Season preview: HoopsHD interviews former Duke national champ Reggie Love

Posted on October 14, 2020 by Jon Teitel

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

We hope you are ready for a season unlike any other: testing, distancing, and bubbles, oh my! Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen, when it is going to happen, or whether anything actually will happen…but in the meantime we will try to restore some order with season previews featuring the best players/coaches/administrators/alumni in the country. We continue our coverage with former Duke national champ Reggie Love. He was a captain for Coach K, a national champ in 2001, and later worked for President Obama. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Reggie about bringing the President to Cameron Indoor Stadium and how the Blue Devils will do after losing so much talent to transfer/the draft.

You were born in Richmond and went to high school in Charlotte: what made you choose Duke? I grew up as a very big fan of Antawn Jamison, who was also from Charlotte, so I was a big UNC fan when he decided to go there for college. The Duke football coach said I was welcome to play 2 sports but every other football coach who recruited me said that basketball would not be in the cards for me.

You played both football/basketball: which sport were you best at, and which sport did you enjoy the most? I was probably a higher-rated football player coming out of high school but my true love was basketball. However, football is 1 of the most magical things you can watch: all 11 guys going out to execute the plan with 1 mission. 1 of the best parts of life is seeing that for a few seconds all the guys on the field are moving toward 1 common goal.

You played for Coach Mike Krzyzewski: what makes him such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? His ability to get people to play the game the right way and buy into a system. It is easy to get a bunch of great players who want to be a part of the brand, but when people buy in then they can outperform expectations. The 2010 team had some guys who really believed in the “Duke Way” and it led to a championship. Coach K taught me that the little plays matter: a lot of things do not show up in the box score like a deflection or diving after a loose ball, but they can still become winning plays. What is impactful is that they also make a difference in the culture you create within a team: people want to work harder when they see others doing so.

You were a walk-on as a freshman basketball player but became captain as a senior: what is the key to being a good leader? I was 1 of the more obscure captains for Duke basketball: Coach K picked me not because I could shoot well but because of my intensity. I tried to lead by example but fundamentally it is about getting people to believe in themselves and inspire them to play together as a unit because what they do ultimately matters. 1 of the greatest parts of working for the Obama Administration was having colleagues who made sacrifices because their work mattered to them.

In the 2001 NCAA tourney title game you had a 10-PT win over Arizona: what did it mean to you to win a title, and what was the reaction like when you got back to campus? It was a great season and a great win: we fought through a lot of adversity such as Carlos Boozer breaking his foot in a loss to Maryland that February. I played on a football team that year and we did not win a single game, so it was a stark contrast to join the basketball team and then win a national championship. When you win 1 as a freshman you think that you will keep winning them, but it skewed my perspective as to how infrequent those things are.

After becoming Barack Obama’s deputy political director in 2006 you became his personal assistant in 2007 and his personal aide during his 1st term as President: how good a basketball player is he, and how did that time working for him change your life (if at all)? I think he is 1 of those guys who helps everyone on the court be a better player: making the extra pass, communicating, etc. Nobody who ever watched us would ever say that he does not have respect for the game or does not know how to play. He was a good high school player and as an adult we had some great battles: he is a fierce competitor and loves to win. I spent every day with the leader of the free world for 6 years so I got a once-in-a-lifetime education about how to see the world. Not many people get to visit 75 countries and work on saving the financial sector or dealing with a housing crisis. I grew as an individual and learned the importance of having empathy: you need to be able to put yourself in the shoes of your constituents. He was really good at making people feel heard regardless of their status in life. He also specifically taught me to appreciate my parents because you never know how long you will have those opportunities.

