Beating the best: HoopsHD interviews Jay Jacobs about Gale Catlett

Posted on February 27, 2021 by Jon Teitel

It is easy to become the #1-ranked team in the nation: it is much harder to stay there, although Mark Few might beg to differ this year. Back in 1983, Coach Jerry Tarkanian brought his top-ranked UNLV team to West Virginia…and left with his worst loss of the season (87-78). His opposing coach that night was Gale Catlett, who was certainly no stranger to success: he won 3 straight SoCon titles as a player for the Mountaineers, made the 1966 Sweet 16 as an assistant to Lefty Driesell at Davidson, made the 1971 Final 4 as an assistant to Ted Owens at Kansas, made the 1972 Elite 8 as an assistant to Adolph Rupp at Kentucky, then won more the 550 combined games as a head coach at Cincinnati/West Virginia before retiring in 2002. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with West Virginia radio color analyst Jay Jacobs about Coach Catlett’s life and legacy. Today marks the 38th anniversary of that legendary upset of the Runnin’ Rebels on February 27, 1983.

In the 1963 NCAA tourney as a player at West Virginia, Gale’s teammate/All-American Rod Thorn scored a career-high 44 PTS in a 9-PT loss to St. Joe’s: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot he put up seemed to go in because he was “in the zone”? Rod was a different kind of player. Screening was very important: back then there was not as much 1-on-1 basketball. He had a 2-handed shot, which was very effective: during NCAA tourney play opponents would double-team him but he was so good that it did not matter.

In 1972 he was an assistant under Adolph Rupp for his final year at Kentucky: how did Gale get along with Rupp, and what made him such a great coach? He loved Coach Rupp. His foundation started even earlier. Coach Lefty Driesell brought him along at Davidson, and he also had a great relationship with Ted Owens at Kansas. Rupp had the ability to get things done in the right way. Gale had a great foundation and a great upbringing: after college he worked with Chuck Noe in Richmond.

Take me through the 1981 NIT as coach at his alma mater:
Dennis Hosey only scored 3 PTS but made a pair of FT with 5 seconds left in a 1-PT OT win at home over Temple: how was a 63% career FT shooter able to save the day with the game on the line? 1 of Gale’s great attributes was his ability to substitute the right people at the right time. He was ahead of his time in terms of being a late-game tactician so he had a great knack for what he needed to do. His practices were hard but the players respected him.

Diego McCoy scored a career-high 30 PTS but Greg Jones missed a 20-foot jumper at the buzzer in a 2-PT loss to eventual champion Tulsa: did you think the shot was going in? Greg had a good look: Diego was a good player but Greg was the foundation of the team so Gale put a lot of responsibility on him. It looked good to me but it hit the rim and bounced off.

In February 1983 Jones scored 32 PTS in a 9-PT nationally-televised upset of #1 UNLV, the school’s 1st win over a top-ranked team since 1966: where do you think that ranks among the biggest wins in school history, and what was the reaction like on campus? It was a tremendous victory for the school and the campus went crazy! Jones had a knack for playing to the crowd. He could take the ball baseline to baseline faster than anyone I ever saw. He was listed as a PG but seemed like a combo guard to me. Lester Rose was terrific on the inside and made some great plays: when UNLV saw that atmosphere they knew that it would be a tough day.

In the 1984 NCAA tourney JJ Crawl scored 4 PTS including a steal/lay-up in the final seconds of a 2-PT win over Oregon State (https://wvusports.com/news/2003/7/9/4937_131441744446677404.aspx): how did he prepare his team during the timeout before the game-winning play? They worked a lot during practice so he probably knew that JJ had quick hands and would square up on defense. The steal was so clean, just like Mike Gansey against UCLA (www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed_iLIhXPrQ).

In the 1987 NCAA tourney Kannard Johnson scored 15 PTS and made a layup off of an inbounds pass with 1 second left in a 2-PT win by Western Kentucky: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of his career? Everything hurt when he lost but he realized that the sun would shine the next day. When you have a career that long I would not rate it any higher than the others: all losses are bad.

In the 1989 NCAA tourney freshman Christian Laettner scored 14 PTS before fouling out in a 7-PT win by Duke: could you have imagined at the time that Laettner would eventually become the all-time leading scorer in NCAA tourney history? No, but he was a great shooter who could score from all angles. He could score inside or take you out to the perimeter so he was hard to guard. There have been very few games we have played against Duke: they are still the same team you want to beat today, just like you did back in 1989.

