Happy Tourney-versary!: HoopsHD interviews former coach Dave Odom

Posted on February 20, 2020 by Jon Teitel

With the 2020 NCAA tourney tipping off next month, we will spend this month taking a walk down memory lane with a choice collection of players/coaches who are celebrating an awesome anniversary this year. From some game-winning FTs in the 1955 tourney (65th anniversary) through a 17-PT comeback win in the 2015 1st 4 (5th anniversary), these legends have all carved out a little piece of history in past Marches. We continue our series with Dave Odom, the 1995 national COY as head coach at Wake Forest and father of the only coach to lead a #16-seed to an upset of a #1 seed in NCAA tourney history. He made 11 straight postseason appearances in Winston-Salem, then took his talents to South Carolina where he won back-to-back NIT titles in 2005/2006. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Dave about the 25th anniversary of coaching Tim Duncan in the 1995 NCAA tourney and being an assistant coach on the wrong side of 1 of the biggest upsets in college basketball history.

At Goldsboro High School you were captain of the football/basketball/baseball teams, and at Guilford College you played QB for 3 years and basketball for 4 years: which sport did you enjoy the most, and which 1 were you best at? I enjoyed whatever sport was in season since I liked them all equally well. I always felt like I was best at baseball: I was a pretty good left-handed hitter.

In 1976 you became an assistant at Wake Forest and your team made it to the Elite 8 before losing to eventual national champion Marquette: what was it like to coach against Al McGuire, and could you tell that Marquette was going to win it all? Anytime you do something for the 1st time it is exciting and that year we won the “Big 4” tourney in Greensboro (which also included Duke/UNC/NC State). I got there after coaching various high school sports for 14 years…and realized that I was not any more excited for the NCAA tourney than I was for my high school championship games. It was a strange feeling. The thing I remember the most about playing Marquette is that we had never seen a triangle-and-2 defense before and we had no answer for that. I came out of that game with a great deal of respect for McGuire and his staff. I actually thought that we were the better team and that we could have gone all the way if we had beat them, but we were just not prepared.

In 1982 you became an assistant at Virginia under coach Terry Holland, but your #1-ranked team had a 5-PT loss to Chaminade in 1 of the biggest upsets in NCAA history: how on earth did you lose that game, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterwards? It was just the end of a difficult week. We started out by playing the 1st-ever game involving the college 3-PT line at Duke: the arc was only about 17 feet from the basket. A few days later we played Georgetown in DC, which was the 1st game ever played on TNT. Soon after that we flew to Tokyo to play Houston: Ralph Sampson did not play because he was dehydrated but we beat them anyway. Then we played Utah, beat them (again without Sampson), and flew back through Hawaii to break the trip up. We had a great practice the morning of the Chaminade game and thought that we would have an easy game. I think we were fatigued but give Chaminade credit for playing well and making their FTs. There were several media in the locker room and the only player who talked to them was Rick Carlisle: some of his teammates got mad at him for doing so. The next day we were at the airport and the media asked Terry to comment on the game. He told me to go over and tell them that he had no comment: I told him we would have to say something but he said that nobody would believe anything we said because the result of the game was so preposterous!

In the 1984 NCAA tourney Othell Wilson scored 17 PTS and made a jumper with 6 seconds left in a 1-PT win over Iona, then Carlisle scored 12 PTS including a baseline jumper with 4 seconds left in a 2-PT OT win over Arkansas: how was your blood pressure doing by that point, and what is the secret to drawing up a game-winning play? I have never had problems with the stress of the game because I have been through so many of them. I think the secret to drawing up the right play is to know your personnel and their abilities. In most cases you are not going to trick anyone. On offense, you just have to know what your best player can do and then give him the confidence to do whatever he needs to do. On the other end of the court, just call your best defense.

