We have seen some great in-season tournaments in the past (Battle 4 Atlantis, Maui Invitational, etc.), but the Players Era Festival has simply taken things to another level. Last year’s debut featured 8 teams, but this year there is an 18-team field featuring some of the best teams from the best conferences in the country. It is taking place this week in Las Vegas, and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is covering all the angles so you can look forward to an abundance of access in the days ahead. Jon Teitel continues our coverage from Sin City with an interview of Tony Heise, whose son Nate plays for Iowa State.
Your son Nate was born/raised in Minnesota and began his college career at Northern Iowa, where he made the 2021 MVC All-Freshman Team: how was he able to come in and contribute right from the start? He knew that the only way he would see the floor was playing good defense, and if you play good defense for Coach Ben Jacobson then he will let you play. He gained a lot of valuable experience.
He only played 2 games in 2022 before suffering a season-ending hand injury: how bad was it, and how was he able to get back onto the court? He broke a finger badly and they had to put a pin in there. It took almost 6 months to heal.
He was named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete 2nd-Team multiple times: how does he balance his work on the court with his work in the classroom? He is a pretty smart kid. Throughout high school/college he knew that an education is the #1 thing you need to succeed in the real world.
Why did he decide to transfer in 2024, and what made him choose Iowa State? He knew that he had a chance to go to the next level and always liked Iowa State assistant coach Kyle Green. It is not far from home so he chose the Cyclones over the Gophers.
Last December he scored 10 PTS/4-7 FG in a 9-PT win at Iowa: how big a deal is the Cy-Hawk rivalry? That is a really fun rivalry and he is a big-game player (like today when he is facing St. John’s). Throughout high school/college he has played well in those type of games.
Last March in the NCAA tourney he scored 9 PTS in a win over Lipscomb and 13 PTS in a loss to Mississippi: what was your favorite memory from his 1st trip to “March Madness”? I played basketball from when I was a kid all the way through college but never had the opportunity to make the NCAA tourney. Nate finally got the opportunity and took advantage: it was a dream come true.
This year he was named the team’s 1st-ever defensive captain: what is his secret for playing good defense? He is a smart player who can see plays developing before they happen. He takes pride in it and knows that he has to be a stopper/leader for his team.
He has won 18 of his 20 career home games in Ames: how do you explain “Hilton Magic” to someone who has never seen it in person? It is hard to say. He loves playing in front of a big crowd with all the fans/excitement: it gets him pumped up.
You/your spouse/your son Ryan all played college basketball, and your daughter Taylor won gold medals for Team USA at 2 of the past 3 women’s ice hockey world championships: who is the best athlete in the family? That is a tough 1…but Taylor has been winning gold medals around the world and will probably make the Olympic team this winter.
Any predictions for the Cyclones this week? They had a really good win today and have good team chemistry. Everyone has bought in and if everyone is clicking then they can be a very good team.
Posted inNews and Notes|TaggedIowa State, Nate Heise, Tony Heise|Comments Off on All-Access at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas: HoopsHD interviews Tony Heise about his son Nate
We have seen some great in-season tournaments in the past (Battle 4 Atlantis, Maui Invitational, etc.), but the Players Era Festival has simply taken things to another level. Last year’s debut featured 8 teams, but this year there is an 18-team field featuring some of the best teams from the best conferences in the country. It is taking place this week in Las Vegas, and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is covering all the angles so you can look forward to an abundance of access in the days ahead. Jon Teitel continues our coverage from Sin City with a recap of Baylor-Creighton.
