-Hawaii v Oregon had a lot of the sloppiness that you typically see in the first week of the season, but it was exciting, and it was a battle, and Oregon needed a shot in the final seconds to escape 60-59. Hawaii actaully battled back late in the second half and got a lead late in the game, but couldn’t hold on to win it. Still, I think the Rainbow Warriors are a good team that can have a really big year. As a fan of Under the Radar teams it would have been nice to see them pick up a road win like this for their resume, but they have a lot of season in front of them.
-Duke v Texas probably went the way most people guessed it would. Texas battled, and actually fought to keep themselves in it at many points when it looked like Duke was going to establish control, but in the end Duke did establish control and won 75-60.
-Wichita State absolutely handled UNC Asheville 75-58. I know there is nothing to celebrate about winning a buy game, but UNCA is a halfway decent team by Big South standards, and Wichita State hasn’t been halfway decent by any standards in quite some time.
-UT Martin got a surprising road win at UNLV 86-81. This is the second head-scratching home loss in about a 24 hour stretch that involved a Mountain West team, but at least UT Martin is D1!
-And we may already have a Centenary Award update!!! NJIT got a road win at Fordham 72-61. I know you almost never see the Centenary winner come from a conference like the A10, but to lose AT HOME to NJIT (and by double digits) is a Centenary level loss!!
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES (and this is a very liberal use of the word “highlighted”)
-Southern Indiana @ Butler – It’s a buy game, and Southern Indiana is not expected to do well in the OVC, but I think they’ll be a little better than expected and that this game is at least worth turning on for a few minutes
-North Dakota State @ UC Davis – this is a chance for North Dakota State to get a decent road win against. UC Davis team that may make some noise in the Big West This year
-North Alabama @ Mississippi State – North Alabama will likely be one of the better teams in the ASun, but they are overmatched tonight
CRAPPY BUY GAMES:
-Rider @ Rutgers -Delaware State @ Temple -UMES @ Georgia -Southern Virginia (nonD1) @ Richmond -South Dakota @ Creighton -Alabama A&M @ Indiana -Tarleton State @ LSU -Southern @ Marquette -East Texas A&M @ New Mexico
-For the most part, it was your typical season opener. Good teams played easy home buy games and won theme easily. There were more games yesterday than there will be at any other point in the season, but there were also more predictable results yesterday than at any point in the season. But, there were still some surprises and some very notable results.
-Arizona’s season got off to a great start as they managed to defeat 3rd ranked and defending national champion Florida 93-87. Both teams play tough schedules and will have ample opportunities to rack up big wins and build big resumes, but Arizona is certainly first out of the gate. They picked up a win against a top five (for now) team away from home. There aren’t too many teams that manage that at any point in the season.
-Villanova, who I was not big on at all, now has my attention. They didn’t beat BYU, but they battled in the second half and were in a position to win the game. The Cougars held on 71-66, but it was a much better showing than I expected from the Wildcats. The few writers that voted for them in the preseason poll may not have been so crazy after all.
-One of the best performances of the day was High Point. They blew a pretty good Furman team out of the gym at the Field of 68 Marathon 97-71. High Point is one of the top Under the Radar programs and has adapted very well to the transfer heavy/NIL era, and was able to reload their roster. They were VERY impressive in this game, and I know it’s just one game, but you can’t help but start to wonder how much noise they’ll make this season.
-All the games in the Field of 68 Marathon were good games. Major respect to those guys for putting together a great event! When most teams were playing buy games and dump-trucking their opponents, these were all compelling matchups. Winthrop got a nice win against Queens 81-74, Saint Bonaventure outlasted what we think is a pretty good Bradley team 69-63, and Murray State and Drake also picked up early season wins.
-Troy picked up a tough road win against Kent State in overtime 93-87. The MAC-SBC Challenge games also gave us some really good matchups. Miami OH looked good in their win against Old Dominion, and Arkansas State also got a nice road win at Ohio U.
Several teams had to sweat more than expected.
-UCLA had trouble putting Eastern Washington away, but held on 80-74.