You brought President Obama to the UNC-Duke game at Cameron Indoor Stadium a couple of years ago: what was that experience like, and how bad did Zion Williamson’s injury look at the time (www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqwnpJeXT04)? The injury was freakish: I had never seen a shoe explode before so it caught a lot of people off-guard! That was the President’s 1st time stepping onto Duke’s campus so for me it was very special: similar to when my 2001 team got to visit the White House after we won it all. The Cameron Crazies erupted when he walked into the gym. He thought it was pretty special but I wish the outcome would have gone better: I am not sure if I will ever be allowed to invite him back!

The Blue Devils saw Alex O’Connell transfer to Creighton and lost several players to the draft (Vernon Carey/Tre Jones/Cassius Stanley): how well do you expect them to reload this season after losing all of that talent? A lot of coaches have to deal with constantly reloading due to their 1-and-done guys turning pro and the relaxed transfer rules of today. I think that it will be even more complicated this year due to the coronavirus…but everyone will have the same amount of rust on them. It is harder to create habits/build a culture when you cannot get together as frequently but I think it will be a challenge for everyone.

After getting your MBA at Wharton and writing a memoir you became an editor-at-large for Vice Sports: how did you like the job, and what do you hope to do in the future? I am now a senior advisor at Apollo Global Management. A good friend of mine was at Vice so I helped them build out their sports section. I have done a lot of things that I never expected so who knows what the next 20 years will hold.

What is it like to be an African-American man in 2020? I have a unique point of view having grown up in the South with deeply spiritual/pragmatic parents. I understand the power of using our voices to tell our representatives what we want and am pretty steeped in African-American history in our country. When incidents like those involving George Floyd/Breonna Taylor occur they are infuriating and it feels new to a lot of people due to technology. I also think of the inequality that systematic racism has created/perpetuated: just look at the impact of the coronavirus. We have worked to solve a lot of problems but have not been as effective as possible. We need to hold our elected officials accountable for getting us on a better trajectory to reduce those inequities.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Evansville coach Todd Lickliter

Posted on October 13, 2020 by Jon Teitel

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

We hope you are ready for a season unlike any other: testing, distancing, and bubbles, oh my! Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen, when it is going to happen, or whether anything actually will happen…but in the meantime we will try to restore some order with season previews featuring the best players/coaches/administrators in the country. We continue our coverage with Evansville coach Todd Lickliter. He hired Brad Stevens, had 1 of the best starts to a coaching career in D-1 history, and was named national COY in 2007. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Lickliter about taking over last January and his expectations for this year.

You played basketball at UNC Wilmington/Central Florida CC/Butler: how good a player were you back in the day, and how did you get into coaching? I am thankful that I was able to participate at that level. A lot of people probably thought I was better than I was, but I was very thankful for the opportunities at those different institutions. It was great to finally return to Butler, which was about five miles from the home where I grew up. You might think it would just be natural to go there but that is obviously not the route that I took. I got into coaching because (quite honestly) my father was a high school coach and had a tremendous influence on me: I just loved being in the gym. I knew that I was not going to play beyond college: I was fortunate to play at that level but the natural transition would be to becoming a coach and I have been fortunate in that regard as well.

In the 2001 NCAA tourney as an assistant to Thad Matta at Butler you got out to a huge halftime lead in a dominant win over Wake Forest: how big a deal was it to get the school’s 1st NCAA tourney win in 39 years (www.indystar.com/story/sports/2016/03/15/start-youre-afraid-butler-tournament/81750806)? It was special. Thad and I were very close: he was a junior on the team when I first joined Butler in the 1980s. We connected and became good friends: he has a tremendous passion for the game and a great mind for basketball. To have the chance to connect with him, become an assistant on his staff, and then work with that team was very special. We played one of the most incredible halves of basketball that I have ever seen: we were up 43-10 after the first half! It felt like we had finally taken that next step. Coach Barry Collier had led the team to the NCAA Tournament for multiple years (3 times from 1997-2000) but to make that leap and advance was really special.

