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

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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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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Fairleigh Dickinson head coach Greg Herenda

Posted on September 12, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We continue our season preview coverage with Fairleigh Dickinson head coach Greg Herenda. When he was hired 6 years ago you might not have been impressed by either his alma mater (Merrimack) or his new team (FDU)…but now the Warriors are beginning their 4-year transition to D-1 and the Knights are coming off of their 1st NCAA tourney win in school history. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Herenda about his 3-PT philosophy and winning a conference tourney title on the road.

You were a PG at Merrimack College where you set a school record with 22 AST in a game: how good a player were you back in the day, and what is the key to being a good PG? On a relative scale I could play. I was a tough/gritty PG from Jersey City and could see the floor because I could not really get by anyone. The guy keeping the stats for the 22 AST game ended up being part of my wedding party! Being a PG leads to being a good coach because you need an intuitive feel for the game and the ability to know where everyone is on the floor.

How did you 1st get into coaching, and why did you take the job as head coach at Fairleigh Dickinson back in 2013? I got into coaching for 1 reason: it was the only job offer I had after graduating from Merrimack. Someone else took the head job at Lowell but then left it so Don Doucette offered me the job and I was Johnny-on-the-spot. The #1 reason I took the FDU job is that was a D-1 program in New Jersey and allowed me to come home. The only direction the program could go was up so it was a combination of location/opportunity and I am really glad that I got the job.

You began your career in Hackensack with a pair of 21-loss seasons before making the NCAA tourney in 2016: how were you able to make the leap entering year #3? Just hard work/good players/great staff and a very strong belief in myself. I knew that it would happen since I was able to perform some turnarounds at my prior coaching jobs. 2016 was the 1st time that we had our entire group who we had recruited but it happened faster than I thought it would. We went from the outhouse to the penthouse and were very fortunate. Without my players/staff we could not have done that.

Last season you had a 25-PT loss on Valentine’s Day that put your record at 12-13, but were able to turn things around and win 8 straight games including the NEC tourney title game where your 5 starters scored all 85 PTS in a 9-PT win over St. Francis PA: how much of a home-court advantage did the Red Flash have, and what was the reaction like when you got back to campus? That place was just banging: they had a white-out and it was filled to capacity. We had about 250 fans behind our bench and by the end we owned that gym. Our players expected to win on the road: St. Francis has incredible fans but we were not afraid of any gym we went to. That night was our night: I do not think the wheels of our bus ever hit the road on the drive home and Darnell Edge/Mike Holloway never took off the nets that they were wearing after cutting them down. It was the beginning of a historic championship run for our school.

In the 2019 NCAA tourney you had a 6-PT win over Prairie View before losing to Gonzaga: what did your team learn from that postseason experience that will help them this year? The more experience that you gain from every game (especially the big ones that you win), the more you grow as a player/coach/program. You gather confidence/wisdom: the hard part is getting back but if we do then we will be able to draw upon that. Our 3 returning starters will hopefully lead us to more championships.

You return most of your players from last year but only have 1 senior/1 grad student on the current roster after losing a pair of super seniors in Darnell Edge/Mike Holloway: how will you try to replace all of that offense/leadership? I do not think that you can: we will evolve into a different team. Without players like “Big Mike” there are possibilities for other players to step up. We cannot replace those 2 guys: they were the cornerstones of building our program into what it is but we have a talented freshman class and other guys who came off the bench last year. We love/miss them but will win a lot of games without them as well: you have no choice but to move on.

Your team was #5 in the nation with 40 3P%: what role does the 3-PT shot play in your offensive philosophy? I think that it is a complement: we want to get the ball to the basket and play at a really high velocity. We want to get a layup/dunk, and if not then we will try to get the best shot available. Everyone has to get comfortable with the new 3-PT line, especially after we lost the best 3-PT shooter in school history in Darnell, but it will help to open up the floor when opportunities arise. I give my players a great deal of confidence to shoot the 3 and they work very hard on it during the summer.

Your non-conference schedule includes road games at DePaul/Notre Dame/Kentucky: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? They all do, even our 1st game against D-3 FDU-Florham. Kentucky is the gold standard and should vie for a national title but all 3 of those teams will be difficult. We have played at Arizona/Villanova before so we know what it takes: you have to defend/rebound/take care of the ball. We love our schedule: it is exciting/sexy!

You had a health scare a couple of years ago: how is your health at the moment? Thank god I feel strong and have energy. Coaching is a very taxing profession that takes a toll on you emotionally/spiritually. I am blessed to have good kids in my program who keep me young and were behind me when I was down. I am as good as I can be and as excited as I have ever been.