In 1989 you became head coach at Wake Forest, and after inheriting a team that had 4 straight losing seasons you were named ACC COY 3 times in a 5-year span from 1991-1995: were you concerned that it would take a while to right the ship, and how were you able to rebuild so quickly? I knew that it would be difficult to move the program in the right direction. The ACC is always good but the decade of the 1990s featured some of the best teams ever. We tried to concentrate on recruiting guys from North Carolina and the 1st year we got Rodney Rogers, which showed that we could recruit with the best in the ACC and were serious about winning. After Rodney was Randolph Childress, who said he was coming because we had signed Rodney. We beat Duke during the Bobby Hurley/Christian Laettner years, and UNC/Maryland were also excellent teams. You could feel the momentum growing and I felt very good about where we were after only 2-3 years.

Take me through the 1993 NCAA tourney:
Rogers scored 26 PTS in a win over Chattanooga and 33 PTS in a 6-PT win over IA: was he just “in the zone” that entire weekend? He was coming of age quickly because he was so powerful/skilled. He was also the most popular guy on our team so it was easy to coach him and give him room to improve.

Travis Ford scored 26 PTS/10-11 FG in a win by Kentucky: was your team’s defense lacking that night or was Ford just unstoppable? I think that both Ford/Jamal Mashburn (23 PTS/8-13 FG) came out and just made every single shot. Looking back on it, we were probably too young to be in that kind of game that soon and it showed. That night was their night and we were beaten early (the Wildcats led 60-26 at halftime).

In 1995 you were named national COY: what did it mean to you to win such an outstanding honor? I was totally surprised by that. To say I was honored is the understatement of the year.

What are your memories of the 1995 ACC tourney title game (Randolph Childress scored 37 PTS including the tourney-winning jump shot with 4 seconds left despite a dislocated finger in a 2-PT OT win over UNC)? We had split with them during the regular season by winning on each other’s home court: each of us had a great sophomore class. We should have beaten them in Winston-Salem but Jerry Stackhouse made an improbable shot to beat us. It was doomsday in our locker room afterwards but we felt calm about it. When we beat them in Chapel Hill it was definitely Tim Duncan’s coming-out party with 25 PTS/12 REB. In the ACC tourney Randolph was not just having the performance of his life: he was having the performance of the ACC tourney’s life and broke Lenny Rosenbluth’s tourney scoring record. I will never forget his game-winning shot. I have seen a photo of that shot 100 times: you cannot find anyone in the crowd whose eyes are not riveted on that jumper. All 4 of his teammates were open, but everyone knew that he was going to take the shot:

Take me through the 1995 NCAA tourney:
Duncan scored 21 PTS in a win over NC A&T and 25 PTS in a 5-PT win over St. Louis: where does he rank among the best players you ever coached, and what made him such a dominant player? As Tim grew as a player our team grew more powerful/confident. I coached 2 of the very best 7-footers to ever play college basketball in Duncan/Sampson. Tim was fabulous to work with, to coach, and to know. In terms of skill I think the 2 big men were equal. Duncan would be totally disappointed if we did not win a game.

Randy Rutherford scored 23 PTS in a 5-PT win by Oklahoma State: how close did you come to winning that game, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterwards? Right after the ACC tourney Childress separated his shoulder so he had a difficult time playing through it. That game came down to the last possession and the ball got knocked out of his hands. If we could have gotten through that game I think that we could have made a run at the title.

What are your memories of the 1996 ACC tourney (Duncan had 27 PTS/22 REB/4 BLK in a 1-PT win over Georgia Tech)? That was 1 of the best games we played all season: I honestly thought that we had the best team in the country. We were up 18 PTS at halftime but Tony Rutland tore his ACL right before we went to the locker room: it was so devastating that we did not even tell the rest of the team. We won the game after Duncan blocked Stephon Marbury with 3 seconds left. In the postgame press conference a writer asked Coach Bobby Cremins if he thought that Rutland’s injury made any difference…and Cremins said he did not even notice that Rutland sat out the 2nd half.

Take me through the 1996 NCAA tourney:
Ricky Peral (who averaged 7.9 PPG during his college career) scored 14 PTS in a win over Louisiana-Monroe and 16 PTS in a 3-PT win over Texas: how was he able to play so well in the spotlight after being a role player for his entire career? Ricky was more in the flow than you might think. He was a great rebounder and a better defender. That was when they started to double-team Duncan and Ricky just took advantage.

