Basketball and brains: HoopsHD interviews Dartmouth Academic All-American James Foye

Posted on March 22, 2019 by Jon Teitel

It has been a nice little month for Ivy League basketball. On the court, Yale won the Ivy tourney and was only a few points shy of upsetting LSU in the NCAA tourney on Thursday, Harvard beat Georgetown in the NIT and will play NC State on Sunday, Brown beat UAB in the CBI and will play at Loyola Marymount on Monday, and Cornell almost upset Robert Morris (coached by Penn alum Andy Toole) in the CIT before losing on the road in overtime. Off the court, Dartmouth JR G James Foye was named an Academic All-American due to averaging a 3.96 GPA as an Economics major. Earlier this month HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with James about facing Buffalo earlier this season and his super-athletic family.

You went to high school at Phillips Exeter: were you ever teammates with Duncan Robinson, and will you eventually surpass him as the best basketball player in school history? He was 1 of the guys who recruited me and helped me get there. I think it would be difficult to surpass him: I know him pretty well and he is an awesome player.

What made you choose Dartmouth? I liked it a lot from the beginning. I am from New England and it is the quintessential New England college. They were the 1st ones to take a chance on me and when I visited I just loved it.

You play for Coach David McLaughlin: what is the most important thing that you have learned from him? He is big on having a “work” culture: work hard, work smart, work together. I have learned a lot from him leadership-wise to become the best teammate that I can be: he constantly asks me how I can get the best out of my teammates and has taught me how to have a selfless view.

After coming off the bench during your 1st 2 years you started every game as a junior: what is the biggest difference between being a starter vs. coming off the bench? When you come off the bench the biggest part is trying to stay ready, especially when you act as the scout team during practice. When you become a starter you cannot get complacent and there is the added pressure of having to produce because if you do not then you can really hurt your team.

Last November you played 15 minutes in a 39-PT loss to Buffalo: where do the Bulls rank among the best teams that you have ever faced? They were unbelievable! I have never played against any team with their combination of speed/athleticism. We kept hearing about their transition game…and then they came out and scored in transition on each of their 1st 5 possessions. What is underrated is how hard Coach Nate Oats has them playing on defense.

Last month you scored a career-high 25 PTS/7-10 3PM in a 3-PT loss at Brown: was it just 1 of those situations where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? I actually missed my 1st shot that night but when I later banked in a 3 I knew that things would go well for me. We lost Ian Sistare to a foot injury earlier that week so I knew that the rest of us would all need to step up in his absence. Unfortunately we could not get the win.

Earlier this week you were named 2nd-team Academic All-American: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? From my time at Exeter I learned how important it is to get my work done. I try to get it done during the week so that I can focus entirely on basketball during game days. I separate the 2 and try not to conflate them.

You turn 22 later this month: what are your plans for the big day? Nothing too big: I will just be hanging out with my friends. My parents usually come up to take me out to dinner that night. It feels weird getting older.

You have a 3.96 GPA as an Economics major: what made you choose Economics, and what do you want to do after college? I took an Econ class in high school and loved it. I like math as well as problem-solving questions: I try to solve inefficiencies with math. This summer I am doing an internship in finance. Since I like to argue a lot many people have suggested that I should go to law school so that is where I might end up.

Your father Paul played football/baseball at Amherst and 11 of your 28 1st-cousins played college sports: who is the best athlete in the family? That could get me into trouble! My dad still holds some passing records as a QB at Amherst. I have a ton of cousins who played at a high level in college so I refuse to answer that question but I am pretty sure that it is not me.

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NCAA Tournament Review and Preview – Thursday, March 21

Posted on March 21, 2019 by John Stalica

For Jon Teitel’s interview with Yale G Miye Oni – CLICK HERE

For Jon Teitel’s interview with NC Central C Raasean Davis – CLICK HERE

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

This year was a rare year in that both of the lower-level First Four games were very competitive in Dayton. North Carolina Central looked like they might be the lowest-rated KenPom team to ever win an NCAA Tournament game, but North Dakota State did mount a late comeback for a 78-74 victory and will advance to play Duke in the first round of the East Region on Friday in Columbia, South Carolina.

