HoopsHD is LIVE at A-10 Media Day with: Rhode Island G EC Matthews

Posted on October 17, 2017 by Jon Teitel

Since the A-10 was kind enough to bring their media day to Washington, DC, HoopsHD decided to take the day off from work and check out all the action.  With 14 teams there is a lot to cover so we did our best.  First up is Rhode Island’s EC Matthews: 2014 Atlantic 10 Co-ROY, then missed most of the 2015-16 season with a torn ACL, but bounced back last year to be named Most Outstanding Player at the Atlantic 10 conference tourney.  Jon Teitel got to chat with EC about overcoming an injury and winning a conference title.  We also wish him a happy belated birthday earlier this month!

You grew up in Detroit: what made you choose the Rams? See that guy right there (Coach Hurley as he is being interviewed by Andy Katz): it was him. When I 1st got an offer I did not know who Coach Hurley was as a coach or his family tradition so I just did my homework. He had a vision for me and I trusted him.

You play for Coach Dan Hurley: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him? His passion for the game: he is the definition of a hard worker and wants us to be great. He takes us all under his wing.

In February of 2014 you scored a career-high 32 PTS/11-15 FG in a loss to Duquesne: 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 1 of those situations and it is just indescribable. Everyone wants to have a game like that and I hope to have some more this season: the rim was like an ocean.

You finished that season by being named A-10 co-ROY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It meant a lot at the time because I was trying to make a name for myself.

In the 2015 season opener against American you tore your right ACL and missed the rest of the season: how difficult was the rehab process, and how is your health at the moment? The rehab was actually easy for me and I healed well. The hard part was not doing things I had done before but I found my niche toward the end of last season. I did more rehab this summer and am 100% so I am confident in what I can do.

In the 2017 A-10 tourney title game you scored 19 PTS in a 7-PT win over VCU en route to being named tourney MOP: what did it mean to you to win a title, and how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most? It meant everything to me. It has not been done at URI since Lamar Odom so we are in the history books and will try to do it again. God does not make mistakes.

In the 2017 NCAA tourney you had 13 PTS in 2017 2nd round 3-PT loss to Oregon: what did you learn from that game that will help you this year? We were supposed to win that game! It gave us confidence that we can play with any team in the country. We will carry that confidence over to this season, which will help in big games.

You are 1 of 5 seniors on the roster: how crucial will all of that experience be to your team’s success this year? I think we have everything to gain and nothing to lose.  The sky is the limit and I think that we will have a lot of success this year. We are a veteran group and think that we can do much better.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Seton Hall/Providence/Alabama: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? All of them will be a test for us in some way. We still have a lot to prove and want to be a good team even earlier this year.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Just do what we did last year but way better. I want to bring another A-10 title back to URI, make the NCAA tourney, and then advance farther: why not us?!

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Conference Preview: Atlantic Ten

Posted on October 17, 2017 by Chad

ATLANTIC TEN

The Atlantic Ten has always been one of our favorite leagues here at HoopsHD and the conference certainly has a chance to deliver up another fun season this time around.  The league appears to be dominated by teams with great backcourts, which should lead to some exciting games and fast-paced action.  The Rhode Island Rams, led by E.C. Matthews, are the preseason pick to win the conference, but there are quite a few teams that could take the title, including a Saint Louis team that Travis Ford has very quickly brought up from the bottom of the league standings.

Also in contention this season for both the league title and the NCAA Tournament will be St. Bonaventure, Saint Joseph’s, Davidson and maybe even La Salle.  Missing from that list are a pair of perennial favorites in the A-10, namely VCU and Dayton.  Both teams welcome in new head coaches with rebuilding projects ahead of them, but don’t expect either program to remain down for too long.  Finally, for those that have followed our previews the last few years when we have routinely claimed that this would finally be the breakout year for Fordham, that ship has finally sailed and the team from the Bronx is sadly picked to finish dead last.

