Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Elon women’s coach Charlotte Smith

Posted on October 7, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We continue our season preview coverage with Elon women’s coach Charlotte Smith. If you feared that Coach Smith might have peaked early during her playing days at North Carolina (title-winning buzzer-beater as a freshman and dunking in a game as a sophomore), think again. She was named an ABL All-Star in 1998, set a school record at Elon in 2012 for most wins by a 1st-year coach, and led her team to the postseason 4 years in a row after the Phoenix switched from the SoCon to the CAA in 2014. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Smith about winning a title and celebrating a birthday.

In the 1994 NCAA tourney title game as a freshman at UNC you made the title-winning 3-PT shot at the buzzer while tying a tourney record with 23 REB in a 1-PT win over Louisiana Tech en route to being named tourney MOP: what is the key to being a great rebounder, and how did that shot change your life (if at all)? The key to being a great rebounder revolves around making the decision to be one. Rebounding mainly takes effort and heart. I will say that I was blessed with the natural gift of being a leaper: I had a 32” vertical and could dunk a basketball by the time I was in high school so that was VERY helpful! However, rebounding is also about positioning and waiting for the trajectory of the basketball. You know that if a shot is taken from the left side of the floor that it is more than likely that it will come off the rim on the right side of the floor. You should box out well to secure the ball. You should not run underneath the rim for rebounding positioning because you will more than likely only get made rebounds. You should wait until the ball hits the rim so that you can understand the trajectory of the ball. More than anything, you have to be in it to win it: get in the paint! Crash the boards and give your team multiple opportunities.

You were a 2-time ACC Tournament MVP: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most? I was always a competitor. All you had to do was roll the ball out for me and I was ready to compete…but I will confess that one of the best ways for me to be prepared was having my parents in the stands. They were my biggest fans and came to almost all of my games. Coach Hatchell used to swear that I was no good until my parents showed up: LOL! Tournament time was a very special moment where you had to lay it all on the line. You knew the situation was “one-and-done”. It was do-or-die time so you had to muster all of the mental fortitude you had, bring it all to the table, and leave everything on the floor.

In a game against North Carolina A&T on December 4, 1994, you became the 2nd female college basketball player ever to dunk in a game: how big a deal was it (for someone whose Twitter handle is “exdunker”), and did you get your vertical leap genes from your uncle David Thompson?! It was a big deal to become the second woman in the history of the game to dunk. I always thought that I would be #1 but little did I know that 6’7″ Georgeann Wells from West Virginia had already dunked years before I did (vs. the University of Charleston on 12/21/84). There was not much media coverage for women in sports so this 1st dunk was under a rock! It had always been a goal of mine to dunk in a college game so when I dunked in high school I thought it would be a piece of cake. There was so much pressure to actually do it in a game but when the time finally came there was a sigh of relief as if to say, “That is finally off my bucket list”. I credit the Thompson side of my family for my leaping ability. My uncle was known as “Skywalker” due to his own leaping ability and I wanted to be like him growing up.

You finished your college career with 2094 PTS/1200 REB: how were you able to balance your scoring with your rebounding? Balancing scoring and rebounding is not something you think about: it is just something you do! In order for your team to be successful you need as many possessions as possible and rebounding is one of the ways that you can control what you can control and provide more opportunities for your team.

In 2002 you were named to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary Team and you are 1 of only 2 UNC women’s basketball players to have her jersey retired: what did it mean to you to receive such outstanding honors? I consider myself to be immensely blessed to be considered one of the greatest to play this game! It was a proud moment because it was when I realized that hard work does pay off. It was also a moment that I was able to share with family and friends. It was just as much of an honor for them (my support circle) as it was for me.

After playing for Hall of Fame coach Sylvia Hatchell (whose 1023 career wins is #5 in NCAA women’s history) you later became her assistant: what made her such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from her? Coach Hatchell was a great coach because she instilled great inspiration and hope in young women. All of her life quotes ring in my head to this day. She planted seeds that have definitely produced a harvest because I cannot get her life lessons out of my mind.

