Happy Birthday!: HoopsHD interviews former Presbyterian coach Gregg Nibert

Posted on July 20, 2021 by Jon Teitel

You cannot think about Presbyterian basketball without thinking of Gregg Nibert. After spending a few years there as an assistant in the 1980s, he took over as head coach in 1989 and won more than 400 games before stepping down in 2017 with a winning record. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Nibert about making the leap to D-1 and facing a high school phenom named Zion Williamson. Today is Coach Nibert’s 64th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!

You played basketball at Marietta College: how good a player were you back in the day, and how did you get into coaching? I was a very knowledgeable PG and started my final 2 years on the varsity. I played good defense and got the ball to the good players on my team. I knew that I probably wanted to coach and always wondered why guys did what they did on the court. My head coach Phil Roach knew Mike Schuler who was the head coach at Rice and I became his grad assistant.

You became head coach at Presbyterian in 1989: why did you take the job, and could you have ever imagined that you would stick around for almost 3 decades? I started there as an assistant with Butch Estes before becoming an assistant at Furman for 5 years and later returning to Presbyterian. That was another dream come true: my wife is from Simpsonville which is right up the road. We were an NAIA school at the time before joining D-2 for about 15 years and then going to D-1.

In 1996 you won the South Atlantic Conference tourney title: how big a deal was it at the time? That was a huge deal because we had just moved up to D-2 in the early 1990s. We had some really nice teams and made the D-2 tourney in consecutive years in 1996/1997. It was a heck of a league with some really good coaches.

You were a 2-time SAC COY: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? I had some top-notch assistants and recruited some low-D-1 players who wanted to get a great degree. We were a 1st-class school who played some D-1 teams like Charleston and traveled abroad and made some D-2 tourneys. My guys wanted to win and some of them even turned down D-1 schools to come here: they were hard-nosed/tough and worked hard.

In 2007 your school made the leap to D-1 and you ended up playing 25 of 30 games on the road: what is the biggest difference between D-2 and D-1, and how exhausted were you by the end of that year? To play Duke/UNC and beat a ranked Cincy team made me have to pinch myself! When we found out that we were not going to be in a conference we decided to get our name out around the country and bring in as much money as we could from guarantee games. We went all over the country and made about $650,000. I knew the guys wanted to travel and we recruited some nice players but it was probably a bit much. We were all a little weary to be honest and when you are used to winning the losing can be tough on everyone.

Every single 1 of your seniors graduated from Presbyterian during your tenure: how much importance do you place on academics? We tell them from the get-go that academics came 1st: we scheduled our practices around classes and we wanted our guys to get their degrees. Some of them went on to play pro basketball but they all knew that the ball would stop bouncing eventually. We had 1 guy who did not graduate after a terrible spring semester but he might have gone back to get his degree later.

You remain the all-time winningest coach in school history: what makes you such a great coach, and do you think that anyone will ever break your record? The most fortunate thing is longevity: I was there for 28 years and won more than 400 games. Our staff got some great players who were mentally tough and played good defense. They had a tremendous work ethic and were very physical. We beat Wake Forest/Auburn in back-to-back games 1 year!

You later became an assistant coach at Spartanburg Christian Academy: how did you like the job, and what do you hope to do in the future? It was really neat! When I was a head coach I learned early on that loyalty was extremely important and I was very blessed to be at a great school. I have known head coach Chris Arp for a long time and he runs the same point-zone defense that I ran at Presbyterian. The kids look up to him and I was proud to be in a different role. I enjoyed it a lot and we were close to winning a championship.

A few years ago in your school’s game against Spartanburg Day School, Zion Williamson had 37 PTS/10 REB/5 STL in a 31-PT win in the SCISA Region I-2A tournament: how dominant was he in high school, and what do you think his ceiling will be in the NBA? I heard all of the unbelievable stories: everyone loved him even if he was pounding a dunk on you. Every gym was standing-room-only wherever he played. There is no doubt that everyone is in awe of a 290-pound player who is so athletic. I think that he will become 1 of the best NBA players ever. He has a really compassionate heart, wants to win, and is like a sponge because he wants to learn as much as he can. He cares about his teammates and does whatever it takes to win.

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? We took a challenge and were 1 of the best teams in NAIA. We almost made the Elite 8 in 2003 and made a good plan to go to D-1. We lost our D-1 status for 1 year so our seniors had to essentially redshirt for 1 year but were still right on par to do some good things that nobody expected us to do. Guys got better while they were there both as individuals and as a team, which is what any head coach wants to happen.