You got a contract extension last summer: what are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We are here to win championships. Once we do that, we want to 1-up what we did in the NCAA tourney last year. We have to take it 1 step at a time, which is not easy, but it is attainable. Right now we are just remaining hungry and working hard and staying humble, which is our path to getting back there. We play in a really good conference and want to continue to succeed.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Notre Dame FR F Sam Brunelle

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We continue our season preview coverage with Notre Dame FR F Sam Brunelle. Even though the Irish lost the NCAA title game last April by 1 PT and then lost all 5 of their starters, the future looks bright thanks to a pair of fabulous freshmen in Anaya Peoples/Sam Brunelle. Sam has won so many awards/titles/events over the past few years that it is hard to keep up: 3 gold medals with Team USA, Virginia high school Player of the Year, and even the 3-PT contest at the 2019 McDonald’s All-American game. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Sam about winning a gold medal and having a brand-new starting lineup.

You won a gold medal at the 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup: what did it mean to you to win a gold medal, and which of your teammates impressed you the most (Fran Belibi/Azzi Fudd/Jordan Horston/other)? I always love playing for USA Basketball and have been fortunate to play for 4 different teams. It is hard to put into words because it is so special and means a lot. I enjoy playing with the best of the best and all of my teammates will do great wherever they go.

You won the 2019 McDonald’s High School All-American 3-PT contest: what is the secret to making shots from behind the arc? Shooters shoot! I was pretty nervous but just let it fly and it worked out for me. I trust in what I know.

You missed half of your senior season at William Monroe High School due to a broken left foot: how is your health doing at the moment? I am doing amazing and should never have a problem with that foot again: I have been 100% for awhile.

You had a 4.15 GPA in high school: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? It involves being good at time management. It is a challenge here because college is a whole other challenge but the upperclassmen are helping me through it.

You grew up in Virginia: what made you choose Notre Dame, and what was your reaction when they fell 1 PT short of beating Baylor in the title game last April? There are so many reasons I choose to come here. I committed in April of my junior year because it was the most perfect situation that I have ever been in. As far as Baylor, you cannot win them all but every single starter got drafted so it just shows how much talent they had.

What makes Muffet McGraw such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from her so far? I love Coach. She told me that the Notre Dame decision is not just for the next 4 years but for the next 40 years as well. She empowers women and stands up for equal rights by using her platform so well to inspire others. She has a lot of confidence in me, which is a great thing for me to have and I will keep earning her trust.

The Irish lost their entire starting 5 from last year leave: how will you try to replace all of that offense/leadership? The team we have now is a new group: we are all trying to figure things out but have amazing chemistry both on an off the court. We are definitely going to be a special team and have such a great variety of players that we will be able to do so many things.

I know that the season has not even started yet, but how excited are you to spend Thanksgiving in Mexico? I always love to travel but have never been to Mexico so it should be fun…but we are going there to take care of business.

Your father Rod played minor league baseball and your mother Katie won a basketball regional championship (which was the last 1 at your high school until you won 1 yourself last spring): who is the best athlete in the family? I would vote for myself but both of my parents were very athletic so I got a great mixture there.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I hope that I can make a big impact this year by doing whatever the coaches want me to do. Hopefully we can get back to the places we were before but will just take it day by day. I am excited for it and hope to make some special things happen during my time here.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Kentucky SO SG Rhyne Howard

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We continue our season preview coverage with Kentucky SO SG Rhyne Howard. You may have thought that the best freshman in Lexington last season was Tyler Herro or Keldon Johnson…but Howard was the 1 who was named unanimous national Freshman of the Year. After winning a gold medal with team USA in 2018, she scored more than 16 PPG and helped her team win a game in the NCAA tourney in 2019. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Rhyne about making a game-winner last February and playing in the SEC.

You grew up in Tennessee: what made you choose the Wildcats? It was close to home and felt more like a family setting.

You played in the 2018 Jordan Brand Classic: which of your fellow honorees impressed you the most (Jazmine Massengill/NaLyssa Smith/Christyn Williams/other)? It was the 1st time that I ever saw NaLyssa play and she was really good.

In the summer of 2018 you were named tourney MVP after leading team USA to a gold medal at the FIBA U18 Americas Women’s Championship: what did it mean to you to represent your country, and what did it mean to you to win a gold medal? It meant a lot to be chosen from a select few. It was great to play with new people and develop a different bond.

Last November you scored 29 PTS and tied a school record with 7 3PM in a 50-PT win over Southern: what is the secret to making shots from behind the arc? I would not say that it is a secret: sometimes I just throw it up there!

Last February you had 18 PTS/14 REB and made the game-winning 15-foot jumper with 1.3 seconds left before stealing an inbounds pass to clinch a 2-PT win over Arkansas: did you think the shot was going in, and what was the feeling like in the locker room afterward? I felt confident in the shot and thought that it was going in. There was a lot of great energy in the locker room: everyone was pumped up!