In 2011 you were hired as head coach at Elon and set a school record for wins by a 1st-year coach: why did you take the job, and how were you able to come in and be so successful right from the start? I literally took the job because I felt like that is where God was leading me and it was where I felt at home. Not only that, I believed in Elon’s mission/vision/values regarding the total student-athlete. It was not an easy decision because I had some people opposed to it who felt I could not win at Elon and the resources necessary to sustain a winning culture were not there. Success does not come easy: it is built one brick at a time. You have to instill a sense of work ethic and pride in your program. You have to establish a vision for where you want to go and then get the people there to buy-in. You have to know how to win with people first. I tried my best to cultivate good relationships with my players and connect with them as people. I tried my best to show them that I genuinely cared for them and that I was invested for their sake, not my own.

You won 25+ games and made the NCAA tourney in both 2017/2018 before going 9-21 last year: what caused the downturn, and how easy will it be to get things going in the right direction? As a leader you have to make tough decisions and there were some decisions that I made on my own and some decisions that were made for me. I had to part ways with a player whom I love dearly and then I lost our defensive player of the year to an ACL injury. These were two players who were back-to-back champions and knew what it took to win…and I did not have either of them with me last season. We had several other injuries and then it was compounded by a lot of youth. These were insurmountable hurdles that were difficult to overcome, but in all things we are to give thanks. I am grateful for that season of losses and lessons because it taught me a lot about both myself and the team that could never be learned through wins. Adversity can be one of the best teachers in life. To get things going in the right direction all you can do is continue to do the things that got you to the top, see if there are any things you need to add or subtract, and take it one day at a time during the building process. You need to have the virtue of patience.

You had a birthday in late-August: what did you do for the big day? I celebrated my day with my Hoop Phi sisters from UNC. I have a core group of friends I consider sisters and we enjoy celebrating one another through time spent together and a good meal.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? My goals for this season are to try to find ways to maintain a work/life balance because when I am at my best everyone around me benefits. My goal is to help everyone that God has entrusted under my stewardship to become the best version of themselves. I love winning championships, but more importantly I love helping people win in life!

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews new Rhode Island women’s coach Tammi Reiss

Posted on October 6, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We continue our season preview coverage with new Rhode Island women’s coach Tammi Reiss. If you want to find a basketball coach in 2019 you should probably check the inaugural WNBA draft in 1997: Michelle Edwards (4th overall pick in initial player allocation) is an assistant at Rutgers, Teresa Weatherspoon (10th overall pick in initial player allocation) is an assistant in the NBA, Lynette Woodard (10th overall pick in elite draft) is head coach at Winthrop, Vickie Johnson (12th overall pick in elite draft) is an assistant in the WNBA, Tina Thompson (1st overall pick in college draft) is head coach at Virginia, and the new head coach at Rhode Island is none other than Tammi Reiss (5th overall pick in college draft). HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Reiss about playing in 3 straight Final 4s and starting a new job.

You scored 2871 career PTS at Eldred Central School (including a state-tourney-record 51 PTS in a game in 1988), which remains among the most in New York state high school history: what is the secret to being a great scorer? It is your mindset. I was taught at a very young age to be extremely aggressive. I did a lot of 1-on-1 work and the 1st option is always to look to score. I did what I needed to do to help my high school team win and just took whatever the defense gave me.

At Virginia you played with Hall of Fame teammate Dawn Staley for Hall of Fame head coach Debbie Ryan: did you realize at the time that you were sharing a locker room with a pair of legends? I did. 1 of the reasons I went to Virginia was because of Debbie. She kept making the Sweet 16 so I wanted to play for her and become part of the 1st team at the school to win a national championship. The 1st time that I saw Dawn play on the circuit I knew that she was a special player/phenomenal passer: I definitely knew that Dawn would be a Hall of Famer.

You made 3 straight Final 4s from 1990-1992: what was it like to keep making it that far and then running into Hall of Fame coaches such as Geno Auriemma/Pat Summitt/Tara VanDerveer once you got there? We got extremely tight and were horrific offensively in each Final 4. After losing the 1st 1 we put so much pressure on ourselves to win and did not handle it mentally as well as we should have. Instead of pressure we should have flipped it around to an underdog mentality.

