Atlantic Sun Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 14, 2019 by David Griggs

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MEDIA DAY PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL

  1. Liberty
  2. North Florida
  3. FGCU
  4. NJIT
  5. Lipscomb
  6. North Alabama
  7. Jacksonville
  8. Kennesaw State
  9. Stetson

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON MEDIA POLL

  1. Liberty
  2. North Florida
  3. FGCU
  4. Lipscomb
  5. NJIT
  6. North Alabama
  7. Jacksonville
  8. Kennesaw State
  9. Stetson

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL -ASUN TEAM

Caleb Homesley – Liberty, SR G
Scottie James – Liberty, SR F
Zach Cooks – NJIT, JR G
Ivan Gandia-Rosa – North Florida, SR G
Tyler Hooker – Kennesaw State, SR G
Ahsan Asadullah – Lipscomb, SO C
Michael Buckland – Lipscomb, SR G
Jamari Blackmon – North Alabama, SO G
Wajid Aminu – North Florida, SR F
Garrett Sams – North Florida, SR G

 

NOTES FROM DAVID:  The Liberty Flames, who were new to the Atlantic Sun last year, tied with Lipscomb for first place in a race that was neck-and-neck all year, then won the ASun Tournament, and then advanced to the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament with a big win over Mississippi State.  Lipscomb went on to make the finals of the NIT and won some pretty big games along the way.

For Lipscomb, they have a lot to replace.  Four starters are gone, along with Coach Casey Alexander who took the job just down the boulevard at rival Belmont.  They replace him with Lennie Acuff, who’s had a long and successful run at Alabama-Huntsville in D-2, but it will likely be a rebuilding project.

Liberty, on the other hand, has four starters back from last year’s team and should be strong both underneath and out in the backcourt.  Whenever a team who made the Round of 32 returns that kind of talent they are a team to watch.  Don’t be surprised if they end up inside the bubble this year.  Some of their notable OOC games include playing at Vanderbilt and at LSU.

North Florida is another team to watch.  They had a rather unspectacular year overall last season, but they finished the season with seven straight wins before losing to Liberty in the ASun semifinals, and have four starters back.  Matthew Driscoll has done a spectacular job as head coach.  He’s been there since they were basically a transitional team and has made them one of the better programs in conference.

NJIT returns three starters from a team that won 20 games a year ago, so they’re another intriguing team.

North Alabama, who was just in their first year of transitioning last year, went 7-9 in conference, including a stretch early on where they won four straight.  That’s not bad at all for a transitional team.

Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, and Stetson are bringing up the rear.  Neither Kennesaw or Stetson managed more than five D-1 wins a year ago.

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ACC Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 13, 2019 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL

  1. Duke
  2. North Carolina
  3. Louisville
  4. Virginia
  5. Florida State
  6. NC State
  7. Notre Dame
  8. Syracuse
  9. Miami FL
  10. Pittsburgh
  11. Clemson
  12. Georgia Tech
  13. Boston College
  14. Virginia Tech
  15. Wake Forest

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-ACC 1ST TEAM

Jordan Nwora – Louisville
Tre Jones – Duke
Cole Anthony – North Carolina
John Mooney – Notre Dame
Mamadi Diakite – Virginia

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-ACC 2ND TEAM

Markell Johnson – NC State
Vernon Carey – Duke
Chris Lykes – Miami FL
Garrison Brooks – North Carolina
Trent Forrest – Florida State

PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Jordan Nwora (Louisville)

PRESEASON FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR – Cole Anthony (North Carolina)

NOTES FROM DAVID.  Zion Williamson is gone from Duke, and they lost three other starters so the Blue Devils have a ton of talent that needs to be replaced.  But, as always, Duke is replacing a ton of talent with a ton of talent.  They are bringing in yet another monster recruiting class and will once again be contenders for the Final Four.

Prior to the start of last year no one expected Louisville to do anything, and while a lot of people probably remember some of the games that the Cardinals didn’t win and feel that the team could have been, one must not forget that they actually did exceed all expectations.  This year, Louisville is good enough to contend for the ACC title and/or the Final Four with three starters back and a huge recruiting class to go along with it.