After Matta left for Xavier you took over as head coach and retained a basketball operations coordinator named Brad Stevens, whom you later became a scout for with the Celtics: what was Brad like 20 years ago, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? Brad was the Director of Basketball Operations under Thad: when Thad went to Xavier Brad stayed with me…and I am thankful that he did. He was very dedicated and committed: someone who you could trust to do whatever job you asked him to do and know that he would do it well. Brad was capable of doing just about any job within the program at a very early age so we quickly became friends: it is just a pleasure to watch his success. It is not surprising but very enjoyable. We worked diligently on the foundations of the program. Brad and I spent a lot of time doing that: he had been in the corporate world and I tried to study successful organizations. This helped us develop a vision for our mission statement, which was our foundation, our values, and our guiding principles. Over the course of that process we knew exactly what we were, what we wanted to be, and how we wanted to operate. With that said, being able to articulate that is a process, and Brad was instrumental in helping me formulate the guiding principles for the Butler program.

In the 2003 NCAA tourney Brandon Miller scored 14 PTS including a runner in the lane with 6.2 seconds left in a 1-PT upset of Mississippi State: did you think the shot was going in, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? I thought that every shot Brandon took would go in! I never doubted Brandon: he had a huge heart and loved to compete. He was really a competitor but was also skilled and a good player. He had good players around him and it was a fun group to coach. To give you a little background, we had a freshmen guard named Avery Sheets. He hit a game-winning shot at the buzzer to clinch the regular season championship. If he did not make that shot then I do not think we would have been in a position to receive an at-large bid and have the opportunity to advance and enjoy the excitement of that tournament run. Those two guys provided some very special moments but our entire team played a role in that run. They actively made it happen: things just did not fall into place. The neat thing is that we were not done after making the NCAA tourney. Mississippi State was highly favored in that game so it was a big win for us. After that we regrouped and won the next game against #4-seed Louisville.

Your 53 wins during your 1st 2 years as a head coach rank #3 in D-1 history behind Bill Guthridge of North Carolina (58) and Everett Case of NC State (55): how were you able to come in and have so much success right from the start? To come in and have that much success was a testament to having the chance to coach some very special players in a very special place. I was fortunate to have been hired by Barry Collier and when he left for Nebraska I was retained on Thad’s staff before being elevated when Thad took the Xavier job. From the start I was very familiar with the players; our group was very connected and I had tremendous belief in them. My first year we won 26 games…but lost in the first round of the conference tournament and were left out of the NCAA Tournament. Just from a coaching perspective, many of us at Butler thought that might have been the best team during my time there as head coach. I have always had a little bit of disappointment: not in the players at all, but that we did not advance as far as I knew that we were capable of going. If we could have gotten into the NCAA tournament, I could have easily seen that becoming our first Sweet 16, but possibly advancing even further. They were a special group capable of making it to the Final Four.

In April 2007 you were named NABC national COY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It was such an honor. To be selected by your peers makes it so special. In order to even be considered for it you need to have a really good season. We started off by winning the Preseason NIT and if that would have been it then that would have made for a good year, but our players just kept building and building. The work that those guys and our staff put in made it possible for me to receive that honor so I am indebted to them. That was one of our most special years at Butler.

In 2014 as coach at Marian University you led the nation with 58 PPG allowed: what is the key to playing great defense? I think you have to know the system and embrace the techniques involved. You have to be really unselfish and connected to play unified defense. You are so dependent on one another on the defensive side. On offense you can play a two-man game and almost let the three other guys watch. On defense it is all five on every possession for the entire possession if you are going to be effective. Those Marian guys were just a real pleasure to coach. They were committed to one another and to what we were doing, and it showed.

Last year Coach Walter McCarty started 9-4 at Evansville (including a win at Kentucky and a 3-OT win over Morgan State in the Bahamas), then after he was fired in January you were hired as head coach and lost each of your final 13 games: was it as bad in reality as it looks like on paper? I was familiar with the players because I was here as an assistant just 1 year earlier. It was such an honor to be asked to come back and it was so gratifying that they accepted me and welcomed me back. I felt like we had a really close relationship. When I came back I was able to share with them my vision for what we were going to do with the program and how we were going to do it together. They have really embraced that. I am so excited for this opportunity because I believe in the university and we have tremendous support here. The individuals on this team are committed to not only being a good basketball team but also being community and campus leaders. It is very realistic to think that we can build something very special here, especially because of all the resources that the University of Evansville offers.