You graduated as the school’s all-time leader with 139 3PM/41.6 3P%: what is the key to making shots from behind the arc? Getting into the gym and living there while putting in the time. All great shooters will tell you that you work on your form and then it is repetition. I always wanted to be the best at whatever I did. I was not a great 3-PT shooter in high school but knew that I would get a lot of open shots in college while playing with Dawn.

In 1997 you were chosen 5th overall by Utah in the 1st-ever WNBA draft: could you have ever imagined as a kid that you would get to play pro basketball in the US, and what did it mean to you to get drafted? I grew up watching Magic Johnson and the Lakers so my dream even in the 4th grade was to make the NBA and play for the Lakers because there was no women’s pro league back then. Never in a million years when I graduated did I think that it would become a reality. The 1st time I walked into legendary arenas like the Forum and MSG were amazing.

In 2002 you were selected to the ACC’s 50th anniversary women’s basketball team: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It is really special to me. There are some amazing players in the ACC year in and year out and it is 1 of the best leagues in the entire nation. It is an honor to be part of that team but it is probably 4th behind winning a high school state title, our 1st ACC title, and going to a Final 4.

Last April you were hired as head coach at Rhode Island: why did you take the job, and how is it going so far? I took the job because it was like looking in the mirror and seeing everything reflecting back at me during my interview. I love the A-10: being on the East Coast is important because it is close to home and there is a lot to accomplish here. I think it is the right level for me: I can make mistakes/experiment and eventually take it from the bottom to the top. Today I had 1 of my best practices in the past 5 years in terms of competition/energy/enjoyment. To see the kids change from July to now in the court/classroom/community has been amazing. I would give it an A- and my staff and I are having a blast.

You have 1 player on the roster from Rhode Island and 5 players from foreign countries: what sort of recruiting philosophy do you have? We will take the best talent available but they have to fit our system. When I walk into the gym I look for intangibles: if someone is diving for loose balls and giving 110% then that is the kind of kid who will fit our system. I have a great international recruiter named Adeniyi Amadou who has cultivated relationships over the years and we can bring in players who can have a huge impact in the A-10. They are extremely talented and takes us up a notch immediately.

You have acted in a few films/TV shows: how do you like acting, and are we going to see you back on the screen anytime soon? Hopefully I will do a good job as a coach and not get fired…but once I retire I am going to “Betty White” it and do some character acting as my retirement passion! I love coaching and developing/mentoring young women as a positive role model.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? My team will set its own goals but I told them that I want 1 thing: every time we walk off the court if someone says “Damn your team plays hard!” then I will be a happy coach. That is my expectation for everything we do both on the court as well as similar feedback that we get in the classroom/community.

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Big Ten Media Day Recap and Responses

Posted on October 5, 2019 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON RANKINGS

  1. Michigan State
  2. Maryland
  3. Ohio State
  4. Purdue
  5. Michigan
  6. Wisconsin
  7. Illinois
  8. Iowa
  9. Penn State
  10. Indiana
  11. Minnesota
  12. Rutgers
  13. Nebraska
  14. Northwestern

 

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON CONFERENCE HONORS AND ALL BIG TEN TEAM

Cassius Winston – Senior Guard, Michigan State – Preseason Player of the Year

Ayo Dosunmu – Sophomore Guard, Illinois
Joe Wieskamp – Sophomore Guard, Iowa
Anthony Cowan – Senior Guard, Maryland
Jalen Smith – Sophomore Forward, Maryland
Zavier Simpson –  Senior Guard, Michigan
Xavier Tillman – Junior Forward, Michigan State
Cassius Winston – Senior Guard, Michigan State
Kaleb Wesson – Junior Forward, Ohio State
Lamar Stevens – Senior Forward, Penn State
Nojel Eastern – Junior Guard, Purdue

 

COMMENTS FROM DAVID.  Michigan State is the obvious preseason favorite and could even be ranked #1 in the preseason AP and Coaches polls.  They did lose three starters, so it wouldn’t shock me if they had a couple of stumbles early on, but it’s not crazy to expect them to be playing like a Final Four caliber team by the end of the year.