-Auburn needed overtime to get past Bethune Cookman 95-90, and Cookman actually had a chance to go up two possessions with less than a minute to go, but Auburn came up with a big defensive stop. It was heartbreaking for Cookman and would have been a monster win, but this is a really good Cookman team that seems positioned to have a big season. The SWAC has a lot of good teams this year and will likely do much better than the 16 line.
-Colgate hung with Michigan State for a while, and this was not a Colgate team we were expecting much out of in the Patriot League. The Spartans got control of the game and won 80-69, but it took them a while to do it.
-Georgia Tech needed overtime to get past Maryland Eastern Shore 56-52. UMES is expected by many to be among the worst teams in all of D1. Not a great start for the Yellowjackets.
And, there were a few upsets!!
-New Orleans, who I wasn’t expecting anything out of this year at all but who Rocco Miller seemed to like, went into TCU and got a 78-74 win. This is a fantastic start to the season for UNO!!
-And last, and certainly least Boise State, who all of us except Joby Fortson were expecitng to have a real shot at making the NCAA Tournament, lost at home to D2 Hawaii Pacific 79-78. This game actually won’t impact the metrics that badly because most of them do not account for nonD1 games, but this will absolutely torpedo their tournament resume!!
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-TEXAS VS DUKE (Charlotte NC) – Many, including myself, feel that Duke is a Final Four contender and is the clear favorite to win this game, but Texas has some life in them. Sean Miller takes over as head coach and is trying to build Texas’s program back up. A win tonight would be a very quick and very major step forward in regards to changing the perception of that team, not to mention it would put a high level quality win on their resume.
-HAWAII AT OREGON – I like this Hawaii team and think they can make quite a bit of noise in the Big West this year, and perhaps even compete to win the Big West. Having said that, this is a very tough road assignment against an Oregon team that’s rebuilding, but also seems to have reloaded with talent.
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES:
-UNC Asheville @ Wichita State – it’s not the best game, but at least both teams appear to have a pulse, and it’s good chance for UNCA to get a really solid road win in their opener
-Louisiana Tech @ Nevada – LA Tech is a team from CUSA that has a little bit of promise. A road win tonight would be really nice for them and a great way to start the season
-Long Beach State @ San Diego State – this isn’t a bad regional matchup to play, but tonight it’s a huge mismatch. Beach just isn’t what they used to be
-Portland State @ Stanford – this is a buy game, but I’m listing it here because it wouldn’t shock me if Portland State won this one
CRAPPY BUY GAMES:
-Evansville @ Purdue -Nicholls @ Kentucky -NC A&T @ South Carolina -Alcorn State @ Florida State -Mount Saint Mary’s @ West Virginia -Lindenwood @ Texas Tech -UNC Greensboro @ Kansas State – far from the worst buy game, but still a buy game -Oral Roberts @ Oklahoma State -Robert Morris @ Iowa -Cal Poly Humboldt (nonD1) @ Santa Clara -UT Martin @ UNLV
HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel will spend the upcoming months covering several Georgetown basketball home games, with (hopefully) a very special reward coming in March. However, since it is a rare occurrence for an SEC team to take a trip to DC, he was in attendance Monday evening for Howard’s season-opener at Burr Gymnasium and prepared this photo essay about their matchup against Missouri.
It is a 15-hour drive from Missouri to Howard…but what is the point of having a bus if you are not going to use it?!
Missouri coach Dennis Gates is used to playing season openers in his 15,000+ seat gym in Columbia (where he beat Howard by 15 PTS last November), but seemed equally excited to start this season in 2700-seat Burr Gymnasium:
The gym looked rather full, as it was standing room only up top:
I did not expect to see any celebrities in the house tonight but did see 2 of note: Wharton alum Mark Ein (limited partner of the Washington Commanders and investment partner in Leeds United and the Baltimore Orioles) and Missouri alum Major Garrett (chief Washington correspondent for CBS News):
Let’s tip off a brand-new season of college basketball!