Last spring DeAndre Williams transferred to Memphis/KJ Riley graduated, and now you only have 2 freshmen on the roster: do you feel like you are in rebuilding mode or is there enough experience left on the team to compete for a conference title this year? I heard a statement one time where they said you have to replace the irreplaceable: that is kind of the way I feel about KJ. You always knew what you were going to get out of him, not just in the games but every day in practice. He was always here early ready to work, paid attention, had a great spirit, and valued his teammates. Everyone appreciated him and enjoyed being on the team with him. There are just so many positives about KJ and we really cannot replace him one-to-one. It does not have to be one person that is the new leader: you can have multiple leaders and that is how I feel about this team. He showed the way with a great attitude and approach, and even though we struggled down the stretch last year he never wavered during a hard time. I think all of our guys can take a lesson from KJ in that regard. This group has multiple leaders and they are the kind of people that understand servanthood. If you are going to be a leader you need to serve and I think that we have a lot of those guys. They will serve others and make everyone around them better. That is one of the beauties about basketball.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? One of the advantages of last season was that we were able to gauge that we were making progress: we were looking at the stats and the way we were approaching things. We were able to lay the foundation and now we have to keep building goals. Our next goal is to win the next game. That is pretty simple, but overall we want to have a mission of vision: it is more than just a goal. What we want to do is grow this program while allowing our players to grow as individuals. We want them to take experiences and be thankful for them, whether they are challenging or whether we have success. Be thankful and build on them. So, the most important thing to me is the way that we approach things. An improvement in a way we approach our responsibility to one another, to the institution, and the thankfulness we show for this opportunity.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Stanford SR G Kiana Williams

Posted on October 12, 2020 by Jon Teitel

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

We hope you are ready for a season unlike any other: testing, distancing, and bubbles, oh my! Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen, when it is going to happen, or whether anything actually will happen…but in the meantime we will try to restore some order with season previews featuring the best players/coaches/administrators in the country. We continue our coverage with Stanford SR G Kiana Williams. She was a McDonald’s All-American in 2017, won a silver medal at the Pan Am Games in 2019, and was Honorable Mention All-American in 2020. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Kiana about making a game-winning 40-footer last February and her goals for this year.

In 2017 you were named a McDonald’s All-American: which of your fellow honorees impressed you the most (Rennia Davis/Dana Evans/Michaela Onyenwere/other)? I am a little biased so I will keep the love in the Pac-12 and say Michaela, as I have played against her the most during the past three years. We also played together for team USA at the Pan Am Games last year: it was nice being her teammate for once. Davis/Evans both have had some great years at their own programs as well.

You play for Coach Tara VanDerveer at Stanford: what makes her such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from her so far? Tara has many great qualities as a coach and it has been a blessing to play for one of the best to ever coach. Her wisdom, experience, and love for her players are just a few of the things that make her a great coach. Although I am a senior I am still learning a lot from Tara: just with our little conversations in between drills or before and after practice. Whenever we talk I feel like I learn something new…and not just basketball-related. She has so much knowledge about basketball that I want to soak up as much as I can this last year!

In the 2019 Pan Am Games gold medal game you scored 6 PTS for team USA in a 6-PT loss to Brazil: what did it mean to you to represent your country, and what did it mean to you to win a silver medal? I accomplished one of my many goals by having the opportunity to represent my country and wear those three letters across my chest. Peru was a great experience with amazing people: I created memories that I will have forever. It was heartbreaking to not win the gold medal for our country but that is now one of my new goals: to win a gold medal while wearing “USA” on my chest.

