Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews NC Central SR F Pablo Rivas

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Jon Teitel

On Saturday NC Central beat Hampton 71-63 in the MEAC tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Eagles won 25 games and made it to the 1st 4 before a 4-PT loss to UC-Davis in 2017, and despite going 19-15 this year they were good enough to claim the school’s 3rd NCAA tourney bid in the past 5 years. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with SR F Pablo Rivas about winning the conference tourney and preparing to face Texas Southern tomorrow night in Dayton.

 (photo courtesy of Mark Sutton)

You were born/raised in Panama: how did you 1st get into basketball, and what made you choose the Eagles? My dad was a big-time basketball player so I looked up to him. I played soccer at 1st but later tried to follow my dad’s basketball legacy.

You play for Coach LeVelle Moton: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? He is so smart/humble: he always comes up with a good game plan for us to execute and emphasizes all the right things that it takes to win. We try to avoid making minor mistakes because that is what good teams do.

Last year you led the conference with 69.8 FG%: what is the key to being a great shooter? Just working hard, getting into the gym, and plenty of repetition. You have to build up your confidence because sometimes the crowd is against you on the road and you have to stay focused.

In the 2017 1st 4 you scored 12 PTS in a 4-PT loss to UC Davis: how close did you come to winning the game, and what did you learn from that loss that will help you this March? We had played well all season long but kind of lost a sense of who we were at the wrong moment. It was great to be on a big stage so we just need to play together as a team and take it 1 possession at a time.

In November you only played 7 minutes in an 8-PT loss to Marshall: what impressed you the most about your fellow NCAA tourney team? That is a tough place to play. They are a great team as well and we battled with them all game long.

In January you had a career-high 23 PTS/14 REB in a win at Coppin State: where does that rank among the best all-around games of your career? That game meant a lot to me because it helped establish my confidence so I learned to just keep attacking.

After entering the MEAC tourney last week as a #6 seed you had to win 4 games in 5 days to clinch the title: how exhausted were you by the end of the weekend, and what was the reaction like when you got back to campus? I was very exhausted so my legs were dead tired. When I got back I took an ice bath and just tried to take care of my body and recover. Almost everyone is on spring break but the people who did stick around were going crazy at our Selection Sunday party at the Student Union: it was a great event.

You ended up being named 2018 conference tourney MVP: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most? I just locked in more than I ever have in my life. I felt like I had to take a bigger role this time around and I am proud of myself for being able to do that.

You are 1 of 4 seniors on the roster: how do you help prepare your freshman backcourt of Jordan Perkins/Reggie Gardner for the challenge ahead? I try to act as a big brother as much as I can and give them advice…just like my older teammates did for me in the past. I simply tell them to run the team, play relaxed, and not turn the ball over. Sometimes they try to do too much but that is natural for freshmen.

What do you know about Texas Southern, and what will it take to beat the Tigers on Wednesday night in Dayton? They just won the SWAC tourney and are a good team, but so are we so it will be a good battle.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Penn SR PG Darnell Foreman

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Jon Teitel

On Sunday Penn beat Harvard 68-65 in the Ivy tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Quakers only won 13 games in 2017, but bounced back this year to go 24-8 and claim the school’s 1st NCAA tourney bid since 2007. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with SR PG Darnell Foreman about winning the conference tourney and preparing to face Kansas on Thursday afternoon in Wichita.

You grew up in New Jersey: what made you choose the Quakers? I am a local guy from Camden which is right across the Ben Franklin Bridge from Philly so it was a no-brainer for me. I watched many games in the Palestra while growing up and always wanted to be a part of the Big 5. I get a top-notch education and get to do something I love so it is pretty great.

You play for Coach Steve Donahue: what makes him such a good coach, and what has he told you about his own run to the Sweet 16 with Cornell in 2010? He is very understanding of all the responsibilities that student-athletes have as well as the social media era we live in. He holds everyone accountable but not with a harsh tone: he comforts us, which is what we need since we are critical of ourselves. He says that past seasons are part of the past: we are a new team.

You played in all 28 games as a freshman: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I just tried to bring energy/effort, especially on the defensive end. I was still adjusting to the pace/physicality of the college game but Coach Jerome Allen thought that I could do something to help the team.

In November you scored 13 PTS in a loss to Villanova: what impressed you the most about your fellow NCAA tourney team from the Big 5? It was amazing to see how easily they can get points from different players throughout their entire rotation: there are no weak links. They compete hard against whoever they are playing, whether it is a top-25 team or a low-major team.

