Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Richmond head coach Chris Mooney

Posted on October 11, 2017 by Jon Teitel

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

A lot of great coaches have come/gone through the A-10 during the past decade but there are still some very good veteran guys like Bob McKillop/Phil Martelli.  If you take a look at Chris Mooney’s record at Richmond you will not see a lot of losing seasons, which is due to the fact that he has not had a single 1 in the past 10 years.  He learned his craft at Princeton as a 4-year starter for Hall of Fame coach Pete Carril.  Last year the Spiders won 22 games including a pair in the NIT before losing to eventual champion TCU in the quarterfinals.   HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Mooney about playing for a Hall of Famer and coaching a young team this season.

As a player at Princeton you were allegedly nicknamed “Dr. Sweats” because you could not afford to buy jeans: who gave you the nickname, and how did you like it? I could afford them but came to college without any jeans (just sweats).  My teammate Galen Criqui (son of famous announcer Don Criqui) gave me the nickname: it was funny.

You played for Hall of Fame coach Pete Carril at Princeton: what made him such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? His understanding/vision of the game were incredible. What he was doing in the 1960s/1970s is very similar to how it is played at the highest level today: dribble handoffs, shooters spread around the perimeter, etc. They were a high-powered offense with future NBA players. He was always very honest so there was never any confusion about where we stood: players crave honest evaluation.

You entered the 1991 NCAA tourney on a 16-game winning streak but Lance Miller scored 19 PTS including a 6-foot jumper with 1.3 seconds left in a 2-PT win by Villanova: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? I remember it really well…and it was really devastating. Villanova was a good team but we were the #8-seed and were nationally-ranked. The 2 schools had played a lot in the 1970s/1980s and Big East basketball was a very physical brand of basketball. It was a really tough loss because it felt like that was going to be the year that we advanced far in the tourney.

In the 2011 postseason as head coach at Richmond you won 3 games in 3 days to clinch the A-10 tourney, then beat Vanderbilt/Morehead State to reach the Sweet 16: what is your favorite memory from that incredible run? There are a lot of good memories. We won the championship game by enough points that we were able to sub out our stars toward the end and give our bench guys a chance to play, which was really special.

In the 2017 NIT quarterfinals you lost to TCU: what did your team learn from that game that can help them this year? TCU was playing great and went on to win the NIT title in New York. When playing an opponent that good you learn that everything you do is so critical: not just every possession but every since cut/defensive positioning. You have to make everything hard for your opponent and give yourself the best chance to win, which we did not do. It takes a little extra concentration.

Last year SG De’Monte Buckingham was named conference ROY: how was he able to come in and contribute right from the start? He is a really talented player and was more physically ready than most freshmen. He has incredible instincts and a great mind for the game.  He was able to see the game at his speed and adjust far more quickly than anyone else. He is super-competitive so he was ready to attack in his 1st season.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Cincinnati/Georgetown/Wake Forest/BC: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Delaware: the very 1st one. We always try to play a great non-conference schedule and are fortunate that they are not a constant string of road games. We are young enough that no game will be easy. We are younger than we are “inexperienced” so we just have to concentrate at a high level.

You only have 1 senior and 1 grad student on the roster: how do you figure out your team’s leaders when you have such a relatively young roster? Since we are around the guys so much we can recognize who they follow/believe in. We have a good feel for that since we see it transpiring every day. There are guys who played a lot of minutes as young players so I think that our leadership will be very good.

You graduated your top-2 scorers from last year (TJ Cline/ShawnDre’ Jones): how will you try to replace all of that offense? That will be really difficult. TJ was 1 of the most unique players in college basketball: he was 2nd in the conference in AST despite standing 6’9”.  ShawnDre’ was a scorer since he 1st got here. We feel we have guys who are ready to step in for them.  The major step we took last year was defensively so we have to figure out who we are on offense.  We went to TJ when we needed a basket so we need to find out who is comfortable in that position and is able to do it at critical times, which is the fun part of having a team of new contributors.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We talk about goals just among ourselves. Our expectations could be really exciting because there are some guys who can emerge as great players with the right amount of seasoning. If we improve during the course of the season, as we generally have in the past, then this will be a fun team to be around.

