2020 Draft Preview: HoopsHD interviews Hofstra prospect Eli Pemberton

Posted on November 14, 2020 by Jon Teitel

On May 1st the NBA’s Board of Governors voted to postpone the Draft Lottery and Draft Combine in Chicago due to an abundance of caution regarding the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to all of the seniors who have wrapped up their college careers, the early-entry deadline for underclassmen was August 3rd. The lottery took place on August 20th and the draft is scheduled to take place on November 18th. We will spend the upcoming days interviewing as many members of the 2020 draft class as possible. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage by chatting with Eli Pemberton about winning his conference tourney last March and what it would mean to him to get drafted.

You were born/raised in Connecticut: what made you choose Hofstra? Distance: I wanted my family to be able to see me. I used all 5 of my recruiting visits and the coaching staff there had a plan for me.

You played for Coach Joe Mihalich: what makes him such a good coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? His honesty: he can be brutally honest but is so passionate about the game and wants the best for his players. I learned about work ethic, attitude, and effort. He was always in the office, and after a bad loss he would gather the whole coaching staff until 1AM. He does a great job of finding everyone’s strength.

You started 30 games as a freshman, scored 12.8 PPG, and were named to the CAA All-Rookie team: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I had a good understanding of what my role was. I would start the game at the 4 but by the end I might be at the 1 or 2 or 3.

Last February you scored a career-high 35 PTS/11-17 FG in a win over James Madison on Senior Day: was it just 1 of those situations where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? Definitely: I felt like I could not miss. I am not a crier but was crying as soon as I got out there and saw the crowd and heard them cheering. I think I made my 1st 5 or 6 shots: it was a euphoric feeling.

In the 2020 CAA tourney you were the leading scorer with 62 total PTS as your team won 3 games in 3 days to clinch the title: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most? I just knew what was on the line. We knew who we were and came into our own as a team at the right time. We lost to Towson in late-February and it really got us going. Desure Buie had a tough 1st game against Drexel but then we started to thrive off each other.

Your best friend Desure ended up being named tourney MVP: how were you 2 able to become the best backcourt in school history? It started off the court: I played with him when we were in high school around 2014 and got to know him as a person. When I got to Hofstra I realized what a great leader he is: we know how to communicate to make each other better.

After clinching your automatic bid to the NCAA tourney you learned that it was canceled due to the coronavirus: what was your reaction when you 1st heard the news, and do you think that it was the right decision? At 1st it broke my heart because our fans had waited 19 years for us to make the NCAA tourney. We worked so hard to get there but looking back at it now I think it was the right decision. I have lost some family members due to COVID so I know that people definitely come 1st.

Your brother William/cousin Chauncey both played college basketball: who is the best athlete in the family? My brother actually played football in college but I feel like I have the edge on everyone. Chauncey was 6’3” and I am 6’5”.

What is it like to be an African-American man in 2020? There is a lot of pressure in today’s society, especially with how things have played out on social media after the election. It is hard for me to answer that question because I know what I have gone through. I know my purpose is to inspire others: playing basketball is much bigger than just getting a check. Even through trials and tribulations I try to remain consistent. I have a business management degree so hopefully I can inspire people to make change themselves. There are some things that are not in our favor but perseverance builds character.

What would it mean to you to get drafted, and what is the plan if you do not get drafted? I cannot even imagine what it would feel like to get drafted. I would celebrate with my family because it has been a long journey, but even if I sign as a free agent that would be a victory. I am just grateful for the opportunity.

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Missouri Valley Media Day Review and Response

Posted on November 14, 2020 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for all of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL

  1. Northern Iowa
  2. Loyola Chicago
  3. Bradley
  4. Indiana State
  5. Southern Illinois
  6. Missouri State
  7. Drake
  8. Valparaiso
  9. Illinois State
  10. Evansville

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON 1ST TEAM

AJ Green – G – Northern Iowa
Austin Phyfe – F – Northern Iowa
Elijah Childs – F – Bradley
Tyreke Key – G – Indiana State
Cameron Krutwig – C – Loyola Chicago

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID

-In the hierarchy of college basketball, this league is probably routinely the top “UTR” Conference, and it probably will be the same story this year

-Northern Iowa appeared to be inside the bubble all season long last year, and just needed to avoid a loss in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament to secure their spot in the NCAAs: they blew it.  Whether or not the committee would have taken them anyway is something we will never know.  But, they should be very good again this year with three starters back and two of the best players in the conference in AJ Green and Austin Phyfe.  It is not a normal season so it is hard to say how things will play out, but if this were a normal year I would say this is a UNI team that could easily land inside the bubble, and perhaps even play their way into the rankings.  They have great balance in the backcourt and frontcourt, along with the depth they need to succeed.

