Hoops HD

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Saturday, Jan 30th

Posted on January 30, 2021 by David Griggs

As was widely reported yesterday, longtime Temple coach and overall college basketball coaching legend John Chaney passed away yesterday. Here is an interview that our own Jon Teitel did with him – CLICK HERE

NEWS AND NOTES

-The game of the night was Illinois v Iowa, and it lived up to the billing. It was close all throughout with momentum swinging back and forth, but Illinois got control late in the second half and held on for the 80-75 win. It was perhaps the biggest win of the season for Illinois up to this point. As for Iowa, a road loss to a team like Illinois certainly doesn’t hurt, but they are still lacking a big win of the caliber that this would have been, and they’re going to need to pick up one or two prior to the end of the season if they want to end up as a #1 or #2 seed.

-Winthrop also suffered their first loss of the season. After barely scraping by UNC Asheville on Thursday night, they weren’t able to get past them on Friday. Like the game on Thursday it was close all throughout, and Winthrop had a chance to win in the final seconds, but just couldn’t get over the top. Unless they can schedule some big OOC games between now and the end, I believe this pretty much ends any at-large hopes Winthrop has despite it being their only loss.

-Boise State continues to look strong as they knocked off Colorado State on the road 85-77. Boise State is now 14-2 overall with some pretty nice wins on their resume. They definitely look like a tournament caliber team.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-ALABAMA AT OKLAHOMA (SEC/Big 12 Challenge). Alabama is looking like a #2 seed and may be the best overall team in the SEC. They also seem to be getting better as the year progresses. Oklahoma’s resume was rather flimsy about a week ago, but with two straight huge wins they are quickly climbing the rankings and the seedlist. If they can get this one today then we may need to start talking about them as a protected seed.

-PROVIDENCE AT GEORGETOWN (Big East). Providence has lost a lot of close games and is right on our bubble. They can’t afford to not hold serve in this one.

-CLEMSON AT DUKE (ACC). Clemson ended a three game skid with a big win against Louisville their last time out. This is another winnable game for them against a Duke team that we have outside the bubble and who needs to string together some of wins just to get into the discussion.

-LA SALLE AT VCU (Atlantic Ten). VCU is on the outside looking in and can’t afford losses in games like this.

-TEXAS TECH AT LSU (SEC/Big 12 Challenge). I really like this Texas Tech team and while their resume still has room to improve it wouldn’t shock me at all if they ended up as a protected seed. LSU has been a bit of a disappointment this year, but a win today could really help turn things around. It would be their biggest win of the season on paper so far.

-FLORIDA AT WEST VIRGINIA (SEC/Big 12 Challenge). It’s been a rather tumultuous year for Florida, but they have been looking better lately and could really give their resume a big boost today. WVU continues to hover right around protected seed range, and will stay there if they can hold serve today.

-TCU AT MISSOURI (SEC/Big 12 Challenge). TCU is looking very NIT-ish, and Mizzou is looking very top 15-ish. It shouldn’t be too much of a struggle for the Tigers today.

-VILLANOVA AT SETON HALL (Big East). Villanova continues to stand firm on the #1 line, and Seton Hall is hovering right around the bubble. The Hall has had a lot of close losses that could have completely turned the tide of their season. They’re better than their record indicates and if they can get a big win it should make them feel a lot more safe.

-WISCONSIN AT PENN STATE (Big Ten). Penn State has proven to not be easy to beat, but they’re still the kind of team that a potential protected seed like Wisconsin should beat.

-AUBURN AT BAYLOR (SEC/Big 12 Challenge). Games like this make me wish they wouldn’t pare the teams up before the start of the season. Baylor playing Alabama or Tennessee would have made more sense. This probably won’t be much of a “challenge,” although to be fair, Auburn has been playing a little better.

-FLORIDA STATE AT GEORGIA TECH (ACC). Florida State is looking like one of the better teams in the ACC, and that they could end up repeating as the first place team. GA Tech has also been better than expected, and if they can string together some wins they could end up making the field, but it won’t be easy. Still, the Yellowjackets have proven to be a fun team to watch!

-UCF AT WICHITA STATE (American). Wichita State is on the outside looking, and although the path is narrow, I still think they have at least a chance of ending up inside the bubble if they can hold serve against…well…everyone but Houston.

-ARKANSAS AT OKLAHOMA STATE (SEC/Big 12 Challenge). Arkansas’s paper isn’t up to par yet, but if they could win this one on the road it certainly would be. I’m really big on this Oklahoma State team and think they should be in the conversation for a protected seed despite their low NET ranking. They have some fantastic wins.