In the nightcap, Arizona State won in an ugly game with St. John’s that the Sun Devils were never seriously threatened despite a close score in the final four minutes of that game. They will advance to play Buffalo in Tulsa in the West Region on Friday.

HIGHLIGHTED GAMES (all times Eastern)

(10) MINNESOTA VS (7) LOUISVILLE (12:10 PM, CBS, Des Moines) – This should be a fantastic opener for the Tournament today. Will Louisville finally pull of their post-Duke hangover with their first win against someone not named Notre Dame in a month, or will Minnesota continue their momentum from the Big 10 Tournament where they beat Purdue?

(14) YALE VS (3) LSU (12:40 PM, TruTV, Jacksonville) – This game has Upset Alert written all over it with Will Wade’s suspension (and possible termination to follow), but will a Yale team that was up and down in the Ivy League be able to pull this one off?

(12) NEW MEXICO STATE VS (5) AUBURN (1:30 PM, TNT, Salt Lake City) – New Mexico State has become a March staple in the tournament and will be looking for their first NCAA Tournament victory since 1993 – will they get it against a red-hot Auburn team that beat Tennessee twice within the span of 9 days?

(13) VERMONT VS (4) FLORIDA STATE (2:00 PM, TBS, Hartford) – The Catamounts and their fans will be making a roughly 3-4 hour trip from Burlington to the XL Center to take on a Florida State that is also on a roll with a win against Virginia and a relatively close loss against a Duke team with Zion Williamson in the lineup in the ACC Tournament.

(15) BRADLEY VS (2) MICHIGAN STATE (approx. 2:40 PM, CBS, Des Moines) – There were rumblings that Michigan State should have had a #1 seed after their Big 10 Championship, but they shouldn’t have too much trouble against a Bradley team that won the Missouri Valley Championship for the first time since 1988.

(11) BELMONT VS (6) MARYLAND (approx. 3:10 PM, TruTV, Jacksonville) – Fun fact in the NCAA Tournament – at least one First Four team has won a first round game since the field expanded to 68 in 2011. This game also features the potential for this to happen again – Maryland is also coming off of an early Big 10 Tournament exit against Nebraska last week. Belmont is coming off of their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory against Temple on Tuesday night.

(13) NORTHEASTERN VS (4) KANSAS (approx. 4:00 PM, TNT, Salt Lake City) – Kansas was able to get 2 wins in the Big 12 in a pseudo-neutral environment before losing to Iowa State in the championship game – they need to be weary of a Northeastern team that got hot late in the year and beat Hofstra in the CAA Championship.

(12) MURRAY STATE VS (5) MARQUETTE (approx. 4:30 PM, TBS, Hartford) – This will definitely have the most star power of the afternoon games with Ja Morant and Markus Howard. Marquette finished the year ice cold with home losses to Creighton and Georgetown and a loss in the Big East semis against Seton Hall. Murray State got the auto bid with an OVC Championship victory against Belmont.

(10) FLORIDA VS (7) NEVADA (6:50 PM, TNT, Des Moines) – Nevada is another team that stumbled down the stretch, and probably wasn’t surprising when they went down to San Diego State in the Mountain West semifinals. Florida ran hot and cold in the SEC, but did get a significant win in the SEC Tournament against a depleted LSU team.

(15) ABILENE CHRISTIAN VS (2) KENTUCKY (7:10 PM, CBS, Jacksonville) – Abilene Christian is one of two teams making their NCAA Tournament debut this year, but their stay figures to be a short one against Kentucky.

(11) SAINT MARY’S VS (6) VILLANOVA (7:20 PM, TBS, Hartford) – While Saint Mary’s fans figure to be outnumbered by Nova fans tonight, it didn’t faze them in the WCC Tournament where they upset Gonzaga to snag an automatic bid into the field. Villanova didn’t dominate the Big East like they had in recent years, but nonetheless remain a threat to make a significant postseason run.