-With all five starters back, Loyola Chicago is another team that I think would have a really good chance at finishing inside the bubble if this were a regular year.  They have good guard play, good outside shooting (usually), guys that share the ball, depth, and balanced scoring.

-Let’s go right to Evansville.  No, I do not think they will finish third, but they did have the most extraordinary season of any team that I could remember.  They beat Kentucky in Rupp Arena, who was ranked #1.  It was the first time that a UTR team had won on the road against a #1-ranked team since 1992.  They followed that up with one of the most disastrous seasons that a team could have, going winless in conference and having their coach fired in the middle of the season for what was rumored to be a spectacular reason!  I will not say what it is because I do not know it to be true…but I do encourage you to Google it!  Four starters are back and they do have a very good coach in Todd Lickliter (who had great success at Butler and almost no success at Iowa).  I do think we will see some improvement out of the Aces this year.

-Indiana State has some big contributors back from a team that won 18 games last year, including Tyreke Key, who is a fantastic all around player.  I look for the Trees to be in the top half of the conference.

-Quite a bit of preseason love for Bradley, but with just two starters back from a decent but not great team, I guess I am not as excited about them as most are.

-Drake had a rather blah season last year for most of the year, but they finished with 20 wins overall and knocked off Northern Iowa in the Arch Madness quarterfinals.  They did lose one of their best players due to transfer but they do have some pieces back and could finish in the top half.

-Coach Bryan Mullins enters his second year at Southern Illinois.  After finishing .500 a year ago.  With Marcus Domask returning after a big freshman year and what look to be some good newcomers, the Salukis appear to be heading in the right direction.

-Missouri State is one of those .500-ish teams from a year ago that is looking to be .500-ish again this year.

-It has always seemed to me that as a program Illinois State should be better than what they are.  This will likely not be the year that they elevate their program.  They, along with Valpo, could be in for a rough year.

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MEAC Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on November 14, 2020 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for all of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON RANKINGS

NORTHERN DIVISION
1. Norfolk State
2. Morgan State
3. Howard
4. Coppin State
5. Delaware State
6. UMES

SOUTHERN DIVISION
1. NC Central
2. North Carolina A&T
3. Florida A&M
4. Bethune Cookman
5. South Carolina State

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON 1ST TEAM

Kameron Langley – SR, G – North Carolina A&T
DeJuan Clayton – SR, G – Coppin State
CJ Keyser – SR, G – NC Central
Koby Thomas – SR, F – Coppin State
Makur Maker – FR, G/F – Howard

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON 2ND TEAM

MJ Randolph – JR, G – Florida A&M
Joe Bryant – JR, G – Norfolk State
Troy Baxter – SR, F – Morgan State
Wayne Bristol Jr. – SO, G – Howard
Jordan Perkins – SR, G – NC Central

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON 3RD TEAM

Joe French – SO, G – Bethune Cookman
Pinky Wiley – SR, G – Delaware State
Devante Carter – SR, G – Norfolk State
Tyler Maye – SR, G – North Carolina A&T
Da’Shawn Phillip – SO, G – UMES

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID

-Last year was a particularly rough year for the MEAC with just two teams managing overall winning records and seven teams finishing outside the top-300 of the NET.  The league is obviously never on par with the Power 5, but it is usually a little better than what it did last year.

-NC Central and NC A&T are two teams to watch.  NC Central has been the team to beat the last several having finished in first place last year and making the NCAA Tournament for three consecutive years before that.  At NC A&T, Will Jones has earned the head coaching job after taking over as interim coach last year and leading his team into second place.

-Norfolk State has three starters back from a team that tied for second place, so we may see some improvement out of them.

