Basketball and brains: HoopsHD interviews Belmont Academic All-American Dylan Windler

Posted on March 14, 2018 by Jon Teitel

Earlier this month Belmont lost 68-51 to Murray State in the OVC tourney title game, but even though their season has come to a close the awards keep rolling in. On Monday JR wing Dylan Windler was named an Academic All-American. On the court he averaged 17.3 PPG/9.3 RPG for the Bruins: off the court he averaged a 3.84 GPA while majoring in Accounting. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Dylan about facing Providence/TCU earlier this season and leading the conference in FG%.

You grew up in Indiana: what made you choose the Bruins? They showed a lot of interest in me from the start and came to my high school while I was a sophomore.  It was appealing, especially because other schools were not showing as much interest. Once I got to meet the coaches and get to know my players during my campus visit it seemed like I was able to fit into the direction they wanted the program to go in. It is a great school in the booming city of Nashville where there is a lot of stuff to do.

You play for Coach Rick Byrd: what makes him such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? He does a lot of great things and 1 of the best offensive minds in the nation. He has a great ability to adapt from game to game: it feels like we are running a new offense in every game we play. He gets players started in the system early and by the time we are juniors/seniors it is like 2nd nature to us. He raises us to be good men and sets a good example for us both on/off the court.

You played 32 games as a freshman: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? We had a really good team with guys like Evan Bradds/Craig Bradshaw so I just slid into my role as a freshman around all of that great firepower. They lacked a little athleticism on the wing and I just tried to fill the gap with defense/rebounding.

Last month you had 36 PTS/20 REB/14-17 FG in a win over Morehead State: where does that rank among the best all-around games of your career? I would say it is up there: those kind of stats are not easy to get and to do that against a quality team is a big accomplishment.

You finished the year by leading the conference with 55.6 FG%: what is the secret to being a great shooter? Repetition for sure: you have to get a lot of shots up and feel confident with your stroke. Shot selection is also a big part of it: we do not shoot a lot of mid-range shots because Coach Byrd is a big numbers guy and knows that mid-range shots are not the most efficient ones.

In the OVC tourney title game you scored 10 PTS in a loss to Murray State: how did the Racers pull away from you after you build a 5-PT lead early in the 2nd half, and how do you think that they will do against West Virginia on Friday? They are a really good team who got really hot at the end of the season. They have 2-3 really good players like Jonathan Stark/Terrell Miller/Temetrius Morant. The title game was a game of runs but we just did not make enough shots down the stretch. I think that they have a good shot against West Virginia: they are 2 high-caliber teams who have good athleticism inside.

You had road losses to 2 other NCAA tourney teams last November in Providence/TCU: which of those 2 teams impressed you the most? We lost to Providence on a 3-PT buzzer-beater but they are both really good teams. TCU has an all-around good team even with their starting PG hurt. I think that both of them could make a run this month.

Do you consider this season to be a success (due to winning 24 games), or a failure (due to not making the postseason and having to play Georgia yet again), or something else? It is tough to define an entire season but I cannot say it is a failure. It was frustrating to not make the NCAA tourney but we had a really good year so I would call it a success, although it obviously did not end the way that we wanted it to.

Earlier this week you were named 2nd-team Academic All-American: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? All student-athletes know how hard it is to find the perfect balance to excel at both aspects at the same time. The key is time management: there are only so many hours in the day.

You have a 3.84 GPA while majoring in Accounting: how did you pick that subject, and what do you hope to do with your degree? I have always been a big math guy dating back to middle school. I later took some finance classes that I liked and met some people who made a good living out of it so that is why I took that route. I am planning to do an internship this summer with PricewaterhouseCoopers for a couple of months, get my CPA after I finish college, and then try to do something in public accounting to get started.

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NCAA Tournament: First Four Review/Preview – Wednesday, March 14th

Posted on March 14, 2018 by John Stalica

For the Puppet’s editorial on the NCAA Selection Committee – CLICK HERE
For a preview of other postseason games – CLICK HERE
For Jon Teitel’s tips/advice on picking your 2018 bracket – CLICK HERE
For Jon Teitel’s interviews:
– Elon Academic All-American Tyler Seibring – CLICK HERE
– Tennessee assistant women’s coach Bridgette Gordon – CLICK HERE
– NC Central F Pablo Rivas – CLICK HERE
– Penn PG Darnell Foreman – CLICK HERE
– Georgia State F Jordan Session – CLICK HERE
– For previous interviews – CLICK HERE

Finally, for FREE chili (spaghetti extra) – CLICK HERE!

