All-Access at the East Regional: HoopsHD does some LSU locker room interviews

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Jon Teitel

The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The East Regional is taking place in Washington, DC this weekend and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is all over it and covering all of the angles so you can look forward to a cascade of coverage in the days ahead. Jon Teitel continues our coverage by chatting with as many LSU players as possible after they finished practice.

Let’s do this:

If you like large smelly sneakers then this is the place for you:

SO PG Tremont Waters was unavailable because he was on the podium with JR SG Skylar Mays/FR PF Naz Reid but at least he can easily find his locker afterward:

SR PF Kavell Bigby-Williams has an awesome accent because he was born in London. He said that the key lesson he learned from playing in the 2017 Final 4 with Oregon is to stay in the moment and play each game like it is your last. 1 of his cousins is 3-time world heavyweight boxing champion Lennox Lewis but sadly they are distant cousins and do not talk very much. He said there has been no problems with all of the off-court obstacles because all of the adversity that they faced has made them even tougher. He admitted that Michigan State is a physical team with great guard play and will be a tough match-up.

I tried to get JR SG Marlon Taylor to confirm that his rumored 50” vertical leap is indeed true but he smiled and just stated that his athleticism helps him defend/rebound.

I was unsure whether to ask JR SG Marshall Graves about receiving deceased teammate Wayde Sims’ scholarship right before Christmas. He said it was okay to ask because it is definitely an honor, although at 1st he was unsure if he was worthy. Sims was also his high school teammate for 2 years and now everyone at LSU plays hard for him. He said that Sims was the same at LSU as he was in high school: always laughing, a jokester who brought positive energy to the team. Marshall is well-aware that Tom Izzo is a Hall of Fame coach and the Spartans like to get out and run thanks to the good guard play of Cassius Winston. However, he feels that all of the Tigers’ guards are good and it will definitely be a team effort to try to stop Winston. He said that Coach Will Wade remains the foundation of the team who changed the whole culture into something that will last. They have avoided all the distractions because they are a close-knit group whose great chemistry will help them get through anything.

If you like 2-sport athletes then may I introduced you to SO SG Will Reese…who was a pitcher on the LSU baseball team before walking-on to basketball team. He said that making the 2017 College World Series Finals before losing to Florida was very similar to the Sweet 16 in terms of the attention/excitement surrounding each sport’s postseason. He believes that another big similarity between his 2 tourney runs is that both teams played their best toward the end of the season with everyone coming together both on the diamond/court as well as in the locker room. When he 1st thought about switching sports he met with both the basketball/baseball coaches and felt comfortable because he knew another player who had previously walked-on to the basketball team. He admits that any Tom Izzo team will be really talented and play extremely hard…as will his team.

This time last year SO SF Courtese Cooper was busy winning the NJCAA D-2 national title at Triton College.  He says that his prior squad and his current team are similar in terms of their togetherness.  His birthday is next week and he hopes to spend it at the Final 4!  He knows that Michigan State has a lot of big guys and a score-1st PG so they will need to corral Winston with some really good defense.  He assumes that Skylar Mays will be the primary player guarding Winston.

The player who is having the most fun today is FR SF Emmitt Williams…but beware of pissing him off.  He was not invited to the 2018 McDonald’s All-American Game and took out his frustration on the competition at the Jordan Brand Classic by scoring 44 PTS to break the scoring record set by some old guy who never even played in the NCAA tourney: LeBron James!  He did not watch the McDonald’s Game last night because he was tired but referred to MVP Cole Anthony as his “little bro”.  He is not overly-concerned about stopping Winston because in his opinion his team has the best PG in Skylar Mays.  Everyone on campus has been showing the team love this week but it is nothing new because it has been that way all season.  1 reason he is looking forward to facing the Spartans is because his favorite player is Draymond Green.  To avoid distractions the team is taking things 1 game at a time while acknowledging the great opportunity that lies ahead of them.  They will focus on what is important and just try to win their next game.  I noticed that he wears a wristband in honor of Wayde Sims:

1 player who is no stranger to the DC/MD/VA area is FR SF Aundre Hyatt, who played the previous 2 years for the Miller School in Charlottesville and was named the 2018 Virginia state POY after winning a state title.  He said that coming back to DC feels like home and he is happy to be back.  He admitted that he faced good competition in Charlottesville but instead of UVA he visited Virginia Tech when looking at colleges.  He hopes that the Hokies beat Duke in the other regional semifinal because they play at a fast pace just like his team does:

FR SG Ja’vonte Smart was in the news earlier this month due to a suspension but seems to have gotten back on track  He says despite all of the off-court drama the team will keep fighting because they believe in each other.  At the 2015 U16 FIBA Americas Championship he won a gold medal for team USA with roommate Tre Jones (who now plays for Duke): they are really good friends and if they end up facing each other in the Elite 8 on Sunday then he said he will have to do some talking!  He understands that Michigan State has really good big men in addition to Winston.  The mood on campus is good so he has been able to focus on going to class this week and getting his grades up.  Even with Coach Tony Benford subbing in to run things on the sideline the game plan stays the same and he will have the same routine.

The 3 podium players returned at the end of our allotted 30 minutes but there was a sea of humanity around each of them:

Mays: 

Waters:

Reid:

That’s all for now, check back later for continuing coverage.

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NCAA Tournament Preview – Thursday, March 28

Posted on March 28, 2019 by John Stalica

For Jon Teitel’s coverage of practices at the NCAA East Regional – CLICK HERE

For Jon Teitel’s interview with LSU Spirit Director/Coach Pauline Zernott – CLICK HERE

For today’s UTR Postseason News, Notes and Highlighted Games – CLICK HERE

After a three-day hiatus, we return to the NCAA Tournament with the regional semifinal games tipping off tonight. In addition to tonight’s games, also follow us at @HoopsHD and @jonteitel for Jon’s coverage of the NCAA East Regional in Washington, DC this week!

WEST REGION

(4) FLORIDA STATE VS (1) GONZAGA (7:09 PM, CBS) – Gonzaga was the lone #1 seed during the first weekend that was not seriously challenged at any point for their first two games; they breezed past Fairleigh Dickinson last Thursday and also beat Baylor on Saturday night without any serious difficulty. Florida State had a close game with Vermont for the first 30 minutes of their opener, but they eventually won that game and blew out Murray State in the second round. Florida State beat Gonzaga in the Sweet 16 last year, but this time Gonzaga will have a healthy lineup in the rematch.

(3) TEXAS TECH VS (2) MICHIGAN (approx. 9:39 PM, CBS) – This could potentially be the best game of the night across the board. Michigan breezed past Montana and gradually pulled away against Florida in their 2nd-round game to advance to the Sweet 16. Texas Tech breezed past Northern Kentucky and Buffalo to reach back-to-back Sweet 16s for the first time in program history, but reaching back-to-back Elite 8s will be more difficult with a postseason-toughened program like Michigan standing in the way.

SOUTH REGION

(12) OREGON VS (1) VIRGINIA (7:29 PM, TBS) – While Oregon was consigned to a 12-seed based on their overall resume when the NCAA Tournament started, they have played like a team on a mission for the past month with a pair of wins against Washington and Arizona State in the Pac-12 before taking out Wisconsin and UC-Irvine in the NCAA Tournament. They still figure to play a lot looser against a Virginia team that is a victim of their success in some ways – will this finally be the year they break through to the Final Four for the first time since 1984?

(3) PURDUE VS (2) TENNESSEE (approx. 9:59 PM, TBS) – Carsen Edwards personally saw to it that Villanova would not make a repeat run to the title game this year; the Boilers hammered the Wildcats in spectacular fashion thanks to a 40-point performance from Edwards. Tennessee also had to walk the tightrope in both of their games in Columbus last week, including a blown 20-point lead against Iowa before eventually winning that game in overtime. Tennessee’s last run to the Elite 8 was in 2010; Purdue last made it to that point back in 2000. Matt Painter is 0-4 in the Sweet 16 at Purdue; will the 5th time be a charm?

