Season preview: HoopsHD interviews UC Davis G TJ Shorts II

Posted on October 30, 2018 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of Hoops HD’s Preseason Coverage

We continue our season preview coverage with UC Davis G TJ Shorts II. Few players made a more dazzling debut than TJ did last season in Davis: 13 PTS in his very 1st game at Northern Colorado, 13-13 FTs in a win over Lamar last December, a game-winning 3-PT shot with 2 seconds left in double-OT in a 1-PT road win at Long Beach State in February, and a triple-double in a triple-OT 8-PT win 12 days later at Cal Poly. After leading the Aggies to the Big West regular season title the awards kept pouring in: he became the 1st player in conference history to be named Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year in the same season. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with TJ about winning all of those awards and having a huge home-court advantage.

You are 5’9”: do you consider your size to be an advantage or disadvantage on the court? It has its advantages and disadvantages but this is the body that God gave me so I see it as an advantage.

You play for Coach Jim Les, who was named 2018 conference COY and had 884 career AST as a player at Cleveland State/Bradley: what makes him such a good coach, and do you 2 have a special bond because he was such a great PG himself? He just wants to win and is willing to do anything to win. He will cater the offense around his players. Our relationship is great due to his knowledge and he is always giving me pointers/tips: I appreciate everything that he does for me.

Last year you won 3 multiple-OT road games by single digits during an 8-game stretch to finish the regular season: how was your team able to keep pulling out these exhausting wins game after game? Just staying connected. We knew that we were capable of winning so we just stayed focused on the goal and stuck to the game plan.

You became the 1st player in Big West history to be named Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year in the same season: how were you able to come in and dominate right from the start? My coaches/teammates believed in me: it is a big thing that allows you to play to your full capability and showcase your talent from the jump so I took full advantage.

You ranked top-10 in the conference in many categories including PPG/APG/SPG: what is the key to being a good PG? Just leading: it might not be about scoring/passing specifically because it depends what your team needs you to do to get a win.

In the 2018 NIT you scored 10 PTS in a 10-PT loss at Utah: what did you learn from that game that will help you this year? We were leading for most of that game so our expectations are to take it up a notch. We want to make the NCAA tourney this season.

The Aggies went undefeated at home 2 years ago and 10-2 at home last season: how much of a home-court advantage do you have at the Pavilion? We have a great home-court advantage because the fans come out and we just do what we do. Hopefully we can start a new streak again this season.

Your non-conference schedule includes road games at Arkansas/Indiana/Arizona/USC: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Each game will present different tests and we know they will all be tough, but they will set us up for conference play so we can get rolling as we get closer to the Big West tourney.

You are 1 of 5 seniors on the roster: how crucial will all of that experience be to your team’s success this year? It will be huge. It can be a blessing or a curse but as a veteran group we need to lead the younger guys and teach them.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? The main goal is to get to the NCAA tourney, which is the only thing that I am focused on. We want to win a regular season title, win the conference tourney, and then make a nice little run.

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The Hoops HD Report(s): American Athletic, Atlantic Ten, Mountain West, and West Coast Conference Previews

Posted on October 30, 2018 by David Griggs

CLICK HERE for all of Hoops HD’s Preseason Coverage

When it comes to the hierarchy of conferences, these four conferences are certainly NOT Under the Radar because 98 percent of the time they send multiple teams to the NCAA Tournament.  But, you really wouldn’t classify them as power conferences either.  We at Hoops HD haven’t really named their category (Group of 4?, Multi-Bid 4?, Really-Good-But-Not-Power 4?), but we’ve certainly been giving them a distinction in recent years (perhaps without even realizing it).  Nevertheless, there are individual teams in these four leagues that can compete for NCAA Tournament at-large bids, a few that we think can compete for protected seeds, and two that we think can compete for spots in the Final Four.  Watch each of the four videos as we break down the American Athletic, Atlantic Ten, Mountain West, and West Coast Conferences

AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE

 

ATLANTIC TEN

 

MOUNTAIN WEST

 

WEST COAST

 

And for all you radio lovers, below are audio only versions of the shows…

American

 

Atlantic Ten

 

Mountain West

 

West Coast

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Conference Preview: ACC

Posted on October 30, 2018 by Chad

CLICK HERE for all of Hoops HD’s Preseason Coverage

With a 1 seed (Virginia) and a pair of 2 seeds (Duke and North Carolina), things looked pretty good for the ACC heading into the NCAA Tournament last season.  When the dust settled, the conference did not put a single team in the Final Four, and it felt like it was Florida State and Clemson that made the most noise with second weekend runs.  Of course, Virginia made a different kind of noise, becoming the first 1 seed ever to lose to a 16 seed in the Round of 64.  The loss still stings for the Hoos, but they return a team that is more than capable of making up for last season.