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2021 NBA Mock Draft (Version 2.0)

Posted on July 17, 2021 by Jon Teitel

The NBA Draft is scheduled to take place on July 29th and until then we will do our best to predict where everyone will get selected. Some websites do their mock drafts based on “best player available” but we try to focus on team needs: for example, if a team like Houston already has John Wall at the 1-spot then they are probably not selecting a point guard with the #2 overall pick. Please see our 1st round predictions below and then tweet us your comments regarding what looks good and what might need a re-pick.

#. TEAM: NAME, POSITION (SCHOOL/YEAR OR COUNTRY)
1. Detroit: Cade Cunningham, PG/SG (Oklahoma State/FR)
2. Houston: Jalen Green, SG (G-League/FR)
3. Cleveland: Evan Mobley, PF/C (USC/FR)
4. Toronto: Jalen Suggs, PG (Gonzaga/FR)
5. Orlando: Jonathan Kuminga, SF/PF (G-League/FR)
6. Oklahoma City: Scottie Barnes, SF/PF (Florida State/FR)
7. Golden State: Keon Johnson, SG/SF (Tennessee/FR)
8. Orlando: Jalen Johnson, SF (Duke/FR)
9. Sacramento: Kai Jones, C (Texas/SO)
10. New Orleans: James Bouknight, SG (UConn/SO)
11. Charlotte: Davion Mitchell, PG (Baylor/JR)
12. San Antonio: Ziaire Williams, SG/SF (Stanford/FR)
13. Indiana: Franz Wagner, SF/PF (Michigan/SO)
14. Golden State: Moses Moody, SG (Arkansas/FR)
15. Washington: Corey Kispert, SG/SF (Gonzaga/SR)
16. Oklahoma City: Josh Giddey, PG (Australia/INTL)
17. Memphis: Miles McBride, PG (West Virginia/SO)
18. Oklahoma City: Alperen Sengun, C (Turkey/INTL)
19. New York: Usman Garuba, PF/C (Spain/INTL)
20. Atlanta: Cameron Thomas, SG (LSU/FR)
21. New York: Jaden Springer, SG (Tennessee/FR)
22. LA Lakers: Ayo Dosunmu, PG/SG (Illinois/JR)
23. Houston: Tre Mann, PG (Florida/SO)
24. Houston: Trey Murphy III, SG (Virginia/JR)
25. LA Clippers: Nah’Shon Hyland, PG/SG (VCU/SO)
26. Denver: Chris Duarte, SG (Oregon/SR)
27. Brooklyn: Josh Primo, SG (Alabama/FR)
28. Philadelphia: Josh Christopher, SG (Arizona State/FR)
29. Phoenix: Jared Butler, PG/SG (Baylor/JR)
30. Utah: BJ Boston, SG (Kentucky/FR)

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2021 Draft Preview: HoopsHD interviews San Diego State prospect Jordan Schakel

Posted on July 12, 2021 by Jon Teitel

With only a few games remaining in the NBA playoffs it is never too early to start preparing for next year. The lottery was held on June 22nd, the final deadline for early entry withdrawal is July 19th, and the draft will take place on July 29th. We will spend the rest of the month interviewing as many members of the 2021 draft class as possible. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel commences our coverage by chatting with Jordan Schakel about being a great shooter and what it would mean to him to get drafted.

You were born/raised in California and both of your parents went to USC: what made you choose San Diego State? Their winning history, energetic fanbase, and 24/7 practice center.

You played for Coach Brian Dutcher: what makes him such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? The thing to me that makes him great is his trust and ability to let his players play and not get in their way. I have never played for a coach that let us have so much freedom on the offensive end. As long as you play hard on defense you get the trust to play your game on offense.

In the 2018 NCAA tourney you scored 2 PTS but Rob Gray made a windmill layup with 1.1 seconds left to clinch a 2-PT win by Houston: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? That was not as devastating as when we played Utah State in the conference championship my junior year and lost at the buzzer. The shot Sam Merrill hit ended up finishing our season on a sour note, as that was the last game we played before the pandemic: www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuV0eM9GsY0

In 2020 you went 30-2 (with only a pair of 3-PT losses) and were projected by some to be a #1 seed in the NCAA tourney before it was postponed due to COVID: how close did you come to going undefeated, and where do you think that Aztec team ranks among the greatest in school history? I do not think we were as close to going undefeated as many thought. I think it served us better to lose to UNLV before the conference tourney and then to Utah State before the NCAA tourney because you learn more from losses than you do from wins. We were hungry and humbled after the last loss and I think that we were primed for a Final 4 run. To me that team is top-3 for sure, but I cannot tell you how we compare to the Kawhi Leonard Sweet 16 team in 2011 because we did not get a chance to play in the real tourney. I will say that I would take our team over anyone ever if I am playing!

