Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Colgate JR PG Jordan Burns

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Jon Teitel

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We continue our season preview coverage with Colgate JR PG Jordan Burns. The Raiders lost a home game last February to fall to 13-10 overall, and then proceeded to turn things around by winning 11 straight games to make the NCAA tourney for the 1st time since 1996. It was a total team effort but Jordan deserves a lot of the credit for getting hot at the right time with 35 PTS in the conference tourney title game win over Bucknell and 32 PTS in the NCAA tourney loss to Tennessee. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Jordan about being named conference tourney MVP and having a brutal road schedule this November.

You grew up in Texas and originally decided to play D-2 basketball at Midwestern State: what made you change your mind, and why did you eventually choose Colgate? Colgate was my 1st offer but I chose Midwestern because it was close to home and a comfortable spot for me so that my parents could come drive and see me play. After about 1 month I saw Colgate’s schedule come out and talked to my parents/coaches, then ended up decommitting and came here for an official visit. It proved to be the right place for me.

You play for Coach Matt Langel: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He genuinely cares about his players and treats us like his real family. It is the best that I have ever been treated by a coach and he teaches us life lessons that translate well to the court.

You started 19 games as a freshman and were named to the conference All-Rookie team: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? It was a big credit to the other guys we had on that squad who put the ball in my hands when it was time for me to play and helped make me feel comfortable.

Last year you set a school record for most assists in a season with 171: what is the secret to being a great PG? You always need to want the best for everyone else. Finding other people for open shots just helps with the flow of the game, and you also need to want your teammates to succeed.

In the 2019 conference tourney title game you scored a Patriot League tourney-record 35 PTS in a win over Bucknell en route to being named tourney MVP: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most, and what was the feeling like when your fans stormed the court? Rap (Rapolas Ivanauskas) got into a little foul trouble and he told me to take over the game. My teammates told me to keep shooting because I was hitting shots early. The court storming was a feeling like no other: my mom/brothers were there and I ran over to them to embrace them.

In the 2019 NCAA tourney you scored 32 PTS/8-13 3PM in a 7-PT loss to Tennessee: how close did you come to pulling off the upset, and what did you learn from that game that will help you this year? We believed that we were a really good team and played with a lot of confidence. We learned that we have to keep coming together despite injuries and if we continue to work super-hard then we can be even better this November: it gave us a big confidence boost.

Last year Langel was named conference COY, PF Rapolas Ivanauskas was named conference POY, and Tucker Richardson was named conference ROY: is there anyone on your team who did NOT win an award last season?! There were actually not enough awards to go around: we had some guys on the bench who should have won some awards as well! We are ready to win some more awards this year and are hungry to succeed.

Your non-conference schedule includes 3 straight road games in November at Clemson/Syracuse/Auburn: how do you prepare for such a brutal road trip? Anyone who says those games are not circled on our schedule would be lying. We believe that we can go into those games and get some wins: we will not lay down for anybody and truly believe that everyone on our schedule is beatable.

You missed several games last year with a chipped bone in your left ankle: how is your health doing at the moment? Really well: I am getting back to 100% and still doing my rehab but by November I am pretty sure that I will be at 110%!

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We have a lot of goals: we think that we can win 30 games, win the conference outright (after sharing the regular season title with Bucknell last year), and maybe even make the Sweet 16. We also want to be the best defensive team in the country because we already have the offense to be a special mid-major team.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Long Beach State JR SG/SF Jordan Roberts

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We continue our season preview coverage with Long Beach State JR SG/SF Jordan Roberts. The 49ers only won 15 games last year but 2 of those wins were away from home against teams who made the NCAA tourney (Iona in Las Vegas and UC-Irvine on the road). You may not have seen him much in the past but if you have some free time in November he will be staying out west to play on national TV in the Wooden Legacy. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Jordan about having a brutal non-conference schedule and spending Thanksgiving in Anaheim.

You grew up in California: what made you choose Long Beach State? It was really close to home and I felt that it was part of a conference in which I could make a big impact.

You play for Coach Dan Monson: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? Accountability: I needed a coach to be hard on me so that I could get the best out of my ability.