Virginia won the National Title last year!  They could be in the top ten yet again this year!  Yet, they’re only picked 4th in the ACC.  That just goes to show you how strong this league is.   Everyone knows Virginia is good, but the Hoos are probably even better than what most people realize.  Despite playing in an insanely strong conference and not shying away from tough OOC games either, they’ve won 29 or more games in four of the last five years.  I know that they have a ton of talent that needs replacing, but do not ever overlook this team.  Well, at least not until Tony Bennett leaves.

I’m not as big on North Carolina as I am on the four teams that I’ve already talked about, but please understand that in the proper context.  I believe them to be a top-20 caliber team instead of a top 10 caliber team.  With four starters gone, I have more questions than certainties about the Tar Heels, but if history is any indicator they will once again be a strong team.

Don’t overlook Florida State.  Everyone seems to every year.  They’ve been to back-to-back Sweet Sixteens (or further) and earned a protected seed the year before that, so for the past three years they’ve probably exceeded expectations and could do so again this year.  They will likely get good play out of their guards and will once again go deep into their bench.

Last year NC State (rightfully) missed the tournament.  They had a ton of wins, but didn’t really do all that much when they were playing against actual tournament teams.  I’m a big fan of Kevin Keatts, and think with the experience they have coming back they’ll be better this year and should once again contend for, and likely make, the NCAA Tournament

Notre Dame has five starters back, and that experience should help them.  But, the Irish also lost eight of their last nine games last year.  Mike Brey is a really good coach and he’s accomplished a lot at Notre Dame, but the last two years have been a struggle.  I don’t think he’s on the hot seat, but his seat may be getting a little warm if they once again fail to even make the NIT this year.

Jim Boeheim has been at Syracuse for 44 years, which means when the incoming freshmen were born he’d been at Syracuse for 26 years.  He’s got his work cut out for him this year with just one regular returning starter and a very young roster.

Miami FL is looking to bounce back after winning just 14 games a year ago.  They have a strong player in Chris Lykes, but they don’t appear to have a whole lot of depth or strength in other areas.

Pitt was 14-19 in Jeff Capel’s first year last year, which is anything but spectacular, but it was tons better than they were the year before.  They’ve still got a long way to go, but with four starters back they should be substantially better this year and will likely compete for at least a spot in the NIT.

Clemson is in a complete rebuilding mode with four starters gone from a year ago.

Georgia Tech’s season is already off to a rough start.  They won’t be making the NCAA Tournament.  They won’t be making the ACC Tournament either.  The NCAA handed out a postseason ban.  Chances are they wouldn’t have made the postseason anyway, but that’s rough news to hear before it’s even October.

Boston College should be better, but are still a long way off from being good.

It was fun having Virginia Tech be good at basketball, but seeing as how Buzz Williams is gone along with the bulk of the talent from last year, it may be a multi-year rebuilding project for new head coach Mike Young.

Wake Forest….I got nothin’

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews new Utah Valley coach Mark Madsen

Posted on October 12, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We continue our season preview coverage with new Utah Valley coach Mark Madsen. It is hard to believe that it has been a couple of decades since he almost helped Stanford upset Kentucky in the Final 4, and after he joined the NBA he won a pair of titles with the Lakers. He later spent several years as an assistant coach with the Lakers before being hired to take over the Wolverines as head coach last April. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Madsen about winning a pair of titles and starting a new job.

Your nickname is “Mad Dog”: how did you get it, and how do you like it? I got it in 5th grade from my PE teacher who had a nickname for everybody. It has stuck with me ever since.

You played for Coach Mike Montgomery at Stanford: what made him such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? He is a coach of the highest character and is a great human being. His schemes are very difficult to guard: I run the same stuff at Utah Valley. He is unbelievable at Xs and Os and remains a friend to this day.

Take me through the 1998 NCAA tourney:
You made a 3-PT play with 26.2 seconds left in a 2-PT win over Rhode Island: how were you able to overcome a 6-PT deficit in the final minute? Arthur Lee! He scored about 14 PTS during the final 3 minutes and just took over the game. Coach Montgomery told us to keep fighting and Arthur put the team on his back and things just worked out.

In the Final 4 you had 16 REB in a 1-PT OT loss to eventual champ Kentucky: how close did you come to beating the Wildcats? I think that all of us beat ourselves up after that game. You think about every little thing that you could have done better.