(16) FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON VS (1) GONZAGA (7:27 PM, TruTV, Salt Lake City) – FDU came back from an 11-point deficit to beat Prairie View in their First Four matchup on Tuesday, but appear to be way overmatched against a Gonzaga team that will be in a bad mood after their loss to Saint Mary’s in the WCC Championship 9 days ago.

(15) MONTANA VS (2) MICHIGAN (approx. 9:20 PM, TNT, Des Moines) – This was a curious decision by the Selection Committee to put a rematch from last season’s NCAA Tournament into the bracket this season. Outside of 3 losses to Michigan State, the Wolverines have looked superb and could make another deep postseason run this year.

(10) SETON HALL VS (7) WOFFORD (approx. 9:40 PM, CBS, Jacksonville) – Seton Hall’s return to the NCAA Tournament was a surprise given last year’s senior class that departed, but they will have their hands full against a Wofford team that ran the table against a strong SoCon this year.

(14) OLD DOMINION VS (3) PURDUE (approx. 9:50 PM, TBS, Hartford) – It took a few tries, but Jeff Jones and Old Dominion are back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011. Getting their first NCAA tournament win since 2010 (a 1st-round win against Notre Dame) might be a tall order against Purdue, though.

(9) BAYLOR VS (8) SYRACUSE (approx. 9:57 PM, TruTV, Salt Lake City) – Syracuse will be without the services of Frank Howard in this game, but this still looks to be an evenly matched game between both teams.

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UTR Postseason News, Notes and Highlighted Games – Thursday, March 21

Posted on March 21, 2019 by John Stalica

Tuesday night was a relatively chalky night by NIT standards, but more upsets did emerge last night. Despite falling behind by 10 points at Alabama at halftime, Norfolk State started the second half on a furious run and eventually extended their game into overtime where they beat Alabama by a single point. Wichita State and Harvard also pulled off road wins against Furman and Georgetown, respectively – those are results that aren’t necessarily upsets based on what we saw during the regular season. The other three home teams (TCU, Xavier and Nebraska) got off to slow starts in the first half before eventually pulling away in the 2nd half to advance to Round 2 this weekend. (Stat line of the night – Xavier’s Naji Marshall going off for 20 points and 21 rebounds. It was the first time since David West in 2001 that a Xavier played pulled off a 20-20 game.)

The game of the day was Stony Brook-South Florida; the Seawolves jumped out to a 25-point lead in the first half before South Florida mounted a furious comeback in the 2nd half. They tied the game at the 6-minute mark of the 2nd half and eventually won in overtime to advance to the 2nd round of the CBI. Loyola Marymount was the only road team that won; they got a game-winning 3-point play from Mattias Markusson with 31 seconds left to give them a win against Cal Baptist. All the other home teams (West Virginia, Coastal Carolina, Longwood, Brown and DePaul) won their opening games.

There was also a mild surprise in the Hugh Durham Classic in the CIT – Green Bay went on the road to East Tennessee State and beat the Bucs thanks to a 29-point performance from Sandy Cohen III. UTRGV beat Grambling at home for their first ever postseason victory of any kind, and the other road teams (Texas Southern and Presbyterian) picked up wins against New Orleans and Seattle, respectively.

CIT

SAINT FRANCIS-BROOKLYN AT HAMPTON (7:00 PM, WatchCIT.com) – This is the John McLendon Classic – this features a Hampton team that had a winning season in their first season in the Big South. While they lost in the Big South quarterfinals to Campbell, St. Francis-Brooklyn is coming off of a tough OT loss to Robert Morris in the NEC quarterfinals.

FLORIDA ATLANTIC AT CHARLESTON SOUTHERN (7:00 PM, WatchCIT.com) – FAU looked much improved at the beginning of the year with wins at Central Florida, at Illinois and at home against Old Dominion before faltering off into the middle of the C-USA pack. Some notable home wins by CSU included Radford and Gardner-Webb.