Maryland is another team that everyone is going nuts over, and understandably so.  They finished in the rankings and return four starters.  That’s generally a solid indicator that good things are on the way.

Purdue lost a lot, and it may take them some time to get their footing, but they went through similar growing pains in the first half of last season before they began thundering down the stretch.  It could be similar this year.

Michigan is also replacing three starters, but they always seem to end up doing better than what people are saying about them in October.  They’re picked to finish fifth, but don’t be surprised if they end up being better than expected.  Again.

Ohio State’s Head Coach Chris Holtmann seemingly has quite a long streak that dates back to his days at Gardner Webb of finishing better than expected.  Some of his better teams at Butler began the season unranked, and his last two years at Ohio State had them finishing a lot better than where they started.  I don’t know if it’s fair to call the Buckeyes a sleeper since so many think that they’re going to be a top 25-ish team, but I bet they end up as a protected seed.  Three starters are back, including Kaleb Wesson.

Indiana is interesting.  They began last season 12-2 and actually had all indications of being not just a tournament team, but a wearing-white-in-the-first-round caliber team.  Even after a long string of losses, they still had some moments where they looked good and were in the discussion to make the tournament all the way until the end.  Not much is expected of them this year, but I’m not ready to write them off just yet.  We at HoopsHD have close ties to some people who are IU fans, and it always makes me happy when they are unhappy, but I’m actually optimistic about the Hoosiers this year.

Iowa and Illinois are two teams that I have more questions about than answers.  Illinois in particular returns four starters, and logic would dictate that they should improve with experience, but their level of suck has been so high the last two years, you wonder if they’ll improve so much to the point that they are actually relevant.  Iowa returns three starters from a team that made the Round of 32 and should once again be in the picture come March.

Wisconsin is another team that made the NCAAs and has three starters back, so they will probably be in the mix.

As for everyone else, thank you for playing!!

COMMENTS FROM JOHN: There were a few notable coaching changes in the Big Ten during the offseason – one of which (Tim Miles) was expected and one that came out of left field (John Beilein). For Michigan, it’s a homecoming for former Fab Five standout Juwan Howard. While he was an experienced assistant head coach in the NBA with the Miami Heat, this is his first head coaching job at any level. He did convince longtime Saint Joseph’s head coach Phil Martelli to be a part of his coaching staff – it’s always a plus to have an experienced coach on the bench, especially one that has an Elite 8 and another Sweet 16 appearance under his belt during his Saint Joe’s tenure.

For Nebraska, Fred Hoiberg will take over for Miles as head coach in Lincoln. He had a good run as head coach at Iowa State but a forgettable one as head coach of the Chicago Bulls. Matt Abdelmassih is also a nice addition to the coaching staff – he was the lead recruiter for St. John’s under Chris Mullin (think Shamorie Ponds, Marvin Clark, etc.). Beyond that, it’s a rather inexperienced roster this year and more likely than not will be a season of growing pains for the Huskers.

Penn State may be a darkhorse team worth watching this season. This might be a now-or-never season for Pat Chambers and company at Penn State, but they have had a slow but steady climb the past few seasons. Lamar Stevens will also be a player to watch this season for the Nittany Lions.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews new Tennessee Tech coach John Pelphrey

Posted on October 5, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We continue our season preview coverage with new Tennessee Tech coach John Pelphrey. There are a few new coaches in the OVC this year but none of the others can match the references of Coach Pelphrey. He played for Rick Pitino (2013 Hall of Fame inductee) at Kentucky, worked for Eddie Sutton (2011 College Basketball Hall of Fame inductee) at Oklahoma State, worked for Billy Donovan (2-time NCAA champ) at Marshall/Florida, and worked for Avery Johnson (1999 NBA champ) at Alabama. He reached the NCAA tourney during his previous 2 head coaching stops at South Alabama/Arkansas and the Golden Eagles are hoping he can make it 3-for-3 in Cookeville. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Pelphrey about playing in 1 of the greatest games in college basketball history and starting a new job.

