Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Northern Kentucky SR G Tyler Sharpe

Posted on October 1, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We continue our season preview coverage with Northern Kentucky SR PG Tyler Sharpe. The Norse had 4 straight losing seasons from 2013-2016 but Coach John Brannen turned things around since then with 3 straight 22+ win seasons and a pair of NCAA tourney appearances. Brannen was hired as head coach of Cincinnati in April and the school’s all-time leading scorer/rebounder (Drew McDonald) graduated in the spring so new coach Darrin Horn will have to rely on Tyler to be 1 of his senior leaders this season. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Tyler about being a great 3-PT shooter and touring the Virgin Islands last summer.

You played in the 2016 Derby Festival Basketball Classic: which of your fellow honorees impressed you the most (Jarron Cumberland/Terrance Ferguson/Temple Gibbs/other)? Temple Gibbs was very impressive: his skill level was extremely high and he stood out right away. Jarron was impressive with how well he moved and his ability to play out on the perimeter with his size/strength.

You began your career as a walk-on at Louisville: what was it like to play for Rick Pitino, and why did you decide to transfer to NKU? Being at Louisville was an amazing experience and is something that shaped me into the player I am today. Coach Pitino is a Hall of Famer for a reason: he is a genius on the court and it was an honor to be able to play and learn under him for a year. I ultimately decided to transfer because I was unsure what the future held for me at Louisville and I was hoping to take the skills I developed and my newfound knowledge about the game with me to a school where I could contribute more quickly.

Last year your 90 3PM ranked top-80 in the nation: what is the secret to making shots from behind the arc? It is all about confidence. Obviously you have to put up shots and practice frequently but at the end of the day you have to be able to trust that no matter what you are going to make the next shot. Repetition and shooting form are also important: you want to practice the shots that you will shoot during a game and make sure that you are shooting each shot the right way. That will add to your confidence come game time.

In the Horizon tourney semifinals last March you scored 10 PTS and Drew McDonald made a 3-PT shot with 1.6 seconds left in a 1-PT win over Oakland: did you think the shot was going in, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? Yeah: I never had a doubt. As soon as I saw that Oakland messed up the switch and left Drew open I knew that it was good. Drew is arguably the best player to ever play at NKU so for him to make a shot like that in his senior season was great. We were elated in the locker room and celebrating…but also knew that we were not done. We had business to take care of the next day in the Championship game.

In the 2019 NCAA tourney you scored 23 PTS/4-7 3PM in a loss to Texas Tech: what did you learn from that game that will help you this year? It was a big momentum boost for me coming into my senior season. I always feel like I can compete with anyone but that was definitive proof that against one of the best defenses in the country I could still have one of my best games of the year.

You have a new head coach this year in Darrin Horn: how is it going so far, and how does he compare to former coach John Brannen? Just like any type of change there are a lot of things that are different and my teammates and I are adjusting and learning everyday. Coach Horn and Coach Brannen are both great coaches with extremely high consistency. You know what type of energy and effort they are bringing each day and we know that they are both going to hold us to a high standard to ensure that we get better.

Your team took a tour of the US Virgin Islands last summer and you led them in scoring during every single game: what was the best part of the trip? I think that the best part of the trip was just getting to make memories with my teammates. The summer is such a grind and no students or other athletes are on campus so we really only see each other and it can get repetitive. However, to be able to switch it up and go enjoy ourselves was very nice. It was also a perfect opportunity for us to get to know the new coaching staff. We were able to do a few more practices leading up to the trip, which is crucial since we are learning an entirely new system.

Your non-conference schedule includes road games at Missouri/Arkansas: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? I think they both will be huge tests. I do not know enough about them yet to be able to say which one will be tougher but at the end of the day they are both Power-5 SEC schools that have a history of being good. Anytime you are on the road the game is not going to be an easy one.

