OVC Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 24, 2024 by David Griggs

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OVC MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Little Rock
  2. Western Illinois
  3. SIUE
  4. Tennessee State
  5. Morehead State
  6. Eastern Illinois
  7. SEMO
  8. Southern Indiana
  9. Lindenwood
  10. UT Martin
  11. Tennessee Tech

MEDIA DAY OVC PLAYERS TO WATCH:

-EASTERN ILLINOIS -SR, G Nakyel Shelton, SR, F Kooper Jacobi
-LINDENWOOD – SR, G Markeith Browning II, JR, G/F Jeremiah Talton
-LITTLE ROCK – SR, G KK Robinson, SR, G Jordan Jefferson
-MOREHEAD STATE – SR, F Dieonte Miles, SO, G Trent Scott
-SEMO – SR, G Teddy Washington Jr., Jr, G Rob Martin
-SIUE – SR, G Ray’Sean Taylor, SR, G Desmond Polk
-SOUTHERN INDIANA – SO, F Stephen Olowoniyi, JR, G Jayland Randall
-TENNESSEE STATE – SR, F Ahmir Langlais, JR, G Justus Jackson
-TENNESSEE TECH – JR, F Daniel Egbuniwe, SR, F Rodney Johnson Jr.
-UT MARTIN – SR, F Vladimer Salaridze, JR, G Josue’ Grullon
-WESTERN ILLINOIS – SR, G Ryan Myers, SR, G Sean Smith

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Little Rock finished in a tie for 1st place last year and won 13 of their final 14 before losing to Morehead State in the OVC Championship game. KK Robison/Makhel Mitchell return to the roster, both of whom were big time contributors and likely will be again this year. Isaiah Lewis transfers in after having a big year at Murray State last year and will be a big piece for the Trojans as well. Little Rock is the preseason favorites because, quite frankly, no one else has as many talented players as they do. They look to be the hands down favorite to me.

No one else is really all that close to Little Rock. They will likely sprint away from the rest of the conference.

-Western Illinois has just one starter back from last year’s 21-win team. Ryan Myers is a solid player and a very good outside shooter, but some of the new guys are going to have to step up in order for this team to have success. They do have some players who were standouts in the JUCO ranks, so the cupboard is not completely bare.

-I like Brian Barone as a coach. Having said that, while he has certainly had some success at SIUE, he has not had quite as much as I thought he would over the last two years. Just one starter is back so the Cougars are in a rebuilding mode. Much of their roster is made up of guys with limited D-1 minutes along with some JUCO and NAIA transfers, so it is hard to tell what kind of team they will have this year.

-Tennessee State is having to replace their entire starting lineup. In fact pretty much the entire team is brand new as just one player returns. They did hit the portal and have a few guys with a decent amount of D-1 experience, but no one that really jumps off the page. Several standout players from lower divisions also join the squad. They are picked 4th in the preseason, which is not bad, but it is really hard to say how good they will be with so many new pieces.

-Morehead State has won 20+ games for each of the last four years and played in two NCAA Tournaments during that stretch. Having said that, Preston Spradlin (who was the head coach during that run) has departed for James Madison, and Morehead State’s roster has been overhauled. Dieonte Miles is the only returning starter and he averaged just 5ppg last year. Kade Ruegsegger was a standout player at the NAIA level last year, but other than that they just do not have any prolific or experienced players. Johnny Mattox takes over as head coach and he may have a difficult rebuilding project in front of him.

-Eastern Illinois just cannot seem to get it going. They won just 10 D-1 games last year, and while they do have three starters returning and perhaps have more experience than most of the teams in the league, the expectations still are not all that high. Kooper Jacobi gives them some strength at the forward position, and Nakyel Shelton was also a double-digit scorer last year, so their experience could help them get a few more wins this year.

-After making the NCAA Tournament two years ago, SEMO won just 9 total games last year and was an abysmal 4-14 in conference play. They do not seem to be all that improved this year, so I am a little surprised they are picked to finish as high as they are.

-Both Southern Indiana and Lindenwood are entering their 3rd year of the 4 year transition to D-1. The transition process is painful, especially in the second and third years. It is that period of time when all of their key players from before are gone, and it is hard to replace them because they are still on a postseason ban. Neither team won 10 games a year ago, and in looking at them both this year it is hard to picture them finishing very high in the standings.

-UT Martin finished in a tie for 1st place last year. This year, almost NO ONE is back. They have a new head coach in Jeremy Shulman, and rather than go into the portal he opted to sign 8 JUCO players. Many were solid contributors at the JUCO level, and I think they will do okay at the D-1 level. I do not think they will win the league, but I like them to finish a lot higher than this.