Players and coaches often tell me that the biggest differences between mid-major teams and power-conference teams is the fact that the bigger schools have bigger/faster/stronger players. The Tigers have a 7-footer in Shawn Phillips Jr., and he dominated the paint in the 1st half with a variety of low-post moves/dunks that resulted in 8 PTS/4-4 FG/5 REB:
In contrast, Bison G Bryce Harris stands only 6’4”, but was able to do a little of everything with a couple of layups and pair of threes to finish the half with 12 PTS/0 TO:
Even though Missouri was able to build a 42-26 lead at halftime, Howard coach Kenny Blakeney was still able to command his team’s full attention during TV timeouts:
The 2 stars above continued to contribute in the 2nd half but also got some help from their respective supporting casts. Australian sensation Jayden Stone’s journey has taken him from GCU to Detroit Mercy to West Virginia, but after missing all last season due to a freak head injury that caused a type of paralysis(!), he looked as sharp as ever in his Mizzou debut with 13 PTS/3-4 3PM:
Alex Cotton spent the past 2 years at North Texas where he scored a total of 15 PTS, but in his 1st game for Howard he turned into the 2nd coming of Steph Curry with a spectacular 6-12 3PM to finish with a career-high 20 PTS in 27 minutes:
In Phillips’ 1st game since transferring from ASU, he remained unstoppable in the 2nd half with 2 more dunks, finishing with a super-efficient double-double on 8-9 FG in just 20 minutes. If he had played the entire game then he might have ended up with a triple-double…but thankfully Coach Gates was able to give him a rest before he committed 10 TO (he finished with 6). Despite those gaudy numbers, I think Harris was the star of the night in his 1st game since a season-ending foot/ankle injury last November. He knocked down 2 more trifectas in the 2nd half, the latter of which wrapped up a 20-9 run that cut the Tigers’ lead to 55-46 with under 13 minutes to play, forcing Gates to call a timeout while the home crowd roared their approval. Missouri was able to get back on track and win it 88-67, but Harris finished with 27 PTS/4-9 3PM/4 AST/2 STL (against an SEC opponent!) and looks like a shoo-in for MEAC Most Improved Player (and maybe even conference POY).
No pregame meal + no postgame press conference = that is a wrap for now but check back next week when Binghamton visits Georgetown!
-So, regardless of what you read below, TECHNICALLY everyone really is starting off at zero. All the metrics are at zero, and even those like KenPom and JNG that use data from the previous season, they’re still at zero because all that data eventually roles off as the season plays out. If the teams from the NEC get out there and all win 70% of their OOC games, the NEC will have multiple teams that are protected seeds and likely send more than half of the teams in the league to the NCAA Tournament. Nothing is presumed. it’s all about what happens on the court.
-Today’s games matter. People that say the season doesn’t matter until March are 100 percent wrong!! The games today have every bit as much of an impact on metrics like the NET, the WAB, the efficiency ratings, the merit ratings, and everything else as the games in the conference tournaments do. You know what you call a quad 1 win in November?? You call it a quad 1 win!
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HIGHLIGHTED GAMES:
-WINTHROP VS QUEENS (Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon, Rock Hill, SC) – The first official game of the season!! And it features a Queens team that just completed their transition and are now full blown D1, and who are expected to make some noise in the ASun. The tip is at 8am, est, so set your alarms!!!!
-FLORIDA VS ARIZONA (Las Vegas, NV) – A fantastic opening night match-up between two teams that are high in the rankings and who will be competing for protected seeds. It’s opening night, but this game can (and likely will) be a determining factor in seeding, so it’s very important. Florida is the defending national champs, and Arizona is looking to start things off with a huge win.
-OLD DOMINION AT MIAMI OH. I want to highlight this one because I think it’s quite possible we will be seeing both of these teams in our UTR Top Ten this year. To say that either one of them is good enough to make a run at the bubble may be a bit of a stretch, but one never knows! And, if that were to happen, then a win tonight would be a big step toward that! This is how teams should open their season!! Play a game that matters!!