You are 1 of 2 seniors on the roster: how much pressure is there on you to be a leader this year? I truly do not feel like there is any pressure on me. I am taking the same approach and just doing whatever I can to help my team and make sure our new guys are prepared for the season ahead. I know that the guys trust me and value my input so I am going to continue to lead by example and be a consistent voice to help my teammates. I have been there before and have the ability to help our new guys adjust to the speed of the game at this level.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? First and foremost, the most important goal is to repeat as champions (both regular season and conference tournament), then we want to take the next step and win once we get to the NCAA tournament. NKU has never won a game there and it would be amazing if we can get the job done. My personal goals include being 1st-team All-Conference.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Memphis coach Penny Hardaway

Posted on September 30, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We continue our season preview coverage with Memphis coach Penny Hardaway. The Tigers have finished with a winning record for 19 straight years and Coach Hardaway has them poised to make it 20 for 20 in 2020. After starting conference play with a 5-5 record last season the team won 6 of its final 8 regular season games and made the AAC tourney semifinals before a 3-PT loss to Houston. With the combination of an amazing coaching staff and arguably the best incoming freshman class in the country they are widely expected to make it back to the NCAA tourney for the 1st time since 2014. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Hardaway about bringing in some fabulous freshmen and beating the Dream Team.

In 1990 you were named national high school POY at Treadwell High School: what made you choose Memphis for college? I fell in love with the 1985/86 team and felt that it was a place I would want to be with players like Keith Lee/William Bedford. They just became my favorite team.

In June of 1992 you were part of a USA Basketball Developmental Team of college stars (including Grant Hill/Allan Houston/Bobby Hurley/Jamal Mashburn/Chris Webber) who scrimmaged against the Dream Team: what are your memories of beating 1 of the greatest teams in the history of the sport? I remember them taking us lightly and we did not want to embarrass ourselves. The game started going our way and we never looked back.

In January of 1993 you had back-to-back triple-doubles in wins over Georgia State/Vanderbilt: how were you able to balance all of the different aspects of your game? It just came naturally to me: I was always an unselfish player who could get the ball to my teammates while also having a knack for scoring. I challenged myself to be dominant in those areas.

Take me through the 1995 NBA playoffs with Orlando:
In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals you scored 21 PTS in a 6-PT win at Chicago: how on earth were you able to beat a team that won 6 titles that decade? It was a collective effort. Horace Grant shot about 80 FG% and Nick Anderson did a great job against Michael Jordan.

In the Finals you were swept by Houston: how dominant was 2-time Finals MVP Hakeem Olajuwon (who became 1 of the few players in NBA history to score at least 30 PTS in every game of a Finals series)? He was very dominant but he also had Robert Horry/Kenny Smith who were shooting the ball so well that we could not just focus on Hakeem.

You scored 17 PTS for team USA in a win over Yugoslavia in the gold medal game at the 1996 Olympics: what did it mean to you to represent your country/win a gold medal? It meant everything to me because team USA was the ultimate in basketball.

Your 1.6 career SPG remains top-75 in NBA history: what is the secret to playing great defense? I had long arms and used them. I loved to reach and use my length when my opponents got sloppy and I could force them to adjust. I also got smarter as I got older.

You have an amazing staff including assistant coaches Mike Miller (who remains top-25 in NBA history with 1590 career 3PM)/Tony Madlock (your former college teammate) and director of basketball operations Rodney Hamilton (the 1st Georgia State player to ever have his number retired): how crucial are they to your team’s success? Very crucial: we also got Cody Toppert from the Suns this year. The staff is my heartbeat and we complement each other very well.

You graduated your top-2 scorers from lost year in Jeremiah Martin/Kyvon Davenport but added a pair of McDonald’s All-Americans in Precious Achiuwa/James Wiseman: how are the new guys looking so far? They are very talented/athletic but also very young so they will be leaning on us a lot this year. I am very excited at the level that they can take their game to: obviously their best basketball is ahead of them but it is a blessing to have them on the team.

You also have a redshirt freshman on the roster named Jayden Hardaway: what is the best part of coaching your son, and what is the not-so-best part? The best part is the pride I have in him being here: our kids do not always follow in our footsteps. The toughest part is that I cannot give him any extra special treatment so I treat him the same as everyone else.

In your 1st year as head coach at your alma mater you won 22 games and made the NIT before losing to Creighton: what are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? My goal is for us to gain an identity and understand really early who we are going to be. I want to give them confidence in themselves since they are so young. I want to win the conference even though it will be some stiff competition and ultimately make a deep run in the NCAA tourney. We are young but I think that we have enough talent to win it all.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews new Georgia State coach Rob Lanier

Posted on September 29, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We continue our season preview coverage with new Georgia State coach Rob Lanier. The past 6 years have been arguably the best in Panthers’ history: an NIT appearance in 2014, a CIT appearance in 2017, and 3 trips to the NCAA tourney since 2015. Former coach Ron Hunter was hired at Tulane last March and Coach Lanier was chosen to replace him a couple of weeks later. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Lanier about starting a new job and having a great coaching staff.