-Tennessee Tech is just bad. I do not quite understand why they are as bad as they are. John Pelphrey appeared to be a solid hire when he first arrived at Tennessee Tech, but in all five seasons he has been there they have been awful. They have so-so players that seem to play worse than what you would expect. They’re picked to finish last this year, and I agree. That is probably where they will finish.

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Pac-12 Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 24, 2024 by David Griggs

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Vintage television test pattern.
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WAC Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 24, 2024 by David Griggs

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WAC MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Grand Canyon
  2. UT Arlington
  3. Seattle U
  4. Cal Baptist
  5. Utah Valley
  6. Tarleton State
  7. Abilene Christian
  8. Utah Tech
  9. Southern Utah

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-WAC TEAM:

-Dominique Daniels Jr. – SR, G – Cal Baptist
-Tyon Grant-Foster – SR, G – Grand Canyon
-Ray Harrison – SR, G – Grand Canyon
-John Christofilis – JR, G – Seattle U
-Freddy Hicks – SR, G/F – Tarleton State

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-I am really big on the Grand Canyon Antelopes. Picking them to win the conference is sort of like picking August to be the hottest month out of August, November, December, January and February. They are the best…and it is not even close. It would not surprise me to see them run the table in both the regular season and the conference tournament. They won 30 games a year ago, made the NCAA Tournament, advanced to the Round of 32 after beating Saint Mary’s, and while it was sloppy they actually held their own with Alabama (who ultimately advanced all the way to the Final Four). Four starters are back from that team. Tyon Grant-Foster averaged over 20ppg a season ago, Ray Harrison is another guy who can score, Duke Brennan is one of the better centers in the conference, and on top of all that JaKobe Coles (a fantastic outside shooter) transfers in from TCU. The question is whether or not this team belongs in the Top-25, and I think the answer to that question is undoubtedly…YES! They are not in the preseason poll. It takes the voters a little while to figure out how good some of the Under the Radar teams are, but I think they crack the rankings before the end of the year and go into the NCAA Tournament way inside the bubble and on the first ballot.

It is actually kind of hard to get all that excited about anyone else…

-UT Arlington had a nice 20-win season a year ago. The problem is that no starters are back and Coach KT Turner (who had a nice debut) is now tasked with reloading the roster. In fact just two players total return, and neither saw substantial playing time. Diante Smith was a standout player and good outside shooter at Nicholls, and Darius Burford was a contributor at Illinois State. I think they will do fine against all the teams in the conference…minus the top one.

-Seattle U has won 20 or more games for the last three seasons since Coach Chris Victor arrived, and last year they took home a bit of hardware after winning the CBI Tournament. This year will be a bit of a challenge as just two starters return and the roster seems to be largely made up of guys who have seen limited minutes at the D-1 level.

-Cal Baptist finished in just 8th place a year ago and are looking to improve on that this year. Dominique Daniels Jr is an outstanding guard who averaged just under 20ppg a season ago, and they have some solid looking JUCO players that can help fill out the roster. I actually like this team a little bit more than where they are being picked. I think they can finish as high as 2nd or 3rd this year.

-Utah Valley, like a lot of teams, is facing a roster overhaul. Just one starter is back from a team that won just 16 games, and they will look to guys who came off the bench last year along with some guys they got in the portal to play bigger roles and contribute this year.

-Tarleton State had a remarkable season last year, especially considering it was their final transitional year. They won 25 total games and advanced to the semifinals of the CIT. Billy Gillispie has proven that given time he can develop talent. The problem is that all of last year’s talent has now moved on. All five starters are gone, and they do not seem to have anyone with any significant D-1 experience on this year’s roster. They do have some promising freshmen, but they will have to step up early in their careers for them to have any sort of success this year.

-Abilene Christian has two starters back, and both were solid scorers and contributors a year ago. Bradyn Hubbard was a standout JUCO player and should be able to contribute some. Other than that, it looks like they will be relying on guys who saw limited minutes last year to step up.

-Utah Tech and Southern Utah each have two starters back, but both struggled last year and look like they will be bringing up the rear again this year. But, when they face each other the games will still be meaningful because they are both members of the Bee Hive Conference! That is one of our favorite Mythical Conferences.

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Season preview: HoopsHD interviews Columbia SR G Kitty Henderson

Posted on October 24, 2024 by Jon Teitel

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We are still about 2 weeks away from the tip-off of a new college basketball season, which means that we have plenty of time to start preparing for the action ahead. We will do so via a series of season previews featuring the best players/coaches in the country. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage with Columbia SR G Kitty Henderson, who talked about being a great defender and her expectations for this season.