Predicted Order of Finish

  1. Rhode Island – The Rams finally made it to the Big Dance last season (first appearance since 1999) and they should be back again this year with four key seniors, including guards E.C. Matthews and Jared Terrell, back.  If URI does have any holes, it may be up front where they need to make up for the loss of Hassan Martin’s 13.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, plus near double-double numbers they got from Kuran Iverson.  However, in a conference that will be backcourt-centric this season, there is no reason to pick against this team.
  2. Saint Louis – To pick a team that lost 21 games last season this high may look like a stretch, but in just his second season, head coach Travis Ford is pulling in more talent and experience seemingly every day.  The Billikens, in addition to having four starters back, have a pile of solid eligible transfers that include D.J. Foreman (Rutgers), Adonys Henriquez (UCF) and Javon Bess (Michigan State).  This may be the deepest team in the conference, and it would not be shocking at all to see them finish on top of the conference standings.
  3. St. Bonaventure – Rhode Island has a great set of guards, but the best pair in the conference may actually be playing in Olean, New York as Matt Mobley and Jaylen Adams will try to put the Bonnies in the Big Dance for the first time since 2012.  Much like URI, the Bonnies biggest issues will be down low where someone will need to step up if they want to feel safe for a bid before the A-10 tournament starts.
  4. Saint Joseph’s – Despite a 12th place Atlantic Ten finish last season, the Hawks could contend for the league championship with virtually everyone back and, even more importantly, everyone healthy.  Phil Martelli’s team was hit hard by injuries last season, but with Shavar Newkirk, Lamarr Kimble and Checco Oliva healthy, plus Charlie Brown having gained a ton of experience, this team has a better chance at 14-4 than being 4-14 again.
  5. Davidson – The Wildcats return four starters and most of the bench from a team that won 17 games.  They also return Peyton Aldridge, who averaged 20.5 points and 8.2 rebounds per game.  This is a recipe for contention, though they will need to find a way to make up for their biggest offseason loss, the conference’s leading scorer last year, Jack Gibbs.
  6. VCU – Mike Rhoades takes over head coaching duties now that Will Wade is at LSU, but don’t expect a departure from HAVOC as he is a former Shaka Smart assistant who used the style of play to guide Rice to some of their most successful seasons in recent memory.  The biggest problem is a lack of depth, with seven key contributors gone from last season; however, Justin Tillman may be one of the league’s best players, and Maine transfer Issac Vann could surprise.
  7. Richmond – The Spiders return a pair of double-digit scorers in the backcourt, with De’Monte Buckingham and Khwan Fore ready to score even more now that T.J. Cline and ShawnDre’ Jones are gone.  They will need to find some help for their two standouts, and that may come in the form of forward Solly Stansbury.  Repeating last season’s 22 win performance will be a stretch, but the Spiders should be competitive.
  8. La Salle – The Explorers should once again score a ton of points with Pookie Powell in the backcourt and B.J. Johnson on the wing.  The biggest question will be whether they can improve defensively, and Demetrius Henry’s late decision to leave school really hurts them there.
  9. George Mason – Another Atlantic Ten team with a pair of standout guards, the Patriots will be led this season by Otis Livingston II and Jaire Grayer.  However, there are a ton of question marks down low, and it will be tough to replace the 17 rebounds per game that Marquise Moore and Jalen Jenkins combined to pull down last season.
  10. Dayton – Archie Miller is now coaching in Indiana and the majority of last year’s team is gone.  In fact, the only starter from last season still on the roster, Ryan Mikesell, will not play this season due to hip surgery.  That means that Anthony Grant has a pretty big rebuild project ahead, and not much should be expected this year.
  11. George Washington – The Colonials were a surprise finding a way to win 20 games last season despite firing their head coach in late September.  Maurice Joseph has had the “interim” tag removed from his name, but probably lost too many pieces in the offseason to sniff another 20 win season.
  12. Massachusetts – Matt McCall inherits a mess in Amherst, which was made worse by Pat Kelsey’s decision to accept and then reject the head coaching job.  Perhaps the biggest saving grace for this season will be 6-11 center Rashaan Holloway — a rare force down low in such a guard oriented conference.
  13. Duquesne – Keith Dambrot has been one of the nation’s winningest coaches the past 12 years at Akron, and he may be just the man to turn around a woeful Duquesne program.  It will not be happening in Year One however, as there are very few pieces in place.  Dambrot did manage to convince Mike Lewis II to remain with the program, and the standout sophomore guard could begin to lay the foundation of successes to come.
  14. Fordham – Joseph Chartouny can not only score, but was among the best in the nation at stealing the ball last season.  Unfortunately for the Rams, he may be their only player of note this season, leading to another long year in the Bronx.
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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Creighton G Ronnie Harrell Jr.

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Jon Teitel

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

It has been 7 years of near-excellence for Coach Greg McDermott at Creighton: a bit of a hiccup in 2015 but 6 other seasons with 20+ wins.  Last year’s team was a tale of 2 seasons: 18-1 to start the year before an injury to Mo Watson and then 7-9 after his injury.  1 player who will be called on to help out in the backcourt this year is Ronnie Harrell Jr., who peaked at the right time with a career-high 15 PTS in the NCAA tourney last March against Rhode Island.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Ronnie about his cousin Chauncey Billups and losing 4 of the top-6 scorers from last year.

You were 5’8” as a high school freshman but grew a whopping 10” over the next 2 years: which position do you feel most comfortable at on the court? That is true: I was a pretty short dude so I grew up playing PG/SG, but I feel the most comfortable with the ball in my hands in the open court regardless of my position.