Take me through the 1998 NCAA tourney:
Jarrod West scored 15 PTS and banked in a 25-foot 3-PT shot with 0.8 seconds left in a 1-PT upset over #2-seed Cincinnati (www.youtube.com/watch?v=28ciC5ahPWI): where does that rank among the most amazing shots that you have ever seen? I am a very close friend of Bob Huggins. Gale and I have a fun argument about whether Kenyon Martin tipped the ball as it left West’s hand. Someone charged off our bench after it went in and Hugs says to this day that there should have been a technical foul!

Michael Doleac scored 25 PTS and made 2 FT with 7 seconds left to clinch a 3-PT win by eventual national runner-up Utah in Anaheim: how much of a factor is cross-country travel when it comes to success in March? I think it is a factor but in some ways it has been good for the Mountaineers. 24 hours after you play you are on a charter flight back east, but after going to the hotel in Boise and having some consultation the decision was made to stay out on the road and go directly to Anaheim. Huggins likes to take his team out early for bonding purposes whether it be in Cancun/Germany/Las Vegas. Gale had a good team with skill players at all positions. The funny part is that nobody had any clean clothes left: someone agreed to clean our clothes by the next day but it took 2 days. We had a large traveling party so the cleaning bill was $5000!

After retiring in 2002 he considered challenging incumbent Senator Robert Byrd in the 2006 Republican primary: how close did he come to running for office, and what has he been up to since then? I do not think he was that close to running. They wanted him to go into his hometown of Berkeley County to start out and he did not want to do that. It was not as serious as people made it. He is financially solid with a home in Morgantown, a chalet in Hedgesville, and a daughter who travels all over the world with the diplomatic corps. His 2nd daughter lives in Morgantown and has a couple of kids. The last time I saw him he was in real good shape and knows what is going on but he does not attend our games at the Coliseum. Once he retired he spent some time in Hawaii/Australia and would travel around the world.

When people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? In the 1980s he was terrific and was in postseason play very often. He slowed down around 2000 after the recruiting went down and he became disenchanted because he was a winner. I think that he will go down as 1 of the great coaches in school history. You cannot take away all of his wins and the way he coached a team: he was 1 of the best bench coaches I have ever seen. West Virginia has been blessed with coaches and he was a good friend.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Beating the best: HoopsHD interviews Jay Jacobs about Gale Catlett

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Saturday, Feb 27th

Posted on February 27, 2021 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for our latest CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK VIDEO NOTEBOOK, which is exactly what it sounds like!!  It is all the information you need to know about Championship Week, which continues today!!

-For Chad Sherwood’s UTR Game of the Day, which has first place implications in the Atlantic Sun – CLICK HERE

-Last night was a very chalky night.  Richmond fell behind at Saint Louis and fought back to get the lead, but couldn’t get over the top.  This game may totally sink them.  In all likelihood the Spiders will now need the automatic bid to get in.

-While nothing that happened last night was all that cataclysmic, it was an unusually exciting night when it came to the games on the court!  There were 12 UTR games that were decided by 5pts or less, so my remote was really getting a workout!

-MICHIGAN AT INDIANA (Big Ten).  Michigan has won on the road at a probable #1 seed, and blown out another top ten team.  That’s a hell of a week!  They are looking like a solid #1 seed so long as they can continue to hold serve.  Indiana needs some wins just to play their way onto the right side of the bubble.

-TEXAS AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12).  It’s a rivalry game between two probable protected seeds!  Like a lot of the Big 12 this year, it should be fun to watch.

-TENNESSEE AT AUBURN (SEC).  Tennessee is in a bit of a tailspin and while their resume is still solid, they seem to have lost a step or two on the court.  This would be a nice road win and would perhaps help them get things turned back around.

-SYRACUSE AT GEORGIA TECH (ACC).  We have Georgia Tech outside the bubble, but not that far outside.  If they can put together a strong finish and string together some wins down the stretch they could end up making the field.

-ILLINOIS AT WISCONSIN (Big Ten).  Illinois had been rolling, but did suffer a bit of a surprising loss to Michigan State earlier in the week.  Still, they are a solid protected seed and could even still end up on the #1 line if they win out and win the Big Ten Tournament, which isn’t entirely outside the realm of possibility.  Wisky looks to be solidly in the field and can climb the seedlist a little bit if they’re able to pull this one off.

