Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Bradley SR G Gabi Haack

Posted on September 6, 2021 by Jon Teitel

We are keeping our fingers crossed in the hope that we can return to a “normal” version of college basketball this fall: fans in the stands, announcers without masks, etc. Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen but we will try to restore some order with season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. We continue our coverage with Bradley SR G Gabi Haack. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Gabi about being named MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and her expectations for this season.

In 2018 as a freshman at Bradley you were named to the MVC All-Freshman Team: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? Coming into college I knew that it was going to be a big step up from high school with the pace/competition. I spent a lot of time getting in extra shots and doing workouts with my coaches. I made sure to work hard every practice and be patient for my time to play. The Western Illinois game is when it all clicked for me (in her 1st career start she scored a season-high 26 PTS and tied a school record with 8 3PM). From then on I was more confident in myself and was able to make a direct impact.

You set a school record as a junior by making 34 consecutive FTs: what is the key to being a great FT shooter? Being a great FT shooter is all about focus, confidence, and repetition. I make sure to practice my free throws when I am tired and put myself into game-like situations.

In the 2021 NCAA tourney you scored 16 PTS in a loss to Texas: where does WNBA 1st overall pick Charli Collier (23 PTS/15 REB) rank among the greatest players that you have ever faced? I have played against a lot of really good competition throughout my career. Charli is a very talented player and I am excited to follow her career in the WNBA.

Last season you won a ton of awards (including MVC Scholar-Athlete of Year/1st-Team All-MVC/MVC tourney MOP/Bradley Most Outstanding Female Athlete) and were also nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year award in August: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? First of all, I am very honored to be recognized for those awards. I would not be the player I am without my coaches, teammates, and the support of my family. I am very thankful to be able to represent my university and be able to leave my mark at Bradley.

You are 40 PTS shy of breaking Karen Anderson’s school-record of 1679 career PTS and 12 3PM short of breaking Dayna Finch’s MVC record of 294 career 3PM: what is the secret to being a great scorer/3-PT shooter? The secret to being a great scorer and 3-PT shooter is my mindset. I know that I have to put in the extra time outside of practice/games if I want to be successful. I make sure to get up high volumes of shots at a fast pace. I also get in extra workouts with my coaches and work on my weaknesses. Another key to my success comes from strength and conditioning. Coach Matt Friend has helped me become stronger and faster, which directly impacts my ability to score.

You are the only player in the nation with 275 career 3PM/700 career REB: how do you balance these 2 very different aspects of your game? I spend a lot of time getting up high-volume shots at a fast pace and practicing game-like shots. Shots may not always fall but rebounding is a choice and is something that I can do no matter how I am performing.

Last summer you became the 1st woman ever to participate in Florida’s football strength and conditioning summer intern program: how did it go, and will we see you become a strength and conditioning coach in the future? This summer was mentally and physically the most challenging experience I have ever been a part of…but it was 100% worth it! I grew in so many ways and learned that being a strength and conditioning coach is what I want to do with my life after basketball. The UF Strength and Conditioning football coaches taught me so much and I am very thankful to have been the first woman to take part in the internship under that staff.

You have a 3.81 GPA as an elementary education major and are student-teaching this semester: how are you able to balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? Time management. My parents taught me at a young age that school always comes before sports. I also have a lot of wonderful people and resources who have helped me during my time at Bradley.

Your father Dan was your basketball coach during elementary/junior high school and your sister Lydia plays D-2 basketball: how much of a role does the sport play in your family’s life? My family has always been involved in sports and we have always been a basketball family. My dad has coached all of my siblings: I remember going to Jordan, Lydia, and Carson’s basketball games when I was younger. Having my dad as my coach from kindergarten through 8th grade was very special. He taught me so much about the game and helped me develop many intangibles that can be used both on and off the court. Basketball has played a major role in my life and has given me many relationships/friendships that will last a lifetime. Basketball plays a major role in my family because it is something that we all enjoy and it brings us together.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? My goal for this season is to hang another banner! I have the same expectations for this season that I did last year. We need to control what we can control and not take anything for granted.

