Conference Preview: Northeast

Posted on October 26, 2017 by Chad

NORTHEAST

The Northeast Conference may not produce teams that win games in the NCAA Tournament, but it regularly provides us with some of the most heated rivalries and exciting action of all the Under the Radar conferences.  It is also a conference whose regular season continues to have meaning, as the 10 teams compete for 8 conference tournament spots and the right to host those games on their home courts.

The team to beat this season may be the Red Flash of St. Francis University.  They return four starters, get a key player back from injury and have some talented newcomers joining the lineup.  Fairleigh Dickinson, Sacred Heart and Mount St. Mary’s could all be factors in the conference race as well.  For Sacred Heart, this may be a chance to qualify for a postseason tournament for the first time in the school’s Division I history — and with a senior-laden roster, it may be their only chance to do so for a few more years.  One other team to keep an eye on is LIU-Brooklyn, as the Blackbirds welcome in former UMass head man Derek Kellogg as their new head coach.

Predicted Order of Finish

  1. St. Francis (Pa) – The Red Flash have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1991 with four returning starters, led by guard Isaiah Blackmon, the return of a now-healthy Malik Harmon, and several key newcomers such as junior college transfer Luidgy Laporal.
  2. Fairleigh Dickinson – The Knights should be a lot better than last year’s 11-19 record despite losing a pair of double-digit scorers.  Darian Anderson is poised to score a ton of points, and newcomers that include New Hampshire transfer Pat McNamara should help complement him.
  3. Sacred Heart – The Pioneers have never played in a postseason tournament at the Division I level, but this season they may be eyeing the Big Dance itself with four starters back.  They will certainly have experience, as five of their top six returning players are all seniors.
  4. Mount St. Mary’s – The Mountaineers will need to blend three seniors with a group of eight freshmen if they want to repeat their NEC regular season and conference tournament championships.  Having Junior Robinson’s 14 points per game back will help.
  5. Wagner – The Seahawks have a pair of guards that should be able to compete with anyone in the conference — JoJo Cooper and a now-healthy Romone Saunders.  However, they have way too many question marks in the frontcourt to contend for a top spot in the league, and the late decision of Corey Henson to transfer to Nevada hurts.
  6. Long Island University – The Blackbirds welcome in a new head coach in Derek Kellogg and welcome back Joel Hernandez, who missed last season with injury after averaging over 12 points per game the year before.  However, with 3 of their top 4 starters gone, matching last year’s 20 wins will be a difficult.
  7. Robert Morris – The Colonials will be without their top two scorers and three of their starting five from last season, so they may be closer to missing the conference tournament than finishing near the conference’s top.  The good news is that there are no seniors in the lineup and the experience gained this season may pay off next.
  8. Bryant – The top two scorers from a team that lost 20 games decided to transfer after the season, meaning that this may be a rebuilding year for Tim O’Shea’s team.  The good news is that three of the top four returning players are only sophomores, so the future remains bright.
  9. Central Connecticut – Head coach Donyell Marshall’s team should improve with the pairing of Austin Nehls at guard and Mustafa Jones at forward.  Of course, it is not hard to improve off of only 6 wins last year.
  10. St. Francis (Brooklyn) – The Terriers return four starters, but those same players lost 27 games last season and ended the year on a 16 game losing streak.  It may not be much better this season, but at least it probably can’t be worse.
Posted in Conference Preview | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Conference Preview: Northeast

Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews East Tennessee State head coach Steve Forbes

Posted on October 26, 2017 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of Jon’s interviews, and the rest of our extensive and continuous preseason coverage

Steve Forbes is having a pretty good decade: he made the Elite 8 in 2010 as an assistant to Bruce Pearl at Tennessee, went 62-6 in 2 years as head coach at Northwest Florida State, won 35 straight games as an assistant to Gregg Marshall at Wichita State in 2014, and has won 51 games during the past 2 seasons as head coach at East Tennessee State.  After losing last year’s regular season finale at UNC Greensboro, the Buccaneers bounced back to win 3 games in 3 days to clinch the SoCon tourney title before losing to Florida in the NCAA tourney.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Forbes about winning games in OT and having a bunch of seniors on the roster this season.  