-OREGON AT USC (Pac 12). Both these teams are rather safely inside the bubble (for now), but both also have a lot of room to improve and could really benefit from a win today.

-XAVIER AT BUTLER (Big East). Xavier has been shut down for a couple of weeks and many have kind of forgotten about them, but they are 10-2 and while they might be rusty this is still a winnable conference road game for them.

-VIRGINIA AT VIRGINIA TECH (ACC). Both teams are in the rankings, and both are potential protected seeds, so this would be a huge statement win to the committee for whoever ends up pulling it out. Oh yeah, and this is a rather big rivalry game as well!

-KANSAS AT TENNESSEE (SEC/Big 12 Challenge). Both of these teams are having great seasons, but both have also struggled in the past week or so and could use a win in a game like this to pull them out of their tailspin. I still expect that both will end up as protected seeds, but both are in a bit of a slump right now.

-PACIFIC AT BYU (West Coast). BYU is coming off a somewhat surprising loss to Pepperdine and will be looking to bounce back tonight. They’re still in solid shape but can’t afford too many of those.

-OREGON STATE AT UCLA (Pac 12). UCLA continues to be among the best teams in the Pac 12 and is safely in the top half of the bracket. The Beavers have improved, but UCLA should still be able to take care of them at home.

-MINNESOTA AT PURDUE (Big Ten). Minney needs some road wins. They have a good overall profile, and they’ll be in great shape once they get some road wins, but as of now they don’t have any. So, a win tonight would check a huge box for them. It won’t be easy, though. Purdue has been playing much better, their resume is looking better, and they are good enough to get this win and keep that momentum going.

-GONZAGA AT PEPPERDINE (West Coast). Like nearly every conference game for the Zags, this will probably end up looking like a buy game by the time it’s over, even though it’s a road game.

-TEXAS AT KENTUCKY (SEC/Big 12 Challenge). Kentucky has been getting better, and played Alabama tough the last time out, but they need to win about 7 of their next 8 to even be in the conversation for an NCAA Tournament bid, and playing against a Texas team that is good enough to be a #1 seed won’t be easy.

-CREIGHTON AT DEPAUL (Big East). Creighton continues to look impressive and look like a potential protected seed. They shouldn’t have too much trouble picking this one up on the road tonight.

-NOTRE DAME AT PITTSBURGH (ACC). Pitt has fallen outside the bubble and needs to hold serve just to get back into it. That shouldn’t be too tough against a Notre Dame team that has struggled this year.

-BELMONT AT MURRAY STATE (Ohio Valley). With just one loss on the year, Belmont should at least be in the discussion for being inside the bubble if they are able to win out.

-UTAH AT COLORADO (Pac 12). Colorado has been up and down this season, but mostly up. They look to be safely inside the bubble and will remain that way so long as they’re able to hold serve in games like this.

-STANFORD AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac 12). Stanford picked up a really nice win against Arizona the other night, which really helps out their resume. This should be another winnable conference road game for them.

-WYOMING AT SAN DIEGO STATE (Mountain West). San Diego State is straddling the bubble and they need to hold serve in games like this and finish strong down the stretch.

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes | Comments Off

RIP Coach: HoopsHD remembers Temple legend John Chaney

Posted on January 29, 2021 by Jon Teitel

We have lost so many great college basketball coaches over the past 9 months: Eddie Sutton in May, Lou Henson in July, Lute Olson & John Thompson in August, Billy Tubbs in November, and John Chaney earlier today at age 89. Here is just a small peek at Coach Chaney’s remarkable resume: 1978 D-2 title/national COY at Cheyney State, followed by 23 straight postseason appearances/5 Elite 8s/back-to-back national COY awards at Temple. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 and the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006, and his 741 career wins remains top-50 in NCAA history. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel had the honor of interviewing Coach Chaney several years ago and is proud to present this never-before-published interview below. We send our condolences to all of Coach Chaney’s family/friends on their loss.

NFL All-Pro DB Johnny Sample (who played rec league basketball with you) said you were “the most competitive human being I have ever seen”: how did you become so competitive, and were your players able to match your intensity? Johnny was 1 of the toughest guys I have ever known: no way would I get out onto the football field with him! 1 thing I will never forget was Johnny getting frustrated with Hall of Famer Jim Brown because he would drag tacklers on his back for 5-10 yards. Johnny was as ornery as he could be while still having a smile on his face. When we played against each other he would seek me out and always found a way to guard me.

