All-Access at the South Regional in Atlanta: Michigan State locker room

The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the parents, fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The Sweet 16/Elite 8 are taking place in 4 cities around the country 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 Atlanta with some Michigan State locker room interviews.

JR F Jaxon Kohler

2 of your nicknames are “The Big Footwork” and “Baby Jokic”: which 1 do you like the most? They are both great.

You watched highlights of Hakeem Olajuwon as a kid and wrote down his post moves step-by-step in a journal before practicing them: what did you learn from Olajuwon? He taught me that you do not need to be basic. You can get creative just by working on your footwork, spin moves, the step-through, etc.

You got to talk to LeBron James after being named to the all-tournament team at the Battle US event in 2021: how was that “once-in-a-lifetime experience”? I met him through AAU ball, and he was a great supporter. He taught me how to look at the details and has really helped my basketball IQ.

You are the 1st player from Utah to play at Michigan State: what made you choose the Spartans? Tom Izzo’s resume/career/reputation. He has the ability to turn a high school kid into a college basketball man.

What do you know about Mississippi? They are very strong, mentally/physically tough, and a good team.

SO F Xavier Booker

In 2023 you were named a McDonald’s All-American: which of your fellow honorees are you closest to? My teammate Jeremy Fears: he is my roommate and we still play on the same team.

Coach Tom Izzo has made 27 consecutive NCAA tournaments, which is the most in men’s college basketball history: what makes him such a great coach? He does a great job of keeping us level-headed and not letting distractions get in the way.

Your team’s 27.8 3P% allowed is #1 in the nation: what is the secret to playing great perimeter defense? You must know your opponent’s personnel/tendencies, so we spend a lot of time watching film.

Your team is also top-25 in the nation with 77.6 FT%: how crucial has your FT shooting been in March? It has been a big help all year long. Our coach has emphasized it since last summer, especially late in games.

What do you know about Mississippi? They are tough. The SEC is a great conference and we are not taking them lightly so we will just keep watching film.

Check back for a lot more access all week long!

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All-Access at the South Regional in Atlanta: Mississippi locker room

The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the parents, fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The Sweet 16/Elite 8 are taking place in 4 cities around the country 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 Atlanta with some Mississippi locker room interviews.

SR G Dre Davis

Last spring you won an NIT title at Seton Hall: how does it compare to the NCAA tourney? The NCAA tourney is a much bigger stage: more media, a larger national presence, etc. There are more intense/high pressure games, but it was still great to win a title at home in Indianapolis last April.

Your brother Tae plays basketball at Notre Dame: who is the best athlete in the family? As far as athleticism, I will have to give it to Tae…but I have more “dog” in me!

You are pursuing a master’s degree in intercollegiate athletic administration: what would you change if you ran the NCAA? Not sure. The NCAA has been highly successful for a long time, and everyone knows about March Madness.

Your daughter was born in 2022: how do you balance being a basketball player with being a father? Time management. Her mom does a great job with her, and they are traveling here today so it will be a great experience.

The SEC set a record this month with 14 NCAA tourney bids: what is it like to be part of the best conference in the history of the sport? It is amazing: that is why I always dreamed of playing here.

What do you know about Michigan State? They have a Hall of Fame coach in Tom Izzo and his team always plays hard. They will be well-prepared so we will have to be ready to go.

SR G Sean Pedulla

You began your college career at Virginia Tech: why did you decide to transfer to Michigan State? The biggest reason is that I wanted to win at the highest level during my final year of college.

You have 8 siblings: what is the best part and what is the not-so-best part (if any)? The best part is that there was always someone to talk to or play with. The worst part is that the snacks went fast!

Earlier this month you were named 3rd-team all-conference: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It means a lot, but a lot of that comes from our team’s success.

You made a game-winning 3 to beat your hometown Sooners on 3/1 and a game-winning 3 to beat Arkansas in the SEC tourney opener on 3/13: where do those rank among the highlights of your career? The shot to beat Arkansas is towards the top due to the platform of the SEC tourney.

What do you know about Michigan State? They are a tough team, play hard, and have a great coach in Tom Izzo.

Check back for a lot more access all week long!

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All-Access at the South Regional in Atlanta: HoopsHD interviews Auburn basketball father Will Trapp

The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the parents, fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The Sweet 16/Elite 8 are taking place in 4 cities around the country 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 Atlanta by chatting with Auburn basketball father Will Trapp about his son Reed winning a high school state title and his predictions for this weekend.

You are a Senior VP at Morgan Stanley and founded indie record label Single Lock Records with 4-time Grammy winner John Paul White/4-time Grammy-winning Alabama Shakes keyboardist Ben Tanner: how do you balance your 2 gigs, and what is like working with such talented people? They are great! It looks a lot cooler than it is. John Paul/Ben produce records for a lot of people and write songs and go touring, so I would not put myself in their category: I am just a business partner who helped them start Single Lock. My day job is investment management, which takes up plenty of time. We started Single Lock 10 years ago so in the early days I was a little more involved.

Your son Reed led Covenant Christian School to the 2022 AHSAA Class 1A boys’ basketball state title: what did it mean to him/you to win a title? It was the coolest thing that ever happened. It is a tiny Christian school in Muscle Shoals that had never won anything like that. I was the team waterboy and it is 1000 times more rewarding than doing it yourself.