You played baseball at Southern Arkansas: how did you get into basketball coaching? I went to a small high school where I played 4 sports. I played baseball/basketball during my 1st 3 years of college but basketball was always my passion. My baseball experience helped me get my 1st coaching job.

In the 2006 NCAA tourney as an assistant to Billy Gillispie at Texas A&M, Darrel Mitchell scored 16 PTS including a long 3-PT shot with 3.9 seconds left in a 1-PT win by LSU: did you think that the shot was going in, and where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? It is by far the hardest loss of my career. We were really playing well and had great chemistry. We were so good defensively that I never thought LSU would be able to have a player make that shot over our 6’10” defender.

In February of 2008 as an assistant to Bruce Pearl at Tennessee you had a 4-PT win at Memphis that resulted in you rising to the top of the AP poll: what does it feel like to be on a team who is ranked #1 in the nation? That was the greatest game that I have ever been a part of. It was a very hostile environment: it was probably as close as you can get to a Final 4 game in the regular season. Unfortunately, we were only #1 for about 48 hours until we lost to Vanderbilt.

In 2014 as an assistant to Gregg Marshall at Wichita State your team won 35 straight games before losing to Kentucky in the NCAA tourney: are there any key factors that separate a good team from a great team? That was by far the best team I have ever been a part of. They play to a standard of being excellent rather than to the level of their competition. We had to survive every team’s best shot: you need incredible purpose/desire to win. Coach Marshall held them accountable from day 1 through the very last day.

After being hired at East Tennessee State in March of 2015 you won 24 games in year 1 and 27 games in year 2: how were you able to come in and be so successful right from the start? I had great teachers in all of the guys you mentioned above. I came to a place that really cared about basketball and really wanted to win: the administration has been very supportive. We flipped the roster and were able to have a lot of success.

You have played 5 OT games during your time in Johnson City and are 5-0: what is the key to winning games in OT? Having great players! I have guys who are not afraid to take/make the last-second shots. You have to inspire confidence in your players so they believe we can win. Samford made a shot at the end of regulation last January but we stayed together and found a way to win in double-OT due to our resolve.

In the 2017 NCAA tourney you lost to Florida: what did your team learn from that game that will help them this year? You have to play really well on the big stage. We had too many live-ball turnovers that led to easy baskets. You have to play your best when you reach that day but Florida gets all the credit.

Your non-conference schedule includes road games at Kentucky/Xavier: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Both of those schools have incredible programs with a great history. We have to get a couple of guarantee games each year and I am pleased that they agreed to play us. It will be good for us to see where we are at. We also have some strong mid-major teams like Northern Kentucky/Troy/Fordham: I want to play the toughest schedule I can.

You have 8 seniors on the roster this year: how crucial will all of that experience be to your team’s success? I think we only have 5-6 but it is crucial every year. I try to stay old/athletic because the veteran players can provide tremendous leadership for the younger guys. We have also had graduate transfers play very well for us in the past.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Our expectations are always the same: a winning record in non-conference play, win the conference tourney, and then try to have a meaningful game in March.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , | Comments Off on Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews East Tennessee State head coach Steve Forbes

Conference Preview: Missouri Valley

Posted on October 26, 2017 by Chad

MISSOURI VALLEY

Losing Wichita State to the American was a blow to the Missouri Valley Conference, especially on the heels of Creighton’s departure for the Big East a few years back.  The conference did invite Valparaiso to join, and the Crusaders are certainly a quality addition to this conference capable of making noise in their very first season here.  However, at least for this year, the discussions of the Valley potentially being a multi-bid league do not appear to be worth having.

The silver lining in Wichita’s departure is that it does open things up for almost anyone to come in and grab the regular season and tournament crowns.  Although Missouri State, with size, depth and experience, is the preseason pick to win it, cases can be made for as many as 8 different teams.  Loyola appears to be the second best, but keep an eye on newcomer Valparaiso and a rebuilding Bradley team.  Another potential darkhorse may be Drake, with a core of returning seniors and Niko Medved taking over as head coach.