You played for Eddie Sutton/Rick Pitino at Kentucky and were an assistant to several other successful coaches including Sutton (Oklahoma State), Billy Donovan (Marshall/Florida), and Avery Johnson (Alabama): what was the most important thing that you learned from any of these head coaches? The 2 best coaches I have ever had are my parents but all of the coaches above helped shape me. Even from my playing days with Tubby Smith I have taken stuff from everyone I know. Billy is probably the most important person in my life outside of my father: my daughter is named for him!

You were a 2-time team captain for the Wildcats: what is the key to being a good leader? What I thought a leader was back then is different than what I think a leader is now. You need to create value in yourself so you can have the trust/respect of others. Leadership is all about influence: when you have to communicate a new system so that your guys can understand the game plan it is a daily challenge.

In the 1992 Elite 8 vs. Duke you scored 16 PTS but were guarding Christian Laettner as he made a turnaround jumper at the buzzer in OT: what are your memories of 1 of the greatest games in college basketball history? I do not know if it is 1 of the greatest games in my own history(!) but it moved people to emotion and there were some unbelievable performances. It was the last time that we had a chance to put on that jersey: it was not simply a uniform but a special piece of cloth.

You were 1 of 4 seniors (along with Richie Farmer/Deron Feldhaus/Sean Woods) known as “The Unforgettables” who stayed in Lexington throughout its probation and eventually had your jerseys retired: are we going to see Southern University (coached by Woods) on your schedule in the years ahead?! I do not know. Scheduling is obviously very challenging/important but maybe we can get together. We had a chance to play them a few times in the past when I worked in the SEC.

In the 2000 NCAA tourney as an assistant to Donovan at Florida, you began the tourney with a 1-PT win over Butler and ended it with a loss to Michigan State in the title game: where does Mike Miller’s runner at the buzzer rank among the most clutch shots that you have ever seen, and how close did you come to winning it all? There were a lot of things that happened before that shot. Butler was amazing and had not lost in about 3 months and it took us a long time to finally beat them. That shot might have been a charge but thank goodness it was not called! Earlier in the year Teddy Dupay might have jacked up a 3 in that situation but he learned his lesson and made the correct pass. It galvanized us and helped us reach the title game because we became selfless and did whatever it took to play another 40 minutes. The shot validated Mike’s greatness and propelled him on to the NBA where he had a great career. That shot also helped put Billy on a certain track and we are all very fortunate that those kids decided to come to Florida. Coach Tom Izzo’s team made a lot of threes and had an outstanding team that outplayed us the night of the title game.

Last April you were named head coach at Tennessee Tech: why did you take the job, and how is it going so far? We have been working and trying to get better. I certainly enjoyed being a coach and working for ESPN in the past but we were looking for a home where we could go somewhere and build something. We want to take on the challenge of putting something together that benefits everyone involved.

Your previous 2 head coaching jobs involved trips to the NCAA tourney that were accomplished in vastly different ways (you had 3 straight losing records in conference play at South Alabama before winning the Sun Belt tourney in 2006, then made the NCAA tourney in your very 1st year at Arkansas in 2008 before having 3 straight losing records in conference play): what is your approach for a team that went 4-14 in the OVC last season? I have to come in and earn the players’ trust/respect, which will take some time. Hopefully I can understand their dreams/goals/fears and help them overcome their challenges. We want to be tough/resilient/helpful/kind both in the hiring/recruiting process. Talent/experience are nice but the thing that separates good teams from bad teams is your mindset. If we can find those things then I think we will really have something special. I am not too consumed with the path: it is about what we do with the opportunity.

Your non-conference schedule includes a road game at Mississippi in late-December: do you prepare the same way when you are facing an SEC team vs. a mid-major team? Yes: I want to be in the moment and have a standard that we set for ourselves. Our competition is not our opponent: our real challenge is our own selves to see why it is important to do the things that we need to do. Can we keep a great attitude, give a great effort, and learn from the results and then move on? We do not want to worry about the future: our only focus is right now. Whether it is a scrimmage/game/practice I want to see who I can count on every single day rather than have a player who can only get motivated for big games. All 30 of them count the same.