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Happy Birthday!: HoopsHD interviews ABA champ Ron Boone

Posted on September 6, 2021 by Jon Teitel

You might not think that basketball would be the best option for a guy who graduated from high school at only 5’7″ but Ron Boone proved everyone wrong. A 2-time 1st-team All-Big Sky player at Idaho State, he made the ABA All-Rookie First Team in 1969 and was an ABA champion with Utah 2 years later in 1971. He was named an All-Star 4 times from 1971-1976 and remains in the top-6 in PTS/AST in ABA history. He set a pro basketball record by playing in more than 1000 consecutive games and was selected to the ABA All-Time Team in 1997. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Ron about winning a title and being a broadcaster. Today is Ron’s 75th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!

2 of your nicknames were “The Chief” (due to your Native American ancestry) and “The Legend” (due to your remarkable consistency): which nickname did you like the most? “The Chief” was given to me by my teammate Willie Wise, who all of a sudden 1 day thought that I looked like an Indian/had Indian heritage. He really did not know that he was right, as I was born in an Indian town in Oklahoma called Wewoka. “The Legend” is something that comes with age when you have been out of the game as long as I have. Either 1 is fine.

1 of your 1st coaches growing up was Josh Gibson (older brother of Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson): what made him such a good coach, and did you ever think about following his brother’s path into baseball? I think when we were all growing up baseball was everybody’s 1st love. Gibson was not actually my coach: I was a ball boy for the team that he coached but my brother played on that team. I think we all dreamed about becoming baseball players because it was the #1 sport played at our age.

In 1963 as a 5’8” junior you came off the bench for Omaha Tech as they won the high school state title: was it frustrating to not be a starter, and what did it mean to you to win the title? Everyone wants to win a championship so that was a lot of fun. Our team probably should have won it all 2 or 3 years in a row but we only won it in 1963. It means everything to win the title so I was never frustrated. I was just glad to be on the basketball team: at 5’8” I was not as good as some of the other players.

You went to Iowa Western CC for 1 year, then transferred to Idaho State where you played center despite being 6’ tall: why did you decide to go to Pocatello, and how were you able to play center against much taller guys? I got a scholarship to Idaho State sight unseen. I went to Iowa Western for 1 year but did not want to go back. My high school coach and college coach (who was at Idaho State at the time) gave me a scholarship so I was kind of lucky to get a chance to go to school there. The reason I was able to play center is because I had quite the jumping ability. I could not do it every single game but from time to time the coach would put me out there and I had some success.

In the summer of 1968 you were selected by Dallas in the ABA draft and by Phoenix in the NBA draft: did you ever consider going to the NBA, and what made you end up choosing to play in the ABA? The ABA was a young league that 1st year. My college coach told me that I would probably stand a better chance of making it in the ABA because it was a young league that needed players. It was him that really steered me that way.

You were known for driving around in a bright orange Cadillac El Dorado: why orange, and why a Cadillac? My favorite was not bright orange but rather “competition orange”. Back then the Cadillac was really bright. I just took a liking to it and decided to get it but it took me a while to go ahead and buy it. Every time I would go back there I would say, “Man, I need to have that car!” so I finally ended up getting it.

You had a vertical leap of 43”: were you always more athletic than everyone else, and how much of an advantage was your athleticism on the court? I had a lot of athleticism and was kind of a physical player. My jumping ability came after high school. I think that I dunked a basketball for the 1st time in a high school All-Star game after I had graduated. It was an advantage I had and I used it.

In 1971 you won the ABA title with Utah by beating Kentucky in Game 7 of the Finals: what are your memories of that game, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterwards? It was obviously very exciting in the locker room: everyone was having fun and throwing the champagne around! We knew that we had an excellent team and if we played the way we were supposed to play then we would win the championship. That was a great year as everything fell into place with no injuries or anything like that. That was the 1st year that the team was in Utah (after moving from Los Angeles) so to win a championship in the 1st year was something special.

Your 15.8 PPG that year was only good enough to tie you for 4th-best on the team with Willie Wise (trailing Donnie Freeman/Zelmo Beaty/Glen Combs): was that the best offensive team you have ever been a part of, and how was your team able to spread the ball around so that everyone had a chance to score? That team was so balanced and so good with Beaty and Combs (from Virginia Tech, who could flat out shoot the ball) as well as Merv Jackson (a standout from Utah). That team was put together so well that anyone could have a good night. That is the type of team we had so I think 15.8 PPG was pretty good!