In the Ivy tourney title game on Sunday you scored a game-high 19 PTS in a 3-PT win over Harvard: how worried was the team when you were down by 13 PTS in the 1st half, and how on earth were you able to respond by going on a 24-0 run? It was not a sense of worry: we just lost our energy and needed to find a way to get some momentum. We stayed patient and once we saw that our fans stayed with us we were locked in.

At the end of the 1st half you made a deep 3-PT shot over a double-team to beat the buzzer and give your team a 34-32 halftime lead: did you think the shot was going in, and where does that rank among the highlights of your career? It is up there just because of the time/situation/magnitude. I think that all of the shots I take are going in and I had a good feeling once it left my hand, which is why I started jogging toward half-court. I am grateful to be a part of the long list of great Palestra memories.

AJ Brodeur was named 2018 conference tourney MVP: what makes him such a great player? He is so versatile and can score in so many ways. He also bring the energy on defense and is a great teammate.

You and Caleb Wood are the only 2 seniors in the starting lineup: how do you try to prepare the younger guys for the challenge ahead? This is a new experience for me but I have been playing for a while so I am just telling the guys to enjoy the process and play as hard as they can.

During your 1st 3 seasons your team won 9 games, then 11, then 13: when you were starting this season 4 months ago did you honestly believe that a 24-win season was even a possibility? Yes! I am not arrogant but we worked so hard to get here and winning 20 games was our goal. We set the bar pretty high and we accomplished our goal.

What do you know about Kansas, and what will it take to beat the Jayhawks in Wichita on Thursday afternoon? They are a top-5 program with a track record of pros/Hall of Famers. It will be tough for us since it will almost be like a home game for them in Wichita, but we like when the odds are stacked against us and are willing to go toe-to-toe with them.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Georgia State SR F Jordan Session

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Jon Teitel

On Sunday Georgia State beat Texas-Arlington in the Sun Belt tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Panthers made the CIT before losing to Texas A&M CC in 2017, but bounced back this year to claim the school’s 2nd NCAA tourney bid in the past 4 years. Earlier this week HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with SR F Jordan Session about winning the conference tourney and preparing to face Cincinnati on Friday afternoon in Nashville.

You play for Coach Ron Hunter: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? He is a good coach because he is a high energy guy. He coaches with a lot of fire and cares about winning. One of the most important things I have learned from him is how to play the right way.

In the 2015 NCAA tourney your team had a 1-PT upset over Baylor: what is the key to success for a Cinderella in March? I think the key to our success in that game was our defensive effort. Our defense was great that night and a lot of players stepped up big when their time was called. We will need to do the same this week against Cincinnati.

In the 2017 CIT you scored 13 PTS in a loss to Texas A&M CC: what did you learn from that game that you think will help you this March? Last year’s postseason was a tough one. We all wanted the season to end differently and after that game I learned how quickly the season can end if you do not give it your all. I think that our desire to keep playing will help us a lot in March because we all like playing together and think that we have a good chance of winning.

After starting only 18 games during your 1st 3 years you have started all 34 games as a senior: what is the biggest difference between coming off the bench vs. being a starter? Being a starter has been huge for me, especially with my confidence on the court. It helps a lot when I can go out there and just play so I focus on that. I have worked really hard the last three years and this just shows that my hard work/dedication have paid off.

In February you scored a career-high 22 PTS/10-14 FG in a win over Louisiana-Lafayette: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? The game was really hyped up so we had to lock in or get into “the zone”. My teammates kept finding me on some good looks and I was just able to finish on the offensive end. At this part of the year every game is fun because you have to be “in the zone” each and every night.

In the Sun Belt tourney title game on Sunday you scored 7 PTS in a win over Texas-Arlington: what did it mean to you to win the title, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? It is an amazing feeling to be able to win a championship with all of the guys I basically grew up with here at Georgia State. Guys like Jeff, Devin, D’Marcus, Malik, and Isaiah are all guys who I have played with for a long time and we have talked for a long time about how we were going to win a championship. We always said that we had all the pieces to win but it is truly a blessing and a tribute to the benefits of all of our hard work over the past couple of years.

SO SG D’Marcus Simonds was named 2018 conference POY/conference tourney MVP: what makes him such a great player? D’Marcus is a walking bucket! He is a great player because he competes every night on both ends of the floor, can score on all three levels, and is a willing passer/rebounder.

