Season preview: HoopsHD interviews new USC Upstate head coach Dave Dickerson

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of Hoops HD’s Preseason Coverage

We continue our season preview coverage with new USC Upstate head coach Dave Dickerson. It has already been quite an eventful year in Spartanburg, SC: the school fired head coach Kyle Perry in March after a 7-25 season, hired Coach Dickerson to replace him in April, switched conferences from the Atlantic Sun to the Big South in July, and (fortunately) avoided the wrath of Hurricane Florence in September. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Dickerson about having Len Bias as a teammate, winning the 2002 title at his alma mater, and how the new job is going.

In the 1986 ACC tourney as a freshman at Maryland, Duane Ferrell stole an in-bounds pass from Keith Gatlin with 5 seconds left and made the game-winning dunk in a 2-PT win by Georgia Tech: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? I have not thought about that game in 30+ years! It was one of the most difficult losses of my college playing career. We were not a good team at the start of conference play but Coach Lefty Driesell did a good job of defining our roles. Len Bias was to be our 1st option…and the 2nd option…and the 3rd option…and the 4th option: once we accepted our roles we started to play much better!

A few months later Bias died of a cocaine overdose: what was your reaction like when you heard the news, and how did his death change your life (if at all)? I was actually at the hospital that June morning and heard the news along with the rest of the team. Being a 19-year old kid from a small town in South Carolina, it was a devastating part of my life and still is. Lenny was a big part of why I chose to go Maryland. His death forced me to grow up faster than I otherwise would have. It also caused a gray cloud to hang over the university and negatively impacted many of our basketball careers at Maryland.

In 2001 as an assistant to Gary Williams at your alma mater, your team blew a 10-PT lead to Duke in the final 54 seconds of a 2-PT home loss in January, then blew a 22-PT 1st half lead and lost to the eventual champs again in the Final 4: do you think it was a matter of bad luck, or a great opponent, or the refs, or something else? When you are up by 10 PTS with 1 minute left in a game and in another game where you have a 22-PT lead, you expect to win. During that season though we were able to go on the road to Cameron Indoor Stadium and avenge the loss at Cole Field House. This was Shane Battier’s last home game/Senior Night. I make no excuses for those losses but I have a lot of respect for that team because we were the first team in the history of Maryland basketball to reach a Final Four.

In the 2002 NCAA tourney title game you beat Indiana to clinch the title: what did it mean to you to win a title at your alma mater, and what was the reaction like when you got back to campus? I originally went to Maryland because I wanted to play for an ACC and a National Championship. I did not get a chance to do that as a player but as a coach I was able to fulfill my dream by winning the ACC Tournament Championship in 2004 and the National Championship in 2002.

In the spring of 2005 you were hired as head coach at Tulane a few months before Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans: how were you able to move forward while the region tried to recover, and how is Spartanburg doing after a visit from Hurricane Florence last month? The city of Spartanburg was not affected by Hurricane Florence. Our thoughts and prayers our with our neighbors in coastal North and South Carolina. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, we were able to move forward because of strong leadership at Tulane University. Athletics was able to carry the torch and be the face of the university while we were displaced at various universities in northern Louisiana and Texas for the semester.

As an assistant to Thad Matta at Ohio State you were a part of so many NCAA tourney games that went down to the final possession, both good (Aaron Craft’s 3-PT shot to beat Iowa State in 2013) and bad (Brandon Knight’s 15-footer by Kentucky in 2012): what makes the difference in March when the margin for error is so slim? Obviously I only remember the wins and not the difficult losses. In order to win a national championship you have to play your best basketball and be very lucky. The teams we had at Ohio State and the players we coached on those teams were a special group of young men who I will never forget.

You were hired as head coach at USC Upstate in April: why did you take the job, and how is it going so far? It was a chance for me to become a head coach again and run my own program. I was very impressed with our president (Chancellor Brendan Kelly) and his vision for the university and how athletics fit into that vision. Most importantly, it gave me a chance to return to my home state of South Carolina as a head coach. It has been 168 days and I am loving every minute of it! I have a lot of respect for our returning players who believed in me and committed to staying at Upstate when they could have chosen to leave. I am also very excited about my freshman class.