-IDAHO AT WASHINGTON STATE – Big rivalry game!! These two schools are just eight miles apart!! And they’ve never met in the NCAA Tournament!!! No other rivalry that I can think of can make that claim!!!
OTHER NOTABLE GAMES
-Bradley vs Saint Bonaventure (Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon, Rock Hill, SC) – Bradley is a team to watch in the MVC and this is a chance for them to start things off with a winnable game away from home
-Omaha vs Murray State (Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon, Sioux Falls, SD) – Murray State has a loaded roster and is set to have their best season since joining the MVC. A win away from home against a solid Omaha team who loves beating up trash cans would be a great way to start things off!
-Northern Arizona vs Drake (Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon, Sioux Falls, SD) – Drake was completely gutted after having a remarkable season last year. This should be a winnable game for them, though
-Quinnipiac @ Saint John’s – Quinnipiac should make some noise in the MAAC, but they are way overmatched in this one
-High Point vs Furman ( Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon, Rock Hill, SC) – two really solid UTR programs, although Furman may be a little down this year. We get a good first look at High Point’s rebuilt roster
-Missouri @ Howard – the reason this is notable is because Mizzou is actually going on the road to play Howard.
-Arkansas State @ Ohio U – these are two solid UTR teams and this is an intriguing season opener
-Marshall @ UMass – Marshall may be able to make some noise this year, and this is a winnable road game against a UMass team that hasn’t been able to get its footing in recent seasons
-Wofford @ George Mason – Wofford is a top UTR program, but they’ve had a mess of an offseason. George Mason is a team to keep an eye on
-South Alabama @ Toledo – two fairly solid UTR programs that are worth keeping an eye on this season
-Troy @ Kent State – this one may be a fun one! Both are expected to do well in their respective conferences
-James Madison @ Akron – these are the two preseason favorites in their respective conferences, and while making a run at the bubble may seem like a stretch, both teams are pretty good and both have a shot at making the field this March
-Youngstown State @ Pittsburgh – Youngstown State is expected to be one of the better teams in the Horizon League this year, and while they may be overmatched in this one, Pitt better not just overlook them
-Long Island @ Notre Dame – ND needs to have a breakthrough season this year or the coach’s seat may be heating up. And, they don’t want to overlook Long Island! This is a potentially dangerous team!
-Air Force @ Belmont – Belmont is a team to keep an eye on and, quite frankly, they should clobber AFA
-Bethune Cookman @ Auburn – I know this is a buy game, and it will probably be very lopsided, but I don’t consider it a ‘crappy’ buy game because at least Cookman appears to have a pulse and will be one of the better SWAC teams this year
-Lipscomb @ Vanderbilt – Vandy will be heavily favored, and Lipscomb doesn’t appear to be quite as good as they’ve been in recent years, but it’s still an intriguing crosstown matchup
-Chicago State @ DePaul – the only thing I have to say about this one is that DePaul better win it because if they don’t then I’ll be glued to social media watching the fallout!
-SEMO @ Saint Louis – SEMO is probably the best team in the OVC, and while this is a buy game, it’s one that SLU better take seriously
-Maine @ George Washington – Maine’s program has improved by leaps and bounds, and GW is our dark horse out of the A10
-Oakland @ Michigan – Oakland will make some noise in the Horizon League this year, and while they are probably way overmatched tonight, it’s still at least a somewhat interesting regional matchup
-Samford @ Tulane – Samford is having to rebuild after the coaching change, and Tulane is a dark horse in the American
-South Dakota State vs Merrimack (Field of 68 Opening Day Marathon, Sioux) – A good chance for South Dakota State to start things off with a win away from home
-Incarnate Word @ Colorado State – it’s a buy game, but considering that Incarnate Word is looking much improved and Colorado State is…well..not, this matchup has a little bit of appeal
-Towson vs Loyola MD (Baltimore MD) – should be a win away from home for Towson
-San Jose State @ Utah – neither team is Under the Radar, but neither team is particularly good either
-Villanova vs BYU (Hall of Fame Series, Las Vegas NV) – a decent match-up, but BYU should be heavily favored and shouldn’t have too much trouble picking up a semi-notable neutral floor win
-Saint Thomas @ Saint Mary’s – Saint Thomas is the preseason favorite to win the Summit League this year, and while they may be overmatched tonight it’s still an intriguing matchup. SMC better not overlook them!!
