HoopsHD is LIVE at A-10 Media Day with: Commissioner Bernadette McGlade

Posted on October 17, 2017 by Jon Teitel

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

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.  Next up is Commissioner Bernadette McGlade who is beginning her 10th season in charge of the conference.  She has held just about every role in the sport: star rebounder at North Carolina, head coach at Georgia Tech, Final 4 Tournament Director, Selection Committee chairwoman, etc.  Jon Teitel got to chat with the Commish about being an ACC double-legend and her admiration for the chairwoman of the Commission on College Basketball.

Your 1251 career REB remains #1 in UNC history: what is the secret to being a great rebounder? Get a lot of playing time!

In 1981 you were hired at Georgia Tech to be the head women’s coach at age 23: did you consider your age to be an advantage or disadvantage? It was a double-edged sword: people told me that I was crazy to take the job…but would also be crazy to turn it down. I was thrown into the fire immediately.  As a recruiter I got off my 1st flight in NY and only then realized that I was not old enough to rent a car because I was not 25!

In 1993 you served as Tournament Director for the Women’s Final 4: what was the best part?  We had a goal of getting an advance sellout, which has never happened at a neutral site.  People chuckled when they heard about the goal and just told us to work hard, but we sold out the week before the Final 4. I would call Ticketmaster every night to see what was available.  They said they only had 1 left in Row ZZ and I asked if there were 2 tickets together somewhere else: they said that was the only ticket left in the entire building and I bought it myself.

You were chairwoman of the Women’s Basketball Selection Committee in 1999/2000: do you focus on a single most important factor (RPI/SOS/road wins/other)? I think it is a combination of factors but a team’s record is also important. You should not get credit for losing even if your star player was injured. Head-to-head competition is also important, as is having an above-.500 record in conference play: we like to see if you have had success against your fellow at-large selections. While there is not just 1 thing that is most important, I am not so sure that there should be 15 factors taken into account.

In 2012 you became the first person to be named an ACC Legend as a player (UNC) and coach (Georgia Tech): many star players often turn out to be bad coaches so how were you able to succeed at both? I have had an opportunity to work with really great people. I had a great coach/teachers at UNC, and Homer Rice was a fabulous/supportive boss at Georgia Tech. The student-athletes could have chosen not to accept me because I was so young but that did not happen: it was a positive successful environment.

Several teams (GMU/VCU/Davidson) have been added to the A-10 during the past decade: what impact has realignment had on your conference? It has had a tremendous impact, especially after losing Temple/Charlotte who needed a conference that sponsored football.  We were able to add 3 schools who matched our profile and were in our geographic footprint, which has helped us remain a national conference.

Do you prefer a conference tourney that rotates cities or stays put in 1 place? I like the balance we have fallen into: 4 years in Brooklyn, then popping out to Pittsburgh/DC, but now we have the secondary excitement of returning to Brooklyn in 2019.  It helps the fan bases when we move it around: we had over $1 million in tickets sales last spring in Pittsburgh.

Your sister Agnus Berenato won her 450th career game last year: who is the best coach in the family? Of course I would have to say myself but she certainly outlasted me.  She did a fabulous job in Pittsburgh and won a WNIT title at Georgia Tech in 1992, to her credit. Last year at Kennesaw State she got a top-4 seed and made it to the Atlantic Sun semifinals.

What makes a good referee? Making good decisions.  The consistency of calls is what the players/coaches want, regardless of whether or not you call it tight.

You previously mentioned that the 1 woman in sports business who you would most like to meet is Condoleezza Rice: how do you feel about her being the Chairwoman of the NCAA’s brand-new Commission on College Basketball? I think it is fabulous. She is a remarkable individual with a great breadth/depth of knowledge, both in higher education/athletics. She is quite exceptional.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged | Comments Off on HoopsHD is LIVE at A-10 Media Day with: Commissioner Bernadette McGlade

HoopsHD is LIVE at A-10 Media Day with: Rhode Island head coach Dan Hurley

Posted on October 17, 2017 by Jon Teitel

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

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.  Next up is Rhode Island head coach Dan Hurley, who is continuing to uphold the family name.  His father Bob Sr. was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2010, his brother Bobby still holds the record for most AST in NCAA history, and now Dan has an Atlantic 10 conference tourney title under his belt.  Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Hurley about winning a conference title and his thoughts on the recent college basketball scandal.