You have no juniors and 1 sophomore on the roster: I know you are focused on the season at hand but do you have any concerns about who you will turn to for leadership next season? I have no concerns about that. I have a great deal of respect for Thomas Booker (who will be a junior next year) and I see a great deal of leadership potential in my freshman class.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against South Carolina/NC State/Georgia Tech: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test, and how do you feel about facing Frank Martin after stating last April that not joining his staff was “one of the worst mistakes” of your coaching career? When you take over a program that only won seven games the previous season, every game will present a certain level of challenges. In order for us to be a championship level program we have to be able to compete with programs like South Carolina, NC State and Georgia Tech. Every team we play in our non-conference schedule will help us to create our identity going into Big South play. I have a great deal of respect for Frank and we have a relationship that extends back to the recruitment of Steve Blake at Maryland.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I want to provide our seniors (Deion Holmes/Jure Span/Malik Moore/Pat Welch) with the best year they have had at Upstate. I also want to raise the level of our basketball program to the level of our university and put our program in position to play for (and eventually win) championships.

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Conference Preview: America East

Posted on October 10, 2018 by Chad

CLICK HERE for all of Hoops HD’s Preseason Coverage

 

The America East made history last season, as conference tournament champion UMBC became the first #16 seed ever to defeat a #1 seed in NCAA Tournament history.  What was lost about the conference in all of the Retriever madness was that Vermont had been the best team in the league all year, losing only one league game by a single point until the conference tournament final upset loss to the Retrievers.  This year, Vermont and UMBC should be in the battle for the league title, but it is a team that has never punched a ticket to the Big Dance that may just steal the show from both of them.  The Hartford Hawks return a veteran team that learned how to win games last season and seems to have all the ingredients to take the crown.

Predicted Order of Finish

  1. Hartford – The Hawks return six key seniors from a team that almost won 20 games last season. John Carroll is one of the best players in the conference and has a real chance to help lead his team to their first ever NCAA tournament bid.
  2. UMBC – The Retrievers pulled off arguably the greatest upset in the history of the NCAA Tournament last season and will look to follow that up with a return to the Big Dance this year. Even though star Jairus Lyles is gone, three starters do return and head coach Ryan Odom has added Providence transfer Ricky Council.
  3. Vermont – The Catamounts were upset at home by UMBC in the America East title game last year, and we all know what happened after that. With three double-digit scorers gone, going 15-1 in league will likely not happen, though Anthony Lamb is still a force.  Watch out for the three Duncan brothers, senior Ernie, junior Everett and freshman Robin.
  4. Binghamton – The Bearcats return four senior starters, led by J.C. Show and Thomas Bruce, and have a solid group of newcomers. This team has a serious chance to go from 20 losses last year to 20 wins this one.
  5. Stony Brook – The Seawolves were a disappointing 13-19 last season but do return their leading scorer in Akwasi Yeboah and the America East Rookie of the Year in Elijah Olaniyi. Look for an improved record this time around.
  6. Albany – The Great Danes were hit hard in the offseason when star Joe Cremo transferred to Villanova and David Nichols moved on to Florida State. Head coach Will Brown now has a rebuild in front of him, but one should never underestimate his teams in this conference.
  7. UMass-Lowell – Replacing three of their top four scorers from a 12-18 team will be difficult, though keep an eye on 6-9 forward Darius Henderson to make an impact in his first season.
  8. New Hampshire – It is hard to see any serious level of success in Durham this season as a 10-21 team from last year lost its two best players, Tanner Leissner and Iba Camara.
  9. Maine – Four starters do return for the Black Bears and new head coach Richard Barron, but the one that left (via transfer to Oklahoma) was their best player, Aaron Calixte. A successful season may be once again avoiding the league basement.
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The Hoops HD Report: Discussion with Ken Pomeroy

Posted on October 9, 2018 by David Griggs

Chad, David, and Joby are joined by KenPom.com publisher/owner, college basketball rankings expert, advanced statistic expert, and expert on a lot of other things…Ken Pomeroy!!  We talk about his rankings and how he got in to publishing it, what the focal points of his rankings system are, and how the selection committee is now using them as part of their data when they evaluate teams.  We discuss the difference between predictive rankings and merit based rankings and speculate as to what the new NET is going to look like as it attempts to utilize both types of rankings.  All that, and much more!!