You ended up going to college at Bethune-Cookman, where you were an All-American and scored 2000+ PTS: why did you choose Bethune-Cookman, and what is the key to being a great scorer? When I got out of high school I was the best player in the Philly public league and Tom Gola was the best player in the Catholic league. Tommy went to La Salle but I could not even get a scholarship to a college in Philly because most of the Big 5 schools did not have any Blacks on their teams. Back then we would only receive a partial scholarship to cover tuition so I could not have afforded to go there anyway. Bethune-Cookman came to Philly to recruit me and I decided to there: if they had not come to Philly then I probably would have gone to Winston-Salem because Coach Clarence “Big House” Gaines tried to come recruit me the very next day!

After college you played briefly with the Harlem Globetrotters but quit after learning that all of their tricks/games were prearranged: what was it like to be a Globetrotter, and where do you draw the line between sports and entertainment? The Globetrotters had a number of teams around the country at that time. We stayed in Chicago alongside the great Woody Sauldsberry. I was a great ball-handler/dribbler, which is why they recruited me. There were only a few NBA teams back then and very few Black players, so when the Globetrotters offered me a plane ticket to Chicago I decided to give it a shot. We were really impressed by the boxers of that era like Joe Louis/Sugar Ray Robinson, and the Globetrotters were also big-time. They beat teams like the Minneapolis Lakers but I had never seen them on TV, so when I saw us play the Washington Generals and how much of a show it was I decided to take a job as a coach/teacher instead.

Your 1st collegiate coaching job was at D-2 Cheyney State (where you won almost 80% of your games, a national title in 1978, and national COY honors): how did you end up there, and what did it mean to you to win a title? I was coaching basketball (and a number of other sports) at Simon Gratz High School after being hired there by Principal Marcus Foster. It is important to know that your boss is compassionate and offers you some dignity. We were not being compensated as high school coaches: that is when I started to hold early-morning practices and bring in the players in the afternoon for tutoring. Marcus later ended up getting killed by the Symbionese Liberation Army in 1973. Dr. Wade Wilson called on me to come to Cheyney State but he did not care if I won a national title: he just wanted me to learn how to spell my name correctly! I stayed there for 6 years before going to Temple.

As the team bus was getting ready to head to the airport for the 1978 Final 4, 1 of your players showed up without a necktie and you sent him home: were you trying to teach your team a lesson about responsibility, or were you just strictly enforcing the rules, or other? I made it clear to our players that we represented more than just ourselves: we represented our families, the alumni, etc. I sat them down on the floor and told them about our dress code: no sneakers, no jeans, and that they must wear a tie. Johnny Blue showed up without his shoes and I told him that he was not getting on the bus. After we won it all I sat down with Blue and talked to him about transferring…but 6 months later he was shot dead in Philly. College can be a safe haven for young people and help them create a future.

In 1982 you became head coach at Temple: how big a deal was it to be the 1st African-American coach in Big 5 history, and what makes the Big 5 so special? I got asked about that a lot: I made it very clear that I never thought about it 1 way or the other. I tried to recruit youngsters regardless of which other coaches were trying to sign them, although it was hard without the same amount of scholarships as schools like St. John’s/St. Joe’s.

Some of your most famous coaching methods include early-morning practices, a match-up zone defense, and a tough non-conference schedule: how did you come up with them, and why were they so successful? All 3 of these were very special for us: we were fighting Prop 48 at the time and many other conferences would not accept kids who did not meet the minimum standards. We were going to make every effort to make sure the players went to class and got a degree. I am proud of guys like Aaron McKie/Eddie Jones who came back to get their degrees after having 15-year careers in the NBA. Now there is a 20 hour/week practice limit but we got started early so that we could get in our practice and still leave time for classes/tutoring.

Take me through the 1991 NCAA tourney:
After Corey Williams’ apparent game-winning 3-PT shot at the end of regulation was ruled a 2-PT shot, Mark Macon scored 8 PTS in OT before fouling out to give you a 9-PT OT win over Oklahoma State: did you think that Williams’ shot was going in, and what did you tell your team before the OT period that helped them regain the momentum? Every year we instructed the team that how you start is how you finish. Regardless of who we played, we presented a lot more energy to meet them head on. We made 5 trips to the Elite 8…and each of the 5 teams who beat us ended up winning the title. We wanted to play as many top-20 teams as we could in non-conference play and did that for 24 straight years.

Macon had 31 PTS/9 REB/0 turnovers but missed a 3-PT shot at the buzzer in a 3-PT loss to UNC in his final collegiate game: how proud were you of his performance, and where does he rank among the best players that you ever coached? I have had a lot of gutsy players during my time, but at the end of a game Mark is the 1 who I would want to shoot the ball.