The preseason pick to win the league is Duke, though it is always tough to go with a team made up of all newcomers.  The talent appears to be there, though they will be pushed by both North Carolina and Virginia again.  Virginia Tech could be a surprise contender for the league crown, while Louisville may be better than expected under new head coach Chris Mack.  At the end of the day, do not be surprised to see 8 or more teams from this league back in the Big Dance.

Predicted Order of Finish

  1. Duke – It is tough to pick in favor of a team with almost no one returning from the season before; however, when the new talent coming in is as highly rated as the recruiting class that Coach K assembled this year, it is tough to pick against the Blue Devils. Tre Jones, Cam Reddish, R.J. Barrett and Zion Williamson are all names that will be discussed a lot this season – and likely next June at the NBA Draft as well.
  2. North Carolina – The Tar Heels have enough talent to be champions – both of the ACC and of the entire NCAA. They are led by two key returnees, forward Luke Maye and 6-9 guard Cameron Johnson.  The only question will be at the point, where Coach Williams may need freshman Coby White to show that he is ready to lead the way from Day One.
  3. Virginia – Assuming that the Cavs put what happened last March in their distant memories, this team should once again be right near the top of the conference standings. Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome form a fierce backcourt duo, while having De’Andre Hunter back healthy, and adding Alabama transfer Braxton Key, will help a ton.  The question in Charlottesville may not be how well they do in the regular season, it may be whether or not they finally are able to make a deep tourney run.
  4. Virginia Tech – The Hokies did lose Justin Bibbs in the offseason, but with Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Justin Robinson, Chris Clarke, Kerry Blackshear and Ahmed Hill all back, it would not be smart to bet against them.
  5. Syracuse – The Orange return four starters from a team that won 23 games. They just need to find a way to score more – especially from outside the arc.  With Tyus Battle leading the way, if the offense shows up, ‘Cuse could finish even higher than this in the league standings and will enter March as a lock for a dance ticket.
  6. Florida State – The Seminoles may be the deepest team in the ACC, as it would not be a shock to see 10 or even 11 players get significant minutes this season. With guys like sixth-year senior Phil Cofer and Terance Mann to lead the way, Florida State should find a way to return to the NCAA Tournament again this year.
  7. Louisville – Chris Mack takes over as head coach and does not have a complete rebuild on his hands. The Cardinals have a solid group of young returning players, led by V.J. King.  They also add some transfers that should be able to help out right away, most notably former Samford point guard Christen Cunningham, his former school’s career leader in assists.
  8. Clemson – The Tigers finally broke through and made the Big Dance last season, and then promptly made a Sweet 16 run. They may be hard-pressed to match that level of success this year with the team probably lacking the depth needed behind returning starters Marcquise Reed, Shelton Mitchell and Elijah Thomas.  One player to keep an eye on is Oral Roberts transfer forward Javan White.
  9. NC State – Starting guards Braxton Beverly, Markell Johnson and Torin Dorn all return this season. However, pretty much no one else on the entire roster was here last season.  If head coach Kevin Keatts can get the Wolfpack playing cohesively early, they could finish higher than this, especially with former Ohio State forward DJ Funderburk among the newcomers this season.
  10. Boston College – Just a few years removed from an 0-18 ACC run, the Eagles are coming off an NIT season and look to be continuing to head in the right direction, though a ticket to the Big Dance is probably still a few years away. It might have been closer had Jerome Robinson passed on the NBA and returned for one more year, but the Eagles have all four other starters back including Ky Bowman, who will likely average over 20 points per game this year.
  11. Notre Dame – Mike Brey tends to find ways to succeed every time it looks like his team is down, so it would not be a complete shock if the Irish were in the hunt for an NCAA Tournament bid. On the other hand, this team finished below .500 in ACC play last season and missed the Big Dance – and that was with Bonzie Colson and Matt Farrell (at least part of the season due to injuries they suffered).  J. Gibbs should lead the way, but he will not be enough.
  12. Miami – The Hurricanes will need Florida Gulf Coast transfer Zach Johnson to quickly prove that he can play ACC-level basketball if they want any shot at coming even close to last year’s 22-win total. In the end, there just don’t appear to be enough pieces here to replace the losses of Lonnie Walker and Bruce Brown.
  13. Georgia Tech – The Yellow Jackets lost three double-digit scorers in the offseason, including Josh Okogie. For a team that was 329th in the nation in scoring, that is not a good sign.  Jose Alvarado will need to pick up even more of the scoring load for this team to have any success.
  14. Wake Forest – The Demon Deacons lost 20 games last season, and then lost over 66% of their scoring to graduation and transfers in the offseason. That is not a good combination, but a solid recruiting class at least has next year looking better.
  15. Pittsburgh – Jeff Capel takes over the complete and utter mess left behind by Kevin Stallings after an 0-18 ACC season.  The good news is that it cannot get worse.  The bad news is that it will likely take several years to get much better.
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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews USC G Jonah Mathews