You played in 31 games as a freshman: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? Defense. I knew that playing good defense would get me onto the court even while I was still maturing as a freshman and learning the offense.

Last year you were top-10 in the conference in ORB%: what is the key to being a good rebounder? You need to have the attitude to go get the rebound: it is simply about whether you want it or not.

In the 2019 Big West tourney quarterfinals you scored 18 PTS including a jumper in the final second to clinch a 2-PT win over Hawaii: how were you able to overcome an 18-PT deficit, and where does that shot rank among the highlights of your career so far? It was potentially the last game for our 7 seniors so we wanted to give it all we got. I think that shot was my highlight so far.

Your brutal non-conference schedule includes games against UCLA/Stanford/St. Mary’s/Arizona/Providence/USC/Florida: how are you preparing to survive such a gauntlet? We are prepared to go to war. We schedule those kind of games to prepare us for the rest of the season.

You will also be participating in the Wooden Legacy: how excited are you to spend Thanksgiving in California? Really excited. We have traveled to Florida/Las Vegas the past 2 years so we should have a lot of our fans there this November.

You will open up that event with Providence and might have to beat Wake Forest/Arizona to win it all: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Probably Arizona: they always have a lot of talent and have some good new guys coming in this year.

You mentioned all of the seniors you had on the roster last year: how will you try to replace all of that experience/leadership? We cannot replace their experience but will have a new mindset with a lot of new guys who are ready to go.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Winning a Big West championship: that is the main team goal. I do not have many personal goals other than just wanting to help our team win.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Pepperdine SR F Kameron Edwards

Posted on September 16, 2019 by Jon Teitel

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We continue our season preview coverage with Pepperdine SR F Kameron Edwards. He has spent most of his college career overcoming injuries (fractured jaw in 2017, concussion in 2018, and various injuries in 2019) but when healthy he and his brother Kessler have played some quality minutes for Coach Lorenzo Romar. You may not have seen him much in the past but if you have some free time in November he will be staying out west to play on national TV in the Wooden Legacy. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Kameron about overcoming injuries and spending Thanksgiving in Anaheim.

You grew up in California: what made you choose Pepperdine? It is close to home so that was a big deal for me. It is a small Christian school with a great sense of community and great academics so it was a no-brainer for me.

You play for Coach Lorenzo Romar: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He spends a lot of times getting to know us off of the court, which builds a lot of the trust that we have in him. He taught me how to play hard/intense while staying in control.

In 2016 you were named to the conference All-Freshman team: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I was able to listen and take direction. I was the only scholarship freshman at the time so it was not easy. I was screwing up drills and they would have to stop practice and teach me the right way to do things, which helped me become a better player.

In November of 2017 you scored a career-high 27 PTS/13-18 FG in an 8-PT loss to UCSB: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? I think that is accurate, plus the fact that there were a lot of plays drawn up for me. My shot was dropping that night so the coaches did a good job of making sure the ball got to me.

You missed all of 2017 due to a fractured jaw, missed 9 games in 2018 due to a concussion, and only played 18 games in 2019 due to various injuries: how is your health doing at the moment? It is really good. I had foot surgery 5 months ago but am back on the court and feeling 100%.

1 of your teammates is your brother Kessler: who is the best athlete in the family? Oh man…that has got to be me. He does have more bounce than I do: I have to give him that!

You had 2 seniors on the roster last year (Eric Cooper/Darnell Dunn) who have both moved on: how much pressure is there on you to be a leader this year? I would not say that it is pressure: it has been a smooth transition and myself/Colbey Ross are co-captains. The younger players trust/respect what we have to say, especially due to Colbey’s great work ethic.

Your non-conference schedule includes games at Cal/USC and your conference schedule includes 2 games against Gonzaga: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? I think all of the Pac-12 games stick out as really good opportunities for us to show what we can do against Power 5 conferences. We also play Arizona in the Wooden Legacy.