-Morgan State was a team that actually saw quite a bit of improvement last year, and with four starters back we could see that improvement continue in to this year.

-FAMU is another team to keep an eye on with four starters back.  We could see some improvement out of them as well.

-Now, as for everyone else, I do not want to go spewing on and on about just how bad some of them may turn out to be.  It would not shock me if this year’s Centenary winner came out of this league: I will just leave it at that.

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Happy Draft-iversary!: HoopsHD interviews former Wichita State star Xavier McDaniel

Posted on November 14, 2020 by Jon Teitel

With the 2020 NBA draft taking place next week we will spend the days ahead taking a walk down memory lane with a choice collection of players who are celebrating an awesome anniversary this year. From the 1st player in NBA history to score 2000 PTS in a season (70th anniversary) through the 2000 Pac-10 POY (20th anniversary), these stars have all seen their dreams come true in past drafts. We continue our series with Xavier McDaniel. He was a 2-time conference POY at Wichita State, led the nation in PPG & RPG in 1985, and even got in a fight with Michael Jordan! HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Xavier about the 35th anniversary of getting drafted.

You were a 2-time MVC POY at Wichita State: what did it mean to you to win such outstanding honors? At the time it was good to know that I was the best player in a tough conference.

In 1985 you became the 1st person to ever lead the nation in both scoring (27.4 PPG) and rebounding (15 RPG) in the same season: how were you able to balance your scoring with your rebounding? It just takes hard work. I tried to work harder than everyone else and improve my conditioning, and all of the running that I did with our guards paid off.

After being drafted 4th overall by Seattle that summer, you averaged 17.1 PPG and finished 2nd to Patrick Ewing in NBA ROY voting: how were you able to make such a smooth transition from college to the pros? The MVC had an up-tempo style of game, just like the NBA. I also had great high school/college coaches who helped me understand the game. Patrick only played 30 games so I thought that I should have been ROY after playing all 82 games myself.

In Game 6 of the 1987 Western Conference Semifinals you had 24 PTS/12 REB in a 3-PT 2-OT win over Houston to clinch the series: how were you able to win despite 1 of the greatest playoff performances ever by Hakeem Olajuwon (49 PTS/25 REB/6 BLK)? Hakeem was tough to play against…but Tom Chambers scored 37 PTS and Dale Ellis scored 36 PTS so we had more weapons than they did. We played our asses off in that series! There are some times when I go back and watch that game and wonder how we won.

In the 1988 All-Star Game you scored 2 PTS in a 5-PT loss to the East: what was it like to face a starting lineup of Larry Bird/Dominique Wilkins/Michael Jordan/Isiah Thomas/Moses Malone? I only played about 10 minutes but was just happy to be there. I thought that I should have been there during my 1st 2 years in the league, as well as several other times after that, but there were a lot of other great players.

In the decisive Game 4 of the 1989 Western Conference Semifinals you had 30 PTS/11 REB in a 2-PT loss to the Lakers: how on earth was LA able to overcome a 43–14 1st half deficit? I have never seen anything like it: we were tied at halftime and I just asked everyone what happened. The Lakers had 5 All-Stars as well as some great players off the bench like Mychal Thompson/Michael Cooper. They always had our number.

In Game 7 of the 1992 Eastern Conference Finals with New York you got into a fight with Jordan: how did it start, and how did it finish? Mike just kept cussing me out and as soon as I said something the ref called a double-technical. There was no doubt about who would win: we were both trying to show our dominance.

In Game 1 of the 1993 Eastern Conference 1st round with Boston you scored 21 PTS off the bench in a win over Charlotte: what was your reaction when Celtics forward Reggie Lewis collapsed on the court 6 minutes into the game, and could you have ever imagined that only 3 months later he would pass away due to a heart defect? I had no idea what was going on, nor did anyone else. After that series I heard that he had suffered some fainting spells during the season that I was unaware of. He came to my birthday party in South Carolina after the season but soon after that he died. He was a great guy who loved basketball: we would talk hoops all the time. His death destroyed the team and it was a big mess.