 

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

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews NC Central assistant coach Reggie Sharp

Posted on October 9, 2018 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of Jon Teitel’s Season Previews and Interviews

We continue our season preview coverage with NC Central assistant coach Reggie Sharp. Every year the Iron Bowl is 1 of the biggest college football games in the nation, but the Alabama-Auburn rivalry extends to the basketball court as well. Coach Sharp is responsible for 1 of the most famous plays in the history of that rivalry: in 2001 he banked in a 36-footer for the Tigers at the buzzer in OT to beat the Tide. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Sharp about making the 1st 4 last March and having 1 of the biggest junior classes in the country this season.

As a 1st-year player at Auburn your team started the season 25-1: did it just reach a point where you expected to win every single time that you stepped onto the court? Yes it did, which is fun! We had a really good team with a lot of guys who were returning, and the older we got the better we became.

In the 2000 NCAA tourney you had 4 REB in a 3-PT win over Creighton: how were you able to hold Kyle Korver to just 2-10 3PM, and could you have ever imagined that he would turn into 1 of the best 3-PT/FT shooters in NBA history? People do not realize how big a guy he is: he could always get a good look. Our coach was very good at taking away the other team’s best player with some junk defenses. We were willing to let other people shoot that night but not him.

You were named team captain as a senior: what is the key to being a good leader? Just making sure that everyone competes every day. During the summer after my junior year I gained a lot of respect from the guys because they saw how hard I competed.

In February 2001 you took an inbound pass with 4.4 seconds left, weaved through traffic, and banked in a 36-footer at the buzzer to clinch a 3-PT OT win over Alabama at a sold-out Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum, causing the fans to storm the court: did you think the shot was going in, and where does that rank among the highlights of your career? That was the best moment of my playing career for sure, especially due to the rivalry against Alabama. I practiced that shot and knew that my momentum would help: I had a good look at it and it went in.

In the 2001 NIT freshman center Kyle Davis set a postseason record with 13 BLK (including 11 in the 2nd half!) in a 2-PT win over Miami: where does that rank among the greatest defensive performances that you have ever seen? It was unbelievable. Kyle was a great athlete and is probably the best shot-blocker in our school’s history.

In the 2018 1st 4 as an assistant coach at NC Central you lost to Texas Southern: what did your team learn from that game that will help them this year? If we get to the 1st 4 again that would be great, but the turnaround is so fast. You have to find a way to get off the high of winning your conference tourney and get re-focused. We were both mentally/physically tired after winning 4 games in 4 days.

You work for Coach LeVelle Moton: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him? He is great at Xs and Os but what makes him really great is that he used to be a teacher. The way he conveys his message allows the team to understand a play he draws up in only a couple of minutes. We are able to cover a lot of ground thanks to the ways that he helps us interpret everything.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Clemson/Cincinnati: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Those 2 teams have a great amount of talent/size/athleticism…but LeVelle makes sure that we expect to win every game we play no matter who our opponent is.

You had 9 juniors/redshirt juniors on the roster last year: how crucial will all of that returning experience be to your team’s success this season? It will be a big factor. A lot of the lineup is already in place so we just have to bring the new guys along. When you understand the system it helps practice go so much better.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? The expectations are the same every year: upset some teams in non-conference play, win the conference tourney, and make the NCAA tourney.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Utah Valley assistant coach Chris Burgess

Posted on October 8, 2018 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of Jon Teitel’s Season Previews and Interviews

We continue our season preview coverage with Utah Valley assistant coach Chris Burgess. The Wolverines coaching staff is based on having great coaching pedigrees: head coach Mark Pope won an NCAA title under Rick Pitino at Kentucky, assistant coach Cody Fueger was a video coordinator/student assistant/manager for Rick Majerus at Utah, and Coach Burgess made the NCAA title game as a player for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Burgess about being a McDonald’s All-American and playing for Coach K.

In the 1997 McDonald’s All-American Game you played for the West in a loss to the East: which of your fellow honorees impressed you the most (Elton Brand/Baron Davis/Lamar Odom/other)? I grew up playing with/against Baron since 5th grade so I already knew how good he was even when he only stood 4’2”! I would say Brand because of how strong he was in the low post. He had unbelievable touch to go along with his wide body: he would just shoot tear-drops over you. I remember going against him at Duke and he would kick my butt: it was a gift to play against a future #1 overall pick…but a curse because I had to play behind him.