You have 9 players on the roster from the state of Tennessee as well as players from 4 other states and 2 other countries: what sort of recruiting philosophy will you have? We look for the best student-athletes we can find but are consumed with leadership 1st. We want to help these young men become great leaders: they happen to be basketball players but will also become fathers and people who serve the community. If we can help them in that area then things will take care of themselves.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I want us to overachieve. As a group you need to show up every day and keep the train on the tracks as we try to reach our potential, which is the goal for the individual/group. That does not mean we will win every single game but if we do a good job recruiting then I think that we will compete for championships. Reaching your potential is a choice: you can choose to come to work every day/give great effort/take extreme ownership, or not. It does not take talent to do those things…but you also need a few breaks when facing teams from big schools that spend money.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews South Carolina women’s coach Dawn Staley

Posted on October 4, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We continue our season preview coverage with South Carolina women’s coach Dawn Staley. Her playing/coaching resume is simply staggering so here are just some of the many highlights: national high school POY at Dobbins Tech, 1991 NCAA tourney MOP at Virginia thanks to a title-game record 28 PTS in a 3-PT OT loss to Tennessee, 2-time national POY who set an NCAA record with 454 career STL and set an ACC record with 729 career AST, 3 straight Olympic gold medals with team USA as a player and 2 more as an assistant coach to Anne Donovan (2008) and Geno Auriemma (2016), voted 1 of the top-15 players in WNBA history in 2011, elected to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012, elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013, and led South Carolina to its 1st-ever NCAA women’s title in 2017. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Staley about being a great PG and bringing in an amazing freshman class.

What is the key to being a great PG? The point guard position is very important. We lost our top-2 scorers and will have to replace some of their contributions from multiple players. If I had to choose I would want to bring back our PG. Tyasha Harris is perfect for this group of players because she goes back into the role of just facilitating. She is going to score for us but she has so much talent around her that we need her facilitating/seeing all of that and directing it, while also finding places for her to score on a consistent basis.

You lost your top-2 scorers from last year (Alexis Jennings graduated and Te’a Cooper transferred to Baylor before getting engaged to Dwight Howard in August) but you are bringing in 3 McDonald’s All-Americans this fall (Aliyah Boston/Brea Beal/Zia Cooke): how are the incoming freshmen looking so far, and which 1 do you think will make the biggest impact this season? The freshmen are transitioning (as freshmen do!), which means they have some really good days and really bad days, but all of them are quick learners. I think that the biggest transition will probably be for Zia because she is at point guard and there are so many elements to being a point guard at this level. I think that she has the ability to score and be a threat when she has the ball in her hands. However, when it comes to just understanding all of the dynamics of the team, she is like any other freshman point guard: they have to figure that out and it will take some time for them to do that. Brea is probably physically more ready/versatile than the other freshmen. She can play a lot of different positions so that will help her cause and she embraces that. Aliyah is the biggest on our team girth-wise and that is the position that we need the most help at since we lost Alexis. She will probably be the one who breaks into the lineup both out of necessity and because she is pretty talented: I am not saying that she will definitely be the starter but just getting her into the lineup to play will help us. I think that the X-factor in this class is Laeticia Amihere. I think that she is going to be someone very important for us. She has been unable to practice full-time for quite some time but now she is getting into the flow of things. We are seeing all that she brings to the table: she is incredibly intelligent and super-athletic. She knows the plays and is almost like a point-forward who is out there directing traffic. I am loving the evolution of who she is as that person who nobody has seen. Then you have Olivia Thompson: she can really shoot the basketball and we have to figure out ways in which we can get her onto the floor to play with her strength.