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Conference Preview: Big East

Posted on October 11, 2017 by Chad

Click HERE for all Season Preview articles from Jon Teitel and a schedule for Chad’s conference previews

BIG EAST

Any discussion of what conference is the best in the nation better include the Big East this season.  The conference that gave us the 2015-16 national champions may have more returning depth and star power than it has since a time before it split away from its football-playing brethren.  Leading the way once again should be the Villanova Wildcats.  Jay Wright seems to easily replace every piece he loses and should do so once again this year, especially now that standout recruit Omari Spellman is eligible to play.  Seton Hall, Xavier and Providence all return a ton of big pieces and should be sniffing right at the Wildcats’ heels all season long.

The Big East is deeper this year than just those four, however.  Creighton and Butler both have a lot of question marks but enough talent to be in the NCAA Tournament.  Marquette and St. John’s could be in the picture as well.  That’s 80% of the league.  While we are not predicting 8 bids at this point, anything less than six would be a major disappointment.  And DePaul at least will have a new home court arena that doesn’t take a week to travel to from their campus.  In fact, but for Georgetown’s woes (and we are predicting a ton of them for this Hoyas team), every team should be competitive and fun to watch all season long.

Predicted Order of Finish

  1. Villanova – Josh Hart and Kris Jenkins are gone . . . so what?  Jay Wright’s team may be just as good, if not better, than last season’s 32-4 record with the likes of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Donte DiVincenzo in the backcourt and on the wings, and prized recruit Omari Spellman finally eligible down low.  The scariest part for the rest of the Big East, and maybe the entire nation, is that there are no seniors on the roster.
  2. Seton Hall – The Pirates have a real chance to finish on top of the league standings as they return four starters and most of the key reserves from a team that won 21 games last season.  Khadeen Carrington and Myles Powell both have the ability to light up the scoreboard, and Angel Delgado is the type of monster presence down low that very few teams have the ability to matchup with.  Oh yeah, Desi Rodriguez is also still here.
  3. Xavier – Villanova may be the best team in the Big East, but like Seton Hall, Xavier should be right on their heels with the guard tandem of Trevon Bluiett and J.P. Macura leading the way.  The player to really keep an eye on is 6-10 graduate transfer (from Green Bay) Kerem Kanter.  He has the chance to be a major force down low and should be able to make up for the offseason loss of RaShid Gaston.
  4. Providence – The Friars won 20 games and finished tied for third in the Big East last season.  They return their top eight players (led by Rodney Bullock) from last year and add in a few very good new pieces, including freshman Makai Ashton-Langford.  In any other conference, that is a formula to be picked at least in the top two, but with the talent on the teams above them, fourth place may be the ceiling.  That being said, this team could be good enough to be playing on the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament.  Of course, the recent announcement that senior forward Emmitt Holt is out with an injury does not help, but hopefully he will be back on the court soon.
  5. Creighton – Despite losing Mo Watson, the Bluejays should be solid in the backcourt again with Marcus Foster, Khyri Thomas and Syracuse transfer Kaleb Joseph.  The same cannot be said for the frontcourt, where a handful of newcomers, including 6-11 freshman Jacob Epperson and 6-10 D2 transfer Manny Suarez will have to find a way to make up for the loss of NBA first round pick Justin Patton.
  6. Butler – The Bulldogs are young and have their fourth new head coach in the past five seasons; however, they still appear to have the talent to make it to the Big Dance.  Sophomore Kamar Baldwin will be joined in the backcourt by a bunch of guys even younger than he is, so it will fall to senior forward Kelan Martin to provide the team with leadership.  If he does, and if the players gel under new head coach LaVall Jordan, this team should expect to hear their name called on Selection Sunday.
  7. St. John’s – Chris Mullin is proving all of his naysayers wrong as he rebuilds the Red Storm program back to respectability.  He brings back a backcourt pairing of Shamorie Ponds and Marcus LoVett, together with swingman Bashir Ahmed, that should keep the Johnnies in the game most nights and provide a ton of excitement for fans.  There are still a lot of questions down low, but if Michigan State transfer Marvin Clark and players like Tariq Owens step up their games, this team has a chance to have its dance ticket punched.
  8. Marquette – Size will be an issue for the Golden Eagles with their top two returning scorers (Markus Howard and Andrew Rowsey) being under 6 feet tall and their best interior player (SMU transfer Harry Froling) not eligible until December.  That being said, if they can hit the 3-pointers the way they did last season, there is a chance to pull off just enough wins to be in the bubble talk come March.
  9. DePaul – The Blue Demons are high on D2 transfer Max Strus, who will join Eli Cain (15.6 points per game last season) in the backcourt.  They also add some help down low with Northern Illinois transfer Marin Maric.  Most importantly, however, the Blue Demons open the new 10,000 seat Wintrust Arena, no longer having to commute across Chicago just to play games. The new building should bring out more fans; however, a finish at or near the bottom of the conference  is once again likely.
  10. Georgetown – The Hoyas went 5-13 in the Big East last season.  Their top two scorers from that team are gone.  Their head coach was fired, and his replacement (Patrick Ewing) has never been a head coach before.  If not for DePaul, the Hoyas would have been in last place last season.  Despite DePaul, they will be there this time around.
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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Jacksonville head coach Tony Jasick