You decided to go to college at Duke, which caused BYU coach Roger Reid to allegedly accuse you of letting down your religion as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints: how did those comments make you feel, and what role does religion play in your life? The comments did not bother me for as much attention they got at the time. BYU is a wonderful university but I did not understand everything as a 16-year old kid. I loved being recruited by Coach Reid but my dream schools while growing up in Southern California were Duke/UCLA. The backlash/notoriety was unfortunate and I wish it had not happened, but it was just the way it was. I am a full Temple-worthy/tithe-paying Mormon and my wife and I are raising 5 wonderful kids in the Mormon faith.

In the 1999 NCAA tourney title game you played 7 minutes in a 3-PT loss to UConn: how close did you come to winning a title, and where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? It ranks #1 and nothing else is even close. You could taste it: we had blown out everyone else, similar to what Villanova just did this past spring. UConn was good: Rip Hamilton was the best player on the court and they did an unbelievable job guarding Elton. I have never watched a replay of that game but I still remember it. We turned the ball over in the final seconds and did not get a shot.

You played for Coach Mike Krzyzewski: what makes him such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? He can relate to everybody and finds a way to cultivate a relationship with you. 18 years ago at Duke we would have never played zone or taken 1-and-done players, but he has done an amazing job of adapting. He coaches through experience, motivates his players, and prepared us for battle against every single opponent. We were fresh/hungry to play harder than our opponents: I have played for a lot of coaches but I was never more ready to go to war then at Duke.

You played pro basketball in several countries for more than a decade: what is the biggest difference between basketball in the US vs. basketball overseas? The way they move the ball better overseas. They will have several guys in double-figures with a leading scorer around 15 PPG rather than just having 1 big 20-30 PPG scorer. The Jazz/Spurs are similar to that: the ball does not stick and there is less isolation. When I am recruiting I love European players because their only agenda is to win. It starts with social media and personal drills: European guys just want to get onto the court and win (like Manu Ginobili/Tony Parker/etc.).

As an assistant to Coach Mark Pope in the 2018 CBI, Kenneth Ogbe scored 26 PTS/5-7 3PM in a 5-PT loss to San Francisco: what did your team learn from that game that will help them this year? It is hard to win on the road: we were 18-1 at home but only average on the road. We can only control 1/3 of what goes on (us) rather than the other 2/3 (the refs/our opponents). We need to be tougher, block out the long travel/crowd/bad calls. We have to be mentally stronger, which will give us a chance to be special.

You have a great backcourt including Conner Toolson/Jake Toolson/Brandon Averette: how is the frontcourt looking? I love our frontcourt: we have a transfer from Eastern Michigan who has had a year to learn our system. We also have a grad transfer from New Mexico (6’11” Baylee Steele) who has a bit of a chip on his shoulder. If we can have the success with them that we have had out of our other past transfers, ten they will really compliment our backcourt.

Your coaching staff held an open tryout last month: how did it go, and did you find any keepers? We actually hold it every year to see if there are any sleepers. We did not find anyone this year that we thought could help us win games but we found a couple guys who want to be managers. There are a lot of good coaches who started as managers for free, so that would be a win for us.

Your wife Lesa played soccer at Utah: who is the best athlete in the family? I am taller but she is better. She was an all-MWC defender and is still an amazing athlete. She is a CrossFit coach and could probably dominate any of our current athletes at gymnastics/lifting. She is a freak athlete and I have injured myself many times trying to keep up with her: it is ego-crushing! My daughter is also a great volleyball player.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I think our expectations are high: conference champs/NCAA tourney. That is what we say during recruiting and we mean it. We were so close last year to a dominant New Mexico State team (28-6 overall) but that is our goal: if there is anyone in our locker room who does not feel that way then we do not want them. We will go through some adversity just like every team in America and it is our job to manage that.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Dayton head coach Anthony Grant

Posted on October 6, 2018 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of Jon Teitel’s Season Previews and Interviews