Posted on October 29, 2018 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of Hoops HD’s Preseason Coverage

We continue our season preview coverage with USC G Jonah Mathews. It was quite a sporting Sunday in Los Angeles yesterday: the Rams beat the Packers to remain the only undefeated team in the NFL, the Dodgers (fresh off winning the longest World Series game ever on Friday) lost to the Red Sox in Game 5, the Clippers scored 136 points while pummeling the Wizards, the Galaxy came up 1 goal short in a loss to the Dynamo, and Alec Martinez scored the game-winning goal for the Kings with 55 seconds left in a win over the Rangers. UCLA & USC both lost home football games on Saturday but their basketball teams both hope to make it back to the postseason next March. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Jonah about making a sneaker switch and being a great 3-PT shooter.

You play for Coach Andy Enfield: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him? He lets us play and is not a stickler so he lets us make all the decisions on the ball. He never takes us out if we make a mistake.

You played in 35 games as a freshman: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? We only had 10 guys on the roster but I prepared to contribute and play a role. The upperclassmen just showed me the way.

Last January you were struggling with your shot until switching to a new pair of sneakers: are we ever going to see you wear anything except Jordans in the future?! Nike called Coach Enfield and said I could not wear them…unfortunately!

You shot 42.3 3P% last season: what is the secret to making shots from behind the arc? Just repetition. I get into the gym every day and just take shots that I will take during a game, which helped my confidence.

In the 2018 Pac-12 tourney semifinals you scored a career-high 27 PTS/8-10 FG in a win over Oregon: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? I felt good before that game, saw 1 go in, and that helped me get going. I played against the Ducks twice before during the regular season so I felt comfortable against them the 3rd time.

In the 2018 NIT you had a 5-PT 2-OT win over UNC Asheville and then a 4-PT loss to Western Kentucky: what did you learn from your postseason run that will help you this year? You have to come ready to play every game because people are out to get you. We almost lost both of those games so we have to be locked in from the start.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Vanderbilt/Texas Tech/Nevada/TCU/Oklahoma: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? All of them are good teams but Nevada will be ranked in the top-10. They all play in big conferences so we have to come ready to play. We cannot fool around and have to get some wins.

Bennie Boatwright missed 17 games as a sophomore due to a knee sprain and then the final month of last season due to a left patella injury: how is his health doing at the moment? He is determined to rehab his injuries and has gotten back to doing sprints. He should be back to contact drills in a couple of weeks and is progressing well.

Your father Phil is a college basketball coach and your brother Jordan plays pro basketball in Denmark: who is the best athlete in the family? Easily me because I can do everything: I am the best for sure!

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I want to be 1st-team All-Pac-12 on both offense and defense. It really hut to miss the NCAA tourney last year so we have to be hungry. I hope we can win a conference title and then make a deep run in March.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Tulane head coach Mike Dunleavy Sr.

Posted on October 27, 2018 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of Hoops HD’s Preseason Coverage

We continue our season preview coverage with Tulane head coach Mike Dunleavy Sr. Duke fans might know him as the father of 2001 NCAA champ Mike Jr. and Quinnipiac fans might know him as the father of head coach Baker but his storied career dates back several decades and involves many Hall of Famers. He played for a great coach named Frank M. at South Carolina (McGuire, not Martin), played with Dr. J in 1 NBA Finals and with Moses Malone in another, and coached Magic Johnson in an NBA Finals. He led the NBA in 3P% in 1983 and was named NBA Coach of the Year 20 years ago. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Dunleavy about his colossal career and fantastic family.

You played for Hall of Fame coach Frank McGuire at South Carolina: what made him such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? First of all, he was great recruiter. Secondly, it was his style of play. Coach McGuire coached Wilt Chamberlain in the NBA when he averaged 50 points per game and recorded the only 100-point game in NBA history. A lot of the things we learned were pro things, which was very positive. During my freshman year we had four future pros in addition to 7-footer Danny Traylor: myself, Kevin Joyce (1st-team All-American, 1972 Olympian), Brian Winters (NBA All-Star), and Alex English (NBA Hall of Famer).