You were a 2-time All-American: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? It was a testament to our team’s success: it is really a reflection of all 15 players and what they did as a group.

You won back-to-back NBA titles with the Lakers in 2001/2002: what did it mean to you to win a pair of titles? When you win them so early in your career you almost do not know anything different. After my 1st 4 years in the league I never made the playoffs again so I am glad for the great memories I made early on.

You were named head coach at Utah Valley in April: why did you take the job, and how is it going so far? I took the job because it is an unbelievable basketball school going back to coaches like Dick Hunsaker and players like Ronnie Price. It has a great basketball tradition and things are going great. We had a few transfers and signed some new players and have some great returning players: I could not be more excited!

Your non-conference schedule includes a road game against Kentucky next month: do you prepare to face the Wildcats in the same way that you prepare for any other team? You know that they are 1 of the top programs in the country and you want to go out and compete against whoever you play. We have a group of competitors and that is why you play the game.

You lost 5 of your top-6 scorers from last year (Jake Toolson/Conner Toolson/Baylee Steele/Ben Nakwaasah/Connor MacDougall): how will you try to replace all of that offense? I analogize it to a bucket of water: when you take your hand out of the bucket the water is still in there. We lost some great players but there is still a tremendous opportunity for the returning guys and the new guys: the sky is the limit.

You only have 3 players on the current roster from Utah: what sort of recruiting philosophy will you have? We will recruit Utah hard and also have a national/international footprint. I got hired late but we will bring in the best guys wherever we can find them.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? As a group we want to make a deep push into postseason play. We want to be peaking late in the season and hopefully make the NCAA tourney.

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Happy College Basketball Season 2019-2020!! (Sort of)

Posted on October 12, 2019 by David Griggs

So, we have a charity exhibition game this evening between UTEP and Texas Tech.  This is the earliest that I can ever remember an exhibition game being played.  In fact I can remember back when this weekend was Midnight Madness Weekend where teams were only beginning to officially practice for the first time.

It is not a game that counts, and as far as I can tell there is no video stream available so unless you buy a ticket you won’t see it, but it is the first time that two college basketball teams have played against each other in an organized game that was open to the public since last year’s National Championship Game between Virginia and Texas Tech (coincidentally).  So on that note…

HAPPY SORT OF COLLEGE BASKETBALL SEASON!!!

In case you didn’t know teams are allowed two exhibition contests, and there are three different formats that they can choose from.  They can play another div1 team in a game that is open to the public and donate all the proceeds to charity (which is what we have tonight), they can have a closed scrimmage against another div1 team for three hours, or they can play another nondiv1 college team where they open the arena and keep all the revenue for themselves.  For the longest time I’ve wanted a third exhibition game, especially now that teams have the option of playing another div1 school, but as of now we still only have two.

CLICK HERE (or scroll up to the top and click the EXHIBITION GAME SCHEDULE 2019-2020 tab at the top of the screen) for a full list of all open exhibition games, and whatever coverage that was listed as being available. 

I know these games are oftentimes boring, even to extreme diehard fans.  It’s great to have basketball, but these early season games, especially against lower division teams, almost never satisfies.  But, at least we are getting close!!  We do have meaningless basketball to tide us over until the meaningful basketball begins!

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Colonial Athletic Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 10, 2019 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL

  1. Hofstra
  2. Charleston
  3. Northeastern
  4. James Madison
  5. Delaware
  6. Towson
  7. William & Mary
  8. Drexel
  9. UNC Wilmington
  10. Elon

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-CAA 1ST TEAM

Brian Fobbs – Towson, SR G
Nathan Knight – William & Mary, SR F/C
Matt Lewis – James Madison, JR G
Eli Pemberton – Hofstra, SR G
Grant Riller – Charleston, SR G

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-CAA 2ND TEAM

Ryan Allen – Delaware, JR G
Darius Banks – James Madison, JR G
Desure Buie – Hofstra, SR G
Jordan Roland – Northeastern, SR G
Camren Wynter – Drexel, SO G

 

NOTES FROM DAVID.  Hofstra, who was last year’s first place finisher, is this year’s preseason favorite.  While I like this Pride team and think that they have a good core group of players coming back, they are losing Justin Wright-Foreman, who wasn’t just the best player for Hofstra, he was the best player in the CAA.  Despite that, I think they can still finish at or near the top of the league.  The Pride have been consistently good, but haven’t been able to make the Big Dance since 2001.  Maybe this could be the year!