-LSU AT ARKANSAS (SEC).  A couple of weeks ago we were questioning whether or not Arkansas belonged in the field.  Now they are on the cusp of earning a protected seed if they keep playing at the level they have been.  This would be another decent win against an LSU team that looks to be in the field right now, but still has some room to move up.

-VCU AT DAVIDSON (Atlantic Ten).  VCU is squarely on the bubble and will have a sense of urgency the rest of the season.  This isn’t the easiest road win to pick up, but it’s one that they really need.

-MIAMI FL AT CLEMSON (ACC).  Clemson has a really solid profile and will easily land in the top half of the bracket if they can keep holding serve.

-MARQUETTE AT UCONN (Big East).  UConn is squarely on the bubble, so every game will feel like a stakes game the rest of the way.  Marquette has been one of the most schizophrenic teams of the season.  They have a lot of big wins,, including a really impressive win at North Carolina earlier this week, but not enough stability overall to indicate they belong in the field.  So, UConn does not want to overlook them.

-OKLAHOMA STATE AT OKLAHOMA (Big 12).  BEDLAM!!!!!  It’s a great rivalry between two solid tournament teams.  Oklahoma is playing really well right now and appears to be a solid protected seed, whereas the Pokes could play their way into a protected seed with a strong finish and wins in games like this one.

-OLE MISS AT VANDERBILT (SEC).  Ole Miss has strung together some big wins, but they still have a lot of work to do if they want to make the field.  They need to hold serve in games like this one.

-KANSAS STATE AT WEST VIRGINIA (Big 12).  Most Big 12 games are landmines, but this one should be winnable for a WVU team that continues to build up an impressive profile and could end up as high as the #2 line.

-FLORIDA STATE AT NORTH CAROLINA (ACC).  Florida State is playing like they can win the ACC.  Again.  North Carolina is squarely on the bubble and a win in a game like this could be the difference maker of whether or not they make the field.

-BOISE STATE AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West).  Both teams appear to be heading for the Big Dance.  San Diego State held on to win in overtime the other night, and can almost cement themselves into the field with a win today.  The same is true for Boise State, who could improve their resume and climb the seedlist if they’re able to pull off a win.

-WAKE FOREST AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC).  This should be a winnable game for a Virginia Tech team that’s ranked in the teens and headed toward a really good seed in the NCAA Tournament.

-AIR FORCE AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West) (Front Range).  Colorado State doesn’t have a whole lot of meat and vegetables left on their schedule, which I think can kind of hurt them because when a team is on the bubble they need non-cupcake wins in order to stay there, but they are still in relatively good shape and can end up making the field so long as they hold serve.  I think.  A loss to Air Force may sink them.  But, WE AT HOOPS HD LOVE THE FRONT RANGE!!!

-FLORIDA AT KENTUCKY (SEC).  Kentucky has shown some signs of life, but chances are they’ll need to win the SEC Tournament to make the NCAAs.  Florida has also been playing a little better, and this would be another nice win for the Gators given that it’s a road game and given Kentucky’s recently improved play.

-CREIGHTON AT XAVIER (Big East).  Creighton looks to be solidly in the top half of the bracket, and depending on how strong they finish they could begin to flirt with a protected seed.  Xavier is squarely on the bubble and needs a big win in a game like this to get on the right side of it.

-ALABAMA AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC).  Alabama is coming off a loss to Arkansas, but they are still having a great season and appear to be a virtual lock for a protected seed so long as they hold serve the rest of the way.

-SOUTHERN ILLINOIS AT LOYOLA CHICAGO (Missouri Valley).  If Loyola Chicago can wi out through the regular season I think they’ll make the field even if they lose their first conference tournament game.

-LOUISVILLE AT DUKE (ACC).  Louisville is being projected into most fields, including ours, but I think their resume is flimsy at best.  This would arguably be their best win of the season up to this point.  Even though Duke is only right on the bubble themselves (and could really use this win for that reason) it would be a true road win against a team that’s playing well right now.

-MINNESOTA AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten).  Minnesota has not won a true road game all year, and this is about as low as the fruit could possibly hang.  They’re coming off a rather damaging loss from earlier in the week, and if they lose this one they probably have almost no shot of getting in without the auto-bid.

-DRAKE AT BRADLEY (Missouri Valley).  I think Drake will be safe for a bid so long as they continue to hold serve and avoid a bad loss early in the MVC Tourney.