In December of 1980 as a player for Houston you scored a career-high 48 PTS in a 3-PT win over Denver: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”, and was it extra-special to do it against your college teammate English? What really happened in that game is that it was a quiet 48 PTS because I scored double digits in every quarter. Moses Malone was injured that night so Billy Paultz was our center. As he told me, it was because of him that I got open because he screened for me many times and got me great looks. It was just one of those games: it was not like I was just so hot all night. I made 19-30 FG but it was one of those things where the ball just moved and I got open looks and made shots. It had nothing to do with playing against Alex because he did not guard me, but 1 person who was in the mix of people who defended me was Hall of Famer David Thompson. The main thing was that it was a win in a fairly close game.

In 1979 you finished 6th in the NBA with 86.4 FT% and in 1983 you led the NBA in 3P%: what is the secret to being a great shooter? Consistency in shooting the ball same way every time. That year we had 4 guys on my team who were in the top-7 in the league: Calvin Murphy/Rick Barry were #1/#2, and Mike Newlin and I were #6/#7!

You made the NBA Finals twice as a player (once each with Philly/Houston) and once as a coach (with the Lakers in 1991): what was it like to face legends like Bill Walton/Larry Bird/Michael Jordan with a championship at stake? The only time we were favored was during my rookie year when we played against Portland. We had a lot of great players on that team but obviously Portland was a great team as well and played really good team basketball. Bill Walton was really amazing but they also had a great supporting cast. In the Rockets-Celtics series we were major underdogs. We had some injuries but got hot at the end of the year and then won like six games in a row to get into the playoffs, and then we set the record for most road wins.

As someone who had a good view of 2 of the most famous “switching hands” plays in the history of the sport, were you more impressed by Bird in Game 1 of the 1981 Finals (he missed an 18-footer, caught the rebound in mid-air while falling out of bounds, switched the ball to his left hand and flipped it into the basket) or Jordan in Game 2 of the 1991 Finals (he drove to the basket, raised the ball in his right hand, then switched the ball to his left hand and banked in a layup)? I think that Bird’s shot was a tougher shot. I do not think that Jordan had to finish it the way he did: he was just athletic enough to do so.

In 1999 you were named NBA COY with Portland: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? Any time a coach is named Coach of the Year it is really a team award. The main thing that year was that we never lost three games in a row all season long. We really kept it even and played really solid basketball. We were really good defensively and did a good job of sharing the ball.

You won 6 games in your 1st year at Tulane in 2017 but won 14 games last year: how were you able to make such a big improvement from year #1 to year #2? In my first year I was teaching virtually every player and everyone on my coaching staff (except for assistant coach Raman Sposato) what we were going to do. Last year we came back and had 10 guys who were here (giving us 10 other teachers + coaches), so that made it a lot easier for the new guys to pick everything up. That was the big part of experience: when you have a lot more teachers then your players can leave and go home and talk about it and the guys really know what they are talking about.

You lost your top-2 scorers from last year (Melvin Frazier/Cameron Reynolds) and only have 2 seniors on the roster: how will you try to replace all of that offense/leadership? I think that we are going to have depth. It is going to be hard because it is not going to fall on only one guy. We think that we have a couple guys who can pick up and add 2-4 points per game for us, and I think we are going to have the deepest team since I have been here.

Your son Mike Jr. ranks in the top-50 in NBA history with 1304 career 3PM, your son Baker is head coach at Quinnipiac, and your son James is an agent who has several NBA clients: how proud are you of all of their accomplishments? Obviously I am very proud of all of them. Basketball is kind of their livelihood in a sense but it started out with them being good students. They all went to good schools and made good grades and they each have a really good work ethic. Those are the main things. To do anything you have to work hard and stick with it. Nobody has a straight line up: you have to just keep plugging and working.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? It is to take our game to another level. We always want to play fast but this year we would like to play even faster. We want to be fundamentally strong and have got to get better defensively. With our depth we will have more substitution options so we will be able to play faster. We are going to play a lot of young guys so we might be somewhat erratic for a period of time but I think that we will be exciting to watch.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews West Virginia assistant coach Erik Martin

Posted on October 26, 2018 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of Hoops HD’s Preseason Coverage

We continue our season preview coverage with West Virginia assistant coach Erik Martin. There are few assistant coaches in the country who have been connected to their boss for as long as Coach Martin has. He first met Bob Huggins more than 25 years ago when he agreed to come to Cincinnati to play for the Bearcats, then worked as an assistant to Huggins at Kansas State before following him to West Virginia. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Martin about almost beating the Fab 5 as a player in the Final 4 and facing the eventual champs last March as an assistant coach in the Sweet 16.