There were a couple of games that were played last night to kick off the NCAA Tournament festivities in Dayton. Carlik Jones (a native of nearby Cincinnati, Ohio) was one of two Radford starters that led the Highlanders to their first ever NCAA Tournament victory with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Ed Polite, Jr. also had 13 points and 12 rebounds for Radford. Their reward will be a trip to Pittsburgh to play Villanova in the first round on Thursday.

In the nightcap, the game between UCLA and St. Bonaventure saw the Bruins climb their way to a 5-point 2nd half lead, but a 9-0 run by the Bonnies gave them the lead for good and they ended up with their first NCAA Tournament victory since they went to the Final Four in 1970 during Bob Lanier’s tenure with the then-Brown Indians. St. Bonaventure will travel to Dallas to take on Florida in the first round on Thursday.

TONIGHT’S GAMES

-TEXAS SOUTHERN VS. NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL (6:40 PM, TruTV). While Mike Davis’s team failed to win a single nonconference game, it wasn’t for lack of talent, but rather a very tough schedule that included teams like Gonzaga, Ohio State, Syracuse, Kansas and Clemson all on the road. While they defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff in the SWAC Championship game (avenging 2 earlier losses to Pine Bluff in the regular season), NC Central picked up tough wins (by MEAC standards) against Savannah State, Morgan State and Hampton to win the MEAC title. The Eagles have finished as high as a 14 seed a few years ago, but are a likely underdog to Texas Southern for tonight. The winner advances to Nashville to play top-seeded Xavier Friday night.

-ARIZONA STATE VS. SYRACUSE (9:10 PM, TruTV). The best has been saved for last in Dayton – both the Sun Devils and the Orange were the last two teams selected into the NCAA Tournament field. When ASU was beating teams like Xavier, Kansas and Kansas State in the noncon, they were getting monster play from their backcourt. They’ll literally have a tall order in front of them in the form of Syracuse’s 2-3 zone. The Orange were able to get notable wins like Clemson, at Miami, and at Louisville to get an at-large bid despite a sub-.500 ACC finish. The winner of this game goes up I-75 to Detroit to play TCU in the first round on Friday night.

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Puppet Ramblings: The Good, the Bad, the Right, and the Wrong About the Basketball Selection Committee

Posted on March 14, 2018 by David Griggs

Let me begin by sharing this….

I was once on a party planning committee for a 4th of July picnic.  Our committee decided (stupidly) that cold turkey and cheese sandwiches would be better than grilling out burgers and hotdogs.  Cold cuts and cheese typically costs more, and is not nearly as suitable for the 4th of July as burgers and dogs would be.  Our reasons for doing it were rather stupid as well.  Some said that hotdogs weren’t healthy.  Others worried that a kid may choke on a hotdog.  Someone mentioned the grill being a potential safety hazard.  We made a stupid decision with a predictable outcome.  People showed up and wanted to know where the burgers and dogs were.

My point is this.  Committees of all sorts get things wrong all the time.  Most people reading this have probably been a part of some sort of committee that collectively made a stupid decision for a stupid reason.  Hell, chances are everyone reading this has been on a hiring committee, or a planning committee, or some sort of committee that made a decision they didn’t like, but had to go along with because it was a committee decision.

The Men’s Basketball Selection Committee really isn’t any different.  It’s made up of ten people who all have other jobs and who primarily do other things.  The committee changes every year.  There are two members who leave, and two members who join.  So, what the committee tends to favor one year may not be the same was what they favor in future years.  That’s the nature of ANY committee.  As much as I love the work that bracketologists do, there is a human element to this as well that oftentimes isn’t accounted for.  It’s a group of ten people that is always changing that are tasked with selecting the 36 best non-automatic qualifiers, and then ranking/seeding them.  The word “best” can mean twenty different things to ten different people.