What a delicious pregame meal: bacon/egg/cheese burrito, potatoes, waffles, muffins, and OJ! Another sign that this is a terrific tourney is that Grant Hill is doing the color commentary:
Let’s tip it off from Michelob Ultra Arena:
Fun fact: the St. John’s fans who showed up early before their team played in Game 2 are cheering against their conference rival Creighton in Game 1, while Iowa State fans…are doing the very same thing to Baylor! These 2 long-time coaches know each other well, as Greg McDermott/Scott Drew faced each other in the 2023 NCAA 2nd round (a 9-PT win by Creighton):
The Blue Jays relied on the long ball early, as both Nik Graves (left) and Blake Harper (right) made a pair of shots from behind the arc in the opening stanza:
In contrast, the Bears did most of their damage inside the arc. Cameron Carr (left) made a runner in the lane, a scoop, and a pair of pull-up jump shots, while Obi Agbim (right) made several jump shots of his own to help give his team a 44-36 halftime lead:
Creighton climbed back into the game in the 2nd half with the help of 3-PT shots from the law firm of (Josh) Dix, (Hudson) Greer, and (Isaac) Traudt:
Unfortunately, they got killed on the board by Caden Powell (left) and Dan Skillings Jr. (right), who each had multiple offensive REB that led to put-backs as Baylor hung on to win it 81-74:
In the postgame press conference, I asked Skillings about his team’s balanced offense with 5 guys in double-figures. He said that since a bunch of guys had it going today they tried to get everyone involved and stay poised:
I wanted to get Coach Drew’s thoughts about the announcement earlier today that the Players Era Festival is forming a $50 million equity partnership with the Big 12 and plans to have a 32-team event beginning next season where automatic bids will be given to the top-8 teams from the previous year’s Big 12 standings. He said that Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark has done a great job of putting the conference in the best position possible and makes sure they can keep being successful. He also thinks the Players Era is a well-run tourney and even though this is just his 1st appearance here he is very impressed:
Someone else asked Coach McDermott about Hudson Greer’s breakout game (16 PTS/7-8 FG), and I followed up to see whether we might see the freshman in the starting lineup soon. Coach said that Hudson he has been on a rollercoaster ride (he almost got redshirted for the season earlier this month!) and is still a freshman but will be a really good player for them. As to who starts, it does not make a lot of difference to him: they just need some sort of consistency:
That is a wrap for Game 1 but check back all week long for all access at the Players Era Festival!
Posted inNews and Notes|Taggedbaylor, Creighton|Comments Off on All-Access at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas: Baylor-Creighton
We have seen some great in-season tournaments in the past (Battle 4 Atlantis, Maui Invitational, etc.), but the Players Era Festival has simply taken things to another level. Last year’s debut featured 8 teams, but this year there is an 18-team field featuring some of the best teams from the best conferences in the country. It is taking place this week in Las Vegas, and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is covering all the angles so you can look forward to an abundance of access in the days ahead. Jon Teitel commences our coverage from Sin City with an interview of Nikki Graves, whose son Nik plays for Creighton.
Your son Nik was born/raised in Durham: did he always want to attend Duke? No: he was always a Carolina fan growing up!
He began his college career at your alma mater (Charlotte): how much of an influence were you on his decision? I stayed out of the recruiting process. People wanted him to go there because I played there, but I wanted to let him make his own decision.
He played in 22 games as a freshman: how was he able to come in and contribute right from the start? He was well prepared after playing for his high school team. Coach Freddy Johnson did a phenomenal job of teaching him how to play the right way and be prepared for the game at the college level.
Last March he scored a career-high 32 PTS/4-8 3PM/10-11 FT in a 2-PT loss at East Carolina: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot he put up seemed to go in because he was “in the zone”? He did hit a lot of shots in that game, but what I remember the most is that his friend Bobby Pettiford played for ECU in the past, so it was kind of a big brother/little brother thing.
Last year he led his team with 17.5 PPG: what is his secret for being a great scorer? He just does what his team needs. He has always been a pass-first guard but Charlotte did not have the scoring pieces last year, so he had to adapt. If you asked him, he would say that he prefers not to shoot as much.
He was also #15 in the nation with 233 FTA: how much of his success is based on his ability to get to the FT line? A lot of it. He has always had a knack for being a smart player and has modeled his game after the great UNC PGs who he watched growing up (Raymond Felton, Kendall Marshall, etc.). He has a high basketball IQ and after seeing something just 1 time he can adapt it to his game.