Last February you scored a career-high 29 PTS in a 3-PT win at Colorado that included a game-tying 3-PT shot/STL/game-winning 40-footer at the buzzer (www.youtube.com/watch?v=truylPDCh9o): where does that game/performance rank among the highlights of your career? What a game! I would rank that as my best college game…thus far: I say “thus far” because I do not want that game to be my best college game ever. This year I plan to push myself to another level and I want my coaches/teammates to push me as well so that we can have a successful season.

Last season you were named Honorable Mention All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It was humbling to be named Honorable Mention All-American, and this year I plan to take the next step by making First-Team.

In the Pac-12 tourney title game last March you scored 21 PTS in a loss to Oregon: where does 2020 national POY Sabrina Ionescu (20 PTS/12 AST) rank among the greatest college players that you have ever seen? Sabrina is one of the most skilled players I have ever played against: her ability to make others around her is something that stands out to me. I am not sure where I would rank her but she is for sure in the conversation with some of the greatest collegiate players ever.

The following week you learned that the NCAA tourney was canceled due to the coronavirus: what was your reaction when you 1st heard the news? I was heartbroken after I found out that the season was canceled, especially for our graduating seniors. I understood why it had to happen, but I wish that our seniors had the chance at one more tournament run.

Your 229 career 3PM is currently #5 in program history: what is the secret to making shots from behind the arc, and do you think that you can break the school record this year? There really is not a secret formula to making shots. I think the hard work that I have put in the over the course of my career (and will continue to put in) allows me to have confidence in myself and gives confidence to my coaches and teammates. As a senior I just want to win: if the record happens then that would be great but it is not on my priority list for this final year. Records are meant to be broken…but no one can take a championship away from you!

What are your goals for this season? I have many goals for my last year wearing THE Stanford Cardinal jersey. It is an honor and a privilege to be a part of such a well-respected program. This year I want to win the Pac-12 Championship and the NCAA Championship. The Final 4 is in my hometown of San Antonio so my goal is to finish my college career in my hometown on top with my teammates.

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The Olympians: HoopsHD interviews Kenn Johnson about 1952 Olympic gold medalist Bob Kenney

Posted on October 12, 2020 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. Due to the absence of college basketball since mid-March, 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 this summer while not watching the Summer Games. We continue our coverage by chatting with Dr. Kenn Johnson, KU alum and author of multiple books about KU basketball, about Bob Kenney winning an NCAA title and gold medal in 1952.

(photo credit: beckett.com)

Bob was nicknamed “Trigger” due to his quick release/deadly accuracy from long range: who gave him the nickname, and how did he like it? He was proud of the nickname given to him by his teammates. Throughout his career at KU and beyond he was a constant outside scoring threat who kept defenses honest. It is unfortunate for him and KU fans that the 3-PT shot was not available at the time, otherwise he would have had a much higher point total.

He was born/raised in Kansas: what made him choose Kansas for college? He said, “I was delighted when Dick Harp came to McCune to offer me a scholarship. I am a Kansan by birth, but a Jayhawk by the grace of God.” It was certainly a good choice, as he became an All-American, NCAA champion, and Olympic hero.

He played basketball/football at KU: which sport was he best at, and which sport did he enjoy the most? I am sure that most KU fans would agree that basketball was his best sport and during his senior year he concentrated only on basketball. In 1952 he was the nation’s leading FT shooter at 83%.

In the 1952 NCAA title game he scored 12 PTS in a win over St. John’s: what did it mean to him to win a title? Of course, every basketball player has the dream of winning a national championship. He was the captain of the Jayhawks that season and he was proudest of his efforts in helping the team win a national title.

He was also named All-American that year: what did it mean to him to receive such an outstanding honor? He said, “I attribute my success to my great coaches and teammates. Dick Harp was a great innovator and Phog Allen was a master motivator.” After scoring 8.2 PPG during his junior year he was proud to be KU’s 2nd-leading scorer with 13.1 PPG in KU’s national championship season.