You grew up in Denver: what made you choose Creighton? I had a few offers coming out of high school and had a few visits lined up, but after coming to Creighton for my official visit in 2014 it just felt like the right fit for me. Playing with the team during open gym helped me learn their style of play: they have good people and good basketball.

You play for Coach Greg McDermott: what makes him such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him? His knowledge of the game: I call him our “offensive guru” because he knows which plays will work in which situations. He is like a football coach in that he often scripts our 1st couple of plays. He also taught me to be a man and take care of my responsibilities.

For people who have never been to a game at the CenturyLink Center Omaha, how would you describe the environment during a big-time Big East home game? You have to get here and see it for yourself! It is really awesome to see 17,000 diehard fans even when we went 0-8 to start our conference season in 2015. The fan base here was 1 of the factors in my college decision.

You started last season 18-1 but went 7-9 the rest of the way to finish 25-10: was Mo Watson’s injury the main factor or was there something else that caused the downturn? The obvious 1 is Mo’s injury: there was an adjustment period that happened to occur right in the middle of conference play.

In the 2017 NCAA tourney you scored a career-high 15 PTS in a loss to Rhode Island: what did you learn from that game that will help you this year? We did not play as well as we could have but that is no excuse. It was a good experience for the whole team because we were young and had never been to the tourney before. Next time when we have the opportunity we will have a little more of an edge because we know that every game is a dogfight. We have been practicing all offseason on being more physical.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Northwestern/UCLA/Baylor or Wisconsin/Gonzaga/Nebraska: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Every game is a test because we can play great 1 night and then come out and get smacked by someone else. We have to be ready to give our all every game, otherwise there will be a lot of ups and downs.

Your team was #2 in the nation last season with 50.4 FG% but lost 4 of its top-6 scorers (Watson/Justin Patton/Cole Huff/Zach Hanson): how will you try to replace all of that offense? This year we are a completely different team in a sense. We had a lot of good talent last year so we could do alley-oops to Justin or let Cole go 1-on-1 but now it is more of an entire team effort. Everybody on the team can shoot the ball so you can only imagine the problems it will cause a defense when we spread them out.

Your cousin Chauncey Billups was NBA Finals MVP in 2004 and you played for the Billups AAU Elite team in high school: what kind of advice has he given you about how to succeed either on/off the court? That is my guy: I do not know if I would be here had he not worked with me as a kid. He has been crucial in my development as a player and the past 2-3 years he has helped me become a man off the court and focus on my craft.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? As a team I want us to win as many games as possible and go further in the NCAA tourney, but we have to focus on winning that 1st game. Personally I want to do the best job I can to contribute to all of the above, whether it is scoring 100 points or making 100 assists: I do not care about anything else.

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Conference Preview: American

Posted on October 16, 2017 by Chad

Click HERE for all of Jon Teitel’s season preview interviews and Chad Sherwood’s conference previews

AMERICAN

When the non-football playing schools broke away from the old Big East, leading to the creation of the American Athletic Conference, it seemed to create a league with a mixed up bag of schools that had little to no history with each other and were not even generally located in the same portion of the country.  In just its fifth year, however, the AAC suddenly looks to be living up to its hashtag (#AmericanRising) as the conference heads into the season looking like the best non-power conference in the nation.  Of course, adding a Top-10 caliber Wichita State program to the league has helped a ton.  The Shockers return almost everyone from last year’s 30 win team, and look good enough to be playing late into the month of March.

Beyond Wichita State, as many as five other teams may be in contention for Tournament bids, led by a stacked Cincinnati team that may prove to be one of the best of Mick Cronin’s tenure.  Johnny Dawkins’ UCF Knights appear poised to break a 12 year NCAA Tournament drought, while UConn, SMU and Temple all have a chance to be in the picture at the end of the year.  The bottom of the conference may actually not be as dreadful as recent years either, with the likes of Tulsa, Tulane and South Florida poised to be more competitive.

