Mountain West Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 25, 2025 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE For All of our Preseason Coverage, Including Interviews, Podcasts, and Conference Previews

MOUNTAIN WEST MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. San Diego State
  2. Utah State
  3. Boise State
  4. Grand Canyon
  5. New Mexico
  6. UNLV
  7. Colorado State (tied 7th)
  8. Nevada (tied 7th)
  9. Wyoming
  10. San Jose State
  11. Fresno State
  12. Air Force

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MWC TEAM:

-Andrew Meadow – Boise State
-Jaden Henley – Grand Canyon
-Brian Moore Jr. – Grand Canyon
-Elijah Price – Nevada
-Deyton Albury – New Mexico
-Miles Byrd – San Diego State
-Reese Dixon-Waters – San Diego State
-Magoon Gwath – San Diego State
-Kimani Hamilton – UNLV
-Mason Falslev – Utah State

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-San Diego State barely snuck into the NCAA Tournament last year and were blown out by North Carolina in the First Four. Expectations are higher this year and they should be able to land safely inside the bubble. Three key starters are back, two of whom earned preseason honors. Reese Dixon-Waters also returns after missing last season due to an injury. Sean Newman Jr. also transfers in from Louisiana Tech and I think he is a really nice addition to the roster. I think this is a top-25 caliber team that will play their way into the rankings as the season goes on.

-Utah State just keeps winning despite coaching changes and roster turnovers. They won 26 games last year and made it into the NCAA Tournament, and while they are once again undergoing a roster overhaul the expectations are still high. Mason Falslev is one of the best players in the conference and while he cannot do it alone, he will be joined by some transfers who have experience in high level conferences and who came to Utah State presumably to get more minutes. I do not know if I would have them picked as high as 2nd, but they have shown they can reload and they have proven me wrong when I have doubted them before.

-Boise State has won 20+ games in each of the last four seasons and while they missed the NCAA Tournament last year (albeit barely) they are consistently playing on the level of an NCAA Tournament-caliber team. They probably deserve a little more respect as a program than what they have gotten. Having said that, they do not appear to have a lot of experience this year. I never want to just overlook this team, but I think it will be hard for them to land inside the NCAA Tournament bubble.

-Grand Canyon enters their first season in the Mountain West after becoming the dominant program in the WAC, as well as one of the top Under the Radar programs in the nation, in recent years. Just one starter is back from last year’s team, but this is a program that is willing to spend NIL money and Bryce Drew once again has a talented roster. Caleb Shaw is one of the best outside shooters in the nation, Dennis Evans and Nana Owusu-Anane both return from injury, Brian Moore Jr. was a big time scorer at Norfolk State last year, and Jaden Henley was a solid player at UNLV. They are picked 4th. I think part of the reason is that the MWC brass may just not know them that well. I think they can finish higher than 4th. I think they can finish higher than 2nd. I think they can win the league. I know they lost some very talented players from a year ago, but think the roster they’ve put together can step up and that this will be a top-25 caliber team as the season plays out.

-After two really solid seasons where they won 26 and 27 games, New Mexico is in restart mode. Coach Richard Pitino left for Xavier and Eric Olsen now takes over. He is tasked with replacing all five starters from a team that made the Round of 32. Tajavis Miller from North Dakota State is a solid pickup from the portal, but the Lobos are lacking in D-1 experience this year. I do not think they will sink to the very bottom of the league, but I do think they are in a bit of a rebuild mode.

-UNLV just cannot seem to get any traction going. It feels like they should be able to build themselves up into a team that makes regular runs at the NCAA Tournament, but it has been a long time since that has happened and the expectations are that it will not happen this year. Myles Che transfers in after having a good year at UC Irvine and is a fantastic outside shooter. Al Green is another guy who can hit from the outside who transfers in from Louisiana Tech, and Howie Fleming Jr. comes in from UTRGV. All three of those guys shot over 40% from beyond the arc last year, so UNLV does have one thing: shooters!