Predicted Order of Finish

  1. Missouri State – The Bears are set to have a big season, not only because they no longer have to deal with Wichita State, but because they welcome back four returning starters and add in several key new additions, most notable 7-2, 278 pound Tanveer Bhullar from New Mexico State.
  2. Loyola (Chicago) – The Ramblers should be right in the thick of the conference title race this season with three double-digit scorers returning and the addition of Fairleigh Dickinson transfer Marques Townes.
  3. Valparaiso – The preseason media picks for Valpo range all over the conference standings; however, that may be mostly a lack of respect for their former conference, the Horizon League.  Alec Peters and Shane Hammink may be gone, but three returning starters and two players that are over 7 feet tall on the roster should make this an exciting first season in the MVC for Valpo.
  4. Bradley – The Braves could be this year’s surprise team with their top nine players from last season all returning.  On top of that, four of the five projected starters are sophomores, led by the team’s top player last season, Darrell Brown.
  5. Drake – The Bulldogs welcome in new head coach Niko Medved, who did an amazing job building Furman’s program the last four years.  He already has a start on building in Des Moines with freshman recruit Jalen Gibbs, but even more importantly for this season, he has four returning starters led by Reed Timmer.
  6. Illinois State – The Redbirds had 27 wins in a conference ranked 10th overall by kenpom.com on Selection Sunday, yet did not hear their name called and ended up in the NIT.  While getting a measure of revenge for their snub could be on the team’s mind this season, having only one starter (Phil Fayne) back from that team probably makes this a rebuilding year for Dan Muller’s squad.
  7. Northern Iowa – The Panthers lost two of their top three scorers in the offseason, so an improvement on last year’s 14-16 record seems doubtful.  That being said, Ben Jacobson is one of the top Under the Radar coaches in the nation and his team should never be counted out.
  8. Southern Illinois – The Salukis should be competitive, but with their top two scorers gone, one of whom was the point guard, former bench players and newcomers will need to step up.
  9. Evansville – The Aces finished last season a game below .500, and that was with the conference’s top scorer, Jaylon Brown, in the lineup.  Without him, don’t be surprised to see them take another step back.
  10. Indiana State – Brenton Scott should score a lot of points this season, but there are a ton of questions, and very few answers, in the frontcourt.  It may be a battle for the Sycamores to avoid the conference basement this year.
Posted in Conference Preview | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Conference Preview: Missouri Valley

Hoops HD Report: Big Ten Preview

Posted on October 25, 2017 by David Griggs

Lots going on in the Big Ten heading into the year!  The panel starts off by talking about Michigan State, who we all feel is a Top Five caliber team.  Purdue is another team that most of us think could end up as a protected seed.  Northwestern and Minnesota had big years last year and have quite a bit coming back as well.  Indiana has a new coach, but they don’t have much in terms of player personnel, so they could be a year away.  And, of course, David is high on Nebraska!  Watch as we discuss all the teams in the Big Ten…

 

And for all you radio lovers, below is an mp3 version of the show…

Posted in Conference Preview, Hoops HD Report, Podcasts, Tim Miles, Videocasts | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Hoops HD Report: Big Ten Preview

Conference Preview: MEAC

Posted on October 25, 2017 by Chad

MID-EASTERN ATHLETIC

After spending years as the conference with some of the craziest conference tournament upsets we can remember, the MEAC seems to be finding a way to even the score, as the top seed has captured its automatic bid in three of the last four seasons, including North Carolina Central last year.  The Eagles stay in the Big Dance was a short one, falling to UC-Davis in the First Four.  That game was also the final game for all five Eagle starters, meaning that the defending champions are not likely to repeat this year.

The pick to win the MEAC this season is Todd Bozeman’s Morgan State team.  The Bears feature two of the top players in the entire conference in forward Phillip Carr and guard Tiwian Kendley.  However, there are a few legitimate challengers to that top spot, and one of them is Bobby Collins’ Maryland-Eastern Shore Fighting Hawks.  UMES has never made the NCAA Tournament, but has enough talent to grab a bid this season should Morgan State slip up.  Also keep an eye on Hampton, as the Pirates may have the league’s best backcourt and could be another team right in the hunt for the title.