Why did he decide to transfer last spring, and what made him choose Creighton? He wanted to play in the NCAA tourney, and while he loved his time in Charlotte, the coaching staff encouraged him to follow his dream. Creighton has a family atmosphere and a coach in Greg McDermott who would challenge him.
He got off to a great start with a team-high 15 PTS/5 AST/3 STL in his Creighton debut against South Dakota earlier this month: how does he balance his scoring with his passing with his defense? It just comes to him naturally. There are times that he should be more assertive, but he lets the game come to him. When he needs to turn it on, he can turn it on…and I think he needs to turn it on a little more for the team to be successful. Another key is that he never gets too high/too low.
You played basketball at Charlotte: who is the best athlete in the family? I would have to say me…but my kids might differ from that. My daughter McKenzie is a freshman basketball player at Charlotte, so the athletic gene runs in the family: we each played several different sports during high school.
He scored 13 PTS in a win over Iowa State during an exhibition game last month: any predictions for the rematch with the Cyclones this week? I am going with the Jays!
Posted inNews and Notes|TaggedCreighton, Nik Graves, Nikki Graves|Comments Off on All-Access at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas: HoopsHD interviews Nikki Graves about her son Nik
-For our IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT page, which contains brackets, schedules, and viewing information – CLICK HERE
NEWS AND NOTES:
-Clemson held of Georgia in overtime 97-94 to win their half of the Charleston Classic. Both teams look like they are possible tournament teams, so this was a game that could prove to be important later on in terms of resumes, seeding, and selection. These early season games oftentimes get lost in the shuffle to the general fan, but they are oftentimes closely looked at by the committee March.
-Butler is worth paying attention to! They are 5-1 after their 80-73 win over Virginia yesterday and the only loss was a close one on the road to a pretty good SMU team. It has been a while since Butler was in any way relevant, but they may be pretty solid this year and could make some noise in the Big East.
-Xavier knocked off West Virginia 78-68 in Charleston to improve to 4-3 on the year. After a pitiful and unimpressive start to the season, Xavier played well in this event. They nearly beat Georgia and got a win over a WVU team that is at least semi-respectable.
-Northwestern is 5-1 after a 79-77 win over South Carolina and a decent overall showing in the Greenbrier Tip-Off.
-Quinnipiac went into Pittsburgh and won 83-75 in a road buy game upest. Pitt is terrible. They haven’t looked good all year. Having said that, Quinnipiac may be better than expect ed and could really end up making some noise in the MAAC this year. This is a good win for them.
-McNeese handed George Washington their first loss of the season down in the Cayman Islands. McNeese had a huge lead built up and GW made a run late, but couldn’t come all the way back and the Cowboys won 92-86. I think GW is a dark horse A10 team that can make a run at the bubble despite their loss in this one, so this is a really good win and a statement win for a McNeese team that lost so much of their team from a year ago.
-UT Martin, who I had been really big on since they racked up a couple of big road wins, lost rather decisively to Southern Miss down in Pensecola, who I have not been big on at all. The final score was 70-60, but at no point did it feel like Southern Miss was not in control of this game.
-Utah State remains unbeaten after blowing Davidson off the floor 94-60 and winning their half of the Charleston Classic. Utah State is off to a great start and is making a case that they belong inside the bubble. They’ve certainly looked better than anyone else from the Mountain West so far.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-LIBERTY VS VERMONT (ESPN Events Invitational). Liberty is perhaps the top Under the Radar team this year and it’s important that they do well in this event and rack up some notable wins away from home. Vermont is off to a slow start, but it starting to play better and is still expected to be the best team in the America East, so this is a nice matchup between two solid UTR teams and a good opportunity for both of them.
-CREIGHTON VS BAYLOR (Players Era Invitational). Both teams are exptected to have big years, but neither has any really big wins yet (although Baylor did beat Washington). This event is a chance for both of them to change that and a win today would be a huge statement for whichever team pulls it off.
-SETON HALL VS NC STATE (Maui Invitaitonal). Seton Hall is unbeaten, but they are also untested and I’m still not buying into them until they can win a big game. Today is their chance to do that. I like this NC State team a lot and think they may bulldoze their way through this event.