You were born in England/raised in Australia: what made you choose Columbia? When I came to Australia my high school had a lot of basketball teams and I loved the sport so much. My coach told me about the US system and showed me what it was like. I did not think I was that good when I was younger and my confidence was not where I needed it to be, but as I got older it was something that I wanted to do. I wanted a change for college and really wanted to challenge myself. I love playing in the college environment and I had a very good relationship with my coaches from a young age, which is super-important for me.

You play for Coach Megan Griffith: what makes her such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from her so far? Coach G teaches us so much, but the main thing is that how you do anything is how you do everything. You might not think that things outside basketball will matter but they will easily creep into your game. I try to put the same effort into everything in my life. She challenged me to be a better player/person, which I appreciate about her.

You started 23 games as a freshman: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? I really trusted the process and trusted my coaches. I just wanted the best for the team and did not have huge expectations: I remember being on the scout team and trying to make my teammates better. I got into the starting lineup a couple of games into the season and capitalized on that opportunity by trying to have a good impact. We are very equal-headed and there is no hierarchy: everyone respects each other equally and the upperclassmen made me feel confident in my role.

In the 2022 WNIT you made the Elite 8 and in the 2023 WNIT you made the title game: what is the key to winning games in March? The season is so long that by March your team culture comes out. Everyone is so tired that it comes down to who had good habits all year, and you need to set that standard early. We talk about winning 1st: it needs to be done much earlier than March, so we all have that mindset. Every possession/practice matters: you cannot suddenly show up in the postseason.

Last year you were named 2nd-team All-Ivy: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It meant a lot: I will do anything to get our team over the line, and last year I took a bigger role in terms of scoring/stats. I could have done a little better, but that is my motivation this year to get even better as a senior.

You also led the conference with 55 STL: what is the secret to being a great defender? You must be able to anticipate a little bit, which comes through watching film. It is super-fun when you know what your opponent is doing and a lot of my STL comes from knowing what actions they are running. Defense is a 5-person job, so you have to be aggressive…but also be smart with your anticipation.

You are captain of the team and 1 of 2 seniors on the roster: how much pressure is there on you to be a leader this year? Me/Cecilia/Perri are the 3 captains this year. I do not feel pressure because I have been put in this role since I was a sophomore so I am really used to it. A big role is keeping other people accountable by being very good every day. Pressure is a privilege, as people say.

Your father Simon was a professional rower, your sister Annie plays pro basketball in Australia, and your sister Fliss is 1 of your teammates: who is the best athlete in the family? It is funny because we are all such different athletes. Fliss has super strength and Annie is so quick. I was more of an all-around athlete who was pretty good at all the sports I played, and my dad is 6’6” who rowed/played rugby. We got a lot of our athleticism from my dad, while my mom had the smarts/personality.

You are majoring in Economics and after graduating next spring you will be joining Goldman Sachs as a Financial Analyst: why did you decide to go into private wealth management? I had no idea what I wanted to major in when I arrived: I took economics and psychology classes and liked both. I decided to major in economics but am also concentrating in psychology. I did an internship last summer at Goldman and interned at a smaller firm the previous summer. I enjoyed working with high-net-worth individuals and learning about the opportunities that involve giving money to charity. I am keeping my options open in case I can keep playing basketball.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We obviously want a repeat of the Ivy title but have never won it outright. We have always had a bad game in the Ivy tourney so we would like to make the NCAA tourney…and the Sweet 16…and beyond. For me, I want to play with the confidence of a senior, get up good shots as 1 of our main players, and remain consistent. I have our team goals in mind all the time and being a top-25 program is something that we can reach thanks to our super-tough schedule.

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SoCon Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 23, 2024 by David Griggs

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SOCON MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Samford
  2. Chattanooga
  3. East Tennessee State
  4. Wofford
  5. Furman
  6. UNC Greensboro
  7. Mercer
  8. Western Carolina
  9. The Citadel
  10. VMI

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL SOCON TEAM:

-Quimari Peterson – SR, G – East Tennessee State
-Jaden Seymour – SR, F – East Tennessee State
-Pjay Smith – SR, G – Furman
-Donovan Atwell – JR, G/F – UNC Greensboro
-Collin Holloway – SR, F – Samford
-Rylan Jones – SR, G – Samford
-Honor Huff – JR, G – Chattanooga
-Trey Bonham – SR, G – Chattanooga (Preseason Player of the Year)
-Kyler Filewich – SR, C – Wofford
-Corey Tripp – SR, G – Wofford