-Colorado State has had back-to-back 25+ win seasons and made the Round of 32 last year. They have a new coach in Ali Farokhmanesh this year and he is tasked with replacing nearly the entire starting lineup. Augustinas Kiudulas put up impressive numbers at VMI last year, and Josh Pascarelli was a standout player at Marist, but other than those two they lack proven experience. I have more questions than answers about the Rams this year.

-Nevada is coming off a rough season where they won just 17 games and may be in for a long ride again this year as Steve Alford has to rebuild most of his roster. Tayshawn Comer comes in after putting up big numbers at Evansville, and they have some standout JUCO players as well. I do not expect this team to contend for the league title, but I do think they will be at least a little better than they were a year ago.

-It has been a rough few years for the Wyoming Cowboys and they may be in for another rough one this year. Sundance Wicks went 12-20 in his first year as head coach a season ago. Just one starter returns from that team. They did get a few notable pickups in the portal as Khaden Bennett (Quinnipiac) and Leland Walker (Florida Atlantic) both averaged double-figures a season ago. They will need to rely on them if the Cowboys are going to win more games this year.

-It was just there years ago when San Jose State actually won 21 total games, but it has been a tough ride since then. They were an underwhelming 15-20 last year and finished just 8th in the conference. This year expectations are even lower. Colby Garland comes in from Drake and JaVaughn Hannah comes in from Western Michigan: both were double-digit scorers. San Jose State’s issue is that while Tim Miles is an excellent coach, his superpower was building and developing programs and players. That is difficult to do in the transfer-heavy era we are in now. As soon as a player starts to develop, they leave. It will likely be another long and frustrating year for San Jose State.

-Fresno State won just 6 total games last year and does not have much in the way of proven D-1 talent this year. They have looked overseas to try and land some international players that can spark some life into the Bulldogs.

-It is just hard to win at any service academy. Winning is something Air Force did very little of last year. They were just 4-28 on the season. Joe Scott, who actually had success during a previous stint at Air Force, is the head coach. It is hard to put together a program that is consistently strong when you have to work within the parameters that the service academies do.

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Big Sky Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 24, 2025 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE For All of our Preseason Coverage, Including Interviews, Podcasts, and Conference Previews

BIG SKY MEDIA DAY PRESEASON COACHES POLL:

  1. Montana
  2. Portland State
  3. Northern Colorado
  4. Idaho
  5. Eastern Washington (tied 5th)
  6. Montana State (tied 5th)
  7. Sacramento State
  8. Idaho State
  9. Weber State
  10. Northern Arizona

BIG SKY MEDIA DAY PRESEASON MEDIA POLL:

  1. Montana
  2. Portland State
  3. Northern Colorado
  4. Idaho
  5. Idaho State
  6. Montana State
  7. Sacramento State
  8. Eastern Washington
  9. Weber State
  10. Northern Arizona

COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Montana has been the flagship program in this conference for the last couple of seasons and is again the consensus favorite to win the league. Like seemingly everyone in college basketball, they are tasked with having to rebuild their roster. Just one starter is back from last year’s 25-win team that won the Big Sky and made the NCAA Tournament. Money Williams returns, and while Te’Jon Sawyer was not a regular starter, he provided a lot of quality minutes off the bench and is certainly capable of stepping into a bigger role. They have also added a handful of transfers from bigger programs that are likely seeking out more playing time, so the Grizz have some pieces.

-Portland State returns their two leading scorers from a season ago, and because of that the expectations are high. Jaylin Henderson and Terri Miller Jr. are two proven players who know the system. The question is can the rest of the roster step up? They do have several transfers, but most appear to have seen limited action a season ago.

-Northern Colorado is the team I like. They tied for 1st place last year and won 25 total games before losing to Montana in the Big Sky Championship. They return some key pieces from that rotation and add some talented-looking freshmen that, while young, may be able to contribute right away.

-It has been a while since anyone was all that excited about Idaho (other than their big rivalry game with Washington State, which involves two teams who are just eight miles apart that have never met in the NCAA Tournament!), but they have three starters back, including Kristian Gonzalez and Kolton Mitchell, who were both double-digit scorers a year ago, and Jack Payne was also a solid player. I kind of like the Vandals this year. While they were an unimpressive 8-10 overall in conference play, I like their experience and they have shown signs of getting better (albeit slowly) in recent years.