Speaking of the Wooden Legacy, how excited are you to spend Thanksgiving in California? I cannot wait! We have a lot of local guys on our roster so it will be good for us to stay close to home and get to see our families during the holiday.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? This is definitely a tournament year for us and we feel that we can win 20 games. We hope to finish top-3 in the conference and open a lot of people’s eyes.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Charleston SR PG Grant Riller

Posted on September 15, 2019 by Jon Teitel

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We continue our season preview coverage with Charleston SR PG Grant Riller. After missing an entire season with an ACL injury he has bounced back better than ever: Two-Time All-Colonial Athletic Association First Team, 2017 conference All-Rookie Team, 2018 Conference Tournament MVP, and 1 of the top-20 scorers in the nation in 2019. You may not have seen him much in the past but if you have some free time in November he will be leading his team out west to play on national TV in the Wooden Legacy. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Grant about evacuating during Hurricane Dorian and spending Thanksgiving in Anaheim.

You grew up in Florida: what made you choose Charleston? I was not that highly recruited coming out of high school but once I came here on my visit I felt that it was the right place for me.

You play for Coach Earl Grant: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He is definitely a players’ coach and has worked for some of the best head coaches in the country. He is a people person and has taught me how to be a professional both on the court and in the classroom.

You missed your entire freshman season due to an ACL injury but as a redshirt freshman in 2017 you started 29 games and were named to the CAA All-Rookie team: how difficult was it to get back onto the court, and how were you able to play so well once you were healthy? My body was not really developed at the time so it was a blessing that allowed me to get stronger and helped prepare for me the next year.

In the 2018 CAA tourney title game you scored 20 PTS in a 7-PT win over Northeastern en route to being named conference tourney MVP, then scored 16 PTS in a 4-PT loss to Auburn in the NCAA tourney: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most, and how close did you come to upsetting the Tigers? We had a lot of good players including 2 future NBA players, which gave me more freedom offensively. There was a questionable call at the end of the Auburn game but we just came up a little short.

Your PPG/RPG/APG have increased during each of your 1st 3 seasons: how have you been able to keep improving every single year? Just staying in the gym: I am here mostly year-round and the coaching staff prepares us well in the offseason.

Last Valentine’s Day you scored a career-high 43 PTS/17-25 FG in a 4-PT loss to Hofstra and finished the year #20 in the nation with 21.9 PPG: what is the secret to being a great scorer? Letting the game come to you. You have to play within your offense and know that the ball will eventually find you.

Your non-conference schedule includes a spot in the Wooden Legacy: how excited are you to spend Thanksgiving in California? I am extremely excited. It is a great opportunity for our team because we have a lot of young guys who are not very experienced.

You will open up with Wake Forest and might have to beat Providence/Arizona to win the event: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? They will all be tough games but our focus at the moment is on Wake Forest.

Earlier this month the school had to evacuate due to Hurricane Dorian: how scary was it at the time, and how is the campus/city doing now that you are back? The campus is fine now and the city did a great job of cleaning everything up. We were fortunate to evacuate before it hit but it seems that all is well.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I only want to focus on improving as a player. I came back to win a championship so that is my biggest goal.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Old Dominion JR SG Xavier Green

Posted on September 14, 2019 by Jon Teitel

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We continue our season preview coverage with Old Dominion JR SG Xavier Green. It has been quite an eventful 6 months for Xavier: conference All-Defensive team, conference tourney MVP, and named a team captain for the season ahead. He hopes to keep it going this year after his team graduated its top-2 scorers from last year. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Xavier about making the NCAA tourney and being a leader.

You grew up in Virginia: what made you choose ODU? It was close to home and I wanted my mom to be able to come see my games, which she was unable to do very much while I was in high school. I had a good connection with the players and thought that I could do something good here.

You play for Coach Jeff Jones: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He is very defensive-oriented. I did not like the offense at 1st because I could not create as well but he has helped me change my game.

You appeared in 31 games as a freshman: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I redshirted during my 1st year but I knew that if I played defense I would get onto the court, and then my offensive game started picking up.

Last year you led the team with 40.6 3P% and were also named to the conference All-Defensive Team: how do you balance your offense with your defense? I knew that I had to be more aggressive. I like to stop people on defense but am still learning how to balance the offense more. I had a little more help last year but might have to take on more of the scoring load this year.