Predicted Order of Finish

  1. Morgan State – Todd Bozeman has a great chance to lead his Bears to the MEAC title with all five starters returning, led by a pair of the best players in the conference, Tiwian Kendley and Phillip Carr.
  2. Maryland-Eastern Shore – Bobby Collins has done an amazing job the past few years turning UMES into a factor in the MEAC.  Even though his leading scorer from last season, Bakari Copeland, is gone, all four other starters do return and this could be the year they break through.
  3. Hampton – The backcourt tandem of Jermaine Morrow and Kalin Fisher make the Pirates a very dangerous team that should be in the hunt for the conference title all season long.
  4. Norfolk State – The Spartans finished second in the MEAC and made it to the conference tournament title game last year thanks to guards Jonathan Wade (19.4 points per game) and Zaynah Robinson (13.5 points per game).  Robinson is back, but Wade is gone, and the team may take a few steps back.
  5. North Carolina Central – Zero.  That is the number of returning starters for the Eagles from last year’s MEAC regular season and tournament championship team.  However, Levelle Moton has had this team in the NIT or NCAA three of the last four seasons and even with a bunch of new faces, they should not be counted out.
  6. Savannah State* – The Tigers run the ball at almost breakneck speed, making them one of the most fun teams to watch in the MEAC.  However, not much should be expected in terms of wins this season, especially with the team ineligible for postseason play and getting ready to drop its athletics program down to the Division II level.
  7. Florida A&M – The Rattlers welcome in former Western Michigan and South Florida head coach Robert McCullum to try to help them avoid the bottom of the MEAC standings.  With three solid returning starters, led by forward Desmond Williams, this team could surprise a few people this season.
  8. Howard – Even though the Bison only return one starter from last season, that player was the MEAC Rookie of the Year, Charles Williams, who averaged over 15 points per game.  If they can begin to develop some more talent around him, an improvement on a 10-24 record is possible.
  9. Bethune-Cookman – After posting a 10-22 record last season, the Wildcats lost three of their top four scorers and parted way with head coach Gravelle Craig.  Ryan Ridder takes over, and does have one piece with senior guard Brandon Tabb, who averaged almost 18 points per game last season.
  10. Delaware State – The Hornets’ top three scorers from last season are gone, and with those players they lost 22 games.  It could be even worse this time around.
  11. South Carolina State – The Bulldogs lost 20 games last season and three of their top four scorers from that team are gone.  It looks like another tough season for head coach Murray Garvin’s team.
  12. Coppin State – The Eagles have a real chance to climb in the MEAC standings over the next few years if their new head coach, former Maryland and NBA player Juan Dixon, can use his name recognition to bring in the recruits.  This year, unfortunately, will likely be a long one.
  13. North Carolina A&T – The Aggies were a finalist for the HoopsHD Centenary Award last season after managing only one win against Division I competition all season long.  With only two starters back, the good news is that it will be next to impossible to be worse than they were last year.

*Savannah State is ineligible for postseason play due to APR scores.

Posted in Conference Preview | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Conference Preview: MEAC

Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews new Quinnipiac head coach Baker Dunleavy

Posted on October 25, 2017 by Jon Teitel

CLICK HERE for all of Jon’s interviews, and the rest of our extensive and continuous preseason coverage

Let’s flashback to March of 2006: Mike Dunleavy Sr. was the head coach of the Clippers and just a couple of months away from making the Western Conference Semifinals; his son Mike Jr. was a few months into his new 5-year/$44 million contract extension with the Warriors, and his other son Baker was trying to help his Villanova teammates Randy Foye/Kyle Lowry beat the eventual champion Florida Gators in the NCAA tourney. Fast forward to the fall of 2017: Mike Sr. is preparing to begin his 2nd year as head coach at Tulane, Mike Jr. has a 15-year NBA career under his belt, and Baker is bringing his 2016 national championship ring as a Villanova assistant to his new job as head coach at Quinnipiac.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Dunleavy about winning a title in 2016 and getting a new job in 2017.

You played for Coach Jay Wright at Villanova: how good a player were you back in the day, and why did you go work for Merrill Lynch before returning a few years later to work for your old coach? I was a mid-major player who wanted to experience basketball at the highest level. I probably overestimated my own talent but loved everything about Villanova even though I did not play a lot. I did not grow up dreaming of coaching so I used my finance major to work on Wall Street, but coaching has become my dream.