Duncan had 27 PTS/13 REB and DeJuan Wheat missed a 10-foot shot with 5 seconds left in a 1-PT win over Louisville: did you think that Wheat’s shot was going in, and was your team excited for a chance at revenge in the next game against the Wildcats after losing to them in 1993? We had Rusty LaRue playing PG, who was anything but a PG. We were playing in Minnesota at the Metrodome, and the entire stadium was packed with fans from the state of Kentucky.

Tony Delk scored 25 PTS in a win by eventual champion Kentucky: what was it like to coach against Rick Pitino, and where does that Wildcat team rank among the best you have ever faced? The thing that beat us was that they doubled Duncan in the post with their other post guy, which we had never seen before. We did not figure that out until the 2nd half.

In 1999 you won a silver medal as an assistant coach for Team USA at the Men’s Junior World Championships in Portugal after a 7-PT loss to Spain in the gold medal game: how devastating was that loss, and which of your players impressed you the most (Nick Collison/Casey Jacobsen/other)? Spain had Pau Gasol/Juan Carlos Navarro so they were an amazing team even though we did not realize it at the time. We had a great team as well but they had a lot of fans in the crowd in Portugal. I definitely started to play closer attention to foreign players after that tourney.

You won 3 NIT titles and finished runner-up once in a 7-year span from 2000-2006: how were you able to motivate your team to play hard after missing out on the NCAA tourney, and what did it mean to you to win a title? It is all about how you approach it. Nobody goes into the season hoping to win the NIT: that is unheard of. When the goals that you set at the start of the year are not reached, it is up to the coach to establish new goals and then challenge his team to reach them. I felt that the NIT did not start until you won your 1st game so we put a lot of emphasis on winning the 1st game: after that your players start to get excited. I never tried to fool my team into thinking the NIT was as good as THE national title, even though it was A national title.

You retired from coaching in 2008 and currently serve as tourney chair of the Maui Invitational: how do you like the job, and what do you hope to do in the future? You could not have a better job as a retired former coach! It is challenging but keeps me close to the game. I am also doing some radio/TV and have gotten to work with Coach Mike Krzyzewski and the US national team.

Your sons Lane/Ryan each went into coaching: how proud are you of their success, and what did you teach them about how to be a great coach? Their mother and I tried to talk them out of it but we failed. Lane has been working with high school kids, running some AAU tourneys, and doing individual instruction. Ryan is in college ball and doing very well as a recruiter/coach. We are extremely proud of both of them and they are fine young men.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Thursday, Feb 20th

Posted on February 20, 2020 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for our latest Under the Radar Video Podcast

SURVIVAL BOARD UPDATE

-KENNESAW STATE AT NORTH ALABAMA (Atlantic Sun).  If Kennesaw State loses it will be mathematically impossible for them to qualify for the Atlantic Sun Tournament, which would make them this year’s first team to be removed from the Survival Board.

NEWS AND NOTES

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day between Vermont and Stony Brook, which has major first place implications in the America East – CLICK HERE

-Duke DID NOT look like a top ten team last night.  They fell behind huge to NC State, but were actually coming back and got as close as 9 (I think), but then NC State blew it open again and ended up winning 88-66.  It was a win that NC State desperately needed since they had been straddling the bubble for the last several weeks.

-Auburn lost their second straight game to a team that’s nowhere close to the tournament as they fell to Georgia 65-55.  Auburn is in absolutely no danger, and if anything still has a very good chance at ending up as a protected seed, but you do have to question if their bloated record is indicative of how good this team actually is.  They have a very high ceiling.  It’s just that they don’t always play up to it.

-Butler led for most of the game at Seton Hall, and it appeared that they were going to get one of their biggest wins of the year, but with less than a second to go Seton Hall ran an inbounds play that resulted in a game winning tip-in.  Seton Hall had been dominating, but after losing a couple of games they probably needed a win like this to help reclaim the driver’s seat in the Big East.