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Jon Teitel

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

2 signs that you are getting old: college freshmen who were born in the year 2000 and college coaches who graduated from college in the year 2000.  Tony Jasick is a a member of the latter group but has quickly risen up the ranks: assistant at Middle Tennessee in 2004, head coach at IPFW in 2011, and head coach at Jacksonville in 2014.  He has also proven that he knows how to turn a program around: he increased the Mastodons’ win total from 11 in year #1 to 25 in year #3 and increased the Dolphins’ win total from 10 in year #1 to 17 in year #3 (finishing off each year #3 with a berth in the CIT.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Jasick about being named the best mid-major coach in the country and the importance of 3-PT shooting to his team’s success.

You played PG at Muskegon Community College: how good a player were you back in the day, and how did you get into coaching? I was a really bad player and I got into coaching because I was not smart enough to do anything else! I was around some really good coaches in the community where I grew up and always had an affinity for it.

You were an assistant to Kermit Davis at Middle Tennessee: what makes him such a good coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? He is fantastic at building relationships in the community and his consistency from day 1 to day 365 is remarkable to me. He does a great job of coaching his team every single day.

You were hired as coach at IPFW in 2011: how were you able to improve your win total from 11 in year #1 to 25 in year #3? Great coaching! We were able to recruit some really good players and had a good mix of JC guys who brought some experience and a handful of high school guys who were able to grow. They were unselfish and cared a lot about winning.

In 2014 you won the Hugh Durham Award as the best D-1 mid-major men’s coach in the nation: what did it mean to you to win such an outstanding honor? The folks at College Insider are fantastic people. I am not sure if I deserved it because there are a lot of great coaches out there but it was great for our institution/program/players. It was a great honor for me personally but a lot of other people deserve credit for that.

After starting 13-6 last season at Jacksonville you closed out the year with a 4-PT loss in the regular season finale, a 3-PT loss in the conference tourney, and a 2-PT loss in the 2017 CIT: you were obviously right on the cusp but what will it take to turn those close losses into close wins this year? We have 2 completely different teams: last year was senior-laden before we were hit by the injury bug, which was part of the reason for all those close losses. We are much younger this year but have improved some of our perimeter play and have an increased commitment on the defensive end of the floor as we continue to grow.

Your team’s 40.3 3P% was #11 in the nation: is it just 1 part of a larger offensive strategy or is it a focal point where you “live by the 3/die by the 3”? You hope to not die by anything but a major part of what we do is to punch the paint, and if the defense collapses then we kick it out to an open shooter. It is a big part of what we do and the threes are a result of how we play. We try to be unselfish and recruit guys who can dribble/pass/shoot.

You lost each of your top-3 scorers from last year (JR Holder/Marcel White/Darien Fernandez): how are you going to try to replace all of that offense? We lost a handful of other guys as well but I like our group. We had the opportunity to go to Canada this summer and see where we are at, and hopefully our former freshmen can take another step as sophomores. It will be a collective effort.