-OREGON STATE AT STANFORD (Pac 12).  Stanford appears to be squarely on the bubble and can’t afford to drop a game to a team that’s nowhere near the bubble like the one they’re playing tonight.

-BAYLOR AT KANSAS (Big 12).  Baylor has been tested big time this season, but tonight they will be tested again.  Kansas went through a period where they kind of sagged, but lately they’ve been playing like a solid protected seed, and they will be really up for this one.  It’s more of a litmus test than it is a stakes game because even if Baylor loses they’ll still probably end up as a #1 seed, and even if Kansas loses they’ll still have a good shot at being a protected seed, but it should be fun!

-USC AT UTAH (Pac 12).  USC has gone into a bit of a tailspin, and did not look good at all the other night against Colorado.  They aren’t in any real danger of missing the field, but they could use a bounce back win to keep them from sliding down the seedlist.

-LMU AT GONZAGA (West Coast).  It seems like that even when Gonzaga doesn’t play well, they still win easily.  They are on pace to finish the season ranked #1 and will easily end up on the #1 seed line.

-SAINT MARY’S AT BYU (West Coast).  BYU is a virtual lock for the NCAA Tournament and is just playing for seeding the rest of the way.

-UCLA AT COLORADO (Pac 12).  Colorado looked really impressive the other night against USC.  They’ve been hot and cold this season, but right now they seem to be hot.  UCLA has won four straight and is now the first place team in the conference (for whatever that’s worth).  This would be a major road win for them and would really help out their seed if they’re able to pull it off.

-OREGON AT CALIFORNIA (Pac 12).  Oregon is hovering around the bubble and needs to hold serve in games like this one.  A loss would be far more damaging than a win would be helpful.

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes | Comments Off on News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Saturday, Feb 27th

Kobe goes to college: HoopsHD interviews McDonald’s All-American Kobe Bufkin

Posted on February 27, 2021 by Jon Teitel

If you want to win an NCAA title you need a good coach, a great resume…and a McDonald’s All-American. Only 1 championship team since 1979 has not featured such a player (Maryland in 2002). The McDonald’s All-American Game did not take place last spring and will not be taking place this spring due to COVID, sadly. However, the rosters were announced on February 23rd after selecting the 24 best players in the nation from a list of several hundred nominees. If you do not think these guys can make an immediate impact in the fall, just ask Coach Mark Few how he likes having 2020 honoree Jalen Suggs at Gonzaga! Michigan seems to be the big winner so far as Coach Juwan Howard will be having a trio of 2021 honorees join him in Ann Arbor this fall. Yesterday HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Kobe Bufkin about being named a McDonald’s All-American and recovering from an injury.

You are named after the late Kobe Bryant: how do you like the name, and what was your reaction to his tragic death last year? My parents claim that I was not named after him…but I have 1 brother named after Isaiah Thomas and another brother named after Michael Jordan so I think there might be something to it! It was tragic not just for me but for the entire basketball community. We all looked up to him and it was very hard for me.

Your high school coach Eric Taylor has known your parents since they were all kids: how close are the 2 of you? We are very close: I have known him since 5th grade and grew up around him.

What has been the hardest part of being a high school basketball player during a pandemic? The hardest part is not being able to get out on the floor. It tests your mental toughness but I have been able to get into the gym and get some shots up.

You received offers from several great schools including LSU/Michigan State/Ohio State but signed with Michigan last summer: what was the biggest factor in your decision, and how happy was your family (who are lifelong Wolverine fans)?! The biggest factor was just the family aspect: when I visited I always felt like I was at home. My family was not too involved in my recruitment but when I made my decision it was huge. Another factor is to the pandemic: I do not know how easy it will be to travel during the year ahead so it is nice to stay close to home.

You plan to study business: why did you pick that subject? I want to know the ins and outs of the business world: how people are talking to me, their real intentions, etc. I do not want to be lost when it comes time for me to make important decisions in the future.

On Tuesday you were named a McDonald’s All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It meant the world to me. It is 1 of the biggest achievements a high school player can receive and I worked hard for it every day.

2 of your fellow future Wolverines (Caleb Houstan/Moussa Diabate) were also named All-Americans as part of the #1 recruiting class in the nation: how well do you know them, and how talented is your group? I have talked to them a few times and I think that we will be a very talented group: I cannot wait to get to campus and start working with them.