-Michigan got a huge road win at Rutgers.  This improves their own tournament resume by a ton, and it puts Rutgers in a situation from desperately needing a road win to VERY DESPERATELY needing a road win!!

-Cincinnati hit a mid court shot at the end of overtime while behind by 2!!!  The only problem was that it was after the horn went off.  They ended up falling to UCF 89-87 at home, which is a rather damaging loss for a bubble team.  BTW, this was Cincinnati’s fourth straight overtime game, which I think ties some sort of record.  BUT IT IS NOT THE SAME AS A QUADRUPLER!!!!

-East Tennessee State picked up a big home win against Furman, and their chances of landing inside the bubble continue to increase.

-Indiana got a monster road win at Minnesota.  The Hoosiers were lacking big time when it came to wins away from home, so this helps them out a ton.

-South Carolina had been on a roll, and seemed to be in a position to play their way inside the bubble had they been able to win at Mississippi State last night.  They ended up falling 79-76, but they still have a path to the NCAA Tournament if they can finish strong.  Mississippi State is also straddling the bubble, so this was a very big win for them.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-OHIO STATE AT IOWA (Big Ten).  Ohio State has won five of six and has really been playing well lately.  A road win at Iowa would be another really big win on their resume and would help out their seeding.  Iowa is coming off a nice road win at Minnesota and other than a blowout loss at Purdue, is going through a stretch where they have been playing really well as well.

-NORTHERN IOWA AT INDIANA STATE (Missouri Valley).  If Northern Iowa wins out through the regular season, which it looks like they are good enough to do, then they should be inside the bubble even if they don’t win their conference tournament.

-OREGON STATE AT ARIZONA (Pac 12).  Arizona has really been on a roll lately and should land pretty far inside the top half of the bracket.  But, they still need to keep holding serve in games like this.

-MICHIGAN STATE AT NEBRASKA (Big Ten).  This should be a winnable road game for a Michigan State team that’s been somewhat disappointing this year, but is still safely in the field, appears to be safely in the top half of the bracket, and is still a very talented and potentially dangerous team.

-OREGON AT ARIZONA STATE (Pac 12).  Oregon is still having a big year, but if they want to end up as a protected seed then they need some road wins like this one in order to cement it.  And, it won’t be easy.  Arizona State appears to have played their way inside the bubble and continues to look better and better as the season goes along.  This would be another big win for them tonight.

-USC AT COLORADO (Pac 12).  USC is inside our bubble, but is in that 9-11 seed range.  A win tonight would really boost the value of their resume.  Colorado looks to be safely in the top half of the bracket and is continuing to play to improve their seed.

-SANTA CLARA AT BYU (West Coast).  BYU looks to be a solid tournament caliber team, and they are looking to push their winning streak to seven games before they host Gonzaga this weekend.

-STANFORD AT WASHINGTON (Pac 12).  We’ve about given up on Stanford.  They have fallen outside the bubble, but could still reach it if they can finish strong.  That would mean sweeping the Washington schools and adding two more road wins to their resume.

-SAN FRANCISCO AT GONZAGA (West Coast).  These two had a battle earlier in the year, but with tonight’s game being at Gonzaga it may not be as close.  The Zags continue to dominate the league and have a very wide path to a #1 seed in the NCAAs.

-LMU AT SAINT MARY’S (West Coast).  Saint Mary’s appears to be inside the bubble and will likely stay there so long as they continue to hold serve.

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Under The Radar Game of the Day: Thursday, February 20th

Posted on February 20, 2020 by John Stalica

For last night’s Under The Radar podcast – CLICK HERE

For Jon Teitel’s interview with former USC head coach/PCL Athlete Advisory member Henry Bibby – CLICK HERE

Vermont (21-6, 11-1) at Stony Brook (17-9, 8-3) – 7:00 PM EST (ESPNU)

Tonight’s UTR Game of the Day takes us deep into the heart of Long Island (not the school) as the hometown Stony Brook Seawolves host the Vermont Catamounts in a matchup of America East heavyweights. Stony Brook won the first matchup 81-77 thanks to a layup from Elijah Olaniyi with under 30 seconds remaining that put the Seawolves up for good. SBU was unable to follow up the win with much consistency; losses against Hartford, Binghamton and New Hampshire followed.