Is it corrupt??  Haha.  Well I believe that it is part of the human condition that when we don’t get something that we want, we feel it is a huge miscarriage of justice!  It’s unfair!  And furthermore, it must be due to a conspiracy!  When under the radar teams like Middle Tennessee this year, and Illinois State last year, are left out people jump up and down and scream and yell about how the committee is biased toward the power programs, and how the networks are concerned about money, and how it’s a conspiracy of the highest order!  In years where we see a lot of mid-majors selected, it’s the same thing!  People jump up and down and scream and yell about how the committee is biased, and how the networks want the Cinderella stories, and how those teams play in easy conferences, and all that stuff.  Anyone that doesn’t get what they want is going to scream about how it was unfair, and furthermore they’re going to be convinced that there some sort of conspiracy working against them.

Does the committee get things wrong??  Yes.  Like my 4th of July committee, all kinds of committees get things wrong.  Are there things that put Under the Radar programs at a circumstantial disadvantage when it comes to scheduling that the committee oftentimes does not account for??  In my opinion, yes.  Is the committee corrupt and do they conspire against a certain group of teams??  No.  And when you stop and think about it, it’s kind of ridiculous to think that they would.

Committee members receive little to no money for being on the committee.  They all work in college athletics, but all have other jobs and primarily do other things.  They receive no personal gain whatsoever based on who gets into the tournament and who doesn’t.

The NCAA makes $1.1 billion a year off the tournament, and will continue to do so throughout 2032.  That is also a set amount that won’t change regardless of who is in the tournament.  That’s fifteen years into the future.  Pretty much anyone that had anything to do with putting this tournament together, be it a selection committee member or someone on the NCAA staff that works with championships, will be retired by then.  I just can’t believe that they would make any decisions or selections because they’re worried about what the new television deal is going to look like fifteen years from now.

The NCAA is also an organization that failed miserably the last time they tried to conspire.  The whole thing with Miami and Nevin Shapiro kind of blew up in their faces, and that was a rather simplistic conspiracy compared to what it would take to rig the basketball committee year after year after year.  When people are wrong, sometimes they are simply that.  Wrong.  They’re not wrong on purpose due to some sort of elaborate conspiracy.

So I guess this raises another question.  Should there even be a committee that puts the tournament together?  We now have a committee in college football.  But, we didn’t used to.  We had a BCS formula that people also didn’t like.  So it would seemingly change every year.  Kind of like the committee.  So, that didn’t work, and we have a committee now, and a lot of people feel that isn’t working either.

Should the RPI go away??  This debate always intrigues me.  As a power ranking the RPI is awful.  The thing is, it’s not used by the committee as a power ranking.  It’s used as a very general rating.  It isn’t quite as basic as simply looking at a team’s record, but it is only slightly more sophisticated.  And, it is treated as such.  No one argues that a team’s overall record shouldn’t be on the profile.  The RPI is just supposed to be a slightly better general indicator.  I also think it’s funny that while people whine about how bad the RPI is, others also use it as evidence as to why a team like Middle Tennessee should have been in this year.  So, again, we have people on two different sides of the fence and every time a decision is made, the people on the side of the fence that didn’t get their way will think the committee did it wrong.  Damned if you do.  Damned if you don’t.

I personally don’t think it’s the committee that needs fixing.  I think the fundamental problem is that outside of the P5/multi bid leagues, we have 22 conferences, which consists of close to 250 of the teams, that simply do not get enough opportunities to play against the teams they need to in order to impress the committee.  A team like Alabama can improve throughout the year, get hot in February, and rack up quality wins.  A team like Middle Tennessee or New Mexico State gets limited chances in November and December, and they better hope they’re good enough to take advantage of them then.  After that, if they’re fortunate enough to win a big game or two, the best they can hope for in January in February is to not blow it.  So you get P5/multi-bid teams that are making their case in January and February, and a smattering of UTR teams that won big games in the first half of the season simply trying to avoid bad losses in conference play.

Now, how do we fix that??  I really don’t know.  But, that’s what needs fixing more than anything.  That has nothing to do with the committee.  They can only evaluate what they see.  They’re not part of some conspiracy because they’re worried about what the next TV deal will look like in fifteen years.

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Basketball and brains: HoopsHD interviews Elon Academic All-American Tyler Seibring

Posted on March 14, 2018 by Jon Teitel

Earlier this month Elon lost 86-79 to Delaware in their CAA tourney opener, but even though their season has come to a close the awards keep rolling in. On Monday JR PF Tyler Seibring was named an Academic All-American for the 2nd year in a row. On the court he averaged 15.4 PPG/6.8 RPG for the Phoenix: off the court he averaged a 3.95 GPA while double-majoring in English/Economics. Earlier this week HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Tyler about facing Duke/Charleston earlier this season and making shots from behind the arc.