The Wolverines have been 1 of the best teams in the nation this season: how far do you think they will go, and are you concerned about trying to replace all of the graduating seniors (Isaiah Livers/Mike Smith/Chaundee Brown/Eli Brooks) and perhaps freshman Hunter Dickinson (if he declares for the draft)? I feel they will go a very long way and have a good shot at winning the title. If everyone leaves then it is just the job of the rest of the team (as well as our freshman class) to pick up the slack and produce.

You are 6’4”: what position do you play now, and what position will you feel most comfortable at in college? I played PG in high school but am willing to play wherever Coach Juwan Howard needs me to: I want to be as versatile as possible.

Earlier this month you broke your left wrist in a game against Grand Rapids Catholic Central: how bad is it, and when do you expect to get back on the court? It should be anywhere from 4-6 weeks but if all goes well then I hope to get back in time for postseason play.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , | Comments Off on Kobe goes to college: HoopsHD interviews McDonald’s All-American Kobe Bufkin

Under the Radar Game of the Day – Saturday, February 27

Posted on February 27, 2021 by Chad

Liberty at Bellarmine, 12:00 PM, ESPNU

Conference tournaments are underway, but the Under the Radar Game of the Day limits itself to regular season play, and Freedom Hall in Louisville, Kentucky is the site of one of the most intriguing games on the schedule for today — the nationally-televised 12 noon tipoff for the Atlantic Sun regular season championship between Liberty and D1-newcomer Bellarmine.  Today’s winner will capture the title and bet the #1 seed in the conference tournament that begins Thursday in Jacksonville.

Liberty enters today’s game at 19-5 overall, 10-2 in ASun play and having won 8 straight games.  The Flames are led by Darius McGhee who is averaging 14.8 points per game.  Liberty’s metrics are the best in the entire conference, led by their #1 rated offense and defense according to KenPom.  Bellarmine, in their first season of transition up to Division I, is 13-5 overall,, 10-2 in conference and have won 10 games in a row.  The Knights have four players averaging double figures in scoring led by Pedro Bradshaw’s 15.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

If Bellarmine can win today, they match what Merrimack amazingly pulled off last season — capturing a conference regular season crown in their first year of transition up to D1.  Unlike Merrimack, the Knights will also get a shot to win a conference tournament title, though crazily enough they will actually be playing for Liberty in that event.  Per Atlantic Sun rules, if a team that is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament (as Bellarmine is due to their transition) wins the tournament, the automatic bid goes to the highest ranked team in the conference — which will be Liberty regardless off whether they win or lose today.

Posted in CBB, CBB on TV, Under the Radar | Comments Off on Under the Radar Game of the Day – Saturday, February 27

Sowing the seeds we love: HoopsHD interviews Selection Committee chairman and Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart

Posted on February 26, 2021 by Jon Teitel

We are just over 2 weeks from Selection Sunday, which means that the 10-member NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee is working hard to place 68 of the best teams in the nation into a tidy little bracket. The Committee revealed its top-16 teams in a bracket preview earlier this month: while it was just a snapshot, the #1 seeds at the time (Gonzaga/Baylor/Michigan/Ohio State) could very well become the #1 seeds next month. It served as a peek behind the curtain to see what the Committee was thinking and what criteria they value during their analysis of each team’s body of work. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Selection Committee chairman Mitch Barnhart about doing his job during a pandemic and having the entire tourney in Indianapolis.

What is the biggest challenge that COVID has posed for the Selection Committee either on or off the court, and what steps are you taking to solve them? Our priority in dealing with Covid-19 is to do everything in our power to keep student-athletes, coaches, and staffs healthy so that we can play the tournament. There are many operational components to bringing 68 teams into one site but at the end of the day the goal is to select the best 68 and have a chance to hand someone the trophy on Championship Monday.

How many hours/day will you be working on selection stuff this month, and do you have any advice to keep your fellow committee members from losing their sanity on Selection Sunday? There is significant commitment on the part of the committee members. Not only do they have their committee work but their full-time jobs as well. It is an incredible honor to prepare, select, seed, and bracket for one of the great sporting events in the world. No different than how a team practices for game day, the preparation by this group throughout the week allows you to make quality decisions on Sunday.

How do you feel about the entire tourney being held in Indianapolis this spring, and has that made your life easier or harder? Dan Gavitt and the NCAA staff have done a Herculean job in reinventing this tournament for this year. The amount of detail and logistics are at a level that is hard to comprehend. Once we get all the teams in Indianapolis it will be exciting and provide the chance to crown a champion. Having all 68 teams in Indianapolis does take away the logistics of traveling within the tournament but certainly has added a lot of details and protocols because of the Covid environment.