-SAINT JOHNS VS IOWA STATE (Players Era Invitational). The expectations for both of these teams is huge this year. Based on where they are ranked many feel they can both end up as protected seeds. Having said that, neither team has done anything to build up their profiles yet, so this game and this whole event are a chance for them to get that started.
-OREGON VS AUBURN (Players Era Invitational). Auburn gave Houston a battle the other week, but they are still looking for their first notable win. For that matter, so is Oregon, who comes in unbeaten, but also untested. This is a chance for both these teams to pick up their first notable wins and favorably position themselves in the event.
-YALE VS AKRON (Paradise Jam). These are the two best teams in the event and it’s good that they’ll end up facing each other in the final. Both are good, and both have outside shots at making a run at the bubble, so that makes today’s game potentially very important.
-GONZAGA VS ALABAMA (Players Era Invitational). Perhaps the most intriguing game of the day. Both teams are highly ranked and both teams have been tested already. These are two teams that may not just be competing for protected seeds, but could be battling it out for #1 seeds.
-SAN DIEGO STATE VS MICHIGAN (Players Era Invitational) – San Diego State is coming off an upset loss to Troy and needs to bounce back. If they can play well in this event, no one will even remember or care about the loss to Troy. Michigan is unbeaten and they’ve been in some big games, but have also struggled just a little bit more than expected. Having said that, this event is a chance for them to really build up their profile and cement their high ranking.
-ARIZONA STATE VS TEXAS (Maui Invitational). Arizona State was not a team I was big on, but they do have a really nice win against Hawaii. Texas’s only loss was to Duke, and there is no shame in that. This event is a chance for both of these teams to pick up some notable early season wins.
-HAWAII PACIFIC (nonD1) AT HAWAII. It’s the game of the day!!!!!! Can Hawaii Pacific pick up their second win against a good D1 team??? We will be glued to the TV tonight!!
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Rhode Island vs Towson (ESPN Events Invitational) – Rhody is 4-1 with a notable win at Yale. A strong showing in this tournament could really boost their profile
-Tennessee vs Rutgers (Players Era Festival) – Rutgers is coming off a loss to Central Connecticut, and while it was their only loss of the season it does not bode well for the future. Tennessee should be able to rack up some notable wins in this event
-Belmont vs Saint Francis (Coconut Hoops) – Belmont can stay unbeaten
-VMI vs Buffalo (Fort Myers Tip-Off) – Buffalo can remain unbeaten on the year and VMI is a dark horse SoCon team that can pick up some notable wins in this event
-Notre Dame vs Kansas (Players Era Invitational) – I’m not all that big on the Irish and think they are way overmatched in this one, but they have the chance to prove me incredibly wrong
-Temple vs UC San Diego (ESPN Events Invitational) – both teams are off to solid starts, and UCSD is actually 4-0 on the year, so the game is worth watching
-USC vs Boise State (Maui Invitaitonal) – USC is unbeaten and Boise State is unbeaten against D1 opponents. The Broncos have actually looked better since their season opening loss to Hawaii Pacific and a strong showing in this tournament would be a nice way to bounce back
-Middle Tennessee vs George Washington (Cayman Islands Classic) – both teams were in exciting games yesterday as GW came from behind to nearly beat McNeese, but couldn’t quite complete the comeback and Middle Tennessee won a close one against Murray State. If GW has any hope at making a run at the bubble they need to pick up wins in this event
-Syracuse @ Houston (Players Era Inviational) – Syracuse is unbeaten, but also untested and they may get blown into the sun this afternoon.