In 1974 you made it back to the Finals but lost to Julius Erving and the New York Nets: where does Dr. J rank among the best players you have ever faced, and do you think anyone could have beat him that year? Dr. J was probably the most exciting player I ever played against. When he 1st came into the league he was just a very young guy, dunking all over everyone and running the floor. After playing against him for so many years I found out the kind of game he really had. He was the most exciting player that has ever played in either league for the most part and has also been a great ambassador for the game since he retired.

After the ABA-NBA merger in 1976 you played 5 years in the NBA: what was the biggest difference between the 2 leagues, and what was it like to play for Jerry West? There were not a lot of differences between the 2 leagues. At the time of the merger the NBA probably had the better big men but in the ABA our guards/forwards were a lot better. During the preseason games between the 2 leagues the ABA won about 70% of the time. When the merger came about I went to Kansas City and had a couple of good years there and then went to play for the Lakers. I thought that Jerry West was a good coach.

You were a 4-time ABA All-Star (including 1976 when Dr. J won the 1st-ever slam dunk contest over All-Star weekend): what are your memories of the slam dunk contest, and did you ever think it would turn into such a phenomenon? I did not think it would become such a phenomenon. At the time the ABA was just trying to do anything it could to make the league survive; to make it stronger, more exciting, and get fans in the stands. That slam dunk contest became something special.

You retired with a record 1041 consecutive games played in the ABA/NBA (which was later broken by AC Green), and never missed a single game or practice during your entire college/pro career: how were you able to remain healthy throughout your career, and were you amazed when AC broke your record? I was blessed with a pretty strong body. I did not get any of those major injuries that keep people from playing and tried to take care of my body as best I could. It is an accomplishment where the longer you are out of the league, the prouder you are of it. AC needs to be proud of his streak as well: that is a LOT of basketball games. You are not just talking about games either: there are plenty of practices and shootarounds, which cause a lot of wear and tear on your body, so to be able to perform like that is something special.

You remain the #3 all-time scorer in ABA history (behind only Dan Issel/Louie Dampier) and #6 all-time in AST: how were you able to balance your scoring with your passing, and do you feel like you were 1 of the best players in the ABA? I was voted as 1 of the top-30 players that ever came out of the ABA. I played 8 years in the ABA and had a pretty good scoring record. To become a balanced player and to be able to show those kinds of talents is very special.

You have spent the past 3 decades as a broadcaster with the Jazz: how do you like the gig, and how long do you plan on sticking around for? The game has changed so much, especially since the NBA has adopted some of the things the ABA had been doing (such as the 3-PT shot). The dunk has always been an exciting play but it is kind of fun that the 3-PT shot has become just as exciting to the fans as the dunk. I have enjoyed broadcasting: it is a side of basketball where you see the game a little bit differently and it has been really fun. I would like to do this for a few more years and then retire to the nearest golf course!

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In Memoriam: HoopsHD interviews Joel Burdette about his father Floyd

Posted on September 5, 2021 by Jon Teitel

Floyd Burdette spent time at a lot of different schools and left his mark on all of them. He played college basketball at Murray State, where he led his team in scoring and was an all-conference selection every single year. After graduating he attended Oklahoma A&M as a player and coach while getting his master’s degree in physical education. He became head coach at Alabama in 1946 and later spent almost 2 decades as coach at Tennessee at Martin from 1952-1971. Coach Burdette passed away in 1995 but HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Floyd’s son Joel about his father playing for Henry Iba and coaching Bob Kurland. Today would have been Floyd’s 107th birthday so we take this time to remember his life/legacy.

Your father was nicknamed “Red”: who gave him the nickname and how did he like it? It came from his color: most people referred to him as either “Coach” or “Red”.

He led his team in scoring and was an all-conference selection each season at Murray State: what made him such a great player? I had the luxury of getting my hands on some of his old scrapbooks after he passed away. He was surrounded by 4 other good players at Murray State and they all played for Coach Carlisle Cutchen. They had a great starting 5 and only lost a handful of games during his career.

He also played for Hall of Fame coach Henry Iba as a center for Oklahoma A&M in 1944 as they made it to the NIT semifinals before a 3-PT loss to DePaul: what made Iba such a great coach? He probably took many of his coaching techniques and implemented them into his later coaching career: he really admired Coach Iba. He probably would have stayed at Alabama if his parents’ health had not taken a turn for the worse. He got to coach against Adolph Rupp and almost beat him several times.