Last January you scored a career-high 28 PTS in 29 minutes off the bench (including 8-11 3PM) in a win over Colorado State: was it just 1 of those situations where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? That was a great bounce-back game for us. Colorado State’s game plan was to just leave us open for threes all game long and bank on us going cold and choking at some point. I saw my teammates start passing up open shots and told them to give me the ball and I took every shot that I could. Thankfully I was able to make a high percentage of them and set a school record.

You played in 12 MWC tourney games during your career and won 10 of them (with the 2 losses coming by a combined 10 PTS): what is the key to winning games in March? The key to winning games in March is trusting all of the work that you have put in as a team to get to that point.

You finished your career as the as the #1 FT shooter (87%) and #2 3-PT shooter (42.7%) in school history: what is the secret to being a great shooter? There is not any secret: just hard work, dedication, and not accepting anything short of greatness. I was not born a great shooter and it did not come naturally: I have worked on it every single year.

You had a 4.2 GPA in high school and made the Academic All-Mountain West during each of the past 3 years: how did you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? It was a lot of hard work and late nights studying during the season when I would rather watch basketball or get into the gym. It was a lot of sacrifices that ended up paying off in the end.

You turned 23 last month: what did you do for the big day? I actually was traveling to Boston for a workout on my birthday but I celebrated the night before by going to a UFC fight. I got to see my favorite fighter (Israel Adesanya) live and learned a lot from it.

You are preparing for the NBA Draft this month: what would it mean to you to be drafted, and what is the plan if you do not get selected? It would mean a lot to me to be drafted but regardless of the outcome I feel extremely blessed to be in this position and will be celebrating the end of a long pre-draft process on the 29th. If I do not get drafted then the goal is to make a roster and earn my way into the NBA by playing in the summer league. I know that God has a plan for me so I am not worried where I will end up.

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In Memoriam: HoopsHD interviews Bobby Pope about Bill Bibb

Posted on July 9, 2021 by Jon Teitel

When you work in college athletics for a half-century you develop a pretty impressive resume, which is exactly what Bill Bibb did: all-state high school basketball player, member of Kentucky’s only undefeated team in 1954, AP All-American at Kentucky Wesleyan in 1957 after participating in the NCAA’s 1st-ever D-2 Championship Tournament, 2-time conference COY during a 15-year run as head coach at Mercer, almost a decade as Mercer’s Director of Athletics, and ASUN Commissioner for 15 years. After all of his success it came as no surprise when he was inducted into the ASUN Hall of Fame in 2016. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with former Mercer AD/radio play-by-play man Bobby Pope a few ago about Coach Bibb’s life/legacy. Both Bobby and Coach Bibb died last year, and since today marks the 1-year anniversary of the latter’s passing we take this time to remember them both.

Bibb was an all-state high school basketball player in Kentucky: why did he decide to become a Wildcat? He wanted to play for Coach Adolph Rupp. He was a good baseball player as well.

What was the most important thing that he learned from his Hall of Fame coach, and how much of an influence was Rupp on his own decision to become a coach? Bill was a hard-nosed coach who prided himself on playing at Kentucky even though he finished his career at Kentucky Wesleyan.

He was a member of the school’s only undefeated team in 1954: what did it mean to him to go 25-0, and how did he feel about missing out on the NCAA tourney after 3 of his teammates were declared ineligible due to being graduate students? That did bother him. He had a close relationship with those players and would always return to campus for alumni events in the later decades.

He transferred to Kentucky Wesleyan and as an All-American senior he played in the NCAA’s 1st-ever D-2 tourney title game where his team had a 23-PT loss to Wheaton: why did he decide to transfer, and where does that loss rank among the most devastating of his career? He never talked to me about that. He played for Coach Robert “Bullet” Wilson. I know that he did not like being on probation and missing out on the postseason.

How did he 1st get into coaching? He got a Masters’ degree at Kentucky and actually started out at Kentucky Wesleyan as a baseball coach. He then went to a couple of other schools before coming to Mercer to coach basketball. He was a disciplinarian: if you screwed up during practice he would throw a basketball at you!