Your family is from Muscle Shoals, AL, and he began his college career at Birmingham-Southern: why did he decide to transfer, and what made him choose Auburn? After his 1st season Birmingham-Southern announced that it was closing after being founded in the mid-1800s, and his coach said he should feel free to explore other opportunities. Reed had a friend at Auburn, so he went there for a tryout, and Coach Pearl said he could use him on his scout team: it has been amazing!

Coach Bruce Pearl has made 13 NCAA tourneys and made the Final 4 in 2019: what makes him such a great coach? He absolutely loves his kids and holds them to a high standard. He loves Auburn and the platform of basketball: he is such a genuine person all the time. When Reed became part of the program his life became meaningfully better. The whole Pearl family is at the heart of Auburn basketball, which is why you see a lot of kids stay there, whether you are a walk-on or an All-American.

Last year your son was member of the scout team but in January he got to play in a game against Mississippi State: how big a deal was it for him to go from walk-on to playing for 1 of the best teams in the nation? It was unbelievable! I asked him if he could enjoy it: he said it felt like an out-of-body experience for a moment, but it a huge thrill after they do all the practicing/lifting during the season. They keep the 1s/2s healthy, which is meaningful for the entire team.

Earlier this month his teammate Johni Broome was named POY by The Sporting News: where does Johni rank among the greatest college players that you have ever seen? He is definitely up there. Dylan Cardwell recently became Auburn’s all-time winningest player, but Johni is so skilled and plays it in such a unique/complete way. He is a great passer, is strong, and is definitely 1 of the best. I grew up in the 1990s and have seen a lot of great players.

He is a junior: does he have a post-graduation plan yet? Not yet: it is enough for him just to keep up with his schoolwork and do whatever the coaches ask him to do. He joked that his entire resume will be that he made good grades and kept the coaches happy…but that is important.

The SEC set a record this month with 14 NCAA tourney bids: do you think that it is the best conference in the history of the sport? I do. I watched the Big East in 2011 when they received 11 bids, and I would put the SEC up against them. It was a different era but the SEC is a testament to the fact that a lot of student-athletes want to be there.

The Tigers had a pair of double-digit wins in Lexington last weekend over Alabama State/Creighton: did you get to see the team in person at Rupp Arena, and how did they look? We were there shaking our shakers! The last time I was in Rupp Arena is when they held the SEC tourney there when it used to rotate cities. Alabama State is 1 of the best teams in the state and I saw Creighton beat UConn twice this year. Many of their losses this year were to SEC schools (Texas A&M/Alabama) and they were a hard #9 seed.

Any predictions for this weekend in Atlanta, and what would it mean if you end up facing fellow SEC team Mississippi on Sunday for a spot in the Final 4? It would be amazing! All that anyone is thinking about is Michigan and the parents are trying to support them at every step. That message is ingrained into the team culture: 1 game at a time, 1 day at a time.

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The Hoops HD Report – Sweet Sixteen Edition

A bump back to the top for those that may have missed our podcast that preview the Sweet Sixteen matchups and recap an exciting first weekend…

Chad and the panel recap the Rounds of 64 and 32 of the NCAA Tournament and discuss how there have been a lack of upsets, but how that could also make for some incredibly exciting and high level match-ups for the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight. We look ahead to the games this week, discuss each matchup, and make our picks.

And, for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…

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All-Access at the South Regional in Atlanta: Auburn players press conference

The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the parents, fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The Sweet 16/Elite 8 are taking place in 4 cities around the country 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 Atlanta at the Auburn players press conference.

Auburn big man Johni Broome was named Sporting News national POY earlier this month, and the only other player in the history of the sport with 2600+ PTS/1500+ REB is Elvin Hayes, so I asked Johni if he felt that he was 1 of the best players in the history of the sport. He expertly deflected the question by deciding to leave such questions to everybody else to judge because he is just trying to beat Michigan and help his team keep making history:

Check back for a lot more access all week long!

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All-Access at the South Regional in Atlanta: Michigan players press conference

The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the parents, fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The Sweet 16/Elite 8 are taking place in 4 cities around the country 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 Atlanta at the Michigan players press conference.

Since Michigan C Vladislav Goldin played for Russia in the 2019 U18 European Championship with Viktor Lakhin and against several great players including Franz Wagner/Santi Aldama/Augustas Marciulionis/Moussa Diabate, I asked him if that experience helped prepare him for an event like the NCAA tourney and how the 2 events compared to each other. He said that while they are similar win-or-go-home environments, they faced a lot of great teams/players this season, so it is nothing that they have not seen before:

Since Tre Donaldson was a football recruit at Auburn and his uncle Duke played football for the Tigers, I wondered how close he came to following in his uncle’s footsteps and who his uncle would be cheering for on Friday. After admitting that he was amazed that anybody knew those fun facts about his family he gave me the scoop. He said that he was extremely close to playing football and had a real chance to do so, but that eventually he wanted to focus on basketball. He confirmed that his uncle will be at the arena tomorrow night…and that he will be cheering for Michigan!:

Check back for a lot more access all week long!

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