He played AAU basketball in Oklahoma City from 1933-1940: do you think that he could have played in the NBA had it existed back then? I think that he could have. He played for the Phillips 66ers as well as for a team in Denver and was 1 of their better players.

During the summer of 1943 while he was stationed in Stillwater with the US Army Air Corps he taught future Hall of Famer Bob Kurland how to use his height around the basket: how did he like the opportunity to work with the 1st 7-footer in NCAA history? He was responsible for the physical training of the recruits, including teaching soldiers how to parachute. Coach Iba wanted my dad to personally work with Kurland because my dad was 6’6”. I heard that Kurland was not the most coordinated guy so my dad worked with him on his footwork in the post. Kurland was the 1st guy to ever dunk a basketball: when the refs saw it they called it an illegal shot because they had never seen anything like it!

He became head coach at Alabama in 1946: why did he take the job, and how did he like it? I think that he thoroughly enjoyed it. 1 of his greatest accomplishments was that most of his players graduated. He had 1 player from a poor family who had exhausted his scholarship: my dad went to great lengths to plead his case and try to get some extra funding for the kid. My dad wrote so many letters that he finally got the funding.

In 1952 he became coach at Tennessee–Martin (where he stayed for 19 years): how excited was he to return to his hometown, and how was he able to stick around for such a long period of time? I do not know if the fact that it was his hometown had anything to do with his longevity but he always packed in a good audience. He was very animated on the sideline and always wore a sport coat/tie: he would often slam the coat to the ground when he disagreed with a call. He was a good fit with the university and they respected him.

He passed away in 1995: when people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? He always wanted the best for his players and wanted them to succeed in life so he tried to instill some good values in them. The most well-known guy who played for him was Leonard Hamilton, who was the 1st African-American basketball player at the school. When he coached at Alabama they were invited to the NIT and were going to be paired against a team with Black players. Some of the higher-ups heard about it and decided to not let the team play, which was 1 of my dad’s greatest disappointments.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews new Abilene Christian head coach Brette Tanner

Posted on September 3, 2021 by Jon Teitel

We are keeping our fingers crossed in the hope that we can return to a “normal” version of college basketball this year: fans in the stands, announcers without masks, etc. Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen but we will try to restore some order with season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. We commence our coverage with new Abilene Christian head coach Brette Tanner. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Tanner about upsetting Texas in the NCAA tourney last season and his expectations for this season.

You played college basketball at Allen County CC/Emporia State: how good a player were you back in the day, and how did you get into coaching? I thought that I was pretty good at the time but later realized that I was not very good! There was a rule about how many out-of-state players you could have at a Kansas junior college so as an in-state kid there were coaches lining up to recruit me. I played for some legendary coaches and always knew that I wanted to be a coach myself. I wanted to play for guys who could help me get my foot in the door and was fortunate enough to do that.

You spent the past 8 years as an assistant to Joe Golding at Abilene Christian: what makes him such a good coach, and are we going to see UTEP on your schedule anytime soon? I do not know if we will see UTEP on the schedule anytime soon just to be fair to him. When I came here from Stephen F. Austin in 2013 and had to go back and play them it was tough for me to do. I think we might play the Miners once Joe’s former players are gone. He is a good coach because he has zero ego, which is rare in this business. He surrounds himself with talented people and does not micromanage them. He has taught me the importance of building relationships with his players: it is real and he helped me grow that same philosophy, which is more important than winning/losing.

Coach Golding called you the “architect” of the Wildcats’ dominant defense: what is the key to creating a great defense? It is not rocket science and there are a bunch of ways to skin a cat. Our guys trust us and they know that we will do everything we can to put them in a position to be successful. We play super-hard but they also play free of the fear of making mistakes.

In the 2021 NCAA tourney your team had a 1-PT upset of Texas (www.youtube.com/watch?v=81A14JTZXdY): where does that rank among the greatest wins of your career? That has to be up there! My whole family went to school in the state of Oklahoma so I think the biggest win in the past was in December of 2007 when I was an assistant at SFA and we beat OU/Blake Griffin. Being in the state of Texas and beating the Longhorns with someone who I am so close with was pretty special: it is definitely #1 now.