CRAPPY BUY GAMES
-IU Indy @ Ohio State -Coppin State @ Maryland -Morgan State @ Georgetown -New Haven @ UConn – welcome to D1 New Haven!! -Southern @ Arkansas -Mercer @ Tennessee -Colgate @ Michigan State -Central Arkansas @ North Carolina -Kentucky Christian (nonD1) @ Liberty -Tusculum (nonD1) @ Charleston -Fairfield @ Penn State -Wagner @ VCU -Western Carolina @ Cincinnati -Charleston Southern @ Virginia Tech -Binghamton @ Syracuse -NC Central @ NC State -Canisius @ Dayton -New Hampshire @ Clemson -Rider @ Virginia -Marist @ Xavier -Holy Cross @ Providence -Champion Christian (nonD1) @ McNeese -Saint Peter’s @ Seton Hall -Mississippi Valley State @ UAB -Bellarmine @ Georgia -UMES @ Georgia Tech -Lehigh @ Houston -North Dakota @ Alabama -Fairleigh Dickinson @ Iowa State -Green Bay @ Kansas -Campbell @ Wisconsin -Northwestern State @ Texas A&M -Gardner Webb @ Minnesota -Florida A&M @ South Florida -West Georgia @ Nebraska -UAlbany @ Marquette -Mercyhurst @ Northwestern -UTRGV @ Baylor -American @ Wake Forest – to be fair, American will likely do well in the Patriot this year -Tarleton State @ SMU – SMU better not completely overlook them -Jacksonville @ Miami FL -SELA @ Ole Miss -New Orleans @ TCU -Jackson State @ Illinois -New Mexico Highlands (nonD1) @ North Texas – WTF UNT!!?? -Saint Francis @ Oklahoma -SC State @ Louisville -Texas Southern @ Gonzaga -Northwest Indian (nonD1) @ Montana -Westminster (nonD1) @ Utah State -Hawaii Pacific (nonD1) @ Boise State -PFW @ Grand Canyon -Cal Poly @ USC -Colorado College (nonD1) @ Northern Colorado -Bethesda (nonD1) @ UC Irvine -UC Santa Cruz (nonD1) @ San Francisco -Eastern Washington @ UCLA -Arkansas Pine Bluff @ Washington
Posted inDaily Rundown, News and Notes|Comments Off on Hoops HD Daily Rundown – Monday, Nov 3rd (Season Opener Edition!!!)
John Stalica has built a seedlist by cross country scoring the preseason media poles and then placed those teams into a bracket, which was revealed to the panel line by line. We discuss each team, who we think is overrated, underrated, and who we think the voters got right. At the end, we discuss some of the teams that are not in the field, but who we think will make it come March.
Below is the completed bracket, but do not look at it until you’ve watched the show!!
And, for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show
The new college basketball season tips off today, which means that we have very little time left to prepare for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel concludes our coverage with St. Thomas coach Johnny Tauer, who talked about his team’s sensational shooting and his expectations for this season.
You played basketball at St. Thomas, where you made the D-3 Final 4 in 1994 and started 27-0 in 1995: how good a player were you back in the day? I was incredibly fortunate to play on outstanding teams, and for incredible coaches in both high school and college. In college, Steve Fritz and our assistant coaches taught me so much about the game of basketball and I was surrounded by outstanding teammates, many of whom are my closest friends to this day. In high school at Cretin-Derham Hall, I played basketball for legendary Coach Len Horyza and baseball for Hall of Fame Coach Dennis Denning. We won Minnesota State Championships in both sports, and I was blessed to play with incredibly talented players who were great teammates. Five of our baseball teammates were selected in the MLB Draft, including eventual Heisman Trophy winner Chris Weinke. I was never the star of a team but did enough to be All-State in both sports and an Academic All-American in college, primarily because I worked really hard, was coachable, and played on winning teams. I absolutely loved the balance we had on all of those teams, and that has impacted how I try to recruit and coach to this day.