In the 2019 NCAA tourney you scored 15 PTS in a 5-PT win over Princeton and scored a team-high 21 PTS in a loss at NC State: what did you learn from your postseason run that will help you this season? Anything can happen in the postseason so you have to be prepared for the best/worst. It will help me be prepared this year for teams with more physicality.

You finished last season by being named unanimous national Freshman of the Year after averaging 16.4 PPG/6.6 RPG: how were you able to make such a smooth transition from high school to college? I got a lot of help from my teammates/coaches who made it easy on me. My teammates gave me advice every step of the way about what our coaches would be looking for.

What is it like to play at a school where the men’s team has so much tradition, and what is it like to play in a conference with 2017 NCAA champ South Carolina/2017 & 2018 NCAA runner-up Mississippi State? It is great because the fans here get 2-for-1 in the basketball department. The SEC is 1 of the toughest conferences so you never know what you will get when you step onto the court.

Your mother Rhvonja Avery played basketball at Florida and coached you all the way to high school: what was the best part of having your mom as your coach, and what was the not-so-best part? You always get yelled at the most…but learning from someone you have always looked up to was the best.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I would like to follow up Freshman of the Year by being Player of the Year so I will have to work twice as hard as I did last year. We expect to be a great team and win as many games as we can.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Abilene Christian SR SG Payten Ricks

Posted on September 9, 2019 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of our extensive Preseason Content

We continue our season preview coverage with Abilene Christian SR SG Payten Ricks. During the preseason every single team is talking about the desire to improve, but it will be hard for the Wildcats to top last year. After 7 straight seasons with a record of .500 or worse, ACU went 27-7 last season and won the Southland Conference tourney title game by 17 PTS before running into another group of Wildcats from Lexington. Coach Joe Golding lost 5 of his top-6 scorers from last year so he will rely heavily on his SR SG to lead the way this year. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Payten about making a game-winner last January and facing Kentucky in the NCAA tourney.

You grew up in Kansas: what made you choose Abilene Christian? After being recruited by ACU and taking my visit, I liked the Christian aspect of the school. The community was very inviting, the coaching staff was genuine, and the players were really close with each other. I enjoyed my visit and even wanted to commit while still on campus but I waited until I got home to make sure. I committed a couple of days afterward because I still felt like it was the best fit for me.

You play for Coach Joe Golding: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? Coach Golding is a good coach because he cares for his players and respects us as men, not just as basketball players. I really value that fact that he genuinely cares for our well-being and prepares his players for life after college as well. The most important thing that I have learned from him is to not change no matter the circumstances or who you are around. For example, he wore the infamous navy blue suit with a rip in his pants at the NCAA tournament last March. He could have bought a new suit but he stayed true to who he is.

You played in 28 games as a freshman: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? The coaches trusted me enough to put me in the starting lineup and my teammates instilled the confidence in me that I could play at this level even though I was just a freshman.

Last January you scored a game-high 22 PTS including a 3-PT shot with 2.7 seconds left in a 3-PT win at Southeastern Louisiana: did you think the shot was going in, and where does that rank among the highlights of your career? I have worked on that shot a lot during my career so it felt natural and I felt it had a good chance of going in: thankfully it fell through the net. It ranks pretty high for me in my career.

You shot 84.2 FT% last year: what is the secret to making FTs? The secret to making free throws is confidence and extra reps, but I would say mostly confidence.

In the 2019 NCAA tourney you had 3 STL in a loss to Kentucky: what did you learn from that game that will help you this year? I learned a lot from the Kentucky game mentally: it was the biggest stage of basketball that I have played on and I kind of let the bright lights get to me. I learned that although it is a surreal experience you still have to prepare the same way and not lose sight of why you are there and how you got there.

Your non-conference schedule includes road games at UNLV/SMU/Wichita State: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Wichita State for sure. I almost always forget that they are technically a mid-major school because they have been so successful in the past. They are disciplined in what they do and are a very good defensive team. That is also a home game for me in Kansas that I am looking forward to.

You are 1 of 3 seniors on the roster: how much pressure is there on you to be a leader this season? I have to step up and take more of a leadership role and that is going to be vocally. There is not much pressure because every one of my teammates has confidence in me and I have just as much confidence in them. Trey Lenox is one of our seniors who I have roomed with since I have been here: he has been more vocal than ever and is embracing a leadership role as well. We have more than just one leader on this team and that will be huge for us.

You lost each of your other top-6 scorers from last year (Jaren Lewis/Jalone Friday/Jaylen Franklin/BJ Maxwell/Hayden Farquhar): how will you try to replace all of that offense? We have 5 incoming guys this year who are going to help us right away to replace the scoring from the other top-6 scorers from last year. I do not think that we will have a problem scoring the ball as a team: our biggest focus is growing defensively.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? My goals for this season are to make it to the NCAA tournament again and be the #1 defensive team in the conference. I expect that we will have another successful year as long as our group stays together and we trust our coaching staff.

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