KENT STATE AT LOUISIANA-MONROE (8:00 PM, WatchCIT.com) – Kent State does have a flair when it comes to close games – they are 6-0 in games decided by 3 points or less this year. UL-Monroe had wins against both Georgia State and Texas State in Sun Belt play, but they were a very inconsistent team this season.

CAL STATE-BAKERSFIELD AT CAL STATE-FULLERTON (10:00 PM, WatchCIT.com) – This will become a future rivalry in the Big West when Bakersfield moves from the WAC to the Big West in a couple of seasons. While Bakersfield had an early exit in the WAC Tournament, Fullerton advanced to the championship game of the Big West Tournament before getting shellacked by UC-Irvine.

 

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Yale JR SG Miye Oni

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Jon Teitel

Yale University: 3rd-oldest institution of higher education in the US, alma mater of 5 of our country’s former Presidents, and now 1 of the 68 best basketball teams in the nation.  On Sunday the Bulldogs beat Harvard 97-85 in the Ivy tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The basketball team only made 3 NCAA tourneys in its 1st 120 years of existence from 1896-2015 but just claimed its 2nd NCAA tourney bid in the past 4 years. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with JR SG Miye Oni about the Harvard-Yale rivalry and what it feels like to make the NCAA tourney for the very 1st time.

You grew up in California and originally committed to D-3 Williams College: what made you eventually choose Yale? Just the balance of academics/athletics: it was not an opportunity that I could pass up.

You play for Coach James Jones: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He does a great job of making sure that everyone is focused on the task at hand.

In the summer of 2017 you were 1 of only 21 college players invited to attend the Nike Skills Academy: what did you think of 2 of your fellow invitees who are expected to play in the NCAA tourney despite recent injuries (Marques Bolden from Duke/Nick Ward from Michigan State)? I thought they were pretty good but I have not seen them play in awhile.

You played several fellow NCAA tourney teams this year in non-conference play (Duke/Iona/Vermont): which of them impressed you the most, and why? Probably Duke just because they are so talented.

Earlier this month you were named Ivy POY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It meant a lot to me. It is a testament to the hard work of myself and all of my teammates.

In the Ivy tourney title game on Sunday you scored 17 PTS/10-10 FT in a win over Harvard: how much of a home-court advantage did you have at the John Lee Amphitheater, and what did it mean to you to win a title? I thought that we had good fan support…but I think that we would have beaten them anywhere because we just outplayed them.

How do you explain the Harvard-Yale rivalry to someone who has never seen it in person? It is really gritty: we do not like each other at all!

SR G Alex Copeland was named conference tourney MVP: how was he able to play his best when it mattered the most? He stepped up big-time and took the game into his hands: he did a great job for us.

You are majoring in political science but last December Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski predicted that you would be a 1st-round NBA draft pick: what is the post-college plan? I have not made any plans yet: I am just focused on the NCAA tourney.

What do you think about getting a #14 seed, and what do you know about LSU? We probably should have got a #13 seed based on all of the metrics I saw but we are happy to be playing LSU.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews NC Central SR C Raasean Davis

Posted on March 20, 2019 by Jon Teitel

Most smaller schools need some undersized guards to lead them into the postseason but there are some schools like NC Central who can turn to a 6’9″ center to take them to the promised land. On Saturday the Eagles beat Norfolk State 50-47 in the MEAC tourney title game in Norfolk to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. They did so thanks in large part to SR C Raasean Davis, who had 14 REB in the title game and was named conference tourney MVP. Earlier this week HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Raasean about what it feels like to make the NCAA tourney yet again.

You grew up in Chicago and began your career at Kent State: why did you decide to transfer, and what made you choose NC Central? I chose Kent State because it was close to my home and they were the most consistent school in recruiting me. I felt that I had a chance to play right away coming out of high school. I transferred to NC Central due to Coach Bobby Steinburg: he knew Coach LeVelle Moton and sent him some tape of me, and that is how it went down.

What makes Coach Moton such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He is great at strategizing and having us prepared: there is never a day where we are not working, which is why we win so much of the time. It is part of the legacy here: the way he pushes us.