He played for team USA at the 1952 Olympics: what did it mean to him to represent his country, and what did it mean to him to win a gold medal? First of all, he was proud to be the 2nd-leading scorer for team USA, averaging 10.6 PPG against the best players in the world. He always said that the gold medal and his NCAA Championship ring were his most prized possessions: “I was not as good as Jerry West/Oscar Robertson but I had fun on the bench at the Olympics.”

He later served in the Air Force: what impact did his service have on him either on or off the court? He also represented his country by serving in the Air Force right after graduating from KU and was grateful to be able to play on the service basketball team. That experience gave him the opportunity to also play for the US in the 1955 Pan Am Games.

He also won a gold medal at the Pan Am Games in 1955: how did he like playing yet again with his college/Olympic teammate Dean Kelley? They were great friends and excited to be on the court together again. Both represented the US Armed Forces on team USA and were starters. Kenney was the 2nd-leading scorer at the Pan Am Games with 12.4 PPG.

In 2013 he was inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame: where did that rank among the highlights of his career? He said, “I am blessed, humbled, and grateful to be inducted. I do not have all of the fancy credentials that other honorees have, but with my teammates help I have achieved what I wanted to achieve: to be a winner.”

He passed away in 2014: when people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? Of course, he had an outstanding basketball career where he was a consistent winner: an NCAA national championship, an Olympic gold medal, and a Pan Am Games gold medal. However, it should be noted that he also had a superb engineering and real estate professional career, working as an executive at Honeywell, A.B. May, and then Coldwell Banker, where he eventually retired as President of the Kansas City-area offices.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Wisconsin assistant coach Dean Oliver

Posted on October 10, 2020 by Jon Teitel

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

We hope you are ready for a season unlike any other: testing, distancing, and bubbles, oh my! Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen, when it is going to happen, or whether anything actually will happen…but in the meantime we will try to restore some order with season previews featuring the best players/coaches/administrators in the country. We continue our coverage with Wisconsin assistant coach Dean Oliver. He was a 3-time All-Big 10 player at Iowa, spent a couple of years with Golden State, and won a CBA title in 2004. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Oliver about being a good PG and his expectations for this year.

You went to high school in Iowa: what made you choose Iowa for college? I made my choice very really early during the recruiting process: I had not even turned 16 years old. I was friends with Ricky Davis and we talked about being a package deal in college. I grew to love Iowa during my time there after I committed as kind of a spur-of-the-moment decision.

You were a 3-time All-Big 10 player: how were you able to remain so consistent throughout your college career? Just hard work. I was a non-stop gym rat: I actually had a key to the arena and spent a lot of time there. I loved the game and we were able to have success as a team, which is the key to winning individual awards.

You led the conference in AST-TO ratio during your senior season: what is the key to being a good PG? It takes some experience: getting a lot of minutes during my 1st 3 years allowed the game to slow down for me as a senior. Decision making and ball-handling are also important when you are playing at a high level. It took me awhile: 1 year I was walking inside Walmart and a guy saw me and started shaking his head. I asked him what was wrong and he said he liked me…but that I turned the ball over too much!

After graduating you played 2 years with Golden State: what is your favorite memory from your time in the NBA? I did not play a whole lot so most of my memories are from practice. I used to play full-court 1-on-1 before practice against Gilbert Arenas and I only beat him once…and then he took it out on me in practice immediately afterward!

In 2004 you won a CBA title with the Dakota Wizards: what did it mean to you to win a title? That was awesome. I was coming off of an injury but Coach Dave Joerger gave me a chance to play. We had a great team and I learned a lot about how to balance so much talent and get everyone on the same page by sacrificing to win a championship.