In the 1981 NCAA tourney as head coach at Mercer he was tied with Arkansas with 10 minutes left before losing by 6 PTS: how close did he come to pulling off the upset? The Razorbacks had a guy named Scott Hastings who ended up with 18 PTS/12 REB. They had several other good players but were horrible at the FT line that night (19-40). We were a #12-seed and were in the game for the most part.

He was a 2-time conference COY: what did it mean to him to receive such outstanding honors? He was a prideful man so there is no question that he enjoyed that. In my mind the 1985 team was the best team Bill ever had. He almost got fired in 1979 but we beat Tulane in North Carolina and lost to the Tar Heels by only 2 PTS, which turned the tide.

His 222 wins remain the most in school history: did he realize at the time how prolific a coach he was, and do you think that anyone will ever break his record? If Bob Hoffman had stayed there longer I think that he would have eventually broken his record. We played a lot of guarantee games against good teams and were able to beat some teams like Stanford and coaches like Lon Kruger.

He was 1 of the founding members of the Atlantic Sun Conference and spent more than 50 years in college athletics as an athlete/assistant/head coach/athletic director/commissioner: how much of an impact has he had on the sport of college basketball? He laid the groundwork for where Mercer is today. We were the 1st team from our league to go to the NCAA tourney. Bill had a major influence on the sport and was a very good administrator. Some of our other athletic programs did not excel as much as I had hoped they would but we had a good women’s basketball program as well.

When people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? I do not think that he has gotten the credit he deserves for getting the program to where it is today. The school has still not become successful at football but the SoCon has undergone a huge change since Mercer entered.

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In Memoriam: HoopsHD interviews Bill Mecca about Burt Kahn

Posted on July 6, 2021 by Jon Teitel

The reason that Quinnipiac named its basketball court after Burt Kahn is because in many ways he was the living embodiment of Bobcat basketball. He served as head coach from 1960–1990 and athletic director from 1961–1995. He won 450+ games, back-to-back ECAC New England championships in 1977/1978, and led his teams to 4 D-2 tourney appearances. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Burt’s former assistant Bill Mecca about his boss’s life/legacy. Today is the 17th anniversary of Burt’s passing on July 6, 2004 so we are proud to take this opportunity to remember all of his accomplishments.

Kahn became coach at Quinnipiac in 1960: how did he 1st get into coaching? I recall that he started as a high school coach in Long Island, then later ran the program at the Boys and Girls Club. He eventually got the job here and the rest is history.

He oversaw the transition of the program from NAIA to D-2 in the 1970s: what is the biggest difference between the 2 levels? Burt was always interested in taking the next challenge so I am sure that he was a proponent of the leap.

What are your memories of the 1980 D-2 tourney (he had a 9-PT loss to New Hampshire College and then a 5-PT win over Bryant in the 3rd place game)? It was 1 of the best teams we had back when I was working for Burt: just some talented kids who played well together.

What are your memories of the 1988 D-2 tourney (he lost to New Haven before beating Assumption in the 3rd place game)? That was another 1 of his best teams. We played 5-man motion and probably should have won the whole thing. that year.

In 1996 the school gymnasium was renamed the Burt Kahn Basketball Court: what did it mean to him to receive such an outstanding honor? It was 1 of the few times in his life that he was speechless. He was a man of many words but he was quite humbled by that whole experience.

You are 1 of his more than 25 former players/assistants who became head coaches themselves: what made him such a great teacher? He taught with such a passion for the game. Great teachers teach but extraordinary teachers explain. There was a science to the game and he took great pride in teaching us all how to be successful. He ingrained in his former players that Xs and Os could give you some control over the game and he cared for his student-athletes.

He remains the winningest coach in school history: what made him such a good coach, and do you think that anyone will ever break his record? He was here forever so I do not think anyone will get that many wins. It is hard to beat his commitment/passion and he had a lot of dedicated kids. He had a huge impact on our entire institution.

In addition to coaching he also served as athletic director: how was he able to balance the 2 gigs? He spent a lot of time on basketball because we did not have a lot of other sports back then. He helped start almost every sport that we ended up having and hired everyone so there was a sense of loyalty because he had given everyone the opportunity to coach. Basketball was more important to him than being AD.

He passed away in 2004: when people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? As a caring individual: I have never met anyone who care more about a department and a sport than Burt did. He was single and the basketball program was his life. He did really well and always tried to make us better people.