There were a ton of other teams from the Lone Star State in the tourney last March (including Final 4 participant Houston and eventual champ Baylor): how goes the evolution from a football culture to a basketball culture? We were actually just having this conversation at lunch the other day. Football is still pretty important but basketball is growing tremendously because there is so much talent in this state. I also look at schools like Texas/Texas Tech who have made big investments in basketball, which has gotten us to where we are today.

You were hired as head coach in April: how is it going so far? Great! I will be able to tell you more in December but Joe gave me a voice when I was an assistant and he let me coach the defense 100%, which helped this transition. The guys have faith in me whether we win or lose that we are doing things the right way. I am excited for the new journey but it is the same goal.

You lost a few players to graduation/transfer but do return Damien Daniels, who was named conference tourney MVP last March: how crucial will he be to your team’s success this year? He will be extremely crucial as this is his 4th year in the program. We have a couple other returning all-conference/all-defensive players in Coryon Mason/Reggie Miller who will be huge for us. We have some new guys in the post but our guard corps is extremely talented/experienced, which will really help us on defense.

Your non-conference schedule includes a pair of games to open the season at Utah/Texas A&M: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Both of them. I have been doing the schedule for us for a long time and thought it was easy…but now that I moved over 6 feet I feel that the schedule is terrible! Utah has a new coach in Craig Smith, and Buzz Williams is building A&M into a basketball school. They will both be huge challenges for us but so will in-state teams like UT-Arlington. People do not realize how good the mid-majors are: Jacksonville State is bringing every single player back and Drexel was an NCAA tourney team. We do not have any D-1 slop on our schedule so there is no rest for us.

Your roster includes players from Italy/Rwanda/Australia: what sort of recruiting philosophy do you have? My background is junior college but I realize the importance of recruiting high school players. Everyone this year was recruiting in the transfer portal and nobody was recruiting JC players so we picked up 3 kids that I think will be steals. I have been very vocal that international recruiting can be a niche for us. We have an unbelievable international department here and we need to keep working on that.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? My expectations do not matter: they have already been set for me. Part of me wishes I had taken over a bad program with no pressure at all…but if we had not created high expectations then we probably would have been fired! I will not run from the expectations as we move into a basketball league like the WAC: we want to be in a position to compete for a championship in March and be even better than we were a year ago. We are embracing expectations and will try to meet them.

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In Memoriam: HoopsHD remembers former SIUE coach Larry Graham

Posted on August 31, 2021 by Jon Teitel

Before he became the winningest coach in SIUE history, Larry Graham was an amazing basketball player. After setting Odom High School records for most career PTS/REB, he led the Bulldogs to the quarterfinals of the Indiana single-division state tournament before losing in sudden death, then played college basketball at Vincennes University and Texas Wesleyan. He later won a pair of Illinois state titles as a high school coach, then won almost 2/3 of his games as head coach of the Cougars. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Larry a few years ago and is proud to present this never-before-published interview. Today marks the 1-year anniversary of Larry’s passing so we take this time to celebrate his life/legacy.

Your nickname was “Buddy”: who gave you the nickname, and how did you like it? I was always called “Buddy” until I started coaching in Illinois, which is when they started calling me Larry. After I won an award 1 year they called me up to the stage as “Buddy”, and my players got such a kick out of it that it stuck again.

You were a 3-year starter at Odon High School where you made the 1959 state semifinals before losing to New Albany in the last-ever sudden-death OT game in state history: what are your memories of that game? I have tried to put it out of my mind! The 1st team to score 2 PTS would win the game and I am the guy who missed the last shot ever taken in the last-ever sudden-death OT game, which was not a good feeling. We should have won the game even though we were a small school playing against a big school: we kind of choked at the end of the game by missing some FTs. Even though we were a very small school we thought that we were like the famous “Hoosiers” of Milan after knocking a bunch of teams off. There were 12,000+ people at the game and we should have won because we led throughout, but after I missed the shot they came down and made a long shot to win it.

You later played college basketball at Vincennes/Texas Wesleyan: how did you 1st get into coaching? I wanted to become a pro basketball player and really thought that I would make it. 1 of my college coaches set me straight so from then on it was my dream to become a coach.