In 2017 you were hired as an assistant at Wisconsin under Coach Greg Gard: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He is a great teacher and really reminds me of my old coach Tom Davis. He introduces concepts and thinks things out ahead of time. He simplifies stuff for our guys and helps them understand the importance of why we do all of the little things.

Last March you were the #1 seed heading into the Big 10 tourney before learning that the entire postseason 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? We all were in shock. We were in the locker room getting ready to head to the Big 10 tourney: when we got the news we were just wondering why they could not just postpone it. It was the right decision looking back on it now.

After Kobe King transferred/Brevin Pritzl graduated your current roster has 7 seniors/3 sophomores/7 freshmen: what will it be like to have so much experience/youth with very little in the middle? We really like it because our seniors are excellent leaders and we feel good with where we are at. They will teach the young guys the ropes and lead by example.

You have a birthday coming up next month: what will it be like to celebrate during a pandemic? Do not remind me! We usually have a game/exhibition on my birthday but I try not to make a big deal about it anymore.

What is it like to be an African-American man in 2020? This year has been challenging and is different than any other year. I have never felt like our country is so divided where you have to choose sides. I really hope people understand that it was not as divisive in the past and I hope some good can eventually come out of it.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? Our guys are extremely hungry from last year after being the #1 seed in the Big 10 tourney last March. We want to win another Big 10 title and I do not think there is a ceiling for this team. We want to go to the Final 4 but we will take it 1 game at a time.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews new UC Riverside women’s coach Nicole Powell

Posted on October 9, 2020 by Jon Teitel

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

We hope you are ready for a season unlike any other: testing, distancing, and bubbles, oh my! Nobody knows exactly what is going to happen, when it is going to happen, or whether anything actually will happen…but in the meantime we will try to restore some order with season previews featuring the best players/coaches/administrators in the country. We continue our coverage with new UC Riverside women’s coach Nicole Powell. She was named Arizona Player of the Century, then became a 3-time All-American at Stanford, and won the 2005 WNBA title in Sacramento. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Powell about being a great FT shooter and her expectations for this year.

At Mountain Pointe High School you won 3 state badminton titles/1 state discus title, were runner up for a state tennis title, and were named Arizona Player of the Century in basketball: how did you become such an amazing all-around athlete, and are there any sports that you are not good at? That was a long time ago. I had so many awesome coaches and was really fortunate. I had an amazing experience at Mountain Pointe and all of the coaches let me play a lot of different sports, which is not very common. I was really grateful to go there and it was a great time in my life. I cannot play a lick of anything anymore but it was an awesome experience.

You were a 3-time All-American/3-time Pac-10 tourney MVP while playing for Coach Tara VanDerveer at Stanford: what makes her such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from her? I learned so many things from her but the 1st 1 that comes to mind is attention to detail. She is a master of her craft and made sure that we paid attention to everything we did. She also taught us how to reach for that perfect game: when you are training your motivation should be to try to be your very best. Now that I am a coach myself, I can appreciate her continual evolution and her ability to learn/adapt to what is trending in the sport and teach the game at a high level.

In the 2004 Elite 8 you had 31 PTS/10 REB and were guarding Tasha Butts when she banked in a shot in the lane with 1.7 seconds left in a 2-PT loss to Tennessee: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career, and what was it like to be in the middle of a Hall of Fame chess match involving VanDerveer and Pat Summitt? It is still so painful and the sting will never go away: we were so close but that is what makes sports wonderful. I am such a huge fan of Pat: what is really cool is that there are so many of her former players who have become coaches that her legacy is being perpetuated. Thank God for that: this generation needs to know who she is and the mark that she has left on so many people.

In the spring of 2004 you were drafted 3rd overall by Charlotte (2 spots behind Diana Taurasi): did you see that as a validation of your college career, or the realization of a lifelong dream of reaching the WNBA, or other? It was really a special day. I went to the 1st-ever Phoenix Mercury game in 1997: I remember it because it was on my 14th birthday. To have the opportunity to join the league less than a decade later was amazing. When I was a kid there was not a chance to see women playing pro basketball on TV…but now it has become the norm. It had not been guaranteed in the past so to finally be allowed to do it felt deeply meaningful to me. My family was there to share the moment with me: we had a pretty incredible group of women in that draft class (including Taurasi/Alana Beard/Lindsay Whalen).