You have 5 players from Florida while the rest of your team comes from 7 different states/England: what sort of recruiting philosophy do you have? Recruiting is about relationships: if you look at our out-of-state guys we have a lot from the Northeast/New England due to our academic reputation/climate. We feel the Southeast is an attractive spot and we work on our contacts/connections.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against NC State/Michigan: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Anytime you go into a guarantee-game situation you have to play really well to be competitive down the stretch. Our schedule provides a lot of challenges and hopefully we can build a little momentum.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Our goals remain the same: get better every day. I know it is a cliché but when you have as many new guys as we do it is important to stay focused on improvement rather than on wins/losses.

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Conference Preview: ACC

Posted on October 10, 2017 by Chad

Click HERE for all Season Preview articles from Jon Teitel and a schedule for Chad’s conference previews

ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

This is the place where we expected to be writing about North Carolina starting their national title defense and Duke coming in with another roster full of some of the best looking one-and-done players in the nation.  That all changed in the final week of September when the FBI dropped a bombshell on college basketball.  The explosion from the investigation led directly to a complete house-cleaning in Louisville that took out Athletic Director Tom Jurich, head coach Rick Pitino, and highly touted recruit Brian Bowen.  As of the moment, it is unclear if the Cardinals will even be post-season eligible, but that may not even matter.  The investigation touched a handful of other programs across the nation, including Miami, but for now at least we will assume that the Hurricanes will be playing with a full roster and eligible for the Big Dance.

Turning matters to the on-court stuff, the Tar Heels lost a ton in the offseason, but should still be strong enough to contend for the league crown.  Virginia Tech, Miami, Notre Dame and Virginia should all be in contention as well, but to win the title teams will have to get past Coach K’s Duke Blue Devils, and his team is so loaded that just does not seem possible.  The conference will be deep again, with a chance for 8 or more bids.  Georgia Tech, Florida State and North Carolina State could all push for postseason invites, though the latter two would certainly be surprises to anyone but us.  As usual, the worst team in the conference looks like it will be a pushover; however, this year that team plays in Pennsylvania – not Massachusetts.