In 2013 you were inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? I would say #1. I told someone that if I led the nation in scoring/rebounding while playing in the ACC then I would have made the Hall of Fame, but as a guy from a small hometown who played in the MVC I was overlooked. I am grateful to all of my teammates who helped me.

Your daughter Xylina was 2013 ACC ROY at North Carolina and your son Xavier Jr. played basketball at UTRGV: who is the best athlete in the family, and do your kids credit at least some of their success to genetics? I told Xylina that she would make a great soldier: if you give her an instruction she carries it out perfectly. She had some injuries during her junior and senior years and was not granted a medical redshirt but still had a great career. I think Xavier Jr. will become a great athlete: he just needs to feel like he belongs. If you look at him on YouTube he is just as good of an athlete as a guy like Seventh Woods.

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Horizon League Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on November 13, 2020 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for all of Hoops HD’s Continued and Extensive Preseason Content

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL

  1. Wright State
  2. Youngstown State
  3. Northern Kentucky
  4. Robert Morris
  5. UIC
  6. Oakland
  7. Cleveland State
  8. Green Bay
  9. Detroit Mercy
  10. Milwaukee
  11. Fort Wayne
  12. IUPUI

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Loudon Love – Wright State

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL 1ST TEAM

Antoine Davis – G – Detroit Mercy
Amari Davis – G – Green Bay
Marcus Burk – G – IUPUI
Loudon Love – C – Wright State
Darius Quisenberry – G – Youngstown State

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL 2ND TEAM

Algevon Eichelberger – F – Cleveland State
Te’Jon Lucas – G – Milwaukee
Rashad Williams – G – Oakland
AJ Bramah – G/F – Robert Morris
Naz Bohannon – F – Youngstown State

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID

-Wright State and Northern Kentucky have been the class of the league for the last several years, and while the media thinks Youngstown can join the mix this year, both of those two will still be major players.  Robert Morris and Fort Wayne also joins the league this year bringing the membership to 12.  I have nothing against either of those programs, but cannot help wondering what the hell was wrong with just having 10?!

-Wright State is looking for their sixth straight 20+ win season, and have three starters back from a team that won 25 games a year ago, including Loudon Love.  Scott Nagy has done a fantastic job leading this program and it would not shock me at all to see them go dancing again this year.  They have a deep bench, a good frontcourt, and a solid backcourt.

-Youngstown State is coming off their first winning season against D-1 competition in what seems like a million years.  With four starters back their experience should give them a chance to actually compete for a league title.

-Northern Kentucky has just one starter back, but I think they do have some guys that could step into new leadership rolls and keep this team toward the top of the standings.

-Robert Morris won 20 games last year, but as much as we at HoopsHD love the NEC, the Horizon is a much tougher league.  This was a team that was robbed of a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament a year ago,  but with three starters back they should be able to make some noise in the league this year.

-Oakland has a rather rich recent history of success, but not quite recently enough.  They were just 14-19 overall last year and finished below .500 in league play.  They have a great coach in Greg Kampe, and with three starters back and a solid backcourt we should see quite a bit of improvement out of the Grizz this year.

-Detroit Mercy has a fantastic player in Antoine Davis, who is one of the leading scorers in the nation.  This team was ineligible for the postseason last year and now that they are past that we may see a renewed energy in the Titans this year.

-UIC returns two starters from a .500-ish team, and will likely be .500-ish again this year.

-Cleveland State did see a little improvement out of first year coach Dennis Gates last year and it wouldn’t surprise me if that continued in to this year.  It has been a while since they have had a winning season, but they do appear to be going in the right direction.

-Milwaukee has four starters back!  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that they lost their final six games last season.  But, to be fair, most were really close.  There is not a whole lot of preseason love for this team, but they could turn out to be better than expected.

-With just one starter back for Green Bay, they appear to be in rebuilding mode.

-Fort Wayne and IUPUI are natural rivals!  It is nice to see them both in the same league again!  Gutting it out for….11th place.

NOTE FROM CHAD

– I personally am not very high on Robert Morris this year because there is a fairly significant step up in class from the Northeast Conference (whose champion often ends up in the First Four) and the Horizon League (a conference that often has its regular season champion at least marginally in the at-large bid discussions).  On the other hand, I really think Detroit Mercy merits a ton of attention.  While they may not win the league, I consider last year’s 23-loss season to be an aberration and, assuming they finally learn how to play together and not just feed the ball to Davis for a crazy shot every possession, they could finish in the upper tier of the standings.