In March of 2005 you were traded to Sacramento and 6 months later you scored 13 PTS in a 3-PT win over Connecticut to clinch the WNBA title: what did it mean to you to win a title, and are we going to see Duke (who hired your former Monarchs teammate Kara Lawson as head coach in July) on your schedule anytime soon? Not right now due to COVID but we shall see. It was amazing to win that title: there was just something about that team. Everybody bought in to their role and we had great leadership in Yolanda Griffith, who is 1 of my all-time favorite people in life. We had an amazing bench and our practices were extremely competitive: we made each other better and had each other’s backs. It was a really fun time and the city of Sacramento just loved us and came out in droves with their cowbells at old-school ARCO Arena. It still saddens me that there is no longer a franchise there: I am really fond of those days.

In 2007 and 2009 you led the league in FT%: what is the secret to making FTs? My coach at the time told me to get to the line more. It is just about repetition: it is a free shot and there is no reason that everyone cannot shoot 90%. I was only around 70% as a college freshman but I challenged myself to get better and eventually I did.

You are the only D-1 player besides Sabrina Ionescu (who you helped recruit as an assistant at Oregon) with multiple triple-doubles in NCAA women’s tourney history: how did you balance all of the different aspects of your game, and where does Ionescu rank among the greatest college players that you have ever seen? It was never something that I was thinking about: I did not even realize I had a triple-double the 1st time until my coach told me about it. I was a big PG back then and I had some really good teammates around me. Sabrina is absolutely 1 of the all-time greats: she might become the best ever someday. She is just getting started in the WNBA and it will be fun to watch her play for a really long time. She is amazing on the court and people are drawn to her: just look at her jersey sales. She is a special human being.

Last March you were hired as head coach at UC Riverside: why did you take the job, and how is it going so far? I took the job for a couple of reasons. #1 is the leadership of our athletic director Tamica Smith Jones: she is just awesome. When you are really drawn to someone’s leadership style then you really want to work for them. I 1st heard her speak at the Final 4 so when I got a call from UCR there was an instant connection. It is a terrific school in a really good conference. I love the area and the campus is gorgeous so it just made sense and is the best fit for me right now. I am glad to finally be on the court because it has been a long, long process of dealing with COVID. It is nice to be training with our student-athletes.

What is it like to be an African-American woman in 2020? That is a really big question and I appreciate it: what a year it has been in so many ways. Our whole team is signed up to vote and I think eventually all of our student-athletes will be registered. I think that we are all dealing with serious stuff regardless of what race we are because we are all affected by it: health, politics, criminal justice, immigration, fires, climate change, etc. I feel very lucky to have been born in the time period I was born in. Voting is not just for young people: my parents taught me the importance of voting while I was growing up, and the Civil Rights Movement was not that long ago. I am who I am but being a leader for my team and doing the best that I can is really awesome. It is important to see men/women of every color being leaders and doing things in any category. We have come a long way in this country but still have a long way to go. Race is a really tough thing to deal with: my dad grew up in segregated Arkansas and had to sit up at the top of the movie theater and drink from a separate water fountain. I feel very fortunate and am very cognizant of doing the best I can. I love all of my student-athletes and will continue to pave the way for women, especially in coaching.

What are your goals for this season, and what are your expectations for this season? I want to create a really amazing culture based on energy/effort/caring for each other, now more than ever. We have to take care of each other both on and off the court and do our best to teach them every day. Change is always difficult due to the unknown but our returning players have been really positive and are now working with our newcomers. We are huge on skill development and teaching our concepts. We want to win every single game but right now the focus is on just getting after it.

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