In the 2002 NCAA tourney as head coach at Siena you beat Alcorn State before losing to eventual champion Maryland: what is your favorite memory from that postseason? It was a bit of a blur because we had to win 4 games in 4 days just to get in. I made a bet with my team that if we made it I would do a little dance at halfcourt. I hoped they had forgotten but they did not so I had a student manager go get my son so I could use him as a shield! I did my patented James Brown move and it was a fun time.

You later became an assistant to both Billy Donovan at Florida and Rick Barnes at Texas/Tennessee: what is the most important thing that you learned from either of these 2 great head coaches? After spending 10 years with Rick, 4 with Billy, as well as a few other years with a few other coaches, I just learned the importance of the grind/preparation. It was humbling to be around those guys because they kept working so hard. Every year is different so you have to constantly try to get better and grow.

You were hired as head coach of Georgia State in April: why did you take the job, and how is it going so far? It came out of nowhere. I was working for Rick at Tennessee and we lost to Purdue in Louisville in a heartbreaker. I was driving home with my family and licking my wounds when I got a call from Georgia State. I thought about saying no but felt that I owed it to both myself and my family to learn more about the place. I intended to say no…but after visiting the campus and meeting the administration I found a great level of commitment to the program and a vision for what would make it special for me. I was intrigued and by the time I got back into the car I called my wife and said that there was something special here. I knew that Atlanta was a great city but what mattered the most was the collective movement toward improving everything about the program. Football is definitely ascending here due to having the right leader in Shawn Elliott: it is no accident.

You lost each of your top-4 scorers from last year (Malik Benlevi/Devin Mitchell/D’Marcus Simonds/Jeff Thomas): how will you try to replace all of that offense? There is no plan because I never coached those guys so I am not replacing anything. I am just learning what our current group is capable of and we are trying to develop some leadership and help them rise to the standard that we have set for them. All I can do is coach the guys I have and I am enjoying the journey.

You have stated that player development will be at the core of your program: how do you develop your players on the court, and how do you develop them off the court? It is an everyday all-encompassing process that starts with the people you hire. We have 3 core values here: humility/respect/responsibility. It is not just a marketing tagline: it is really important to me to have young men who are humble or have the capacity to be humbled. Young men cannot get better if they think that they already have all the answers. Respect flows from a disposition of humility: you must apply a certain work ethic to everything you do and respect everyone on campus. Responsibility involves the tasks you must handle each day as well as taking accountability for your actions. I have some coaches who understand the game and can teach our guys the system while working on their individual skills. That is the basis for our team interactions and development will be a by-product.

1 of your returning players is SG Corey Allen, who sat out last year after transferring from Detroit where he was 2017 conference ROY: what kind of impact do you expect from him this season? He is a really hard worker who loves to compete so he has already established a level of consistency that I have embraced. Now it is just a matter of him applying his skill set to what we do. He is all about being a winning player.

You have some great assistant coaches including Jarvis Hayes/Cliff Warren: what do they bring to the table? I have known Cliff for a long time: we played against 1 another in college and I even made a shot in 1 game to beat him! Back in the day when we had fax machines I would fax the recap of that game to wherever he was working. He is the prototype for the kind of man I want our players to be around and is a head coach who happens to be 1 of our assistants. Chris Kreider has also been phenomenal: I first got to know him when he was recruiting my son so when this opportunity came up I thought about him due to his connections in Atlanta. He has made me look smart. I was a little more deliberate with how to fill the last spot but after communicating with Jarvis I was really taken by his message. The 1st 2 will be a great complement to Jarvis as he learns the profession. I feel like I have done something right here.

You have helped recruit 9 McDonald’s All-Americans during your career: what is the secret to being a great recruiter, and how will having a new arena (opening in 2021) help you out with that? The arena will definitely help. Recruiting is about building relationships: it takes time/effort and at the end of the day people have to trust you. There is no secret: you just have to work at it. You also have to be able to evaluate players with the clarity of how they will fit in both on and off the court. I have not always been right but I trust my evaluations of players, even if they are not McDonald’s All-Americans. You have to identify what is important to the coach, which is the process we are going through now. There is more to it then a player who can simply put the ball into the basket: we are developing a collective vision.