Vermont got a nice win on the road at St. John’s back in November and looked like they might be an NCAA Tournament at-large contender, but losses against Rider and other bubble buddies Yale, Cincinnati and UNC-Greensboro began to add up and put those at-large hopes on the back-burner. Since the Stony Brook loss, however, Vermont has won eleven straight to take a firm hold of the league and would clinch no worse than a tie for first place with a win tonight. Anthony Lamb is averaging 16.7 points a game and 7.3 rebounds a game for the Catamounts.

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Under The Radar: February 19th

Posted on February 20, 2020 by David Griggs

It was a huge night in the SoCon, and that’s where we begin with East Tennessee State’s big win over Furman.  Rocco Miller was on hand and gives us a recap.  We also discuss UNC Greensboro’s big win over Wofford and then look at ETSU’s, UNCG’s, and Furman’s chances of making the NCAA Tournament.

The Ohio Valley was our second featured conference as we have a three way race for the top two spots between Murray State, Austin Peay, and Belmont, as well as some big games coming up as the teams at the bottom of the league fight to get into the conference tourney.

After that, we look at the other 20 UTR conferences and discuss how Vermont continues to look more and more impressive, how the Atlantic Sun and Big South have really tightened up with home court advantage on the line, how and Hofstra has opened up a two game lead in the Colonial.  New Mexico State continues to dominate the WAC, Northern Iowa suffered a loss but still has a good chance of landing inside the bubble, and much more.

And as we do each week, we close with this week’s UTR Top Ten.

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

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New league/New name: HoopsHD interviews PCL Athlete Advisory Board member Henry Bibby

Posted on February 19, 2020 by Jon Teitel

Last month the Historical Basketball League (HBL) announced that it was changing its name to the Professional Collegiate League (PCL). As the first collegiate basketball league to enable athletes to directly benefit from their talent/marketability/hard work by offering an education and compensation, it will provide a basketball opportunity in the U.S. for top college-aged talent across the globe. The league already had an executive team in place, led by CEO Ricky Volante and COO David West, but recently added 4 new members to its Advisory Council. 1 of those new members is 3-time NCAA champion Henry Bibby, who joined the PCL’s Athlete Advisory Board as the league prepares to launch its inaugural season next year with teams in 8 different cities. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Mr. Bibby about being part of UCLA’s legendary 88-game winning streak and his new role with the PCL.

You played for Hall of Fame coach John Wooden at UCLA: what made him such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? John Wooden was a great coach: 1 of the most successful to ever coach college sports. He paid attention to the little things and was big on details. One of the best things about him is that he did not make the game of basketball complex like it is today. He kept it simple and understandable for his players. He would give us one or two things to focus on and then he would just let us play basketball. I think that is a quality that has been lost in today’s game. Coach Jerry Tarkanian used to say that the more you put in your head, the slower your feet get. Wooden adopted that coaching style: he never gave us too much to think about on the court, allowing us to play basketball the way it should be played. The most important thing that I learned: there are a few. He taught me to keep the game simple. Talk about what your team is doing more than what the other team is doing. Do not talk about winning: talk about your philosophy of the game. Be professional, respectful of people, and respectful of the game of basketball.

As the starting PG for the Bruins you won the 1st 47 games of what turned into an 88-game winning streak (including 30-0 as a senior when you were named an All-American): did it reach a point where you expected to win every single time that you stepped onto the court? After a while we expected to win. I do not know what it was: it seemed like winning was in the DNA of UCLA basketball that year. We had great individual players and all-around talent but what really made the difference is that Coach made sure we played as a team instead of as individuals. We had a game plan, which allowed us to approach every game with confidence. We never talked about the other team or what they were doing. We focused on what we wanted to do, on our plan, and we executed every time that we were on the court.