You and Isaiah Williams are the only 2 seniors on the roster: how will you prepare the younger guys for the task at hand? I think that me and Zeke will help the younger guys on the team by reminding everyone to just have fun and appreciate being in the moment. At the same time, we have a big task at hand and want to win games in the NCAA tournament, and I think that our team is good enough to do it. When we are having fun and playing with passion on both ends of the floor we are really hard to beat.

What do you think about getting a #15 seed, and do you expect to have a lot of fans in attendance since it is only 250 miles from Atlanta to Nashville? I think that we will have a pretty good crowd in attendance. We really need all of our fans there: their energy really gets us going. I think that there will be a lot of people coming, especially since Nashville is not far from Atlanta.

What do you know about Cincinnati, and what will it take to beat the Bearcats? I have only seen Cincinnati play once this season so I do not really know that much about them yet. I do know that they are a #2 seed and a pretty good defensive basketball team, so it will be a battle of two really good defenses. We are looking forward to getting ready to play. It is going to take another great defensive effort/good offensive effort by everyone on our team.

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Under The Radar Postseason News, Notes and NIT/CBI Games – Tuesday, March 13th

Posted on March 13, 2018 by John Stalica

For last night’s Hoops HD Report where we preview the NCAA Tournament and unveil the AC8 field – CLICK HERE

For Jon Teitel’s NCAA Tournament Interviews:
SFA Head Coach Kyle Keller – CLICK HERE
Florida State SF Phil Cofer – CLICK HERE
KPI Creator Kevin Pauga – CLICK HERE
Lipscomb SG Garrison Mathews – CLICK HERE
Lipscomb Head Coach Casey Alexander – CLICK HERE
Charleston Assistant Coach JD Powell – CLICK HERE
Wright State SG Grant Benzinger – CLICK HERE
South Dakota State SG David Jenkins Jr. – CLICK HERE
UNC-Greensboro Head Coach Wes Miller – CLICK HERE
Hall of Famer Lisa Leslie – CLICK HERE
Murray State PF Terrell Miller Jr. – CLICK HERE
Southland Conference Commissioner Tom Burnett – CLICK HERE

-The Team of the People had a historic night last night – despite a late run from top-seeded and 3rd ranked Western Oregon that saw a 10-point lead cut down to 2, Cal Baptist was able to seal the game with free throws and won their first (and only) West regional 80-76 in the NCAA Division II Tournament. Kalidou Diouf was named Most Outstanding Player for the regional. In the meantime, Cal Baptist will find out their next opponent in the Elite Eight later tonight – the other 7 regional finals will be played tonight and the teams will be reseeded for the Elite Eight that will begin next Tuesday.

-There were also a number of coaching vacancies that were filled yesterday – Lorenzo Romar will be the next head coach at Pepperdine, although he will remain as an assistant at Arizona as long as the Wildcats remain in the NCAA Tournament. Rodney Terry will move on from Fresno State and take the UTEP job full-time after Tim Floyd resigned earlier in the year. Last, and certainly not least, Mark Gottfried will return to the coaching ranks by accepting the head coaching position at Cal State-Northridge.

-There were also 4 CIT games that were played last night – all of which were “Classics” televised on CBS Sports Network. Central Michigan was the only road team that won – they beat Fort Wayne in the Hugh Durham Classic. One game went overtime – Drake beat Abilene Christian in the Lou Henson Classic. In the later games, Liberty beat North Carolina A&T in the Jim Phelan Classic and San Diego beat Hartford in the Riley Wallace Classic. Their opponents will be determined after the remaining 4 first-round games are complete.

NIT

(7) NORTHERN KENTUCKY AT (2) LOUISVILLE (7:00 PM, ESPN). While the Norse were upset early in the Horizon tournament, they appear to be the far more enthusiastic team in this matchup where they make the short drive down I-71 to face off against in-state foe Louisville in the first round.

(8) WAGNER AT (1) BAYLOR (7:00 PM, ESPN2). Wagner qualified for the NIT by virtue of their regular-season championship in the Northeast Conference, but they appear to be overmatched by a Baylor team that is ranked #2 overall in the NIT. Question is – will Baylor mail it in, or will they make a run at their 2nd NIT title under Scott Drew?

(5) BOSTON COLLEGE AT (4) WESTERN KENTUCKY (8:00 PM, ESPN3/WatchESPN). Boston College had a decent showing in the ACC Tournament where they beat Georgia Tech and NC State, whereas Western Kentucky came up just short against Marshall in the C-USA Championship despite a furious run late in that game.