-Ohio U vs George Mason (Sunshine Slam) – George Mason is looking to remain unbeaten
-New Orleans @ Mississippi State – Mississippi State may be tested in this one
-Murray State vs McNeese (Cayman Islands Classic) – McNeese had a really nice win yesterday against George Washington. If they want to make a run at the bubble they basically need to blow thorough their schedule, and that inlcudes winning the games in this event
-LMU vs FAU (Sunshine Slam) – LMU can get to 7-0 on the season
-UNLV vs Maryland (Players Era Invitational) – I’m not all that excited about either one of these teams, but UNLV did pick up a solid win at Memphis and Maryland is a respectable 4-1 with a win at Marquette
-For our IN-SEASON TOURNAMENT page, which contains brackets, schedules, and viewing information – CLICK HERE
NEWS AND NOTES:
-In a game that I am ashamed of myself for not mentioning yesterday, Maryland Eastern Shore defeated Binghamton 63-52 in the Queen City Classic at the Koessler Athletic Center at Canisius College! Very few people were there! Among the people who were not there were announcers! But there was a video stream of the game and it was glorious!!
-Providence handed Penn State their first loss 77-65. It was Penn State’s first real test and they did not pass it.
-San Francisco is now 5-1 on the year after picking up a 77-65 win at Minnesota. It’s the first win away from home for the Dons, but they have held serve since the loss to Memphis and they need to do well in their upcoming in-season tournament to start building up their resume.
-Northern Colorado picked up a nice overtime win in Portland against what appears to be a pretty good Portland team. Northern Colorado is now 4-1 on the year and is looking like one of the stronger teams in the Big Sky.
-Northern Iowa picked up their first true road win of the year and remains unbeaten on the season, and it was a good one as they needed overtime to get by UC Irvine 70-69. This was just a really good game to watch, and it’s probably somewhat important. It shows that Northern Iowa can beat good teams on the road, and I also thought that it showed that despite the slow start for the Eaters, they are getting better.
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-CLEMSON VS GEORGIA (Charleston Classic). The rivalry resumes! Just not in its normal setting. Georgia barely survived Xavier on Friday night, and Clemson got here after a close win against West Virginia. It’s an opportunity to collect another notable early season win away from home and to take home a piece of hardware.
-VIRGINIA VS BUTLER (Greenbrier Tip-Off). Virginia got here after beating Northwestern in an exciting game and Butler got past South Carolina. Both teams have good overall records, but a win today would make each team’s resume look a lot better early on. Not much was expected of Butler this year, but their only loss so far was a close game at SMU, so a win today would be a great start to their season.
-WEST VIRGINIA VS XAVIER (Charleston Classic). Xavier has had a pitiful start to the season, but they’re coming off what was clearly their best game of the year when they nearly upset Georgia and a win today would look really good on their resume and perhaps change the tone and expecations for the rest of the year. West Virginia was knocked off by Clemson and is trying to pick up their first win away from home.
-MCNEESE VS GEORGE WASHINGTON (Cayman Islands Classic). GW is still unbeaten on the year and will be in solid shape for landing inside the bubble if they can sweep through this event. McNeese isn’t quite as good as they were a year ago, but they are still one of the better Under the Radar teams and this event is a chance for them to build up their resume and their metrics. Another reason this is big is because both these teams have limited opportunities at notable wins throughout the year.
-UTAH STATE VS DAVIDSON (Charleston Classic). Both teams are unbeaten, which is a bit of a surprise for Davidson, and both could use wins in games like this to help build up their resumes. They both have a few mentionable wins, but this would probably be the biggest win for either team up to this point.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-Norfolk State @ @Wyoming – Norfolk State is the MEAC favorites and they’re off to a pretty good 4-1 start, and Wyoming looks like they may be better than expected and could make some noise in the MWC.
-UT Martin vs Southern Miss – UT Martin barely avoided the upset to Prairie View yesterday, but held on to win 69-68. A win today gets them to 5-1 overall with four of those wins coming away from home
-South Carolina vs Northwestern (Greenbrier Tip-Off) – Not much was expected from either team coming into the year, but both have solid 4-1 records, both battled against pretty good teams on Friday in this event, and both could really benefit from a notable early season win away from home
-Yale vs Charleston (Paradise Jam) – this should be a winnable game for Yale, and while it’s not the top 50 level opponent that could really help their resume, it would be another win away from home and perhaps set them up against a stronger team in the championship game
-Murray State vs Middle Tennessee (Cayman Islands Classic) – a pretty good regional match-up between two solid Under the Radar teams! It’s just that the matchup is occurring outside the region and in the Cayman Islands
-Akron vs Evansville (Paradise Jam) – Akron just handed Iona their first loss of the year and will move on to the finals with a win today
BUY GAMES AND GAMES THAT MIGHT AS WELL BE:
-Arkansas Pine Bluff @ Miami OH -Delaware State @ Miami FL -Alcorn State @ Oklahoma -West Georgia @ Georgia Tech -Howard @ Duke -Quinnipiac @ Pittsburgh -Bryant @ UConn
HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel will spend the upcoming months covering several Georgetown basketball home games, with (hopefully) a very special reward coming in March. He was in attendance Saturday afternoon for the Hoyas’ game at Capital 1 Arena and prepared this photo essay about their matchup against Wagner.