You remain 1 of only 4 players to have started on 3 NCAA championship teams (along with Lew Alcindor/Curtis Rowe/Lynn Shackelford): is it harder to win a title or defend a title? They are both very hard to do but I think it is harder to win one. Once you have been there you know (mentally) what is needed to get back there again. To win the first one is really tough. Everyone has to fire on all cylinders every night: the starters have to play well and the subs have to play well. Putting together a perfect season the first time takes a special kind of determination.

Take me through the magical 1973 playoffs as a rookie with the Knicks:
In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Walt Frazier had 25 PTS/10 REB in a win at Boston: how were you able to become the 1st team to ever beat the Celtics in a Game 7 (much less to do it in Boston Garden)? That team was a great team to be on as a rookie. If I had gone to another team in the NBA then I may not have lasted long in the league. The Knicks had a great fundamentals coach like I had in Coach Wooden at UCLA. Red Holzman understood players and let us play our game. It was basketball at its best: Earl Monroe, Walt Frazier, Jerry Lucas, Willis Reed. It was just a spectacular group of people playing together and I am so thankful to have been a part of that team. I did not play much as a rookie but I got out there in practice and pushed the starters, challenging them to be better. They did the same to me, helping me grow immensely as a player. The coaching was also a huge part of it. Holzman knew how to bring his players together, which made a huge difference.

In Game 5 of the Finals, Willis Reed had 18 PTS/12 REB in a road win over the Lakers: what did it mean to you to win a title, and how did it compare to winning all of those NCAA titles? Winning an NBA championship is the ultimate basketball achievement: there is nothing bigger. Coming out of UCLA I knew what it was like to win so it was the best feeling to be a part of another winning organization. I did not play a lot that year, but I played my role (instant offense) when I got minutes. I was blessed to be able to go from UCLA to the Knicks and win. That is rare…and I never won another championship during the rest of my career. Now that I think about it, maybe it IS harder to repeat as champion!

In 1978 you finished #6 in the NBA with 5.7 APG: what is the key to being a good PG? A good point guard wants to lead his team, be the coach on the floor, and be willing to sacrifice for the good of the team. A good point guard sees things developing before they happen, knows what the coach wants, and knows who to get the basketball to at the right time. There are not a lot of true point guards left these days: there are more scoring guards now, guards who are looking to create more for themselves than anything else. Years ago point guards were creators for the entire team: they would assess the situation and then make things happen for the entire team.

Take me through the 1980 Finals as a player with Philadelphia:
In Game 4 you played 8 minutes in a 3-PT win over the Lakers: what was your reaction to seeing your teammate Julius Erving make his famous “Up and Under” move? It was such a good move: you do not see too many of those. Connie Hawkins used to do that move back before basketball was on TV and Julius was an extension of Connie. When Julius made that move it seemed like he hung in the air for 25 seconds. His hands are so big it was like he was cupping a baseball. It is a move that will not be duplicated anytime soon: seeing it in person was mind-blowing.

In the decisive Game 6 you scored 8 PTS in a loss to the Lakers: where does Finals MVP Magic Johnson’s performance (42 PTS/15 REB/7 AST/3 STL/14-14 FT while starting at center as a rookie in place of an injured Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) rank among the greatest that you have ever seen? Other than Kobe Bryant I have not seen anyone perform like Magic did that night. He was just a young buck fresh out of college yet took the game over. Inside hooks, outside jump shots, cross court passes: he dominated. As defenders we did not know what to do. We thought that we had a chance to win with Kareem out of the game but Magic was unstoppable. It was like he was on auto-pilot. Magic is bigger than most guards but he could handle the ball like one of the smaller guys. That performance will never be matched in a playoff game.