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2020 Draft Preview: HoopsHD interviews Marquette prospect Sacar Anim

Posted on November 13, 2020 by Jon Teitel

On May 1st the NBA’s Board of Governors voted to postpone the Draft Lottery and Draft Combine in Chicago due to an abundance of caution regarding the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to all of the seniors who have wrapped up their college careers, the early-entry deadline for underclassmen was August 3rd. The lottery took place on August 20th and the draft is scheduled to take place on November 18th. We will spend the upcoming days interviewing as many members of the 2020 draft class as possible. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage by chatting with Sacar Anim about being a great 3-PT shooter and what it would mean to him to get drafted.

You won 4 straight state titles at DeLaSalle High School in Minnesota: what is the key to winning championships? Having a great culture within the program, which starts from the top down. Coach Dave Thorson taught us how to be gritty and have a hard-working mentality. Off-court values translate into on-court success….but defense and talent also help!

What made you choose Marquette? I had a good relationship with Coach Wojo (Steve Wojciechowski) after going underrecruited in high school. I created a bond with him and he helped me become the best player that I could be.

What makes Wojo such a good coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? He holds you accountable as a player and is able to maximize your potential on a daily basis. He will get on you to correct your mistakes and then move onto the next play. By the time I was a senior I felt that I could talk to him about anything. He played the game at a high level at Duke and learned from 1 of the best in the game in Coach K.

In the 2019 NCAA tourney you had 2 AST in a loss to Murray State: could you tell at the time that Ja Morant (17 PTS/11 REB/16 AST) was going to become a star? Yes: he kind of separated himself from the rest of the pack that year but I was just impressed with the way he acted like a facilitator/floor general.

You were named to the Big East All-Academic Team 3 times during your career: how did you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? It was actually pretty easy because we had a great support system around us. We got a lot of our homework done early in the morning so that we could focus on basketball and taking care of our bodies during the rest of the day. Our coaching staff valued academics as well and helped prepare us both on and off the court because there is life after basketball.

Last season you finished 9th in the conference with 39.2 3P%: what is the secret to making shots from behind the arc? A lot of it is about confidence because there are some days that you make shots and some days that you miss shots but you just have to stick with it. You become a good shooter during the offseason by getting in a lot of reps during the summer. It is easy to make them in a game after you have made a lot of them in practice.

You were scheduled to play Seton Hall in the Big East tourney last March before learning that the NCAA tourney was canceled due to the coronavirus: what was your reaction when you 1st heard the news, and do you think that it was the right decision? I was shocked at 1st but then I saw how the events were unfolding. I usually watch basketball games at night before going to bed. I remember seeing Rudy Gobert get diagnosed with it, followed by a lot of other conferences that started to cancel their tourneys. I knew it was only a matter of time but the Big East was still 1 of the last ones to cancel. We were definitely going to make the NCAA tourney so it hurt but I think that they made the right decision: there was so much uncertainty back then. It affected a lot of players/families but it is all about the health of the players. It was a learning experience and we all have to adjust to it.

Your teammate Markus Howard finished his career #21 on the NCAA scoring list with 2761 career PTS: what makes him 1 of the greatest scorers in college basketball history, and do you think he is going to end up in the NBA? He is 1 of those elite shooters, especially off the dribble to create his own shot. He can score at all 3 levels, which makes him so deadly. He is quick and has a high IQ and great endurance so I think that he will definitely end up in the NBA.

What is it like to be an African-American man in 2020? It is tough. Racism has always existed in society but it has come to light more this year. It can happen to anyone but it gives me a chance to be thankful for waking up every day. We have inequality in America and need to work on it: I hope we continue to better ourselves so that everyone has equal rights. As long as we stay strong/together we will prevail.

What would it mean to you to get drafted, and what is the plan if you do not get drafted? It would mean the world to me to get drafted: it is what you work from from the 1st minute that you start playing. If it does not happen then it is just part of the process: there are different ways to get to the NBA and I have no problem taking another route to get there.

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