You grew up in Illinois before coming to the Phoenix to play for Coach Matt Matheny: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? His knowledge of the sport is really strong because he has been around the game for such a long time. He does a great job of passing down information to us: it just radiates from him.

In 2016 you were named to the CAA All-Rookie Team: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? There was a lot of trust placed in me to start that season. We put in a lot of hard work and I was given an opportunity to play right away: everyone on the team helped me a lot.

In February of 2017 you scored a career-high 30 PTS/8-11 3PM and had 12 REB in a 1-PT 2-OT loss to Northeastern: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? It was a really intense game: obviously the result was not what we wanted but it was still a lot of fun. It felt like the basket kept getting bigger after each shot that I made.

In your season opener this year you scored 11 PTS in a loss at Duke: what makes the Blue Devils so great and how far do you think that they can go this month? The structure that they have put in place for their team is 2nd to none. They have earned their reputation and continue to further it each year. They have so much talent that anything is on the table: they could beat anybody.

In January you scored 17 PTS in a 5-PT win over Charleston: what is your scouting report on the Cougars as they prepare to face Auburn in the NCAA tourney on Friday? They can defend and have a lot of different guys who can score. PG Joe Chealey is a really talented player who can create/score, Jarrell Brantley can play both inside/outside, and SO SG Grant Riller is a good young scorer so they will be tough to beat.

You beat Delaware last month to improve to 14-11 this season before losing 7 in a row to finish 14-18: what the heck happened?! It was a tough stretch for us. A lot of guys lost their confidence after the 1st couple of losses in February and we just could not recover. We will try to get better and start next year off well, which is what we are training for right now.

Your 40.8 career 3P% is #2 in school history: what is the secret to making shots from behind the arc? If I knew the secret then I would probably be #1! For me it is about getting into the gym and shooting as much as possible to get the practice. The team puts me in great positions to knock down shots.

In 2017 you were named 3rd-team Academic All-American and earlier this week you were named 1st-team Academic All-American: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? A lot of the skills you pick up in basketball are transferable to other parts of your life. Honestly, it helps me balance my affairs because I need to keep a rigid schedule. We have great academic advisers but you need a lot of discipline to succeed as a D-1 athlete.

You have a 3.95 GPA while double-majoring in English/Economics: how did you pick those 2 subjects, and what do you hope to do with your degree? My freshman year I had those 2 classes in my course load and enjoyed each of them because they are so different from each other. I go from 1 class where I am comparing GDPs of different countries to another class where I am comparing literature from different authors. I am not exactly sure what the future holds but these 2 subjects help me discover things that I find fascinating about our world.

Your brother Trevor/sister Katy played college basketball: who is the best athlete in the family? They both played at D-3 Illinois Wesleyan. We all play a little differently but if you are talking strictly about the best athlete then I would pick my younger sister Bri: she will run and jump us under the table!

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Under The Radar Postseason News, Notes and Highlighted Games – Wednesday, March 14th

Posted on March 14, 2018 by John Stalica

-Unlike last year’s chaotic start to the NIT, chalk held up in all 9 home games of the first round played last night. There were a couple of close results – USC needed overtime at home to hold off UNC-Asheville before winning 103-98 in overtime.  Note that USC’s leading scorer Chimezie Metu will not play in the NIT – that is his personal decision as far as we know. Asheville did have a chance to win in regulation, but alas were not able to make their final shot at that time. Louisville also came from behind after trailing by as many as 7 points in the 2nd quarter before coming back to win 66-58. Rider also led by 8 at halftime at Oregon, but the Ducks blew the game open in the 4th quarter and beat the Broncs 99-86. Other winners included Notre Dame, Baylor, Middle Tennessee, Saint Mary’s, Oklahoma State and Western Kentucky.

-The Team of the People (Cal Baptist – West Region) learned last night that they will be the #7 overall seed in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight next week at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  They will take on #2 Queens College of North Carolina (Southeast Region) in their opener. Other teams that advanced to the Elite Eight were Ferris State (Midwest), West Texas A&M (South Central), Northern State (Central), Le Moyne (East), East Stroudsburg (Atlantic) and Barry (South).