-Eastern Washington struggled last year in Dan Monson’s first year as head coach, but signs seem to be pointing toward an improved team this year. They have a lot more experience, and added Isaiah Moses from the transfer portal, who was a pretty solid guard for UC Riverside last year. Andrew Cook is also back (update: www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmMpPO_R7e8), and Emmett Marquardt will likely be a contributing player after a really solid freshman season last year.

-Montana State is having to completely rebuild with all five starters from last season being gone. They have added a couple of guards who were standout players at the D-2 level, and they should be able to step in and contribute right away, but the question is how will they adjust to D-1?

-Sacramento State has been a disaster in recent years and won just seven total games a year ago. The expectations are still pretty low, but I do think this team will be better. Mike Bibby takes over as head coach, and this may be a much-needed change for the Hornets. He has gone out and gotten some transfers from higher level programs and conferences, so it is likely that win total will improve. They are unlikely to finish at the top of the standings, but I am willing to bet that they are not as close to the bottom as they have been.

-Idaho State was a pretty respectable 10-8 in conference play a year ago, but having to replace Dylan Darling is no small task. Two other starters are back, and I do think they can do a little better than 8th. They have added several standout players from lower divisions to fill out the roster, and while these guys are not proven D-1 players, it looks like they will be able to contribute. I think people may be overlooking this Idaho State team a little bit.

-Weber State has gone from being one of the flagship programs in this conference to being one of the doormats, and being picked 9th in the preseason poll shows that the respect for them just is not there. But, I think there are reasons to be optimistic. Four starters are back, and while this team only won 9 D-1 games last season, they were showing signs of life down the stretch. They won three of their last five before losing in the conference tournament (albeit badly to Northern Colorado), but they almost knocked off that same NoCo team in the last week of the season. I like that they are experienced and I like some of the roster additions. I think this could be a dark horse team this year.

-Expectations are not high for Northern Arizona, but with two key starters returning from a team that was at least decent last year (8-10 in Big Sky play), I am a little surprised they are being picked dead last. The program has actually shown signs of improving with the overall win total going up in each of the last four seasons. Having said that, they do not have too many guys who have proven themselves at the D-1 level, so it may be a struggle this year.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews San Diego coach Steve Lavin

Posted on October 23, 2025 by Jon Teitel

We are less than 2 weeks away from the tip-off of the new college basketball season, which means that we still have a 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 continues our coverage with San Diego coach Steve Lavin, who talked about winning games in March and his expectations for this season.

You have made 10 postseason appearances as a head coach and won at least 1 game in 7 of those 10 appearances: what is the key to winning games in March? The most important element is playing your best basketball at the right time of year. There are 3 stages to a season: non-conference play (where we will test ourselves and put the foundation in place), conference play, and the postseason. You must be at your best when your best is needed…but you still need to take care of business in November/December.

You won the 1995 NCAA title as an assistant to Jim Harrick at UCLA, in large part due to Tyus Edney’s game-winning layup that beat Missouri in the 2nd round (www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS8QCoYfzW8): what is it like to face Tyus multiple times/year now that he is an assistant to Ed Schilling at Pepperdine? Tyus is 1 of my favorite people in the world. He changed our lives with that mad dash in 1995, and it is something that our fans will remember forever. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to coach him because he is a great human being and has a bright future in this business.

You have only 4 road games this season outside the state of California: is that a happy accident or do you prefer it to be that way? There is no doubt that it is an advantage when it comes to logistics, but we also head to the Northwest for road games in Seattle/Oregon. Our schedule checks a couple of boxes: we will be challenged by good competition and will have a chance to build a road-warrior mentality. I like our schedule for this year, but at some time in the future I would like to head to the East Coast or Midwest.

You had a birthday last month: what did you do for the big day? I was in San Francisco and got to see some family/friends (I grew up in the Bay Area). There was also some good wine from Napa involved!