I had the most delicious pregame meal of the month by far: chicken parmesan/ziti/Caesar salad/tiramisu from Carmine’s! Let’s tip it off:
The last time that Georgetown coach Ed Cooley started 5-0 was 4 years ago when he was coach at Providence. He finished that year by making the Sweet 16 and going 27-6…so fingers crossed:
Wagner entered today 0-4, Coach Dwan McMillan’s tallest player stands just 6’7”, and they are in the middle of a school-record 7-game road trip to start the season. It is simply asking too much of them to give an undefeated Big East team a serious challenge, and Georgetown controlled the 1st half as expected. After not playing in his team’s win over Clemson last Saturday, SO SG Kayvaun Mulready seemed happy to get back onto the court with a layup, an old-fashioned 3-PT play, and a dunk, then focused on his defense in the 2nd half to finish with 3 STL:
In contrast to Mulready’s inside game, his fellow sophomore Isaiah Abraham decided to do his own damage from behind the arc. I was a little nervous since he was only 1-8 from 3-PT land so far this month, but he proved me wrong by knocking down both of his attempts from behind the arc en route to a career-high 12 PTS without a single turnover:
The Hoyas took a 22-PT lead late in the half and coasted into halftime with a 44-27 lead. The Seahawks could have waved the white flag during the final 20 minutes, but Maryland native Jaden Baker gave his hometown fans a reason to stick around. He made several layups and a pair of threes to finish with a game-high 22 PTS, which is even more impressive considering that he had scored exactly 22 combined PTS during the 1st 4 games of his Wagner career:
Georgetown’s defense allowed a whopping 48 PTS in the 2nd half, but at least their offense responded with 48 PTS to balance it out. PG Malik Mack had arguably his best all-around game of the season with 18 PTS/4-7 3PM/5 AST/0 TO despite playing just 29 minutes:
The breakout star was his tall teammate Julius Halaifonua. The 7-footer from New Zealand knew that he would have a lot of pressure to perform after the news earlier this week that fellow 7-footer Vince Iwuchukwu was undergoing a medical procedure that would keep him out until after the new year. However, non-orange Julius did not miss a beat in the low post with a series of layups/spins/head fakes/finger rolls while scoring a career-high 16 PTS, grabbing a career-high 9 REB, and not committing a single turnover as the Hoyas improved to 5-0 with a 92-75 victory:
In the postgame press conference, I did not get to talk to Coach McMillan because his team had to hustle back to Staten Island. I noticed that Abraham now has 13 wins in his 14 career games with his only loss coming to Dayton last November 27th, so I asked him what the key was to being a winner and whether it would feel extra-special to beat Dayton this November 27th. He did not take the bait on the 2nd part but confirmed that the key the the 1st part was preparation. His team prepares every day at practice, so he just tries to bring it every day and compete at the highest level. Coach Cooley chimed in and mentioned a game they had played against Brazil in the GLOBL JAM last August. He started Isaiah without any advance notice, watched him turn the ball over 5 timed during the 1st 6 possessions…and thought that he might be playing for the other team(!). It takes a lot of time/effort to make progress, so to see Isaiah’s growth/development from then to now has been great:
That is a wrap for now, but I am getting on a plane to Vegas tomorrow so check back on Monday for some all-access coverage from the Players Era Festival, aka the greatest in-season tourney in college basketball history!