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UTR Postseason News, Notes and Highlighted Games – Thursday, March 28

Posted on March 28, 2019 by John Stalica

One notable vacancy was filled yesterday in the 2019 Coaching Carousel – it was announced that Nate Oats would become the new head coach at Alabama. Oats had taken Buffalo to the NCAA Tournament in three of his four seasons there, including back-to-back trips to the 2nd round with victories against Arizona in 2018 and Arizona State this season. Other schools that have now filled their vacancies include UNLV’s hiring of TJ Otzelberger from South Dakota State and Washington State hiring Kyle Smith away from San Francisco.

On the court, there were two more NIT quarterfinal games played last night. One was an exciting finish between NC State and Lipscomb – while Garrison Matthews went off for 44 points against the Wolfpack, it was actually Kenny Cooper who narrowly avoided turning the ball over on Lipscomb’s final possession and ended up hitting a game-winning runner with 1.7 seconds left to play. They will play Wichita State in the NIT semifinal round in New York next week.

Texas finally had a breather after a pair of close calls at home. What was a close game in the first ten minutes was blown open with a 23-2 run by the Longhorns; they ended up winning 68-55 to advance to the NIT semifinals to face TCU next Tuesday. Dylan Osetkowski led Texas with 15 points.

Coastal Carolina and DePaul played a close game for the first 30 minutes in their CBI semifinal before the Blue Demons finally stretched their lead to 11 points with 6:38 remaining in the game. The Chanticleers got no closer than 4 points the rest of the way; DePaul was a clutch 22-for-23 behind the free throw line to ice a 92-87 victory and advance to the CBI championship series next Monday.

CBI

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT AT SOUTH FLORIDA (7:00 PM) – While the Bulls had to come back from a 22-point deficit in their opening round victory, their win against Utah Valley on Monday was not as stressful this time around. They will be hosting a Loyola Marymount team that is fresh off of a victory against Brown on Monday; the winner advances to play DePaul in the CBI Best-of-3 Championship Series starting on Monday.

CIT

HAMPTON AT NJIT (7:00 PM, WatchCIT.com) – The Atlantic Sun conference is 5-1 in postseason play this year when you track Liberty, Lipscomb and NJIT. The Highlanders will play for the first time in ten days after beating Quinnipiac in their opener. Contrast that to Hampton; the Pirates will be playing their third game in eight days after back-to-back victories against Saint Francis-Brooklyn and Charleston Southern.

TEXAS SOUTHERN AT LOUISIANA-MONROE (8:00 PM, WatchCIT.com) – The UL-Monroe Warhawks were the third team that got a bye into the quarterfinals based on their opening round performance; they beat Kent State 87-77 in the Lou Henson Classic in the opening round. Texas Southern will hit the road for the third straight time after beating New Orleans and UTRGV in their first two games.

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All-Access at the East Regional: HoopsHD interviews LSU Spirit Director/Coach Pauline Zernott

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Jon Teitel

The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The East Regional is taking place in Washington, DC this weekend and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is all over it and covering all of the angles so you can look forward to a cascade of coverage in the days ahead. Jon Teitel continues our coverage by chatting with LSU Spirit Director/Coach Pauline Zernott about the role of college cheerleaders and her prediction for Friday night.

What is the atmosphere like at LSU this week now that you are in the Sweet 16? It is a fantastic time for LSU Basketball. Everyone is super excited to see the success of this year’s team.

You grew up in New Orleans and went to college at LSU: how did you like being a cheerleader, and what was it like to cheer for the New Orleans Saints? I love the opportunities that I have been given as a cheerleader and coach. I have been fortunate enough to travel extensively and have been to so many amazing stadiums and game day environments. Cheering for the Saints was great and I was fortunate to be there when their success was on the upswing. However, I must say that while the Superdome is an incredible stadium, nothing comes close to cheering in Tiger Stadium!