We continue our season preview coverage with Dayton head coach Anthony Grant. Some coaches try to build their resume by moving around every couple of years from 1 head coach to another as an assistant, but Coach Grant worked his way up the ladder by learning from 1 of the best college coaches this century. When Billy Donovan was hired as head coach at Marshall in 1994 at age 28 (making him the youngest D-1 head coach in the nation), he hired an even younger Grant to become 1 of his assistants. After 2 winning seasons in Huntington, the duo headed south to Gainesville where they lost the NCAA title game to Michigan State in 2000 and won the NCAA title game over UCLA in 2006. Coach Grant spent almost a decade as the head man at VCU/Alabama, then returned to work for his old boss in a new place for 2 years after Donovan was hired as the head coach of the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015. Coach Grant returned to his alma mater last year as head coach and is preparing to begin year #2 with an experienced staff but a young roster. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Grant about winning the title in 2006 and working with a pair of MVPs in OKC.

In the 1985 NCAA tourney as a player at Dayton you had 8 REB in a 2-PT loss to eventual national champion Villanova: how much of a home-court advantage did you have at University of Dayton Arena, and how surprised were you to see Wildcats win the title a couple of weeks later by beating a Georgetown team who you had faced in the tourney the previous year? All I remember about the game is that we did not win. Our fan base is 1 of the best in the country and we felt that every single night. Villanova just made some plays on both ends of the court during the last couple of possessions. To see them win it all just shows how the tournament goes: matchups, luck, talent, etc. They were well-deserving.

In the 1987 USBL championship game for the Miami Tropics, you had a 4-PT win over the Rhode Island Gulls: what was it like to have playoff MVP World B. Free as a teammate? It was a great experience to win the title. We had some other great players like Mario Elie who later won a pair of championships with Houston. I had World’s poster on my wall as a kid so to play with him was a lot of fun.

In the 2006 NCAA tourney title game as an assistant to Billy Donovan at Florida you beat UCLA to win the title: what did it mean to you to win a title, and do you have any regrets about becoming head coach at VCU rather than sticking around for the 2007 title? It was an unbelievable experience to win that title: that is the goal of every competitor. What stood out to me were the guys who laid the foundation for that to happen (like Udonis Haslem) when it was not fashionable to think that Florida could get it done. I have no regrets at all: I had a great 10-year run before taking over at VCU and was fortunate enough to see the Gators cut down the nets in Atlanta in 2007.

In the 2007 NCAA tourney as coach at VCU, Eric Maynor scored 22 PTS including a 15-foot jumper with 1.8 seconds left in a 2-PT upset of Duke: did you think that his shot was going in, and where does beating Coack K in March rank among the highlights of your head coaching career? It was certainly a big shot: I felt it had a chance when he let it go and I felt good about where we were at that moment. To win a game of that magnitude and see the excitement on the faces of our guys is where my mind went.

You rejoined Donovan as his assistant with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2015: how much fun was it to be part of a team with superstars like Kevin Durant/Russell Westbrook? It was a great experience for 2 years. Reconnecting with my dear friend Billy and being in the NBA among the greatest players/basketball minds in the world was tremendous.

In 2017 you were hired as head coach at Dayton: what was the best part of year #1, and what was the not-best part? The best part is being the head coach at my alma mater. I played here, earned my degree, and established great relationships. The 1st time that I walked out of the tunnel was a surreal feeling. The worst part was not having more success, but that is part of the process.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Butler/Virginia/Mississippi State/Auburn: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Our next practice is our biggest test because that is all that we can control.

You only have 2 seniors on the roster: what kind of leadership are you expecting out of Josh Cunningham/Jack Westerfield? Both of them have been in the program for a while and are familiar with the history of the school. We have a few other veterans like Ryan Mikesell/Trey Landers and some freshmen who have a chance to play right away if they can take advantage.

As someone who has been coaching for 3 decades, how comforting is it to have such an experienced/accomplished staff including assistant coaches Donnie Jones (2 NCAA titles as an assistant to Donovan at Florida)/Anthony Solomon (1984 Final 4 as a player at Virginia)/Ricardo Greer (2-time All-Big East player at Pitt)? I am certainly excited about the staff that we have been able to put together. When you look at their past successes I fell honored to have them here with me as a part of what we are trying to do.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? The goal never changes: compete for championships and qualify for the NCAA tourney. That is what we are working toward.

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