After getting your doctorate in social psychology at Wisconsin, you returned to your alma mater as a professor/assistant coach: how difficult was it to balance your work in the locker room with your work in the classroom? This is my 26th year coaching at the University of St. Thomas, and I think back to those early years as a full-time professor and assistant basketball coach with young children and wonder how I found time for it all. Whether it was teaching a full load of classes, publishing research, serving on committees, recruiting, meeting with players, coaching practices, etc., there were not enough hours in the day. The benefits I had were an incredibly supportive family, that my kids were able to come to so many practices and have that be an integral part of their childhoods, and that I loved all of those aspects of both my work in the psychology department and on the court. When I became the head coach in 2021, I continued to teach (albeit a lighter course load), and once we jumped from Division 3 to Division 1, I felt like our travel schedule would preclude me from giving all I had in the classroom, although I still love giving guest lectures – there is something special about trying to spark curiosity and learning, both on the court and in the classroom!
In 2016 as head coach you went 30-3, won the national title, and were named national COY: what did it mean to you to win a title? Winning a national title is surreal in the truest sense. All of the hours invested in every aspect of the program and people in it come together in a perfect confluence of events across a season, but really across three magical weekends in March. We had three goals in our program each year: Contend for a National Championship (Dare to be Great), win a conference title (sustained excellence based on Aristotle’s writing), and developing high character young men who behave in sustainably productive ways to benefit our world (based on Immanuel Kant’s Categorical Imperative). Winning a championship is one outcome of success, yet with hundreds of teams it cannot be the only goal, regardless of how good a program is. I was just at an alumni event yesterday and a wedding last week, and the long-lasting joy is not from winning a title but from the relationships and accompanying memories (and the stories that only get better over time)! There has been a lot of psychological research done on the challenges after winning a championship at any level in any endeavor – the goal is great, but the joy in the journey is what keeps people going and is the truly magical part of every season.
In 2001 you were inducted into the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? I grew up around the University of St. Thomas (College of St. Thomas until 1977). My dad John is a 1963 alum and was the captain of the golf team. I watched the Tommies play from the time I was six years old, so receiving an honor like that brought me immediately back to those days with my dad, as well as all the players I had looked up to over the years, in addition to my teammates who were the real reason I ever did anything – they would be the first to tell you I did not have many skills outside of shooting 3s, and without guys like Mike Bergan, Matt McDonagh, Karnell James, Matt McDonagh, Jesse Radabaugh, and Brent Longval setting me up for easy shots, I probably would have struggled to score any points. Being inducted into a Hall of Fame with so many incredible athletes was very humbling for me. To see those teams coached by Tom Feely and Steve Fritz (we have had just 3 head coaches in 72 years!) and be mentioned alongside those guys was special. To share that with my parents John and Michele who have been so supportive in everything I have ever pursued in life was incredible.
You only won 10 games during your 1st year in D-1 in 2022, but have increased your win total in each of the past 3 years: how difficult was the adjustment from D-3 to D-1, and how were you able to get things turned around? I have said before that we are the “Coolest Story in College Basketball”. I am admittedly biased, but our story is truly unprecedented making it unique (not better or worse) relative to what every other school is doing. That first year will never happen again in Division 1 basketball. We literally started the exact same five guys who 6 months earlier had been playing Division 3 basketball. To win 10 games that year when we were arguably the smallest D-1 team in history was one of the most incredible seasons I have been a part of…it was not always easy – we lost 12 consecutive games at one point, but I have never been prouder of how a team competed than I was that season. Keep in mind, those players had lost a TOTAL of 8 games in our last three years of Division 3 basketball, and even though we lost more games that season in a month, never once did I question how strong our culture was. They were fearless, connected, and inspiring – the nine guys who made the jump from D-3 to D-1 helped lay the foundation for the 19, 20, and 24-win seasons we have had the past three years. That is the first time a transitioning team has won 19+ games in years 2-4, and all of the other schools jumped from D-2 to D-1. That is a long-winded way of saying the work in the transition has been endless for players, coaches, staff, and administration, but I do not look at it like we have turned anything around – rather, those guys that first season were instrumental in carrying a special culture from Division 3 to Division 1, and I will always be incredibly grateful and inspired by all the players on that team.