What do you do as Spirit Director/Coach? I do a little of everything for the program. I oversee tryouts, game day preparations, team calendars, scheduling, appearance requests, recruiting, budgeting, equipment orders, coaching at home and away games, summer camps, clinics, etc. I am very fortunate to have some amazing assistant coaches who help me with the day-to-day training of the cheerleaders and Tiger Girls, and I work with Team Mike to make sure that our team mascot Mike the Tiger gets to all of his events.

Will we see your group doing anything extra-special for the NCAA tourney this weekend? Our main goal is to support our basketball team. We will help pump them up for the game and hope to cheer them on to victories. We are really thankful to be in DC. We will be going to the White House to meet 1 of our Louisiana congressmen (Steve Scalise) at the Capitol.

What do you think the role of a college cheerleader is today, and how has it changed over the past few decades? I believe the biggest role of a collegiate cheerleader is to be an ambassador of school spirit and tradition. It is our job to do our best to support our athletic teams and represent our University in a positive light. Being a collegiate cheerleader is an honor and a privilege. Supporting our athletic teams and school community is our objective. We do so much more now compared to 20 years ago: we have no off-season.

How do you decide who gets to go to DC, and what does it mean to you to see your group doing their thing in front of a national TV audience? We based our travel roster off of seniority, grades, and volunteering. We are very fortunate to have amazing athletic teams at LSU to support. Whether it be basketball, football, gymnastics, baseball, volleyball, etc.: we typically have a lot to cheer about. Not many schools are as fortunate as we are here at LSU. All of our athletic programs are phenomenal!! Being here in DC is very exciting because our team has not been to the Sweet 16 in a number of years. We are very proud of the team and the hard work and success they have had this year. They have been through so much but have never given up. I believe that they have shown great adversity in light of having a really emotional year.

What has been your favorite moment so far this season: beating Kentucky, beating Tennessee, Senior Night, other? Senior Night without a doubt: we clinched the regular season SEC Title!! It was magical and reminded me of those the late 1980’s when I cheered on players like Shaq, Stanley Roberts, Wayne Sims, Chris Jackson, and Vernel Singleton. I was ecstatic that the cheerleaders I coach were able to experience such an amazing atmosphere. Deaf Dome was like old times and that night was incredible!!!

What impact (if any) have the team’s off-court situations had on your squad (Wayde Sims’ death last September, Will Wade’s suspension earlier this month, etc.)? The tragedy of Wade’s murder was so heartfelt and brought our LSU family closer together. The experience was heartbreaking and nothing short of a tragedy. I believe that our team had played hard for #44 during each and every game this season.

What is your school’s policy on player-cheerleader dating? There is not really a policy and it has never been an issue. We always ask that outside relationships are kept private and they are not part of our team’s dynamic.

Any predictions for Friday night? Michigan’t beat LSU: 💜💛🏀🏀

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All-Access at the East Regional: HoopsHD attends LSU practice

Posted on March 28, 2019 by Jon Teitel

The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The East Regional is coming to Washington, DC this weekend and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is all over it and covering all of the angles so you can look forward to a cascade of coverage in the days ahead. Jon Teitel got to attend LSU’s practice on Thursday morning and now brings you the following photo/video essay.

I got my media credential, grabbed my LSU media guide, and headed over to the court.  There was a LOUD buzzer right at 9AM…and then a 5-10 minute delay until the Tigers actually took the court.  The 1st thing you notice is the smell of the brand new court: not so much the freshly-cut wood but more of whatever cleaning product they used to get it nice and shiny:

There are media spread out all along the baseline:

I took an open seat on the sideline opposite 2 racks of basketballs…until a security guy told me to move:

The players eventually drifted onto the court and spent a few minutes getting some shots up:

Here is the video to prove it:

SO PG Tremont Waters, last week’s hero who made the game-winning layup with 1.6 seconds left to beat Maryland in the 2nd round, worked on 3s from the corner:

Then the team came together at mid-court before moving on to the next drill:

I thought that I might have the scoop of the week after seeing a guy who looked like suspended head coach Will Wade out on the floor…but it was just assistant coach Greg Heiar:

I assumed the CBS broadcast team would mosey in after lunch but they were up early this morning: Jim Nantz was picking up the rear but Bill Raftery/Tracy Wolfson/Grant Hill showed up minutes after I did:

LSU spread out along the baseline for some running drills:

SR PF Kavell Bigby-Williams got some stretching in:

JR SG/1st-team Academic All-American Skylar Mays got some jogging in:

FR PF Naz Reid worked on his low-post moves with some added obstacles like 2 defenders with blocking pads:

Here is the video to prove it:

That’s all for now, check back later for continuing coverage.

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UTR Postseason News, Notes and Highlighted Games – Wednesday, March 27

Posted on March 27, 2019 by John Stalica

For Jon Teitel’s interview with Bengal Brass member Jacie Shreve – CLICK HERE

Yesterday, we saw more high-profile changes as well as an extension in the 2019 Coaching Carousel. The first move saw Steve Prohm sign an extension with Iowa State; he had been mentioned as a potential candidate for the Alabama head coaching job that opened up earlier this week. Tim Miles was dismissed at Nebraska as was expected for a little while, but another move that came out of left field yesterday was Mike Anderson being let go at Arkansas. Finally, indications are that San Francisco’s head coach Kyle Smith is expected to be named the next head coach at Washington State (replacing Ernie Kent).

As far as the NIT last night, the first two tickets punched last night for Madison Square Garden went to Wichita State and TCU. Indiana played their third straight game without Romeo Langford in the lineup, and it finally caught up to them in a 73-63 loss to the Shockers last night. Markus McDuffie led Wichita with 21 points. TCU trailed by 3 points at home against Creighton at halftime, but they began the 2nd half with a 16-0 run and ended up winning 71-58. Kouat Noi led the Horned Frogs with 25 points and 7 rebounds.

Sandy Cohen III had a double-double (20 points, 10 rebounds) to lead Green Bay to an easy 30-point win in the second round of the CIT; they will host Cal State-Bakersfield in the quarterfinal round of the CIT on Friday. Hampton had all 5 starters score in double figures to lead them to a 73-67 victory against Charleston Southern; they will play at NJIT tomorrow night in Newark in the CIT quarterfinal round.

One CIT quarterfinal game was played last night; Marshall ended Presbyterian’s 2-game road win streak with an 83-66 victory. CJ Burks led Marshall with 20 points; Jon Elmore also had 16 points for the Thundering Herd as well.

NIT

(4) COLORADO AT (2) TEXAS (9:00 PM, ESPN2) – While Texas had to fight tooth and nail against South Dakota State and Xavier to advance to the quarterfinal round, Colorado had an easier time beating Dayton and Norfolk State at home. While this will be their first road game of the NIT, Texas has hardly been an intimidating venue this postseason; they’ve had a COMBINED attendance of about 5,000 for their two home games so far in the NIT.

(5) LIPSCOMB AT (2) NC STATE (9:00 PM, ESPNU) – Much like Wichita State thus far, Lipscomb has been a road warrior in the NIT with a win at Davidson and a blowout win at UNC-Greensboro. NC State had to survive a pair of upset bids by Hofstra and Lipscomb, but ended up winning both environments in a raucous atmosphere in their old stomping grounds – Reynolds Coliseum. They will play one more game at Reynolds (also named Valvano Arena now) for the right to advance to the NIT Final Four.

CBI

COASTAL CAROLINA AT DEPAUL (8:00 PM, Fox Sports Go) – Amazingly enough, DePaul is the last team standing in the Big East in terms of postseason play. While the Blue Demons are coming off of a fairly easy win against Longwood, they will now host a Coastal Carolina team that went on the road and put West Virginia out of their misery. The winner of tonight’s game advances to the CBI Best-of-3 Championship Series that starts next Monday.

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