-There was also one opening round game in the CIT – Utah Valley had a comfortable 22-point win at home against Eastern Washington.

NIT

-(6) LOUISIANA AT (3) LOUISIANA STATE (7:00 PM, ESPN3/WatchESPN). This will be a fun in-state matchup; Louisiana earned an automatic invite to the NIT after winning the Sun Belt regular-season title in decisive fashion. LSU was much improved in Year 1 under Will Wade and even looked like they might turn the corner for the NCAA Tournament back in early January after a good start in the SEC before eventually tailing off.

-(7) HARVARD AT (2) MARQUETTE (7:00 PM, ESPN2). Harvard also earned automatic qualification for the NIT after earning the #1 seed in the Ivy League tournament (they tied with Penn for the regular season championship). Marquette will be playing this and any future home games in the NIT on campus in the much smaller Al McGuire Center.

-(5) TEMPLE AT (4) PENN STATE (8:00 PM, ESPNU). While Penn State’s highlights seemed to be concentrated solely on 3 wins against Ohio State, Temple was a little more diversified with early-season wins against Clemson, Auburn and Wichita State. However, both teams failed to consistently win against fellow NIT teams and teams below that cut line – hence this old Atlantic 10 rivalry being renewed for one night only.

-(7) UC-DAVIS AT (2) UTAH (9:00 PM, ESPN3/WatchESPN). UC-Davis followed up their first-ever NCAA Tournament bid from last season with a regular-season title in the Big West. Alas, they ended up in the NIT after a loss to eventual Big West champion Cal State-Fullerton in the semifinal round. Utah failed to win in their Pac-12 opener against Oregon, but they were at least a team of discussion as far as at-large NCAA bids last week.

-(5) NEBRASKA AT (4) MISSISSIPPI STATE (9:00 PM, ESPN2). There is actually some familiarity between these two teams – they played a charity exhibition in the preseason that Mississippi State won in Starkville back in October. This should be a fun matchup between a pair of homecourt heroes.

-(4) BOISE STATE AT (5) WASHINGTON (10:00 PM, ESPN3/WatchESPN). This should have been a game that Boise hosted, but Taco Bell Arena is booked with 1st and 2nd-round NCAA Tournament games this week. However, one of Boise’s highlights this season was a win at Oregon – they are just as capable of winning a 2nd time in a Pac-12 venue.

-(6) BYU AT (3) STANFORD (10:00 PM, ESPNU). The Cougars were the last at-large team selected in the NIT field – they made a late push with their win against Saint Mary’s in the WCC semifinals last week. Stanford also improved after being hamstrung with injuries earlier in the season.

CIT

-NIAGARA AT EASTERN MICHIGAN (7:00 PM). While both teams are coming off of disappointing losses in their respective conference tournaments, it had to sting more in one respect for Niagara after being upset in their MAAC opener against Fairfield. However, Eastern Michigan is also coming in looking to make amends after a 1-point loss in the MAC semifinals to Toledo.

-SAINT FRANCIS-PA AT ILLINOIS-CHICAGO (7:00 PM). The Flames come into this game much improved over the course of the last two seasons, but ended their regular season with 3 consecutive losses to Wright State, NKU and Milwaukee. Saint Francis was originally picked to win the NEC in the preseason, but were short-circuited in their NEC tournament opener at home against Fairleigh Dickinson.

-LAMAR AT TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO (8:00 PM). A pair of southern Texas schools will be reunited for the final game of the night in the CIT. UTSA actually finished 5th in C-USA, but there was no shame in losing to eventual champion Marshall in the quarterfinals of their conference tournament. Lamar finished #6 in the Southland, but they lost their conference tournament opener to Central Arkansas.

CBI

-JACKSONVILLE STATE AT CANISIUS (7:00 PM). Postseason play in the Big 4 got off to a good start with St. Bonaventure beating UCLA in the NCAA First Four last night – we’ll see if Canisius (along with Niagara tonight) can give Buffalo-area fans more reason for optimism tonight in their opener against a Jax State team that lost in the OVC semifinals.