You were named USBWA national COY in 1987 and 1988: what made you such a great coach? The greatest part about managing/directing men is teaching them discipline, which is 1 of the highest forms of intelligence. You have to be persistent and cannot worry about losses: move on to the next thing facing you. I had almost 20 players make it to the pros and they all knew that there were no shortcuts to success. The reason a team like the Miami Heat wins games is due to their rotation/double-teams, which is based on zone concepts.

In 2001 you were elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? The highest! It was very special: every year that I get to go back and talk with the other Hall of Famers. It is 1 of the best things that ever happened to me.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged John Chaney, temple | Comments Off

Under the Radar Game of the Day – Friday, January 29

Posted on January 29, 2021 by Chad

New Mexico State at Grand Canyon, 9:00 PM Eastern, Local TV/espn3

If years from now you are ever asked in a trivia contest to name the best Division I men’s basketball team that failed to win a single a game against Division I competition before at least January 29th of the season, the answer will be the 2020-21 New Mexico State Aggies. The Aggies have been the dominant force in the WAC for years, and were the preseason pick by most people to capture yet another league crown this season. However, due to COVID, they have only been able to play four games so far, and only one against a D1 foe (a loss at Cal State-Northridge). Tonight, hopefully, they finally return to the court to take on the WAC-leading Lopes of Grand Canyon.

New Mexico State (3-1, 0-0 in conference) has been dealing with injuries and eligibility issues to go with their COVID problems so far this season, and Jabari Rice (foot) is still out indefinitely for the Aggies. Wilfried Likayi led the team in scoring against non-D1 Western New Mexico earlier this week, scoring 20 points and pulling down 6 rebounds. Likayi, and any of his teammates that can get on the floor tonight, will need an even bigger effort in tonight’s contest. That help could also come from recent signee Gerald Doakes, who had 11 points in his first game this week after enrolling at NMSU earlier this month.

Grand Canyon enters tonight’s game at 10-3 overall and 4-0 in WAC play. The Lopes have been led by Asbjorn Midtgaard, who leads the team in scoring (15.1 points per game) and rebounds (9.8 per game). Two other players, Alessandro Lever and Jovan Blacksher Jr are averaging more than 10 points per game as well, giving GCU options and depth on offense to go along with one of the top-rated defense in the WAC so far this season. A win over the Aggies tonight could put the Lopes in position to be the favorites to take the school’s first ever D1 NCAA Tournament bid this season.

Posted in News and Notes | Comments Off

The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews 2000 Olympic gold medalist Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Posted on January 29, 2021 by Jon Teitel

The NBA Finals date back to 1947 (when they were known as the Basketball Association of America Finals) and the very 1st NCAA tourney was held in 1939. Olympic basketball competition is even older: it debuted as a demonstration event in 1904 and the men’s version became a medal sport in 1936, with the women finally getting their chance to go for the gold in 1976. The United States has dominated Olympic basketball competition from the start: the men have won 15 gold medals in the 18 tournaments they have participated in during the past 84 years, while the women have won 8 gold medals in the 10 tournaments in which they have competed during the past 44 years. Those of you who were looking forward to the 2020 Olympics opening ceremonies in Tokyo on July 24, 2020 will have to wait an extra 364 days, as the coronavirus caused a postponement until July 23, 2021. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel decided to fill the void by trying to interview as many prior Olympic players/coaches as possible so that you have something to read while waiting for the Summer Games. We continue our coverage by chatting with Shareef Abdur-Rahim about winning a gold medal in 2000 and being named an NCAA Silver Anniversary Award earlier this month.

In 1995 you were named 1st-team Parade All-American: which of your fellow honorees impressed you the most (Vince Carter/Kevin Garnett/Stephon Marbury/other)? They were all good players but Kevin was just at a different maturity standpoint then everyone else. He played the game at a different level and was able to make others better.

In 1996 at Cal you became the 1st freshman in Pac-10 history to be named conference POY after leading the league with 21.1 PPG: how were you able to come in and dominate right from the start? I really surprised myself: I worked hard over the summer to prepare myself but exceeded my expectations. I started fast that season and my coach/teammates just encouraged me to keep going.

In the summer of 1996 you were drafted 3rd overall by Vancouver (2 spots behind Allen Iverson): did you see that as a validation of your college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the NBA, or other? It was just exciting! I had no expectations coming out of high school but felt that I was heading in the right direction to fulfill a distant dream. I was in the right places and tracking toward my goal but did not think it would happen so fast. I really did not have the time back then to slow down and take it all in but it was a lifelong dream. I did not view it as the culmination of anything because I was so young and there was still so much more to do so I felt that I could not rest on that.