Take me through the magical 2016 NCAA postseason as an assistant at your alma mater:
You had a 2-PT loss to Seton Hall in the Big East tourney title game: did you view the loss as a good thing (to help re-focus your team) or a bad thing (team starts to doubt itself at the most important time of the year)? You think you know at the time but you never know for sure: it depends on your leadership. It sharpened that group and we did not go into the tank. There was a coach (whose name I will not share) who texted Coach Wright after the loss and said that we would go on a big run in March. We were really crushed after the loss but were able to keep on playing.

In the NCAA tourney title game Kris Jenkins scored 14 PTS including a 3-PT shot at the buzzer in a 3-PT win over UNC: did you think the shot was going in, and what did it mean to you to win a title? At first I just felt proud that we could execute that play after North Carolina’s Marcus Paige made his own 3-PT shot in the final seconds. Anytime Kris takes a shot you think that it is going in! It was great but I was way more happy for other people like Coach Wright: I wanted that title for my guy to validate everything that he was doing. Our senior class had never been beyond the Round of 32 before so I also wanted it for them.

In March you were hired as head coach at Quinnipiac: why did you take the job, and how is it going so far? Every coach has certain criteria of what kind of job is attractive, and Quinnipiac presented an opportunity to mirror something very similar to what we had at Villanova. In the MAAC, I think this school should be really competitive considering the resources we have at hand and I am really comfortable recruiting this area. Your roster is kind of in flux for about 6 weeks and then you teach your guys about who we are trying to be and how we work. It is everything I hoped it would be so far.

Your father Mike Sr. played 10 years in the NBA/coached 4 NBA teams/is the current Tulane coach: how much of an influence was he on your own decision to become a coach, and will we see the Green Wave on your schedule anytime soon? He was a huge influence on my love of basketball. I got to go to his practices when I was young and it was like 1 big clinic. I learned the importance of hard work/organization/preparation: my values come from him. We are not going to play them because I personally do not need that family drama(!), but we might end up in the same preseason event next year…and he will probably be right behind our bench coaching over me.

Your wife Chrissi is the sister of Delaware coach Martin Ingelsby: what kind of a relationship do you have with your brother-in-law, and dare I ask who you wife would root for if you ever play the Blue Hens?! That 1 is easy…because she knows who pays the bills! Martin has become 1 of my best friends and a close confidant so I have relied on him for advice.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Colorado/Wake Forest: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Those 2 are high-major teams but I am more focused on our guys at the moment. Coach Tad Boyle is someone who I have watched from afar and I think that he is 1 of the most underrated coaches in the country.

Your team only returns 1 of its top-6 scorers from last season (Chaise Daniels): how will you try to replace all of that offense? Chaise was not really a go-to guy last year but we will rely on him to play inside-out. We need to let our guys play to their individual strengths while also playing together as a team. It starts with defense/rebounding and hopefully we will get better and better on offense.

The Bobcats allowed 83.3 PPG last year (bottom-10 in the nation) while your Wildcats only allowed 62.7 PPG (top-20 in the nation): how do you teach a bad defensive team to play great defense? If you go by numbers they were not an elite defensive team. They were very young last year so I think it starts with your mentality: not a lot of great defensive teams have success via young guards. We will teach them fundamentals and make sure they buy into what we are teaching, and then we will just keep working at it every day. We cannot be a great defense right away but the theme is to see how good we can be by the end of the year.

Your brother Mike Jr. won an NCAA title at Duke in 2001 and has spent the past 15 years in the NBA: who is the best athlete in the family? Based on accomplishments my dad might have a gripe but it is clearly Mike. I think that I am a better golfer but Mike was a good athlete in many different sports growing up and I am really proud of what he has been able to do.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? At the risk of sounding really cliched, the goal is slow/incremental progress and hoping that we can have some breakthroughs by the end of the year. We need a positive mindset to go through some growing pains and just see where we are in February. At Villanova when you are the 3-time Big East champs you can set a goal of winning a conference title, but we want to just be the best Quinnipiac team we can be.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , | Comments Off on Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews new Quinnipiac head coach Baker Dunleavy