-MIAMI-OHIO AT CAMPBELL (7:00 PM). While Chris Clemons and Campbell couldn’t replicate the same run they had in the Big South tournament last year, they will get to play host to a much-improved Miami team tonight in the thriving metropolis of Buies Creek.

-TEXAS-RIO GRAND VALLEY AT NEW ORLEANS (8:00 PM). This season, the inclusion of UTRGV gives the WAC 5 total teams in the postseason – their highest percentage of postseason teams since their salad days in the 1990s. Their reward is a trip to New Orleans to take on the Privateers out of the Southland.

-NORTH TEXAS AT SOUTH DAKOTA (8:00 PM). While South Dakota was denied further advancement out of the Summit league thanks to in-state foe South Dakota State, the silver lining for tonight will be a chance to play at least one postseason game on campus. Also keep an eye on North Texas in the near future in Year 1 of the Grant McCasland regime.

-CENTRAL ARKANSAS AT SEATTLE (10:00 PM). Is it me, or does CAU play some of their best ball in the Pacific Time Zone? They had a win at Cal and a near miss at UCLA back in November. Seattle was also competitive against New Mexico State before ultimately losing in the WAC semifinals.

-MERCER AT GRAND CANYON (10:00 PM). The Lopes fell one game short of winning the WAC Tournament in their first season of eligibility, but nonetheless will get to play at least one more home game in front of a rabid crowd. Mercer was one-and-done in the SoCon after losing to Wofford in their opener.

-COLGATE AT SAN FRANCISCO (10:00 PM). The Raiders missed a chance to make the NCAA Tournament for only the 3rd time in school history after losing at Bucknell in the Patriot championship last Wednesday. However, the Dons are very difficult to beat at home – ask Saint Mary’s how tough it can be.

Posted in CBB on TV, Daily Rundown, News and Notes, Team of the People | Comments Off on Under The Radar Postseason News, Notes and Highlighted Games – Wednesday, March 14th

Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Tennessee assistant women’s coach Bridgette Gordon

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Jon Teitel

Tennessee lost to South Carolina in the SEC women’s tourney earlier this month but still earned an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. Head coach Holly Warlick has now led the Vols to 6 straight NCAA tourneys since taking over in 2012, but this year she has someone new to rely on in the form of assistant coach Bridgette Gordon. As a player at Tennessee in the late-1980s under Coach Pat Summitt she pretty much owned the sport: 1986 co-SEC ROY, 4 consecutive trips to the Final 4, and winner of the 1989 Honda Sports Award as the top female college basketball player in the nation. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Coach Gordon about winning a pair of NCAA tourneys as her team prepares to host #14 seed Liberty on Friday afternoon in Knoxville.

In 1986 you were named co-SEC ROY: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I attribute it to my work ethic and the competitiveness that I always had. I was able to win a spot on the team and the whole atmosphere prepared me for what I was up against in the conference.

You set an NCAA record with 4 consecutive trips to the Final 4 at Tennessee: what made Pat Summitt such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from her? Her ability to get the best out of each and every 1 of her players. She knew how to cater to each individual by pushing certain buttons. She developed me into the player she saw that I could be. We were ranked 13th in the SEC my freshman year and Georgia was the favorite but we were able to upset them: when we lost in the Final 4 it just made me want to get back there the following year.

Even though Louisiana Tech had beaten the Volunteers in 11 of their previous 12 meetings entering the 1987 NCAA tourney title game, you scored 13 PTS and held the Lady Techsters to their lowest point total in school history during a 67-44 win to clinch the 1st title in Tennessee history: how did you play what Louisiana Tech coach Leon Barmore called “the greatest defensive game I have ever seen”? That was the good old hard days when you played the final the very next day after the semifinals. We could have thrown in the towel after beating Long Beach State in the semis but we walked through everything that Louisiana Tech did. We knew their plays better than they did and were calling them out in advance: they were just starstruck! It came from us imagining what their plays would be like.

In the 1988 Olympics you won a gold medal with team USA: where does that team rank among the best that you have ever been a part of, and what did it mean to you to win a gold medal? That is the ultimate goal when you are representing the USA and you have an entire nation rooting for you back home. It meant so much to me and will always remain dear to my heart: there is nothing else like it. It was special to take on all of the big challenges with Russia back in the Olympics. As a little girl I aspired to win a gold medal: even today it seems surreal. When they played the anthem after we won it was amazing: I still get a chill thinking about it now. I remain the best of friends with all 11 of my teammates: it was 12 ladies competing for 1 goal. God bless Coach Kay Yow: she was a great woman and we wanted to win it for her. To have your dream come true is just so special: Pat told me when she was recruiting me in my living room that it would happen if I just played hard enough.