Take me through the 2001 NCAA tourney as head coach at USC:
David Bluthenthal scored 27 PTS in a 4-PT upset of Kentucky: how did you keep your team focused after the Wildcats made a 22-5 run early in the 2nd half? I think that game was the highlight of my basketball career. UCLA, NBA championships, and going to the Finals are all obviously close…but coaching that 2001 team that made it to the Elite 8 is something that I will never forget. I had a somewhat hodgepodge group of guys who wanted to play at other schools but ended up coming to USC, and they stepped up every night. I had a point guard (Brandon Granville) who was the most cerebral player: he knew what I wanted before I wanted it. I would give him the ball and tell him “this is your team.” He made me a good coach: all of those players did. I would give them a system and they would believe in it and go out and win games. We go back to talking about getting there vs. staying there but we got there that year. I was very happy about how far we were able to go: it was a bright spot in my career.

Jason Williams scored 28 PTS in a 10-PT win by eventual champ Duke: what was it like to face Mike Krzyzewski in March? When you are facing Mike Krzyzewski you know that you are facing one of the greatest men to ever become a coach. When Jason Williams missed his first few shots we thought that we had found their weakness…but Mike is one of the best to ever coach the game and they prevailed. He is a mastermind at putting the right combination of players on the floor and he was successful that night.

Your brother Jim won the 1979 World Series with Pittsburgh and your son Mike won the 1997 NCAA basketball title at Arizona to make you 1 of 4 father-son duos to each win an NCAA basketball championship (along with Marques/Kris Johnson, Scott/Sean May, and Derek/Nolan Smith): who is the best athlete in the family? The best athlete in my family is actually my brother Fred, who did not play pro baseball or basketball because he never got the opportunity. He tried out with the Baltimore Bullets but got injured. He could play all sports and could play them exceptionally well. He could do everything so I would label him as the athlete in the family. I really looked up to him and went to some of his college games just to watch him play. Growing up I wanted to be like him and excel like he did.

Last month you joined the Athlete Advisory Board of the Professional Collegiate League (PCL): why did you join the board, and how is it going so far? I decided to join the Athlete Advisory Board because I believe in the PCL’s mission to educate and compensate athletes. I bring a lot of experience to the table and think I can also bring a lot of knowledge of what it is like to grow up in college sports. My job as a Board member will be to counsel the Executive Team on how to elevate the athletes’ experiences and mentor the league’s players. As a former player and coach I want to use my experience to empower athletes by focusing on player development both on and off the court. I am excited to work with the talented group of current and former professional athletes to make each player’s experience the absolute best that it can be. It is time to compensate players who make money for their schools: scholarships do not make up for that. The PCL is making the changes that the NCAA should be making. I want to be part of the next level of growth, but growth cannot happen until there is a change.

How will you measure the success of the PCL 5-10 years in the future: players providing their families from low socioeconomic backgrounds with money, players graduating with a college degree, other? Over the next 10 years I would define success for the PCL as having successfully launched the league in 2021, expanded to the West Coast (at least) in the first few seasons, and also launched a women’s league with at least 16 teams and offering salaries equivalent to that of the men’s league. Success will look different for almost each individual that comes through the league. For some it will mean developing their game and being better prepared to get into the NBA and stick in the league (or go overseas to play professionally). For others it will mean not having to choose between academics and basketball, while generating income at a stage in their life that they cannot do in the NCAA, then using that money to help lift their families up and set themselves up for success off the court. Most importantly, it will allow each athlete to get a degree without compromising on their desired major or coursework, especially since the athletes can come back and finish their degrees even after leaving the PCL.

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News, Notes, and Highlighted Games: Wednesday, Feb 19th

Posted on February 19, 2020 by David Griggs

NEWS AND NOTES

-For John Stalica’s UTR Game of the Day, which is a big one between Furman and East Tennessee State – CLICK HERE

-Illinois had been struggling, but winning on the road against a top ten team will suddenly make you not struggle.  It was perhaps the most impressive win of the season for the Illini, and it could not have come at a better time.

-Kentucky picked up another impressive road win as they held on to beat LSU 79-76.  LSU won their first 8 SEC games, but has since lost four out of five and are coming down to Earth a little bit.