Predicted Order of Finish

  1. Wichita State – Talent, experience and depth could make this a very special year, but they may struggle early until stars Landry Shamet and Markis McDuffie get healthy.  Once the roster is at 100%, the sky may be the limit for this squad.
  2. Cincinnati – Gary Clark and Kyle Washington help form arguably the best frontcourt in the conference, while the addition of Sacred Heart transfer Cane Broome, who averaged over 23 points per game two years ago, could land them on top of the league standings if Wichita State falters.
  3. UCF – The Knights have a great chance for their first Dance Ticket since 2005 with Tacko Fall swatting anything and everything away down low, B.J. Taylor dishing things out, and the addition of Michigan transfer and coach’s son Aubrey Dawkins. (UPDATE 10/31/2017: Dawkins is out for the season).
  4. Connecticut – The Huskies may have the best starting backcourt in the conference with Jalen Adams back and Terry Larrier and Alterique Gilbert healthy.  However, they have way too many frontcourt questions to be a contender for the top of the standings.
  5. SMU – Mustangs lost three players to the NBA and have some big question marks in the frontcourt, but Shake Milton may prove to be one of the league’s most exciting players to watch.
  6. Temple – With Obi Enechionyia, a (hopefully) fully healthy Josh Brown, and even more improvement from Shizz Alston, Jr., the Owls could have just enough pieces to be in the conversation for a Dance Ticket come March.
  7. Tulsa – With Sterling Taplin outside and Junior Etou inside, the Golden Hurricane may have just enough pieces to surprise people this year.
  8. Houston – Rob Gray, Jr. is a prolific scorer, and a healthy Devin Davis will help a lot, but there may not be enough here to make up for the loss of Damyean Dotson.
  9. Tulane – Mike Dunleavy, Sr. is quickly rebuilding the Green Wave roster and could only be a year or two away from making some serious noise in this conference.  This season should be better than last year (not hard when that was 6-25), led by the lone senior on the roster, Cameron Reynolds.
  10. East Carolina – The Pirates have a lot of holes in their lineup and question marks across the board with only one double-digit scorer (Kentrell Barkley) back from a team that finished in 9th place.  Equaling last year’s performance may be difficult, and even doing that may not be enough to get head coach Jeff Lebo another season beyond this one.
  11. Memphis – With almost every player from last season gone, including the Lawson brothers transferring to Kansas, Tubby Smith has virtually a complete rebuild on his hands.  He is certainly good enough of a coach to do it, but do not expect much this season.
  12. South Florida – Tubby Smith may have a daunting rebuild job ahead of himself in Memphis, but it isn’t nearly close to the size of the job in front of Brian Gregory as he takes over at South Florida.  The Bulls will rely on a ton of transfers this season.  The good news is that it will be hard to be worse than last year’s 7-23 record.
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Hoops HD Special Report Podcast: North Carolina is Off the Hook!!

Posted on October 15, 2017 by David Griggs

Kyle and David discuss the NCAA Committee on Infraction’s ruling in the North Carolina case, which came out this past Friday.  They first explain the technicalities of what happened, how it happened, and why it happened.  They then debate over whether or not the ruling was right and how bad this makes the NCAA look.  They also spend a few minutes discussing the Kansas vs Missouri exhibition game that is taking place to raise money for hurricane relief, as well as the ongoing fallout from the FBI’s investigation and the formation of the new basketball commission.

 

This podcast is Audio Only.  No video.  Our apologies to our TV lovers.

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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Dayton F Josh Cunningham

Posted on October 15, 2017 by Jon Teitel

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

Dayton has a fascinating roster this year: they have Jon Gruden’s nephew Joey, Giannis Antetokounmpo’s brother Kostas, and a new head coach in Anthony Grant.  Another new wrinkle is a healthy Josh Cunningham in the lineup: the reason this is “new” is because he only played 11 games last year due to a left ankle injury and none the year before as he had to sit out after transferring from Bradley.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Josh about replacing each of his top-3 scorers and how his health is doing.

You started your college career at Bradley, where you were 2nd in the MVC with 7.5 RPG as a freshman: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I knew that was 1 of the best things I had going for me so I just continued to work on that.

Why did you decide to transfer, and what made you choose the Flyers? My head coach and his staff got fired so it no longer felt like the right fit for me. I talked to my family and Dayton seemed like the only school that was serious about me coming in.

You have a new coach this year in Coach Anthony Grant: how has the transition been going over the past several months? It is going great. I did not know what to expect at 1st but as I learn more about him I think it will be a great thing.

You were selected as a co-captain prior to last year despite never having played a single game for the Flyers: what is the key to being a good leader? You need to be able to be a good teammate, get out there every day, and be a good person.

You missed more than 3 months last season due to a torn left ankle ligament: how bad was the injury, and how healthy are you at the moment? I could not even walk on it after it happened but now I feel 100%.

In the 2017 NCAA tourney you scored 2 PTS in a 6-PT loss to Wichita State: what did you learn from that game that will help you this year? We have to come out and play hard from the start. We need to play good defense and have fun out there.

Last year you lead the team with 79.2 FT%: what is your secret for making FTs? Just practicing every single day and stepping up to the line believing that you will make every single 1.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Auburn/Mississippi State/St. Mary’s: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? We have to go out and play every game the same.

You lost each of your top-3 scorers from last season (Charles Cooke//Kendall Pollard/Scoochie Smith): how will you try to replace all of that offense? We will play within Coach Grant’s system and knock down our shots when we are open.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We want to win the A-10 title, go to the NCAA tourney, and advance as far as possible. I want to enjoy the game and give it my all.

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