After winning 18 games in 2024 you only won 6 games last season: what will it take to get back on track this season? It feels like a “relaunch” because it truly is. We have 14 new players and opened our new $35 million performance center last April. The NIL collective has allowed us to build a roster with the appropriate funding to compete. We have a great sense of optimism as our guys try to put a foundation in place and leave a legacy.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Alabama State coach Tony Madlock

Posted on October 23, 2025 by Jon Teitel

We are less than 2 weeks away from the tip-off of the new college basketball season, which means that we still have a 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 continues our coverage with Alabama State coach Tony Madlock, who talked about winning an NCAA tourney game last March and his expectations for this season.

You were born/raised in Memphis: how easy was your decision to go to college at Memphis? It was probably the easiest decision I have ever made. I grew up watching Memphis State just like everyone else in town: it was probably a lifelong dream for most Memphis high school basketball players to join the Tigers.

You made the postseason during each of your 4 years, and in the 1992 NCAA tourney you made the Elite 8 before losing to Cincinnati: what is the key to winning games in March? Just getting hot at the right time. I have seen it from several different perspectives as a player/assistant/head coach. In mid-February you want to be playing your best basketball, and then carry it into March.

After graduating you played pro basketball in South America: what was the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball in other countries? That was a long time ago! I played for 1 year in Caracas and it was a great experience as a 22-year old to see if I was good enough to be a pro. I got to live in another country and experience a different culture. My son is now 22 and is playing in Germany but I assume it is a little different now compared to when I played.

You spent 3 years as an assistant to your former teammate Penny Hardaway at Memphis: what makes him such a good coach, and how excited are you to face him when you head back to the FedEx Forum in December? His basketball IQ is off the chart. When you watched him play in high school/college/NBA you always knew that he was a PG at heart with the ball in his hands. He can relate to the young men he is coaching. I am starting my 4th year here, but we have already played them twice: getting to go home and coach in front of family/friends is always a fun time. It is more than just another game due to my ties, plus I have some guys on my roster from Memphis.

After being hired as head coach at Alabama State in 2022, your win total increased from 8 in Year 1 to 13 in Year 2 to 20 in Year 3: how have you been able to turn things around so much during the past 3 years? I have had really good players who bought into what I have tried to preach. My coaching staff/administration have also been great: this school had not been to the Big Dance since 2011, so it was a long time coming. They gave me the support/resources I needed and hopefully we can continue that momentum.

Take me through the 2025 postseason:
In the SWAC tourney you won 3 games in 3 days by a combined 11 PTS to clinch the title: what did it mean to you to win a title, and what was the reaction like when you returned to campus? It meant everything: when I took this job, I told the president/athletic director that my goal from Day 1 was to bring a SWAC title to Alabama State. All those games were tight so we knew that we would need a stop/basket to win each game. When your team starts to believe that they are good, they will go out and play that way.

In the 1st 4 Amarr Knox scored 16 PTS including the game-winner with 1 second left in a 2-PT win over St. Francis (www.youtube.com/watch?v=UBm8i7frBPg): where does that shot rank among the highlights of your career? It is at the top, no doubt: that was the 1st tourney win in school history. We were the 6PM game so we opened March Madness with everyone in the country watching. It meant so much to our school/city.

Your son TJ averaged double-figures during each of the past 4 years and played for the Pistons in the NBA Summer League: how proud are you of all his success? I am so proud. TJ was All-Conference 3rd-team as an 18-year old and helped us make 1 of the biggest turnarounds in the country at South Carolina State. He was All-SWAC each year he was here and had a great career: I would not be in this position without him.

Of the 16 players on your roster, 15 started their college careers elsewhere and all 16 grew up outside Alabama: what sort of recruiting philosophy do you have? When you look at the landscape of college athletics it is tough. I want to take 1-2 high school kids each year and then redshirt them if I can. For everyone else you just need to fill up your roster with D-1 or JUCO transfers.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Our word this year is “reset”. I saw Jalen Hurts talking about some advice he got from Michael Jordan earlier this year: he never talked about trying to “repeat” but focused on “reset”. We have a lot of new faces and are excited about this team. I have no idea who will be our star guys yet, or even our starters. I have 14 guys who are about even, but I cannot play them all, so I need the cream to rise to the top!