Which primary conferences are you assigned to this year, and how much weight do you give to input from the representatives of those conferences? As the chair, I am not responsible for specific conferences this year as I have been in the past.

What are the major categories that you feel have the biggest impact on a team’s seed (big road win, bad home loss, other), and why do you value them more than other categories? The foundation of all resumes begins with — who did you play, where did you play them, and the result. Assessing the number of quality wins as it relates to the number of quality opportunities is also an important part of the resume. Obviously, having metrics as a part of a toolbox is important Every committee member looks at teams through different lenses and that is what brings balance and great conversation to the discussions about each team.

Committee members are able to see many different kinds of rankings on the official team sheets (such as BPI/KPI/KenPom) in addition to the traditional ones: how have you made use of these advanced metrics, and do you have a favorite 1? I go back to the foundation of who did you play, where did you play them, and what was the result. I do not have a favorite metric but do like to look at the entire body of work.

If a team wants to make the NCAA tourney, are they better off scheduling decent teams who they think they can beat, or great teams who they can only hope to upset, or a nice mix of both, or other? Scheduling is a local decision and each program must assess as it relates to their roster, their conference, their tradition and expectations. Generally, you will find teams with a balance in their scheduling.

To be even more specific, if a team did not schedule a lot of “guarantee games” this year with mid-major teams and has a lot of Tier 1 wins but only a .500 overall record because they play in a tough conference, should they be penalized for not having a bunch of Tier 4 wins that would have otherwise pumped up their win column? Scheduling was very difficult this year for many schools. There will be teams with more games available and others with fewer and we will have to evaluate each resume as it lies. Everyone made a significant attempt to put together a quality schedule and to that end we will try to find the best 37 at-large teams to complete the bracket.

Many of your former coaches/administrators have become athletic directors at other universities including Greg Byrne (Alabama)/Mark Coyle (Minnesota)/Rob Mullens (Oregon)/Scott Stricklin (Florida)/John Cohen (Mississippi State)/Kevin Saal (Murray State)/DeWayne Peevy (DePaul): how proud are you of your “administrative tree”? I am certainly proud of each of these incredible administrators. As my career developed, I was fortunate to have been given increasing responsibility to make it possible for me to become an AD. My goal has been to equip people to launch them toward the goals they have set for themselves.

Your Wildcats had an uncharacteristic 5-13 start this season due to a variety of factors (including the combination of having 1 of the youngest rosters AND 1 of the hardest schedules in the nation) but have won 3 in a row: is Big Blue Nation close to pushing the panic button or is everyone just taking a breath because they know that John Calipari is a Hall of Fame coach? As you stated, there have been a variety of factors. The piece that was so good for us in years past has been the ability to gather our team, get to know each other during the summer training – such as our trips to play games in the Bahamas or Canada, or something else – and play all of the early-season games that lead into our conference schedule: that did not exist this year. It really impacted, and delayed, our team’s ability to come together and play together, but now you have seen our team improve significantly during the past couple of weeks.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , | Comments Off on Sowing the seeds we love: HoopsHD interviews Selection Committee chairman and Kentucky Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart

Memories of Moscow: HoopsHD interviews 1982 national COY Don Monson

Posted on February 26, 2021 by Jon Teitel

This has not been the best year in Idaho basketball history: the Vandals are 0-19 with 4 chances left to avoid having a winless regular season. 4 decades ago it was quite a different story: Coach Dan Monson showed up in 1978 to take over a 4-22 team, and 3 years later he had a 25-win team that made the 1981 NCAA tourney. The following year he won 27 games, had a 2-PT OT upset of Iowa in the NCAA tourney, and was named national COY. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Monson about recruiting Magic Johnson and golfing with Tara VanDerveer. Today marks the 40th anniversary of Monson clinching Idaho’s 1st conference title in 58 years on February 26, 1981.

You won an Idaho state title at Coeur d’Alene High School and then played college basketball at Idaho: how good a player were you back in the day, and how did you 1st get into coaching? I guess I was a reasonably good player. We won the state tourney my sophomore year but I was not a big part of it. I lettered 3 years at Idaho and then went into the service for a couple of years before being hired as a coach.