-Creighton continues to rack up impressive wins and look more and more like they should be a protected seed.  They picked up another big road win at Marquette last night.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES

-BUTLER AT SETON HALL (Big East).  Butler has slipped a little bit, but they are still a team that should easily get in on the first ballot, and they can actually play their way back into a position to get a protected seed if they can finish strong.  Seton Hall has dropped two in a row and needs a win like this to get the momentum shifted back.  They still have a pretty wide path to a protected seed.

-SYRACUSE AT LOUISVILLE (ACC).  Louisville lost two straight road games last week and looked pitiful in both showings.  They just need a win to get their confidence and momentum back.  Syracuse had been playing well, but has once again slipped outside our bubble and needs a string of big wins at the end of the season if they want any chance of making the field.

-AUBURN AT GEORGIA (SEC).  Auburn is coming off a somewhat surprising loss to Missouri, but has a winnable game tonight and should be able to get things turned around.

-MICHIGAN AT RUTGERS (Big Ten).  Michigan has finally won some road games and their resume has started to stabilize.  A win tonight would be really big since Rutgers has not lost at home yet this year.

-UCF AT CINCINNATI (American).  Cincinnati continues to walk the tight rope that is the bubble, and needs to hold serve in games like this when they are not facing tournament caliber teams.

-GEORGE MASON AT RICHMOND (Atlantic Ten).  Richmond is right on the bubble and should be able to make the field if they can put together a strong finish to the season.

-FURMAN AT EAST TENNESSEE STATE (SoCon).  These are two of the better teams in the SoCon.  ETSU has a wider bath to the NCAA Tournament, but Furman should at least be in the discussion if they win out.  It’s a chance for both of them to build up their resumes a little bit.

-WOFFORD AT UNC GREENSBORO (SoCon).  If UNCG can win out then the committee will probably at least look at them.

-CENTRAL ARKANSAS AT STEPHEN F AUSTIN (Southland).  It’s always the same story with SFA.  If they win out, then they should be on the committee’s board and be considered.

-TCU AT TEXAS (Big 12).  The lights aren’t completely out for these two teams, but it is getting there.  They are both almost out of strikes.

-SMU AT TULANE (American).  SMU is sort of lurking in the weeds, but they do have a chance at making the NCAA Tournament if they can finish the regular season strong.

-BOSTON COLLEGE AT VIRGINIA (ACC).  Virginia appears to be back inside the bubble, but they aren’t exactly totally safe.  It’s important that they hold serve in games like this.

-PROVIDENCE AT GEORGETOWN (Big East).  Georgetown has picked up some big wins and is very close to landing inside the bubble.  With the games they have remaining, they’ll have the opportunities they need in order to make the field.

-DUKE AT NC STATE (ACC).  Duke is a probable protected seed and NC State is right on the bubble.  It’s a really big game for NC State, who’s trying to raise the value of their resume.

-VILLANOVA AT DEPAUL (Big East).  Nova had hit a bit of a skid, but they’ve won two straight and have another winnable game tonight against a DePaul team that’s good, but just hasn’t picked up the wins in conference play like they needed to.

-TULSA AT HOUSTON (American).  Houston has backtracked a little bit, but they are still in good shape.  They need to take care of business tonight against a Tulsa team that’s played well all throughout conference play.

-INDIANA AT MINNESOTA (Big Ten).  Indiana is right on the bubble.  The biggest thing they are missing is road wins, and they desperately need to pick this one up tonight.

-SOUTH CAROLINA AT MISSISSIPPI STATE (SEC).  This is a huge bubblicous game.  South Carolina has really been playing well these last few weeks, but is right on the bubble and still has work to do, and Mississippi State needs some wins to help them end up on the right side of it as well.  This game is hugely pivotal for both these teams.

-KANSAS STATE AT TEXAS TECH (Big 12).  Texas Tech is in relatively good shape so long as they’re able to hold serve in games like this.

-WYOMING AT UTAH STATE (Mountain West).  Utah State is right on the bubble, and if I had to guess I’d say that the committee will take them so long as they avoid losses to all teams that aren’t San Diego State.

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