What are your expectations for the upcoming season? I think that we are a big question mark because there are 6 new players (half of our team is new): when you have that kind of situation you simply do not know. I could better answer that questions in another 2-3 weeks as we get closer to picking up on things. For the most part they have picked things up fairly quickly…but we still have work to do, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Mississippi assistant coach Levi Watkins

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We continue our season preview coverage with Mississippi assistant coach Levi Watkins. He was hired by head coach Kermit Davis last year and helped the Rebels get off to a 13-2 start and make the NCAA tourney before losing to Oklahoma. He is no stranger to postseason play, having made multiple NCAA tourneys as a player at NC State. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Watkins about being a Parade All-American and coaching 1 of the best players in the SEC.

In 2001 you were named a Parade All-American at Montrose Christian: which of your fellow honorees impressed you the most (Kwame Brown/Channing Frye/LeBron James/other)? That class was pretty good. It included Julius Hodge, who was my teammate for 4 years at NC State where we had a lot of success together. Kwame was a #1 pick and was very talented: Tyson Chandler/Eddy Curry also went straight from high school to the NBA. We also had guards like Dajuan Wagner/Mo Williams/TJ Ford: it was a special class. I even played with 3 guys at Montrose who went on to play at Georgetown.

As a player at NC State your team lost its final NCAA tourney game by 2-3 PTS for 3 straight years (2002-2004): how great was it to finally beat UConn in 2005 by 3 PTS to make it to the Sweet 16? It was a special time. They seemed to be on our side of the bracket every single year and had a team of really good future pros including Rudy Gay/Josh Boone. We battled a lot of injuries during that season so it was nice to finally get over the hump.

How did you get into coaching? I approached my college coach Herb Sendek during my senior season. I had a couple of serious injuries during college and was debating some opportunities to play professionally. 1 of our assistants Larry Hunter took over as head coach of Western Carolina. It was a quick transition: I graduated on a Saturday and started in this profession at my alma mater on a Monday!

You were 1 of 7 SEC teams who made the NCAA tourney as top-10 seeds last March: where do you think that your conference ranks among the best in the nation? It is a pretty good conference. The year before we had 8 teams in the NCAA tourney and we are projected to have 9-10 this year. There is a lot of good talent/athleticism and everyone can recruit really well. I do not see it changing anytime soon due to the commitment from each school to its basketball program after being a football league for a long time.

In the 2019 NCAA tourney you lost to Oklahoma: what did your team learn from that loss that will help them this year? A lot of people were patting us on our back and praising us during the year due to our success but we fell short at the end. It has motivated all of our returning guys to get back to the NCAA tourney and then advance. The guys got a taste of it and it made them even hungrier during the offseason.

You work for Coach Kermit Davis: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He is my 5th boss. I have learned a lot from all of them but Kermit has a great basketball mind and is a very hard worker. Whether we are working out in May or practicing the day before a big game he is consistent and makes sure that everything has a purpose. He has won at a high level during his entire life at many different programs so his resume speaks for itself. His passion/IQ are great and we have a purpose every day.

As an assistant coach you do a little of everything including recruiting, player development, scouting, community relations, etc.: what is your favorite part of the job? All of it is important. Recruiting is huge because even if you have great tactics you need a certain talent level at your program. I have passion for every part of my job. I have worked in the profession since 2001 so I know every aspect. You have to compete in every aspect and find any edge you can.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Penn State/Oklahoma State/Syracuse/Butler: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? You did not mention Memphis, who has a great recruiting class and is only 1 hour away from us. We will take them all seriously because if you want to make the NCAA tourney then you have to beat those kinds of teams on your schedule. They all present challenges but our guys will be fired up to play a team like Memphis.

The only senior on your roster is SG Breein Tyree, who was named All-SEC 1st team last year: what makes him such a great player, and how much pressure is there on him to be a leader this year? He is very talented and is the leading returning scorer in the SEC. He has worked really hard and has been locked in all summer on all of the little things like eating/training right. He got a lot of experience as a junior but is embracing his new role as the leader who is beginning his last rodeo. We expect him to be even better and he is ready for the challenge.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We really try to stay away from that. Everyone wants to compete for championships and to do that you just have to beat the teams on your schedule. Right now we are preparing for a scrimmage later this month, then we start November with an exhibition game, and then the regular season starts a few days later.

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