Take me through the 1992 NCAA tourney as a player for Bob Huggins at Cincinnati:
In the Sweet 16 you scored 10 PTS including a pair of FTs with 20 seconds left in a 2-PT win over UTEP: did you think that you were going to make them both, and where does that rank among the highlights of your career? I did think that I would make them both but I remember Hugs getting on me during a timeout for something else that I did. It was big but there is so much else that happened after that. Hugs keeps reminding me that I made them: it was a great moment in my life.

In the 1st-ever Final 4 to feature 4 schools that had previously won a national championship, you had 10 PTS/10 REB in a 4-PT loss to Michigan: what was it like to face the “Fab 5” with a spot in the title game on the line? It was bigger than anything that has ever happened in my life. At the start of the year I do not think that anyone even had us in their top-50. 1 of my teammates told Dick Vitale at Midnight Madness that we planned to reach the Final 4. Dick told us to get some more realistic goals but Hugs told him that we would do it.

In 1993 you led the Great Midwest Conference with 60.3 FG%: what is the key to being a great shooter? Getting a lot of rebounds! We had a great guard named Nick Van Exel: he made a lot of big shots but I tried to get as many rebounds as I could whenever he missed.

In the 1993 NCAA tourney you scored 16 PTS in a 7-PT OT loss to North Carolina: how close did you come to beating the eventual national champ? The refs were awful during that game: I think Coach Dean Smith kicked the scorer’s table and they did not even give him a technical foul. That being said, I give Carolina credit because they beat some really good teams along the way.

You played pro basketball in the US/overseas for 9 years: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball in other countries? Now there is very little difference: everyone is going to smaller lineups with stretch-fours. Back in my day there was a lack of athleticism overseas so they would get an American to even out their squads. Now it is a fine line because everyone wants to step out and shoot the 3 like Golden State.

In the 2010 Big East tourney as an assistant to Huggins at West Virginia, tourney MVP Da’Sean Butler banked in a 3-PT shot at the buzzer in a 3-PT win over your alma mater and then 2 nights later he made a runner with 4 seconds left in a 2-PT win over Georgetown to clinch the school’s 1st Big East title: where does Butler rank among the most clutch players that you have ever seen, and was is extra-special to win it at MSG with an all-New York area starting lineup of Butler/Wellington Smith/Kevin Jones/Devin Ebanks/Truck Bryant? I gotta go with my guy Nick as the most clutch but Da’Sean was probably #2. We also had guys like Mazzulla who was from Rhode Island: they called us the Metro-neers! After wins at our home arena we play the song “Country Roads” by John Denver, so when they played it at MSG it was electric. I will never forget that: there were grown men in the stands who were crying. It was surreal: everything was happening so fast at the time but it remains 1 of the best days of my life.

In the 2018 Sweet 16 you lost to eventual champion Villanova: what do you think your team learned from that game that can help them this year? I do not know if we learned anything but we need to do a better job of blocking out on the FT line. If we had blocked out on 1 possession in the 2nd half and then made a 3 we could have cut it to single digits. You have to give Villanova credit for withstanding our pressure. They beat each of the top-3 schools in the Big 12 in a row (West Virginia/Texas Tech/Kansas) so I tip my hat to them. The best team probably won the title last year, which does not happen all the time.

Your veteran frontcourt looks great with Esa Ahmad/Lamont West/Sagaba Konate: how is the backcourt looking after the graduation of Jevon Carter/Daxter Miles Jr.? It is looking young! They are gym rats so they are always coming in to watch film but they will have to learn a lot of lessons during games. I think that we will be a lot better in February then we will in November. When you have veterans who leave you just need to let the younger guys figure things out.

You are responsible for the development of big men: what is the key to success in the post? 1 thing you have to do is create space: it is all about footwork. There are 100 different ways you can do it. I will keep saying it: I told Sagaba what to do and he just kept doing the work to become a great player. My job is to teach them what to do.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Florida/Pitt/Tennessee: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Definitely the game at Tennessee. They are a top-5 team that brings almost everyone back, but after playing road games in the Big 12 we are prepared for that type of environment. It will be an opportunity to show America that we are a good team who deserves a high seed.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We are different than most schools: Hugs lets the players determine the goals. We want to win the national title but I want our players to get better as both players/people. If all they learned during their time here was about basketball then I did a poor job of preparing them for life. All D-1 athletes deserve more than wins/rings: even if you play in the NBA the ball will stop bouncing 1 day and you need to be prepared for that. I want them to be productive citizens, which sometimes gets overlooked. We need to be role models and teach them to be ready for life.

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