Predicted Order of Finish

  1. Duke – Despite losing four double-digit scorers, the Blue Devils have a great chance to make it to San Antonio with Grayson Allen leading the way and heralded freshmen Trevon Duval, Gary Trent, Jr., Wendell Carter, Jr. and Marvin Bagley III.  Don’t forget Marques Bolden, who could be primed for a breakout season.
  2. Miami – Assuming the ongoing FBI investigation stays away from the court, the Hurricanes could have one of the nation’s best backcourts, especially if Ja’Quan Newton can improve his ball-handling skills.  Bruce Brown and Lonnie Walker have a chance to score a ton of points –  more than enough to make up for a frontcourt that will be better defensively than on offense.
  3. North Carolina – The defending national champions must make up for a ton of offseason losses but should still be strong in the backcourt with Joel Berry II and Pitt transfer Cameron Johnson.  The problems may be down low where Theo Pinson will need to step up and get help from a bunch of newcomers.
  4. Virginia Tech – Buzz Williams continues to build the Hokies into a legitimate ACC contender.  The addition of highly-touted freshman Nickeil Alexander-Walker and the return of Kerry Blackshear Jr. from injury, together with the likes of Chris Clarke, Ahmed Hill, Justin Robinson and Justin Bibbs should lead them back to the Big Dance again this year.
  5. Notre Dame – The combination of point guard Matt Farrell and power forward Bonzie Colson may be one of the best two player combos in the nation and the two of them alone may be enough to have the Irish near the top of the ACC standings.  They will need to find some more scoring help though, especially with Steve Vasturia and V.J. Beachem gone.
  6. Virginia – The Cavaliers always play great defense and this year should not be any different.  The question, as always, will be scoring.  Senior Devon Hall, an improved Kyle Guy and the additions of redshirt freshman De’Andre Hunter and Rutgers transfer Nigel Johnson could all be key factors here.
  7. Georgia Tech – Despite not making the NCAA Tournament, the Yellow Jackets were one of the nation’s biggest surprises in Josh Pastner’s first year, making a run all the way to the NIT title game when they were predicted by many to finish at the bottom of the league.  Expect even better results with year with Tadric Jackson, Josh Okogie and Ben Lammers all back and ready to go.
  8. Florida State – Most teams that lose three double-digit scorers (Dwayne Bacon, Xavier Rathan-Mayes and Jonathan Isaac) will be in rebuilding mode, but that may not be the case in Tallahassee.  Terance Mann returns at guard and is joined by five-star wingman recruit M.J. Walker.  The ‘Noles have a ton of size down low too with a pair of seven-footers leading the way.  Another 12 win ACC season is a longshot, but don’t be shocked to see FSU back in the Big Dance.
  9. North Carolina State – The Wolfpack have a chance to be the conference’s surprise team, especially with Omer Yurtseven and Lennard Freeman healthy down low.  Although Kevin Keatts is supposed to have a rebuilding project ahead of him, there are enough pieces here to be competitive this season.
  10. Louisville – After everything that happened in late September, with the FBI investigation eventually leading to Rick Pitino being placed on what will eventually be a permanent leave of absence, Brian Bowen being declared ineligible, probably never to play a minute of college hoops, and David Padgett finally taking over head coaching duties, it is close to impossible to figure out what will happen on the court this year.  The Cardinals do have some very good pieces, led by the likes of Quentin Snider and Deng Adel, but even if the team technically remains postseason eligible, it is tough to see them getting away from the offcourt issues to actually make it there.
  11. Syracuse – Tyus Battle and USF transfer Geno Thorpe will do the majority of the outside scoring, but there are lots of question marks defensively and down low.  This looks like another season riding the bubble.
  12. Wake Forest – The Demon Deacons have a pair of guards in Bryant Crawford and Keyshawn Woods good enough to keep them in most games.  However, there are way too many questions (and very few answers) down low to put this team back in the NCAA Tournament picture.  The good news is the team is very young, and the outlook may be a lot different this time next season.
  13. Clemson – The Tigers were a disappointing 6-12 in ACC play last year and that was with Jaron Blossomgame leading the way.  Without him, it is tough to see them even being able to match that mark.  Unfortunately for head coach Brad Brownell, another season that doesn’t come close to a dance ticket could be his last one here.
  14. Boston College – Ky Bowman and Jerome Robinson will help make the Eagles a fun team to watch again this year, which is more than can be said of Boston College for quite some time.  Illinois State transfer Deontae Hawkins could be a big piece inside, but there is still not enough depth or talent in Chestnut Hill to finish anywhere but near the bottom of the league standings.
  15. Pittsburgh – The Panthers won only 4 ACC games last year.  Their top five scorers from last season are gone.  They have no true point guard on the roster.  And they have Kevin Stallings as their head coach.  In other words, it is going to be bad.  Very bad.
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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews Liberty head coach Ritchie McKay

Posted on October 9, 2017 by Jon Teitel

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

How do you know if you are a good fit for a school?  Liberty University likes Ritchie McKay so much that they hired him to be their head coach TWICE!  The 1st time was in 2007 after he led New Mexico to the 2005 Mountain West tourney championship and a spot in the NCAA tourney.  Then after spending 6 years working for Tony Bennett at Virginia he was re-hired by Liberty University in 2015 and won 21 games in his 2nd year back on the sideline in Lynchburg.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach McKay about how the program has changed and how you build a top-20 defense.

You played basketball at Seattle Pacific: how good a player were you back in the day, and how did you get into coaching? It depends on who you talk to! The old fish tales get bigger and bigger but I had a great experience in college with an unbelievable mentor in Coach Claude Terry. I love him to this day and we still stay in touch. He shaped my passion for the game as well as my faith: he was absolutely awesome. I thought that I would play until I was 50 but he was the 1 who told me that he thought I would make a good coach. I applied for a grad assistant job with Coach Andy Russo at Washington, and later ended up working for Coach Dale Layer at Queens College as we helped build a program from scratch.

