25 caliber teams who can land in the top half of the bracket.  We also look at teams like Rutgers, Wisconsin, and Indiana and discuss their potential bid chances.  All that, and much more!

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

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Hoops HD Special Report: Interview with Selection Committee Chairman and Southland Commissioner Tom Burnett

Posted on October 20, 2021 by David Griggs

Chad, Rocco, and David are joined by Selection Committee Chairman, and Southland Commissioner, and all around awesome person Tom Burnett.  We discuss the selection process, how Under the Radar teams are evaluated and how their limited opportunities at key opponents impacts their evaluation, how the NET is used as a tool and how it compares to the old RPI, the rough season from a year ago and the challenges the committee faced when selecting and seeding the field, and much more!!

 

This is an audio only podcast (Just click below).  For all you radio lovers, the link to the show is below.  For all you video lovers…well…TOO BAD!!

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