I know who the best athlete is in the family (your Hall of Fame cousin Bob), but are we going to see your/Bob’s alma mater (St. Bonaventure) on your schedule anytime soon?! I do not know. Scheduling is a tricky thing but any time you can get an A-10 team to play you that is great. If it makes sense in the future then we will explore it but it has to fit with what we want to do.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Right now we are trying to get these guys to work/compete at a certain level. My only goal is to achieve that: after that happens then we can start wondering what that will add up to but until then it is fruitless to figure out what you can achieve. We need to get in the condition it takes to compete, which involves mental toughness. The program has been so successful in the past that some players might just assume that it will continue, which would be a mistake.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews new Wofford coach Jay McAuley

Posted on September 28, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We continue our season preview coverage with new Wofford coach Jay McAuley. There were only 8 teams in the entire country last year who lost 5 or fewer games and 1 of those 8 was Wofford. The Terriers lost to 4 high-major teams in non-conference play last November/December, then went 18-0 in SoCon play, won 3 games in 3 days to clinch a conference tourney title, and beat Seton Hall by 16 PTS in the NCAA tourney before a 6-PT loss to Kentucky to end 1 of the greatest seasons in school history. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach McAuley about starting a new job and celebrating his birthday.

You were co-captain as a senior at Georgia: what is the key to being a good leader? There has to be a sense of experience and you need a good blend of command with your voice while working hard and being consistent. You need the gift to motivate guys, which is what I tried to do despite not being a great player myself. I tried to lead by example and be all about the team, which has helped me since I became a coach. Everyone has mentors who help shape their path but my leadership skills started from an early age.

In the 2008 SEC tourney, your team won 4 games in 3 days (due to a tornado) to win the title despite going 4-12 in conference play and only having 8 healthy scholarship players: what are your memories of that wild weekend? It was something that was really special. Basketball is a great team sport so when things are clicking and you have momentum then you see the beauty of March. If you ask what changed I would say that I learned an important lesson: it is not about what you do but how you do the things that are necessary to win a game. We simplified the game and played really hard for each other. We were playing with house money after the tornado hit and the venue changed, which favored us. It was a pretty cool thing that we accomplished.

Last season your team won 30 games and went 18-0 in conference play: where does that season rank among the greatest in school history? It is certainly up there by statistical measurement: we were the only team in the nation to go undefeated in conference play (both regular season and conference tourney). You need good players to do that and we have surrounded ourselves with good people who sacrifice some things that our society right now is not used to doing. Our guys are really talented and believe in what we do. It was a fun ride and we can take a lot of good things to build on that. We are not satisfied with last year: we are a competitive program and have another level that we want to get to.

In the 2019 NCAA tourney you had a 16-PT win over Seton Hall and then a 6-PT loss to Kentucky: how close did you come to beating the Wildcats, and what did your team learn from that postseason run that will help them this year? Just being in the NCAA tourney was an incredible experience. We has such good momentum entering the tourney that there was a belief that we could go far. That final 4 minutes vs. Seton Hall where we were on fire and the fans going nuts was amazing. We were riding high and were super-close to beating Kentucky but were a little flat when we just needed to be ourselves. I take nothing away from the Wildcats: if you had told me that we would be right there at the end with a chance to win the game I would have taken that.

Last April your former boss Mike Young was hired as head coach at Virginia Tech: what makes him such a great coach, and are we going to see the Hokies on your schedule anytime soon? He is an awesome guy/incredible coach. People call him a “basketball genius” because he is a really good tactician but has a great feel for all of the components within a program. He allows others to showcase their skills/talents: he is not a dictator where it is all about him and I think he will continue that at Virginia Tech. I do not think that we will face them anytime soon but who knows.

You begin your 1st season as head coach this fall: why did you take the job, and how is it going so far? It has been great! I am lucky to have already been here and won multiple championships as an assistant. It has been a smooth transition because the players know me: it is not like I need to get the feel for a new situation. We feel that we can continue the winning tradition here and push the limits. It was a no-brainer for me and was a natural time for me to become a head coach and I think that I can do a pretty good job here.