Charleston will also be looking to replace their best player in Jarrell Brantley, and has just two returning starters from last year’s 24 win team.  But, never underestimate this team.  Coach Earl Grant is entering his sixth year, and has averaged 25 wins in the past three seasons.  This is a dramatic turnaround considering just how bad they were when he first took over.  They should still have a very strong backcourt and will definitely be a force in the league this year.

Northeastern finished second last year and won the CAA Tournament which gave them the auto-bid to the NCAAs.  The problem is, like Charleston, they lost three starters from last year’s team.  Right now I have more questions than answers.

James Madison has three starters back, but it’s hard for me to get all that excited about a team that won just 12 D-1 games a year ago and lost four of their last six games, three of those losses were to teams with losing records.  So it isn’t like they ended the year with a big head of steam built up.

Delaware has shown steady improvement over the last three years and managed a winning record last year for the first time since the 2013-2014 season.  They did end up losing one of their better players when Ithiel Horton decided to transfer to Pitt (who hasn’t exactly been all that good themselves recently).  While I don’t think the Blue Hens will contend for the title, I do think they can continue to improve.

Towson has all five starters back and should be better, but they did win just ten games last year, so being better isn’t exactly a high bar to get over.  I still like Pat Skerry as a coach, though.

I agree with the media and coaches about UNC Wilmington, Elon, and Drexel.  Drexel was a bad team that lost some of their better players.  They will be in rebuilding mode.  I’m not expecting much out of the other two either.

 

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Bradley SR PG Darrell Brown

Posted on October 10, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We continue our season preview coverage with Bradley SR PG Darrell Brown. It seems like he keeps topping himself every time that he steps onto the court: he led the Braves in scoring as a freshman, had 1 of the best 3-PT shooting seasons in school history last year, then scored 17 PTS against the Spartans in the NCAA tourney. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Darrell about winning a tourney named after his famous godfather and heading back to Memphis this fall.

You are 5’10”: do you see your size as an advantage or disadvantage on the court? I really wish that I was taller as far as dunking…but other than that it is an advantage.

You grew up in Memphis: what made you choose Bradley? They were consistent in talking to me throughout the process, and when I came here on a visit I felt that I could help them at the PG spot.

In high school you were named tourney MVP of the Penny Hardaway Classic: was it extra-special since Hardaway is your godfather?! I would say so. It was a big game against a highly-ranked team so it was a special deal but in some ways it was just a regular high school game.

You play for Coach Brian Wardle: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He preaches competing, which is 1 of the biggest tools you can have in life. We give it all we got, which shows on our team.

In 2017 you led the Braves with 12.6 PPG and were named to the conference All-Freshman Team: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I had a lot of responsibilities during my 1st year of college. The team only won 5 games the year before and I was a scoring guard coming out of high school so I tried my best to keep doing that night in and night out.

Last year you made 79 threes and your 44.4 3P% was #4 in school history: what is the secret to making shots from behind the arc? Getting a bunch of reps up in the summertime really paid off. I pride myself on my work ethic so regardless of your percentages you need to work hard.

Nate Kennell was named 2019 conference co-6th Man of Year and Elijah Childs was named 2019 conference tourney MVP: what do they bring to the table? Our whole team is unselfish and those 2 are great teammates: their talent/skill sets speak for themselves.

In the 2019 NCAA tourney you scored 17 PTS/4-7 3PM in a loss to Michigan State: what did you learn from that game that will help you this year? Knowing that we can compete with schools from big-time conferences. The memories of the NCAA tourney are something that I will enjoy forever.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Northwestern and 1 of Kansas State/Pitt: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test, and how excited are you to play at Memphis in December? We take things 1 game at a time around here. We will not overlook anyone…but it will be a dream come true to play at the Fed Ex Forum in front of my family.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We want to get back to the stage we reached last year and then win some games. I do not have any individual goals: I just want us to win as many games as possible.

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