You later became an assistant coach of the women’s team at Lindenwood University: what is the biggest difference between coaching men vs. coaching women? I like to coach both genders. The women really listen to you so you have to be careful: they will do exactly what you say on offense even if the defense does something unexpected. They want to win and they play hard. I should have had them cutting harder and playing a more freelance style.

You won 2 state championships as a coach at Madison High School in 1977/1981: what did it mean to you to win a pair of titles? Everything! Madison was a diverse school with Black/White students so we had a lot of problems but everyone got behind the basketball team. We sold out our home games and traveled well. The title games were on TV and gave us a lot of confidence. The 1st 1 was so quick that I did not think about it but I was able to plan for the 2nd 1. It meant a lot to me/my players/the community.

After SIUE received some NCAA sanctions the program was suspended in 1983: why did you take the job to resurrect the program in 1984, and how much pressure was there on you? There was no pressure. I actually applied for the job after winning the 1981 title but they do not usually hire high school coaches. I was encouraged to reapply and took a $10,000 pay cut but I am glad that I did because it was a good learning experience.

The team also got a new home of its own when the Sam M. Vadalabene Center opened in 1984: how big a deal was it to get an on-campus arena? We used to play at the local high school so I was the 1st coach in the new gym and it was a big deal. People were excited about the program coming back.

What are your memories of the 1986 NCAA D-2 tourney (James Jappa scored 20 PTS in a 4-PT loss to Wright State)? It was a home-court tourney where you had to guarantee a certain amount of money to the NCAA. Wright State was a really good team but we were ahead for most of the game.

What are your memories of the 1987 NCAA D-2 tourney (John Edwards scored 31 PTS in a 3-PT loss to eventual champ Kentucky Wesleyan)? It was another road game against a great team but we represented ourselves well.

What are your memories of the 1989 NCAA D-2 tourney (Corey Crowder scored 36 PTS in an OT win by Kentucky Wesleyan, then Tim Brown scored 23 PTS in a 10-PT win over Ferris State in the 3rd-place game)? There was a loose ball in OT and when we got back to the huddle 2 of my best players snapped at each other so I benched them for the start of OT. I had planned to get them back in at the 1st dead ball…which took 2½ minutes! I remember the last play against Ferris State: 1 of our seniors had a wide-open look but he gave it to a teammate who had a better look.

You have been quoted as saying you were a laid-back coach but a “pretty big crybaby with the referees”: do you have any regrets? No regrets at all: that is my personality and I had my share of technical fouls. Usually when I was whistled for 1 I deserved it. I am a laid-back guy but I wanted things done my way and if the players messed up then I told them to do it again the right way.

Your 147 wins remain the most in school history: did you realize at the time how prolific a coach you were, and do you think that anyone will ever break your record? Someone will break my record if they ever keep a coach around long enough: no question. I just wanted to win games but was very fortunate to have good players. It is a hard place to coach: it used to be a commuter campus but it is hard to draw recruits there. It is going to be a great program down the road in several years because it is a great campus in a great location.

You won 806 games in high school/college: what made you such a great coach? That is all I knew. I was totally dedicated to it and was a gym rat so my players respected me for that. I was there during good times/tough times and was able to identify with African-American players, which did not hurt.

In 2007 you were named 1 of the “100 Legends of the Illinois High School Basketball tournament” and in 2012 you were inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame: where do these moments rank among the highlights of your career? They were huge! I am also in a couple of other Hall of Fames but those 2 were big honors. I also got into the Indiana Hall of Fame as a player, which was great because I grew up there.

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I really have not thought about it but I was a hard worker who was dedicated to my players. Obviously I want them to know that I was a winner but I could not have done it without my players/assistants. I enjoyed working with minority athletes and got the best out of them: I think I made a difference in a lot of people’s lives.

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How to fix the NCAA: HoopsHD interviews Constitution Committee member Greg Christopher

Posted on August 30, 2021 by Jon Teitel

Earlier this month the NCAA Board of Governors appointed 23 members from across all 3 divisions to its Constitution Committee. The Committee will try to identify the key principles within college sports and help construct a new model that both preserves the existing values while allowing for concrete changes to be made in service of all student-athletes. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Committee member Greg Christopher (vice president for administration/director of athletics at Xavier) about how the process will proceed and how the Musketeers basketball team is looking for this fall.