You graduated your top-2 senior scorers from last season in Fletcher Magee/Cameron Jackson: how will you try to replace all of that offense/leadership? I tried to convince them to medically redshirt and hang onto them before they walked across the graduation stage but it did not work! We have developed 23 pro players over the past decade, which is an amazing stat. They left a work ethic that our younger guys have adopted and now it is time for the next group coming up. We have a lot of returning guards and just need our young big men to step up.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Butler/Missouri/UNC/Duke: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? I was waiting for you to say that the Celtics/Lakers were on our schedule as well! We had the 6th-hardest non-conference schedule in the nation last year and it is getting harder to find teams who want to play us. Those games will help prepare us for both conference play as well as games that matter in March so that we do not blink against Seton Hall/Kentucky. We also play South Florida and will have our hands full but will prepare our best and expect to win.

You turned 36 last month: what did you do for the big day? I finished up 1 of our camps and went out to dinner with my daughter and then had a tea party at my house.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? The expectation here is pretty simple: to win. I talk to our team about the daily process: as clichéd as it sounds we simply need to outwork our opponents in everything that we do. We put the work in to be confident: we do not listen to the outside noise and just try to be competitive.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Wofford SR SG Nathan Hoover

Posted on September 26, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We continue our season preview coverage with Wofford SR SG Nathan Hoover. There were only 8 teams in the entire country last year who lost 5 or fewer games and 1 of those 8 was Wofford. The Terriers lost to 4 high-major teams in non-conference play last November/December, then went 18-0 in SoCon play, won 3 games in 3 days to clinch a conference tourney title, and beat Seton Hall by 16 PTS in the NCAA tourney before a 6-PT loss to Kentucky to end 1 of the greatest seasons in school history. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Nathan about being a great shooter and having a new coach.

You grew up in Memphis: what made you choose Wofford? The previous coach came to my high school and also my house. When I came here for my visit and saw the new gym that they were building it just felt like the best fit.

You played in all 33 games as a freshman and were named to the conference All-Freshman team: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I put in a lot of work during the offseason and got into the gym a lot. I started playing better and adjusting to the college game as the season progressed. Eventually I felt as comfortable as I was back in high school.

Last season your team won 30 games and went 18-0 in conference play: where does that season rank among the greatest in school history? I believe it is 1 of the top seasons ever around here. I know there were some past conference champs who should have won a game in the NCAA tourney, but our conference last year was very difficult and we won several Tier 1 games. I think we are the best.

In the 2019 NCAA tourney you scored 18 PTS in a win over Seton Hall and 19 PTS in a 6-PT loss to Kentucky: how close did you come to beating the Wildcats, and what did you learn from that postseason run that will help you this year? We were very close to beating Kentucky: it came down to a couple of possessions. I played well in our final few games so that has helped my confidence out a lot, which is the best thing to have. I am very excited to see what the future holds both for me and the team.

Last year you shot 90.6 FT% and led the conference with 46.9 3P%: what is the secret to being a great shooter? The main thing is to get up enough shots to be able to shoot well during games when you are being guarded and coming off of screens. I focus on repetition until it becomes 2nd nature.

Last April your former coach Mike Young was hired as head coach at Virginia Tech: were you surprised that he left, and how is the transition going under new coach Jay McAuley? I was not surprised that he left: I was happy for him to get a job at a big school and I wish him success. It was rough for a couple of weeks because we did not know who we were going to get to replace him but it has been great to have Coach McAuley. He has brought in some amazing assistants who have connected with us and I feel very good about our entire coaching staff.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Butler/Missouri/UNC/Duke: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? I do not think that any 1 game is the hardest. We beat North Carolina at their place 2 years ago so we are prepared to play anyone at any place. We will play as hard as we can to give us the best chance to win no matter who the opponent is.

You graduated your top-2 senior scorers from last season in Fletcher Magee/Cameron Jackson: how will you try to replace all of that offense? We have great players coming back who were big keys last year so we all have a lot of confidence/trust in each other.

You are 1 of 3 seniors on the roster: how much pressure is there on you to be a leader this year? I have been leading my teams all through high school and had a pretty big role last year as well. I am very energetic and people seem to like that.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I want to carry our team as far as we can go. I would like to be nationally recognized even while playing at a mid-major school and become conference POY. Hopefully we can go even farther as a team than last year.

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The Hoops HD Report: September Session (Pay For Play)

Posted on September 25, 2019 by David Griggs

Chad and the panel, some of whom are legal experts, take a look at the House Bill in California that will allow student-athletes to make money off of their names, images, and likenesses, and the NCAA’s objections to it.  We look at what’s going on, debate and discuss the legal ramifications of it, talk about what (if anything) the NCAA can do about it, and then talk about how much it could potentially change college athletics.

 

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

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