In 1989 you were named SEC POY and won the Honda Sports Award as the top female college basketball player in the nation: what did it mean to you to win such outstanding honors? When I look back at it they were great individual accomplishments and it showed that all of my hard work/dedication had paid off, so that was something I loved. Being a champion comes 1st…but individual awards are a close 2nd.

Take me through the magical 1989 NCAA tourney:
You set an NCAA tourney record by making 17 FTs in a win over Long Beach State: what is the secret to making FTs? I kept saying to myself that I would just put the icing on the cake and try to win another title for Pat before we graduated. We panicked during the 1988 Final 4: our hotel was 1 hour away from Spokane, it was pouring rain, and we were stuck in traffic without a police escort! Our senior class was determined to go out with class: they called us “money players”.

You tied a championship game record held by Cheryl Miller/Cynthia Cooper with 27 PTS in a win over Auburn en route to being named tourney MOP: is it true that Coach Summitt got angry at you during a 2nd half timeout and told you to play harder and that you made 4 straight shots despite having a tooth knocked loose that later required a root canal to save it?! I had to pinch myself and ask if this was real! If I had to do it all over again I would choose Tennessee every time. Those stories are true. I got hit when I went up for a rebound and even though I was focused on winning a title I came over to the bench holding my tooth: I was worried about looking like Michael Spinks! Pat ignored the rest of the team and told me that Ruthie Bolton wanted it more than me: she pushed my button and the light just went on for me. We could not get by them for a few years due to their match-up zone.

You led the SEC in scoring in 1988 and you still hold the school record with 338 career STL: how were you able to balance your offense with your defense? Just due to my competitiveness: I hated to lose more than I loved to win and had so much pride that I did not want to let anyone score on me. Melissa McCray was a great on-ball defender so I just had to get in the passing lanes and steal the ball. Pat gave me an autographed photo and wrote that I was “1 of the best players she ever coached”. I am competitive in everything I do: washing dishes, playing cards, etc.

You won 7 straight Italian League Championships as a pro player from 1990-1996: how was your team able to be so dominant for such a long period of time? We had some of the better Italian players on the team, but it was also due to my competitive mentality. My 1st year as a pro we were runner-up to Clarissa Davis, who I could not stand losing to in college when she was at Texas: I just told my team that we would not lose to her again. I have won titles at the high school/college/pro/Olympic level, and the European Cups were also the biggest of the big. I hope to go down in history as a winner. Pat played a huge part in my life: God blessed me with a lot of talent but she just brought so much out of me.

In 2007 you were elected to the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame: where does that rank among the highlights of your career? I was also elected to the Lady Vols Hall of Fame in 2001 and had my jersey retired on 1/27/90 so I have had a lot of highlights throughout my life. I lost my father during my 1st year as a pro and Pat was with me the whole time: talk about a roller coaster of emotion. I think about all of my teammates/coaches: there are so many people who helped me along the way and made me who I am. I played against boys while growing up and they all challenged me. I am just blessed to have received so many prestigious awards. The only 1 that is missing is Springfield: hopefully 1 day they will come knocking.

You worked as an assistant coach at several different schools before joining your alma mater as an assistant to Holly Warlick last July, and it seems to be working as the Lady Vols won their 1st 15 games this season: how do you like being a coach, and what will it take to get back to the Final 4 for the 1st time in a decade? I try to instill success in our young ladies because I have been there/done that. My father is a native Jamaican so I have always had to work for everything I got: my upbringing has a lot to do with it. It is a great honor to work for Holly at a place where I helped win 2 titles as we try to add to the legacy. We could not duplicate what we did with Pat because this is a whole different generation: the NCAA now will not let us develop them the way we did back in the day. I was a center growing up but they spent hour after hour with me in the gym to teach me how to dribble and develop me into a forward. Holly has a vision of how we will win and we have had some great recruiting classes so we just need to have some nasty defense/relentless rebounding. That is why I came back and we have all the ingredients to win a title: the kids just need to be willing to put in the work.

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