Earlier this month the NCAA Board of Governors announced that it was appointing 23 members (including yourself) to its Constitution Committee that will “identify the core principles that define college sports and propose a new governance model that allows for quicker change without sacrificing broader values”: what are the principles that you believe in the most, and what are the most crucial elements of the new model? I think that college athletics has reached a bit of an inflection point so it is necessary to take a step back. When people have asked me about it in the past I mentioned that the NCAA manual is 451 pages, which we are not trying to rewrite! The constitution itself is relatively brief so the most central “non-negotiable” gets back to the tethering of academics to college athletics. Some people feel this idea is outdated but I believe very strongly in ensuring that our student-athletes are students 1st. I am also committed to broad-based programs with a wide array of opportunities/teams.

NCAA President Mark Emmert has stated that “The time is now for substantive change”: why now rather than 5 years ago or 5 years in the future? You probably could have picked anytime in the past decade but there is currently a lot of “noise in the system” and a continuous march of litigation, as well as conference realignment/equity review. We also need to see where the student-athlete voice fits into this in light of the NCAA v. Alston case because there are so many angles.

The Big East is well represented both by you and Georgetown President John DeGioia: what perspective do you 2 bring while coming from outside a Power 5 football conference? I am glad that our conference has a couple of voices at the table. I think it is a pretty representative group from across D-1. I know the Power-5 get a fair amount of attention but I am glad that there is a wide variety of voices.

The Board of Governors recently announced its historic decision to convene a special constitutional convention in November, which is “intended to propose dramatic changes to the NCAA constitution to reimagine aspects of college sports”: what part of the current constitution do you dislike the most, and what dramatic change are you most eager to propose? We have not really gotten to that point yet so it is premature to speculate. Our 1st step is to try to get some feedback: there was a survey sent throughout D-1 with feedback due early next week that will be compiled. In the months ahead we will pull out the major themes of the input, then craft some proposals by November.

You played football at Miami University in Ohio before your career was cut short due to injury: what impact has that injury had on your career in overseeing other student-athletes (if any)? “Played” is a liberal term! I had 1 too many concussions for my doctor’s liking. It is an invaluable opportunity to serve a new generation of student-athletes and live vicariously through them.

You also have connections to several other schools in the Midwest (worked at Purdue/Bowling Green and are now athletic director at Xavier): is it important to treat them all equally or do different kinds of schools deserve different kinds of constitutional oversight? My perspective is distinctive because my career path is unusual. Each of the 3 schools I worked at come from a different bucket within D-1. The Power-5 have different parameters within D-1 but it seems to work okay from a governance standpoint. However, since we have over 1000 schools within all 3 divisions, we might need to see how tethered the divisions should be to each other.

In 2018 you were named the Division I-AAA Under Armour Athletics Director of the Year and in 2020 you won the Mike Cleary Organizational Leadership Award: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? I think it is more of a reflection of the people who work around me and the team that we have. It is obviously appreciated and I feel humbled, but it is a recognition of the entire team.

What is the hardest part of being an AD during a pandemic, and how are things looking for the fall semester? The last 18 months have been challenging as we tried to work through it. We are an enterprise that is in disruption within an industry (higher education) that is in disruption. We are 2 weeks in but so far so good: we have a great group of athletes/coaches. There is less uncertainty this year than there was last year, when there was more anxiety. We were on campus last year, which not every other school was, but now that we are in the “2nd cycle” we have a better idea of how to operate.

The Musketeers made the NCAA tourney 26 times in 33 years from 1986-2018 but have not made it in any of the past 3 years: how much pressure does the program’s great track record put on current coach Travis Steele? I think that pressure comes every year, which is part of the fabric here at Xavier, and we embrace that. I think the past 3 years have gone about as we expected while Travis remade the roster, but at the end of the day we want to get into the NCAA tourney via the “final 2% of the climb”.

Last year the basketball team started 11-2 before losing 6 of its final 8 games: what are the expectations like for a roster that has a bunch of returning upperclassmen (including Nate Johnson/Adam Kunkel/Paul Scruggs/Ben Stanley)? We do have a lot of returnees. We got off to a hot start last year and then had 2 extensive COVID pauses that really threw a wrench into the continuity of how we were playing, which turned us into a different team. Nate Johnson’s injury did not help: when you lose 1 of the top 3-PT shooters in the nation (45.2 3P% last year), it makes it hard to win games.

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