In the 2019 conference tourney you made a 3-PT play with 4 seconds left in a 2-PT win over UAB and scored 16 PTS (including 9 in a row during the 2nd half) in a 6-PT win over Western Kentucky en route to being named tourney MVP: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most, and what was the reaction like when you got back to campus? I was really dialed in leading up to the conference tourney and studied a lot of film. I wanted to do whatever I could do to help my team win, which included some meditation. There was a lot of joy/excitement when we got back and I even heard from some people who I had not heard from in a long time.

In the 2019 NCAA tourney you scored 7 PTS in a loss to Purdue: what did you learn from that loss that will help you this year? I will definitely be less nervous this year and will not get into foul trouble in the 1st half. You have to stay in the moment and just play your game rather than get caught up in the hype.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Illinois/VCU and 1 of Washington State/Nebraska: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Definitely that VCU game: it is a rivalry game and they always have a great team. Illinois is also a big game since they are a high D-1 school.

You and Aaron Carver were named co-captains during the offseason: what is the key to being a good leader? We have a lot of younger guys so we have to lead by example: the key is to always work hard.

You graduated your top-2 scorers from last year (Ahmad Caver/BJ Stith): how will you try to replace all of that offense? We are a more balanced team this year who can get multiple guys into double-digits. Marquis Godwin was out last year so we are looking for him to step up this year, and AJ Oliver who transferred in from Clemson will also be a good addition for us.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I am really looking to dominate. I think that we can win CUSA again and then make some noise in the NCAA tourney.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Iowa State SR PG Prentiss Nixon

Posted on September 13, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We continue our season preview coverage with Iowa State SR PG Prentiss Nixon. If you can score 16 PPG in the MWC then you know that you can play: Caleb Martin did so in 2019, Prentiss in 2018, Brandon Clarke in 2017, etc. After transferring from Colorado State and redshirting last year he is ready to suit up for the Cyclones and take on the best that the Big 12 has to offer, while also facing 1 of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Prentiss about why he chose Iowa State and how he plans to be a senior leader.

You grew up in Illinois: what made you choose Colorado State to begin your college career? I just felt that they had a good family atmosphere.

In 2018 you led the Rams in scoring with 16.1 PPG: what is the secret to being a good scorer? Just hard work during the offseason. I also had great teammates who put me in a great position to be successful.

You redshirted last year: why did you decide to transfer, and what made you choose Iowa State? When Coach Larry Eustachy resigned I was just looking for a fresh start after coming off of some injuries. I wanted to be at a program that could get to the NCAA tourney as soon as possible. Iowa State has a great background with PGs, which is what I needed.

You play for Coach Steve Prohm: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He is a guy who cares about both his players and his school: he has invested so much of his time here. He taught me to take things 1 day at a time and try to get better every day.

Your brutal non-conference schedule includes games against Oregon State/Michigan/Seton Hall/Iowa/Auburn and 1 of Alabama/UNC: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Every game will be tough. People think that we have some question marks on our roster but we will go out and show everyone what we can do.

You are 1 of 2 seniors on the roster: how much pressure is there on you to be a leader this year? I would not say that it is pressure: Mike Jacobson and I embrace it and will try to do the right things to help take our team as far as we can. There is an expectation here that the seniors lead but that is not done by yelling: we have to lead by example to get to our highest level.

The other senior (Mike Jacobson) was a 2nd-team Academic All-American last year: what is it like to play with a guy who is that smart? Mike does a lot of great things and we talk about basketball a lot off of the court. He is a great player and it will be a lot of fun to play with him.

1 of the other transfers on your roster is PG Rasir Bolton (who came from Penn State): how difficult has it been for the veterans and the freshmen and the transfers to all get on the same page? It has honestly been pretty smooth for everyone to get adjusted. We have gelled better than any other team I have been on before: we work hard together on the court and hang out together off the court. Once Rasir is eligible in 2020 he will help us reach great heights.

Your father Tracey played college basketball: who is the best athlete in the family? He might say differently but if you ask me…I would say me!

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Every team expects to win a regular season title and make the NCAA tourney, which is our goal too, but we will just take it 1 game at a time and try to build on that. The standard is the standard: that will never change so we will be fine.

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