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The Hoops HD Report – Big East Conference Preview

Posted on October 23, 2025 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE For All of our Preseason Coverage, Including Interviews, Podcasts, and Conference Previews

The Hoops HD Panel takes a look at the Big East, where both Saint John’s and UConn are high in the rankings and many think they will both be in contention to make the Final Four. Marquette and Creighton also look like solid teams, and Georgetown appears to be a team that’s much improved and that could make a run at the NCAA Tournament. We run through the entire conference and gives our assessments of the upcoming season for each team.

And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…

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Full Nelson: HoopsHD interviews David Bierwirth about Sa’eed Nelson

Posted on October 23, 2025 by Jon Teitel

American University made the NCAA tourney last March for the 1st time in more than a decade, but they have a proud basketball history going back to the 1950s when they played at the D-2 level. 1 of their recent stars was Sa’eed Nelson, who graduated in 2020 as conference POY and the all-time leading scorer in school history before heading abroad to play pro basketball. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with American associate AD for external operations David Bierwirth about Sa’eed’s sensational stats and the legacy he left in DC.

Sa’eed was born/raised in New Jersey: what made him choose American? Our coach Mike Brennan was a standout Jersey PG himself, and our assistant Scott Greenman had played at Sa’eed’s high school St. Augustine Prep, so those 2 connections were very important.  They were great examples for Sa’eed based on their relationships and playing/coaching experience.

He started all 30 games as a freshman, scored 14.9 PPG, and made the conference all-rookie team in 2017: how was he able to come in and contribute right from the start? A lot of that comes from the pedigree of the high school program he came up through. It is hard for a freshman PG to start right away on most college teams, but he did it to great success.

In the 2018 Patriot League tourney he scored a career-high 41 PTS/14-20 FG with 9 AST in a 7-PT loss to Lafayette: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot he put up seemed to go in because he was “in the zone”? It was. We were playing from behind a little bit so we needed him to score a lot of PTS, but with Sa’eed, you never felt it was forced: he could really fill it up quickly. It was a phenomenal individual performance.

In 2020 he was named conference POY: what did it mean to him to receive such an outstanding honor? He was a very humble, individual/quiet leader: I recall his sentiment being that it was a team award…but he was clearly the best player in the league that year.

He never won a single postseason game despite averaging 25 PPG/4 APG/2.5 SPG in his 4 opening round Patriot League tourney losses: was he frustrated that his individual success never translated to wins in March? I am sure that he was frustrated, as was everyone in our program. We had a good squad that finished near the top of the league in 2019 and 2020, and a couple of those losses were at home, but it does not take away from his leadership or the entirety of those teams’ very good years.

His 2116 career PTS remains the most in school history: what was his secret for being a great scorer? He got better every year and was an iron man. He did not have great size but did have a great work ethic, so he would practice on finishing at the rim against taller players all the time.

His 36.9 career MPG is 1 of the best in conference history: how crucial was his endurance to his success? It was critical: he played for so many minutes and had a motor that never seemed to end. He had some injuries along the way and was exhausted during some timeouts, but he was a great natural athlete who would just turn it on during games.

His 2.3 career SPG is also 1 of the best in conference history: how did he balance his offense with his defense? That is what made his endurance consistency even more impressive because he did not take any time off while on the defensive end. He could read his opponents and had great anticipation in cutting off passing lanes.  He also had very quick hands and a knack for a steal and layup on the other end before anyone realized what had happened.

Since going undrafted in 2020 he has spent the past several years playing pro basketball overseas: did you have any doubts that he was going to have a nice long pro career? No. He has a natural ability to score and can play both sides of the ball, so I thought that he was a lock to play pro basketball.

When people look back on his career, how do you think that he should be remembered the most? He must be considered part of AU’s Mount Rushmore. In addition to scoring, he is 3rd in career AST with 521, so he is a 1st-ballot Cassell Hall of Famer here once he becomes eligible: the rule is you become eligible 10 years after your final season. He exemplified everything that you could want out of a player to represent American University Basketball.

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