You won a national title in 1989 while playing for your dad Bob Hurley, Sr. at St. Anthony’s High School: what makes him such a great coach, and what makes him such a great father? His mastery of basketball philosophy at both ends of the court and his understanding of the total game. He is obsessive in terms of his preparation/scouting: he is a master. He always tried to teach his players greater lessons at St. Anthony: basketball was a vehicle to create a better life. He now runs an afterschool program called the Hurley Foundation that has an athletic/academic component.

In the 1992 NCAA tourney as a player at Seton Hall, Terry Dehere scored 24 PTS including an 18-foot jumper with 1.8 seconds left in a 2-PT win over La Salle: where does that rank among the most clutch shots that you have ever seen? It is in the top-3 or 5 in terms of teams that I have played on. It was a super-clutch shot that allowed us to get to the Spectrum against Duke, but that is what you expect from your all-time leading scorer.

In the Sweet 16 you played 18 minutes in a loss to eventual champion Duke: what was it like facing your brother Bobby (1992 NCAA tourney MOP), and are we going to see ASU on your schedule anytime soon?! It is too far west for me to go. We would love to play each other in the NCAA tourney 1 day: that would be a super-cool moment. I was a nervous wreck playing against Duke. I was truly a backup PG and comfortable in that role but Coach PJ Carlesimo doubled my minutes that game because he felt that my presence on the court would disarm my brother. Bobby’s greatest assets were his grit/intensity…but when you face your little brother it gets diffused a bit. I think I went 0-9 from the field but my brother was more affected by that game than I was. I could not sleep before the game: playing my brother, in the City of Brotherly Love, on CBS, talking to Lesley Visser, etc.

At Wagner you went 13-17 in year #1 and 25-6 in year #2, and at Rhode Island you went 8-21 in year #1 and 23-10 in year #3: what is the secret for being able to turn things around so quickly everywhere you go? When you are bad there are so many other things going on that it is hard to hear everything else around you. Now we are closer to having a sustainable program: it is a great feeling to take something from the bottom and now be picked near the top of the league. Recruiting/development have been huge for us.

As a #4-seed in the 2017 A-10 tourney you won 3 games in 3 days to clinch the title: what did it mean to you to win a title, and what was the reaction like when you got back to campus? It was an amazing reaction that started at the airport when we landed. It was a bit of a surreal thing: to go from the depths in previous years to that moment was exhilarating. When I would talk to people on campus about their most joyous moment during the past 20 years, many of them said it was our run last March from VCU to Oregon.

In the 2017 NCAA tourney you had a 3-PT loss to Oregon: what did your team learn from that game that will help them this year? We had a great end to the season and return a tremendous group of guards. There was so much excitement in March that it becomes intoxicating, so we remind them of what that felt like.

You have 5 seniors on the roster: how crucial will all of that experience be to your team’s success this year? Anytime you have that type of mature/talented depth you will have high expectations.

1 of them is EC Matthews: what makes him such a great player? He had spurts throughout that year and had plenty of great moments. Guys who can score in the final seconds of a tight game against a good team are guys who can play. In the final 10 games he got his rhythm/timing back and he has had a great offseason so I expect him to be an even more efficient player. His mindset as a sophomore was to score his way into the NBA rather than pass the ball and make the right plays. He understands things so much better now and is such a different player due to his maturity.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Seton Hall/Providence/Alabama: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? I think 8-9 of the 11 teams on our non-conference schedule are predicted to make the NCAA tourney so it is filled with opportunities to move the needle when it comes to Selection Sunday. The Seton Hall game will get a lot of attention due to how bad a player I was: I am sure that they will want to see if I am a better coach! We try to play an aggressive schedule because it affects recruiting but now it is about getting as many chances as we can to get an at-large bid. We were the only top-50 RPI team last year to play 3 non-conference road games.

What are your thoughts on the college basketball scandal from the previous few weeks? When you deal with young people there will always be some mistakes so we try to educate them about decision-making all the time. It was a black eye for our sport: for the 1st few days after the news came out I was almost embarrassed to be a college basketball coach. In the A-10 that is not the world we are in: the underbelly of college basketball does not exist in our league.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We are hungry like a wolf. We have never won a regular season title so we do not have an incredibly long tradition of A-10 success but we have a chance to do something that has never been done. A lot of what we talk about is preparing like a champion.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , | Comments Off on HoopsHD is LIVE at A-10 Media Day with: Rhode Island head coach Dan Hurley

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?!

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , | Comments Off on HoopsHD is LIVE at A-10 Media Day with: Rhode Island G EC Matthews

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.
Posted in Conference Preview | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Conference Preview: Atlantic Ten

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.

Posted in Interviews | Tagged , | Comments Off on Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Creighton G Ronnie Harrell Jr.

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.
Posted in Conference Preview | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Conference Preview: American