(6) VERMONT AT (3) MIDDLE TENNESSEE (8:00 PM, ESPNU). Both the Catamounts and Blue Raiders were fixtures in our UTR Top 10 all year, but both teams ended up outside the NCAA Tournament after late-season stumbles. This might be the best matchup of the day.

(7) FLORIDA GULF COAST AT (2) OKLAHOMA STATE (9:00 PM, ESPN2). Oklahoma State may have been the biggest NCAA snub according to our Hoops HD Committee, but they can’t brood over their exclusion against a Gulf Coast team that looked hot at times (but unfortunately cold at the wrong time) during the A-Sun Tournament.

(8) HAMPTON AT (1) NOTRE DAME (9:00 PM, ESPN). The Irish were the first team left out of the NCAA Tournament and are thus the top overall seed in the NIT. They will be hosting a Hampton team that will more likely than not be playing their last game as a member of the MEAC (as they are joining the Big South in 2018-19).

(8) SOUTHEAST LOUISIANA AT (1) SAINT MARY’S (10:00 PM, ESPNU). The Gaels are seeded #3 overall among the #1 seeds in the NIT, but they arguably will be facing off against the most dangerous #8 seed in this field.

(6) RIDER AT (3) OREGON (10:00 PM, ESPN3/WatchESPN). This is another potential upset special in this tournament. However, Oregon did improve as the season went on (while Rider had an early exit in the MAAC Tournament).

(8) UNC-ASHEVILLE AT (1) USC (11:00 PM, ESPN2). USC was the most vocal of the First Four teams out of the NCAA field, but now have to get back to business against an Asheville team that lost in the Big South semifinals on their home court against Liberty.

CBI

EASTERN WASHINGTON AT UTAH VALLEY (9:oo PM, CLICK HERE for Live Stream). Eastern Washington lost a tough game in the Big Sky championship, but did lead Montana for a good portion of that game. They’ll have a taller task when they go on the road to Utah Valley – the Wolverines had also beaten New Mexico State at home earlier in the season.

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The Hoops HD Report: NCAA Tournament Edition

Posted on March 12, 2018 by David Griggs

We begin tonight by discussing what we think the committee got right, what we think they got wrong, what we think they were very close to getting disastrously wrong.  We then look at the bracket itself and preview all the First Round games, and collectively fill out the bracket as we go.  In closing, we reveal this year’s Hoops HD AC8 field!!

 

And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio file of our show….

 

NCAA TOURNAMENT: TUESDAY, MARCH 13TH (FIRST FOUR)

-#16 LIU BROOKLYN VS #16 RADFORD (East Region).  Both teams play in rather weak, albeit very exciting, conferences.  Neither team was a first place finisher.  Radford did have the better season and has won seven straight coming into this game, and probably has the higher amount of momentum built up between the two teams.  The winner moves on to face Villanova in the Round of 64.

-#11 SAINT BONAVENTURE VS #11 UCLA (Midwest Region).  Both teams won a lot of games, but had limited wins against other tournament caliber teams.  That’s why they’re in the First Four.  I think UCLA, with wins over Kentucky and USC, clearly put together the better resume, but none of that matters today.  The winner will face Florida in the Round of 64.

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Tourney Talk: HoopsHD interviews Stephen F. Austin coach Kyle Keller

Posted on March 12, 2018 by Jon Teitel

On Saturday Stephen F. Austin beat SE Louisiana in the Southland tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Lumberjacks made the CIT before losing to Idaho in 2017, but bounced back this year to claim the school’s 4th NCAA tourney bid in the past 5 years. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Coach Keller about his vast NCAA tourney experience as an assistant and what it will feel like to face his longtime friend Chris Beard on Thursday night in his hometown of Dallas.

You had a 1-PT loss at Missouri back in December: how close did you come to beating the Tigers, and what did your team learn from playing a fellow NCAA tourney team? They have a great team: I think Coach Cuonzo Martin’s will can impact his entire roster. No disrespect to former coach Kim Anderson but I think they needed a change and a fresh coat of paint.

All you had to do last week to return to the NCAA tourney for the 4th time in the last 5 years was beat the Southland POY (Central Arkansas PG Jordan Howard)/COY (Nicholls State head coach Richie Riley)/DPOY (SE Louisiana PG Marlain Veal) on 3 consecutive nights: how were you able to knock off all of these award winners? We have great kids who are selfless and care about winning more than anything else.