You spent 2 years in the Navy: what impact did you service have on you either on or off the court? I was drafted so I did not have much choice in the matter. I wanted to get through it so I could become a coach.

As an assistant to Jud Heathcote at Michigan State you helped recruit Magic Johnson to the Spartans: how hard was it to get him to sign, and could you tell at the time that he would become a legend? It was very hard to sign him. I could recognize even back then how great Magic was. I had seen good high school players before but Jud told me that if we could recruit Magic then he would make us into a program. I told him that 1 guy would not make a program…but after seeing him play a few times I had to admit to Jud that he was right! We went to all of his high school games: he would play PG 1 night and center the next night and his team always won.

In the 1981 NCAA tourney as head coach of your alma mater, Dwayne Wallace scored 20 PTS including a 15-footer with 3 seconds left in a 1-PT OT win by Pitt: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? It was very devastating, although I had some tough losses in high school as well, including 1 year where we were undefeated and then lost in the state title game in OT. Pitt had a big football player who dominated us (Sam Clancy, who had 22 PTS/13 REB and later spent almost a decade as a DE in the NFL) but we played better the next year.

Take me through the magical 1982 season:
You entered the NCAA tourney with only a pair of 2-PT road losses (1 on a tip-in at the buzzer at Montana and 1 at Notre Dame in OT): how close did you come to going undefeated, and how was your team so successful despite not having a starter taller than 6’6”? The tip-in at Missoula ruined our perfect season: the reality is that it is almost impossible to go undefeated. The Notre Dame game still sticks in my craw: we were up by 2 with about 10 seconds left and we had a FT go halfway down before popping out and then John Paxson tied it up at the end of regulation. It was a game that we could have won but it did not work out. A sportswriter asked us if we had ever been in such a hostile environment and 1 of our players (Brian Kellerman) said, “Have you ever been to Missoula?!”

You finished the year by being named national COY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It was great but for a little school in Idaho it was just outstanding to be recognized nationally.

In the 2nd round Kellerman scored 14 PTS including a 15-foot jumper that bounced off the rim 3 times before falling through the net in a 2-PT OT win over Iowa: how much of a home court advantage did you have while playing just a few miles away in Pullman, WA, and how was your blood pressure doing during that final shot? Unless you live in that area it is hard to understand the rivalry between Idaho and Washington State. The thing that amazed me was going out during warmups and seeing how much gold and black was in the stands. I thought that the Iowa fans traveled very well…until I realized that it was out fans because our school had the same colors! Phil Hopson had his arms over the rim but thankfully he drew his arms back.

You won 43 straight home games over a 3-year span: did it just reach a point where the fans expected you to win every time that you stepped onto the court? Certainly! When you win a lot they expect you to keep winning. Those kids just put it together: 43 is a lot no matter where you are playing. It is something that I am very proud of.

1 of your golf partners was the women’s head coach at Idaho who accidentally rear-ended your car 1 day at a stop sign: what was Tara VanDerveer like back in the day, and what makes her such a great coach 4 decades later? It was her 1st job as a head coach and I had already been there a few years. She was very good at making sure she did not ruffle any feathers: she came to some of our practices and then would drop by the next day to discuss them. We were never combative about anything and she was very professional for a young kid. I could tell that she was going to be good and I was proud that she came to a couple of clinics that I spoke at. When she was coach of the US Olympic team she invited me to Colorado Springs to have me put in a match-up zone, but I do not know if she ever used it. To this day whenever she plays Gonzaga she calls me up and invites me to come watch the game: she is a great 1.

In 1993 you were awarded almost $300,000 by a jury in your breach-of-contract lawsuit against the university and state of Oregon after being removed as coach: what kind of verdict did you expect, and what did you do with the money? The state appealed the verdict and all I ended up with was a $30,000 lawyer bill. It is really a sore spot to this day.

Your son Dan is currently the coach at Long Beach State: how proud are you of all his success? I am very proud. He has done a great job at Gonzaga/Minnesota/Long Beach. He took Gonzaga to the Elite 8 in 1999 and left Minnesota a lot better than they were when he 1st got there. He started from rock bottom at Long Beach (6-25 in 2008) but has built them up by doing it the right way.

When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most? I have not even thought about it. I want to be thought of as a good coach who built some programs up and had teams who were almost always competitive. I was proud to coach in both high school/college.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , | Comments Off on Memories of Moscow: HoopsHD interviews 1982 national COY Don Monson