In the 2018 NCAA tourney you scored 19 PTS/9-11 FG in a loss to Texas Southern: what did you learn from that game that will help you this year? We just have to stick together: 1 man cannot do it alone. If we all stay focused then we can compete with anybody. You cannot take anything for granted: this might be our last 1 so we have to go out there ready to fight as a unit.

You began this season with back-to-back games against a pair of NCAA tourney-caliber teams in Clemson/Cincinnati: which of them impressed you the most, and why? I would say Cincinnati: they were really physical and well-coached and ready to go. They had a good game plan against me and carried it out really well.

In the MEAC tourney title game on Saturday you had 14 REB in a 3-PT win over Norfolk State: how was your team able to overcome a 12-PT deficit in the 2nd half? I have to give credit to Coach Moton. We were down 10 PTS going into halftime. I cannot really share what he said but he came into the locker room and told us what we needed to hear, which helped us go out there in the 2nd half and do what we needed to do.

You were also named conference tourney MVP: what did it mean to you to win a title, and what has the reaction been like since returning to campus? It means everything to me and my teammates to win a title: this is why we work hard during the summertime when nobody is watching, through the preseason and practices. We are all just blessed/honored to return to the NCAA tourney for the 3rd time in a row. It has been a great feeling of joy.

You have led the conference in FG% during each of the past 2 years: what is the key to being a great shooter? I have to give credit to my guards for setting me up pretty well and getting me the ball in places where I need it. I just try to stay prepared as best I can for my team: working out during the summertime/preseason has led up to this day.

You increased your FT% from 58.7% last year to 68% this year: has your improvement been due to something mental or physical or other? Maybe a little bit of both. I worked really hard on my FT shooting during the offseason because I knew that it was something I really needed to improve on. Assistant coach Eric Wilson always works with me on my FTs and stresses how important it is for me to be able to make them.

You turned 23 last Wednesday: what did you do for the big day? Nothing really. Lord willing it will not be my last: I was just trying to stay locked in and focus on the game/winning. I am pretty sure that after everything is over I will sit down and have a day where I celebrate my birthday the right way!

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NCAA Tournament Review and Preview – Wednesday, March 20

Posted on March 20, 2019 by John Stalica

For Jon Teitel’s interview with Northern Kentucky F Dantez Walton – CLICK HERE

For Jon Teitel’s interview with Georgia State G Devin Mitchell – CLICK HERE

For today’s other postseason News, Notes and Highlighted Games – CLICK HERE

Last night, we were treated to two good games in Dayton. In the opening game, Prairie View jumped out to a 9-point lead at halftime before Fairleigh Dickinson mounted a comeback in the 2nd half. The Knights outscored Prairie View 10-0 in a critical run with 2 minutes remaining in the game – Darnell Edge led FDU with 33 points en route to an 82-76 victory. They will travel to Salt Lake City to play Gonzaga in the first round on Thursday.

In the nightcap, Temple and Belmont traded runs with each other throughout the night, but Belmont was led by Kevin McClain (29 points) and Nick Muszynski (16 points) en route to an 81-70 victory. It was Belmont’s first ever NCAA Tournament victory, and Fran Dunphy will officially retire and hand over the head coaching reins for Temple to Aaron McKie.

(16) NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL VS. (16) NORTH DAKOTA STATE (6:40 PM, TruTV). For the third year in a row, NC Central earned an auto bid via the MEAC Championship and will be looking to improve upon last season where they lost to Texas Southern in the First Four. North Dakota State finds themselves in Dayton after defeating Omaha to win the Summit League championship.

(11) ARIZONA STATE VS. (11) ST. JOHN’S (9:10 PM, TruTV). Despite a late-season slide in the Big East, St. John’s found itself as the very last team in the field. One of the reasons they got here was going 3-2 against Marquette and Villanova, but they were smashed by Marquette in the Big East quarterfinal round at Madison Square Garden. Arizona State had a mix of quality wins and terrible losses, but it wasn’t a complete shock when they lost in the conference tournament semifinals to eventual Pac-12 champion Oregon, either.

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