In the title game on Saturday JR PF TJ Holyfield scored a team-high 13 PTS in your 4-PT win over the Lions en route to being named 2018 conference tourney MVP: how was he able to play his best when it mattered the most, and what was the reaction like when you got back to campus? We are on Spring Break so our students were not here but basketball is very important to our school. We had almost 4000 fans at the title game. It was a crazy scene after the game with a floor full of our fans: I could not find my wife and ended up missing the trophy presentation because I was taking photos with some people. We talked about this moment at the beginning of the year: it is time for this group of kids to create their own legacy. We have lived off of the previous players/coaches for long enough: we are so grateful for the culture that former coaches Brad Underwood/Danny Kaspar started.

The Lumberjacks have now won 27+ games for the 5th time in the past 6 years: is it too soon to start thinking of your program as a “dynasty”? Each team is different and the expectations are really high. At our school if you do not play in the NCAA tourney it is almost like a disappointment, which makes me glad because I want it to be that way. At the same time, if you have new players and cannot stay healthy, you can win “only” 20 games and still have a great year because you consider that to be overachieving.

SR SG Ty Charles has plenty of NCAA tourney experience under his belt (14 PTS/4-8 3PM in a 7-PT loss to Utah in 2015 and 4 STL in a 1-PT loss to Notre Dame in 2016): how crucial is it to be able to rely on veterans at this time of the year? Absolutely! I can talk to the players about how I was an assistant coach in 7-8 Sweet 16s, but there is nothing more impactful then Ty talking about beating West Virginia and then going down to the wire against Notre Dame in 2016. He is 8 months recovered from shoulder surgery and is finally starting to look like his old self.

Your relationship with Texas Tech coach Chris Beard dates back a couple of decades and you were also an assistant to Chris’s current assistant Sean Sutton when you were both at Oklahoma State: what will it be like to face a coaching staff who you know so well? It will be awkward for sure. I was blessed to go to the Final 4 at my alma mater with Coach Sutton. I consider Sean to be not just a friend but a dear friend: he has impacted my life so much and I would not be here without him. Chris and I go back 25 years: he helped me get my start in this business when he was just getting started at North Texas. We have a lot of ties: we realized that we were scheduled to play each other a couple of years ago, talked about it, and came to the conclusion that we did not want to play the game because we were friends. I texted/called him last night and we talked about the fact that we would be playing against each other this week.

Texas Tech lost to the Jayhawks a few weeks ago: will you be asking your old boss at Kansas (Bill Self) for any tips?! I know Coach Self has been really busy but we talked 2 Sundays ago after he lost to Oklahoma State. He was not really excited after losing Udoka Azubuike to injury for the Big 12 tourney but it still did not stop him from winning the title.  He has his own issues with Penn so while I do not want to bother him, he has taught me a lot and I would be remiss if I did not take 5 minutes this week to get his advice.

You are returning to your hometown of Dallas to play the Red Raiders: will you have a lot of family/friends in attendance? I have told everyone that I have ZERO tickets: it is a logistical nightmare! We just do not get enough so I have my operations guy sitting with my credit card right now trying to buy as many tickets as he can. My phone has blown up with ticket requests: any money I make this summer is going to pay for tickets.

What do you think of getting a #14 seed, and what will it take to pull off the upset? I am not a Catholic or Muslim but it will take a lot of prayer. I had a dream several months ago that we were going to play in Dallas and win 2 games.  It was just like Hoosiers: there was a line along I-20 from Dallas to Nacogdoches with people on the side of the road congratulating us.

You have been a coach for more than 25 years and have been on both sides of success as an assistant in March (you were an assistant at Kansas when Ali Farokhmanesh made a game-winning 3 to beat you in 2010 and you were an assistant at Texas A&M when you overcome a 12-PT deficit with 44 seconds left in regulation in a 2-OT win over Northern Iowa in 2016): is there anyone in the nation more prepared for their 1st NCAA tourney as a head coach? I have seen it all. That is the great thing about this sport: there are unbelievable highs/lows. I feel that if you continue to try to win each possession then something good will happen. You have to stay in the now, learn from the past, and do not focus on the future. I have been really blessed to work for coaches like Bill Self/Eddie Sutton/Billy Kennedy and be around their success. Whatever our challenges on Thursday, and there will be a ton of them, I think we will compete and try to find a way to win.

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