Your psychology research focuses on factors such as competition/cooperation: how crucial is player motivation to basketball success? Motivation is one of those ubiquitous words that requires nuance. Is the motivation intrinsic or extrinsic? Is it avoidant or approach oriented? Is it motivated by a fear of failure or desire for success? Is it driven by work goals, mastery goals, or performance goals? Motivation is the fire that burns inside people and obviously a topic I am very passionate about in my life. It impacts our program in myriad ways from recruiting to practice to film to games. That said, the word can be overused because it deals much more with what we do when nobody is around than a rah-rah speech or hype video. I spent 20+ years studying intrinsic motivation and was fortunate to be mentored by Dr. Judy Harackiewicz at the University of Wisconsin, where I learned a way of thinking that combined high level statistical analysis with scientific rigor to test hypotheses – something we do informally as coaches on a daily basis.
Last year your team was top-25 in the nation in FT%/2P%/3P%: what makes your team’s shooting so sensational? Great question, and one we get asked a lot. It starts with the players we recruit. They are Unselfish, Skilled, Smart, and Tough. Our offensive coordinator (Mike Maker) is a brilliant coach who does a tremendous job teaching and coaching our players. The other critical piece to our shooting success is passing. We emphasize passing each day in practice and demand our guys attend to details around this skill. If everyone buys into this, our passing makes everyone a better shooter. We have really good shooters who become even better because of their passing, coachability, decision making, and unselfishness. Our staff is comprised of Kenny Lowe (star player at Purdue) and Cam Rundles (star player at Wofford), Josh Rodenbiker, Kevin Schield, and Danny Johnson. Their tireless work in every aspect of our program creates a synergy that we hope mirrors how our players compete.
Your roster includes 7 players from Minnesota/5 players from Wisconsin: what sort of recruiting philosophy do you have? Recruiting is a two-way street. In Division 3 we had a track record of success that allowed us to target players who fit our system and really wanted to be a part of the University and all that it offered from a holistic perspective. That includes the academic rigor and reputation of UST to the vibrant metropolitan community of 3+ million people to the quaint college feel on our campus to the enormous alumni network. As we moved to D-1, it was understandable that some people wondered how this experiment would go, particularly when we could not qualify for the NCAA Tournament. We have focused our recruiting efforts on players and families who chose UST for all the right reasons and doubling down on culture has helped us directly and indirectly. Now that we are eligible for the NCAA tournament and we are opening the $183 million Lee and Penny Anderson Arena next week, we feel like our recruiting has become even more selective in terms of finding the right fit for our system and school. 60% of our starts the past four seasons have come from players who started their careers in Division 3, which is a testament to their development and team play to have had the success we have had our first four seasons in Division 1.
You had a birthday last month: what did you do for the big day? My wife Chancey, and our kids Jack, Adam, RQ, and Issa had dinner at our house and then I spent a couple days in New York City shooting hoops at West 4th St. while strategizing about the upcoming season and having wonderful dinners with close friends. The older I get, the more appreciate simple things with family and friends. Jack and Adam are both walk-ons on our team, RQ is a senior in high school, and Issa is in preschool so we have grad school, college, high school, and preschool all covered which makes every day an interesting one! Chancey co-founded a truly spectacular charter school 13 years ago (Prodeo Academy), so much of our time at home is spent with our kids and working at our passions.
What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We do not have tangible goals entering a season. We believe strongly that team stats and wins are merely a byproduct of the work we invest every day. Of course we want to win games, but we focus nearly exclusively on how we play and how that process translates into quantitative success. Qualitatively, my goal is for team to always compete like champions, playing Unselfish, Smart, Skilled, and Tough in a way that inspires our fans, alums, students, and basketball fans everywhere.