In the 2005 MWC tourney title game as coach at New Mexico you had a 4-PT win over Utah: what did it mean to you to win the title? At the time it was my dream job because my father had played there. Danny Granger was the catalyst of that team and we were able to beat a good Utah team featuring Andrew Bogut. Albuquerque is a fabulous place with a rabid fan base.

You were previously hired as head coach of Liberty in 2007: how has the program changed over the past decade? Jerry Falwell Sr. hired me before his passing that May.  It was an incredible place because of the people here in Lynchburg. Our campus was genuine/friendly and I loved it every single day. I only left because my good friend Tony Bennett hired me to be his assistant at Virginia: I actually tried to hire him when I was at Colorado State. Coming back here has allowed me to see how the place has transformed. I think the university has committed $1 billion to new construction, which has blessed our whole student body. Not only is it 1 of the best campuses educationally but also spiritually. My daughter is graduating from here next semester and my son is a freshman.

As an assistant to your long-time friend Tony at Virginia you had back-to-back 30-win seasons in 2014/2015: what makes him such a great friend, and what makes him such a great coach? He is a great coach because he sees the game in a way that not a lot of other people do. As a former player he has amazing instincts: after a play I often was impressed because I had not seen how it would work out myself. He is 1 of the best defensive coaches in the country but also has a bright offensive mind as well. That being said, he is an even better person and I love him dearly. He is laced with humility and genuinely cares for the people in his program. I learned a ton from him during my 6 years there even though he is younger than me.

In 2016 in your 1st season (the 2nd time around) as head coach at Liberty you were named conference COY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? I was flattered to receive that honor but I know that the assistant coaches have a major hand in that accomplishment. We lost our 1st 13 D-1 games so it showed that through our perseverance/strength in unity we were able to take a small step which showed that our guys we were headed in the right direction. The credit goes to our assistants/players.

In the 2017 CIT quarterfinals you had a loss to UMBC: what do you think your team learned from that game that can help them this year? We hosted the 1st 2 rounds so winning a couple of games restored our sense of confidence. UMBC just got away from us because they were better that night, but it gave us an appreciation for how difficult it is to win outside your venue, which you have to do in the postseason more likely than not.

Your 63.4 PPG allowed last season was top-20 in the nation: what is the key to playing great defense? We have stolen the Pack-Line defense from Coach Dick Bennett and did not change a thing but we give him the copyright! I try to visit Charlottesville every month to get some more insight. We think we have some more athleticism this year and will try to gain our identity through our defense.

Your non-conference schedule includes a game against Wake Forest: how did you do against the Demon Deacons when you were in the ACC, and how do you prepare your current squad to face an ACC team? Danny Manning is a terrific coach and I got to see it firsthand when I was at Virginia. They do not beat themselves and are sound defensively. Anytime you play “up” your guys will be excited about the game, and it should prepare us really well for our conference season. Anytime you get to play tough/physical games it can only help you. We also look forward to the Paradise Jam with teams like Colorado/Mercer/Drexel.

You return each of your top-4 scorers from last season (Ryan Kemrite/Caleb Homesley/Lovell Cabbil/Georgie Pacheco-Ortiz): how crucial will all of that experience be to your team’s success this year? Caleb is coming back from ACL surgery so if we can get him healthy by conference play that will be great for us. Ryan is working on his Masters’ degree and could have transferred anywhere he wanted so it is a blessing that he stayed here. Georgie is from Puerto Rico but prepped in Richmond and was the surprise of our team last year. Lovell has taken great strides since being my 1st recruit: he has gone from 145 pounds to 170 and is gaining weight like his head coach!

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I never pick goals based on numbers.  I am just pleased that we have bonded as a family so if we can continue to play together then those relationships will last for a long time. I am excited for the season and look forward to the challenges.

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Season Preview: HoopsHD interviews South Dakota State assistant coach Eric Henderson

Posted on October 8, 2017 by Jon Teitel

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

It was a case of new coach/same success for South Dakota State last year.  After making the 2016 NCAA tourney with Coach Scott Nagy, they made it again last March with Coach TJ Otzelberger.  The players deserve a lot of the credit but do not forget about the importance of the coaching staff.  Assistant coach Eric Henderson is on quite a nice run of his own: at North Dakota State he made the NCAA tourney in 2015 and the Summit League tourney title game in 2016, then made it back to the NCAA tourney last March with the Jackrabbits.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Henderson about making the NCAA tourney and his recruiting philosophy.  