You averaged 18.7 PPG as a rookie and finishing 3rd in the ROY voting behind Iverson/Marbury: how were you able to make such a smooth transition from college to the pros? It was not that smooth: it was tough! My team needed me to score so I was put into that situation from the start. I moved to a new country and was forced to grow up very fast in a new culture. In college I had someone guiding/directing me but as a pro it was left up to me. On the court it was challenging but I had a ton of fun there: my individual success was a result of being on a young team.

You won a gold medal with team USA at the 2000 Olympics: what did it mean to you to represent your country, and what did it mean to you to win a gold medal? That felt more cumulative than anything else. Winning an Olympic gold medal was always a dream: I was back on a team with guys like Garnett and Jason Kidd (who also went to Cal). It was a longer process rather than just a single event so the whole experience was exciting: it was a great time.

In November of 2001 you scored a career-high 50 PTS/21-30 FG for Atlanta in a 7-PT win over Detroit: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? Sometimes you just get into a rhythm: it was right around Thanksgiving and my family was there. What also made it special is that we needed all of those points to beat a good Detroit team. I got going early and when your teammates/fans get behind you it is a lot of fun.

In the 2002 All-Star Game you scored 9 PTS for the East in a loss to the West: what was it like to have Michael Jordan as a teammate (in his 1st All-Star appearance back in the league after he retired in 1998)? It was awesome and Michael being there made it special. 1 of the biggest misnomers is that everyone in the NBA is friends: it is hard to spend time with guys on other teams because it is such a transient league but All-Star Weekend is different.

You became president of the G League in 2019: why did you take the job, and what have you been able to accomplish so far? I retired from playing in 2008, finished college, worked in the Kings’ front office, and went to business school. This job brought in all of my different experiences both on and off the court. It was a great opportunity to contribute something to the game that has given me so much.

You have a brother who is head coach at Kennesaw State (Amir) and a son who is a freshman at Virginia (Jabri): who is the best athlete in the family, and who will you cheer for if the Owls ever play the Cavaliers? My younger sister was a really good basketball player and probably the best pure athlete. I love my brother…but would pull for my son to win!

Earlier this month you were named an NCAA Silver Anniversary Award recipient: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It is a great honor: I did not realize that it has been 25 years because I still feel young! When you see all of the great things that the other honorees did it shows how phenomenal they all are and I am excited to be included in that.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged Cal, Shareef Abdur-Rahim | Comments Off

News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Friday, Jan 29th

Posted on January 29, 2021 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

CLICK HERE for our latest Hoops HD Bracket Rundown, where we build a seedlist on the air

-Overall it was a pretty chalky night. Nothing much cataclysmic or Earth shattering happened, so if you decided to take a night off from college hoops, last night may have been the night!

-Rutgers absolutely pasted Michigan State. Part of that was great play by Rutgers, part of it was rust on the part of Sparty, and part of it is Sparty not being nearly as good as we thought they were anyway.

-Stanford also got a much needed road win against Arizona to help shore up their resume.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-UNC ASHEVILLE AT WINTHROP (Big South). Winthrop had to sweat this one out last night, but they did get the win, they are still undefeated, and they are looking to stay that way.

-SAINT LOUIS AT RICHMOND (Atlantic Ten). This is a hugely important game for both these teams. Saint Louis showed some rust in their last game after being shut down and desperately needs to start stringing together wins in order to catch back up to the pack and be safely inside the bubble. Richmond is also outside the bubble and needs a strong finish to the season to help secure their NCAA Tournament hopes.

-IOWA AT ILLINOIS (Big Ten). Both teams are in the rankings, both are teams that could end up as protected seeds, but both need to string together some wins and finish strong in order for that to happen.

-BOISE STATE AT COLORADO STATE (Mountain West). This is a bubblicious game between two teams that we think are inside the bubble right now, but are by no means in a position to be able to just coast on in. This game definitely has a pivotal feel to it.

Posted in Daily Rundown, News and Notes | Comments Off

Hoops HD Bracket Rundown: January 28th

Posted on January 29, 2021 by David Griggs

This show was recorded at 10:15pm on January 28th. Any game that went final after that was not considered when building the seedlist

Chad, Jon, Joby, and David are back for this week’s Bracket Rundown. They build a seedlist line by line and debate, discuss, and assess each team as they put them in the field. There are debates over which four teams belong on the #1 line, where teams like Illinois and Iowa belong, whether or not Oklahoma State belongs as a protected seed, where Drake should be on the seedlist, and which teams that are on the bubble just made it in.