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Happy Birthday!: HoopsHD interviews former Tennessee Tech player Wayne Pack

Posted on July 5, 2021 by Jon Teitel

There have only been a handful of players from Tennessee Tech who have played pro basketball, and the best 1 was Wayne Pack. He was 1 of the best PGs in school history, averaging 16.7 PPG with 400+ AST. He was drafted by the ABA’s San Diego Conquistadors in 1973, played for the Indiana Pacers in 1975, and was inducted into the Tennessee Tech Athletics Hall of Fame in 1996. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Wayne about having an undefeated high school season and making the ABA. Today is Wayne’s 71st birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!

 (photo credit: herald-citizen.com)

In 1969 you teamed with George McGinnis to lead Washington High School to an undefeated record and a state title: how close did Tolleston come to ruining your fairy tale season in the finals, and how good did those burgers taste when you celebrated the win at White Castle?! Tolleston came very close (3 PTS) but not as close as Marion, which was only a 1-PT game earlier that day. The White Castles were great!

Your team averaged over 90 PPG under 6-time state championship coach Bill Green despite playing 8-minute quarters and without a 3-PT line: what made Green such a great coach, and how on earth were you able to score so many points? We were not a run-and-gun team but we did have 2 of the best big men in the history of Indiana high school basketball in McGinnis and Steve Downing, who combined to average over 50 PPG. Louis Day was probably the best athlete on our team: he was a track star as well as a RB on our state championship football team. We had several other players to complement George/Steve. Coach Green was great: when I saw him at the Indiana Hall of Fame induction dinner I got tears in my eyes because he saved my life. I grew up in a working-class neighborhood on the west side of Indianapolis and after high school kids either got a job in the factory or went to Vietnam. I got cut during each of my 1st 3 years so I only played as a senior. I made the team as a walk-on…then went 31-0 as a starter! Coach Green became the winningest coach in Indiana history.

Why did you decide to go to Tennessee Tech? It was my only option. I wanted to go to school in-state so I contacted Indiana/Purdue/Ball State, but they thought I was either too small or just not ready for D-1 basketball. I got a call from Tennessee Tech during the summer to come down for a tryout, and at the end of the session they offered me a full scholarship.

In 1970 you had a career-high 16 AST vs. Morehead State, which stood as a school record for 2 decades: what is the key to being a good PG, and how were you able to balance your scoring with your passing? The key is to put the team 1st. When you play with legends like George/Steve, who both went on to win pro basketball titles, you just want do whatever it takes to win. If I have to score to win then I will, and if I have to pass to win then I will do that instead. I stepped up my scoring at Tennessee Tech and averaged almost 20 PPG 1 year.

In 1973 you scored a career-high 35 PTS vs. Austin Peay: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? I remember that game: Austin Peay had All-American Fly Williams from New York City. I just wanted to show everyone that I could play: I felt that I was as good or better than any other player on the court. I forget how many points Fly ended up with…but I guarantee you it was more than I had! Kids today play in rec leagues and on travel teams, but back then we just went out and played wherever/whenever we could. My best college game was as a sophomore against Western Kentucky, who had Jim McDaniels and was ranked among the best teams in the country. I scored 27 PTS and had about 12-15 AST but we lost the game.

After graduating in 1973 you went back home to work for the Boys’ Club, then tried out for the Pacers and ended up making the team: why did you decide to try out, and how were you able to make the team after taking 1 year off? I love basketball and knew that I could play. I begged my way onto every team that I have ever been on. I was picked in the 1973 NBA supplemental draft by the 76ers but was cut after a couple of weeks. I just decided to try out for the Pacers because they were my hometown team and I ended up beating out PG Bruce King from Texas-Pan American.

In 1974 you played 21 games for Indiana en route to making it to the ABA Finals before losing to Kentucky: what is your favorite memory from your time in the ABA, and how did you enjoy having McGinnis as your teammate again? George and I grew up together so to play with him on the pro level was the icing on the cake. Making the team was amazing: it is what every kid who has ever picked up a basketball dreams about. It is 1 of the things I am proudest of in my life outside of my family, as not a whole lot of people can say that they played professional basketball.

After retiring from the ABA you played in Europe: what did you learn from that experience, and how did it compare to the ABA? It was a great experience, but nowhere near the caliber of play in the ABA. 1 of the things that I cherished most about that was playing in Barcelona with a guy named Collis Temple, who I only later learned was the 1st Black basketball player at LSU.

You later worked as a Senior VP of Human Resources for Brightpoint North America: how did you like the job? We provided logistics and distribution services to the wireless industry. It was a great challenge but I really enjoyed what I was doing.

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I would like to be remembered as a guy who put his team 1st, overachieved, and did a lot of things that other people did not think he could do. In the end, I just want to be remembered as a guy who did the best he could do with the talents that God gave him.

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