You previously spent a couple of years coaching girls’ basketball: what is the biggest difference between coaching boys vs. coaching girls? The biggest difference is that the girls are more eager to learn since their skill level is not quite as high, whereas the boys think they are farther along in the process and have more of the answers.

You were a graduate manager for Coach Greg McDermott at Iowa State: did you ever get to watch his son Doug play at Ames High School, and could you have ever imagined that he would turn into 1 of the best scorers in D-1 history at Creighton? I played for Coach McDermott at Wayne State so I have known Doug since he was 2 years old. Even at an early age I recall him being our ballboy: he loved to be in the gym around the guys and always had a ball in his hand. He was never afraid of any moment. I got to watch him in high school when he was just the 6th man and it was fun to watch him progress after he got to Creighton. I am really fortunate to know their family and their work ethic.

You spent 2 years as an assistant at North Dakota State before switching to South Dakota State in 2016: why did you make the move, and how big is the rivalry between your old school and your new school? It was a tough decision because I have a lot of respect for the people at North Dakota State. I got to know TJ over the past few years and we have always talked about working together. He called me after he got the job and invited me to join him: the faith/trust he had in me trumped everything else while he developed this new program. As for the rivalry, it is pretty big.

You work for Coach TJ Otzelberger: what makes him such a good coach and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? What makes him extremely special is “relationships”. I look at how he pours his heart/soul into our team, which was a big reason why we turned the corner last year after starting off the season 1-6 and starting conference play 1-5. It was hard to climb out of those dumps but our players trusted him. It also goes to recruiting, which is the lifeblood of college basketball. He takes a lot of time to get to know the kids and build that relationship.

In the 2015 NCAA tourney at North Dakota State you lost to Gonzaga and in the 2017 NCAA tourney at South Dakota State you lost to the Bulldogs again: how sick are you of facing Mark Few every other March? It would be fun to play somebody else! Mark does a tremendous job.  Last March it seemed like he had a totally different team on the defensive end and they were also better athletically.  We look at them as a blueprint of what we hope to become.

Last year your team’s 77.1 FT% was top-15 in the nation: what is the key to making FTs? Getting the right guy there. Mike Daum is a 40 3P%/50 FG%/90 FT% guy and a lot of our offense went through him, so having him lead the nation in FTA helped a lot. He is a hard guy to officiate because he is so versatile and puts so much pressue on the defense. We spend a lot of time after workouts at the line while the players are still tired: that was certainly 1 of our strengths last year.

Daum was conference ROY in 2016 and conference POY in 2017: what makes him such a great player and are there any awards left for him to win? That is to be determined. He is such a unique player that he is a mismatch nightmare for everyone in our league. He is so physical on the block and has great touch around the rim. The nice thing is that he does not get caught up in the awards: as good as he is on gameday, I give him so much credit for what he does in practice. He does not take possessions off, which trickles down to the rest of our guys as he becomes more mature/vocal.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Kansas/Iowa/Mississippi/Wichita State/Colorado: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Our entire schedule is set on purpose: to take the next step we want to be challenged in every single game. Kansas/Wichita State are both top-10 teams but the tourney in the Cayman Islands will be tough as well so we just have to put our best foot forward and let the chips fall where they may. We are not focused on the NCAA tourney: we just want to get better every day.

You only have 3 players on the roster from South Dakota: what sort of recruiting philosophy do you have? We recruit guys who can help us win the Summit League title. We mostly recruit in the Midwest and the in-state guys have a huge passion for the university. We want it to be a destination place but we have a kid from Washington and try to take advantage of the relationships that we have created along the journey. We like high-character kids who are proud to be Jackrabbits.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I do not think the expectations change: they are always high. We do not sit around and talk about winning titles and making the NCAA tourney: we just talk about enjoying the moment and staying together as a team. We are very process-driven: we want to show up in practice and be great players every day. Hopefully the end result is where our expectations are.

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