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Bucky McMillan has just been sensational since taking over at Samford. When he was hired I thought it was a terrible choice due to what I thought was a lack of experience at the college level. Bucky has shut me up big time. Samford won 29 games a year ago, won the SoCon Tournament, and came very close to upsetting Kansas in the NCAA Tournament. The bad news is that four starters are gone from that team, as well as 7 of their top-9 scorers. Rylan Jones is the only returning starter, and while they do have some guys transferring in with some Power Conference experience, none have really been D-1 standout players before. Still, this is a team that has a tendency to overachieve. They have been so much fun to watch the last few years, and will likely be fun to watch again this year. We LOVE Bucky Ball!!!!

-After a really solid season a year ago, Chattanooga lost some of their key players to the portal. Having said that, they do have Trey Bonham back, who was voted preseason conference player of the year, and per Coach Dan Earl’s style they have loaded up on scorers again this season. I think they will be as good (and perhaps better) than they were a season ago and it would not shock me at all to see them win the league.

-East Tennessee State had what was mostly a blah season, and kind of fell apart in the last part of the regular season, but they did right the ship just in the nick of time and won their last five games before losing in the SoCon Championship game to Samford (and they actually played pretty well in that game). Based on that finish, the expectations are much higher this year for ETSU with three starters returning. Injuries also impacted them last year, so if they can stay healthy then we should see more wins.

-Wofford has not been quite the same since Mike Young left, but perhaps there is reason to hope this year. Four starters are back, which gives them more experience than most of the rest of the teams in the league, and Corey Tripp is one of the better players in the conference. It has been a while since they have managed to win 20 games, but this year they may have the pieces to break that mark.

-Furman had a so-so year last year going 17-16 overall and finishing in the middle of the conference standings. With three starters returning, they have a little bit more experience and we should see some improvement from a year ago. Bob Richey has had a pretty good run as head coach, and I think they may actually be a bit of a dark horse in the league this year. I do not think they will win it, but they should do a bit better than expected.

-UNC Greensboro won 21 games a year ago and was in a tie for 2nd place in the league. They do have to replace quite a bit this year, which is why they’re picked a little bit further down the standings. Donovan Atwell is a fantastic 3-point shooter, but other than him a lot of guys will have to step into bigger roles this year.

-Mercer is a transfer heavy team, and while Ahmad Robinson was a standout player at New Hampshire, most of their roster consists of guys who have not yet played at the D-1 level. It is hard to expect them to finish near the top of the standings when their D-1 experience is so limited.

-Over the last two years Western Carolina has shown substantial improvement, and their 22-win season last year was a big accomplishment. Here is the bad news: virtually everyone is gone and the Catamounts are basically having to completely reset. They do have some guys that were standout players at the JUCO level, but not much in the way of solid and proven D-1 experience.

-(ALLOW ME TO STEP OUT OF CHARACTER AND NOT BE THE PUPPET FOR A SECOND) Citadel vs. VMI is one of my favorite sports rivalries. I am not saying that to be funny: I am completely serious. I know neither team is good. But, have you ever actually watched them when they play each other?? It is GREAT!! I do the daily writeups every day throughout the season and I always feature this game. Unfortunately when they are not playing against each other they are not just bad, they are oftentimes exceptionally bad. VMI won just four games a year ago and their whole roster turned over. The Citadel did a little better with 11 total wins, but is also having to rebuild their roster. On top of that, it is hard for them to attract D-1 caliber players because of what attending these schools requires. I have nothing but respect for the individuals who play on these teams, and I ALWAYS find myself pulling for them whenever I watch them play. Having said that, they will of course almost assuredly finish 9th and 10th in the league, but WOW it is fun when they play against each other!!!

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Missouri Valley Media Day Recap and Response

Posted on October 23, 2024 by David Griggs

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MISSOURI VALLEY MEDIA DAY PRESEASON POLL:

  1. Bradley
  2. Northern Iowa
  3. Murray State
  4. Illinois State
  5. Drake
  6. Belmont
  7. Southern Illinois
  8. Indiana State
  9. Evansville
  10. Valparaiso
  11. Missouri State
  12. UIC

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MVC 1ST TEAM:

-Duke Deen – Bradley
-Tytan Anderson – Northern Iowa
-Darius Hannah – Bradley
-Johnny Kinziger – Illinois State
-Cooper Schwieger – Valparaiso
-JaCobi Wood – Murray State

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MVC 2ND TEAM:

-Trey Campbell – Northern Iowa
-Nick Ellington – Murray State
-Jacob Hutson – Northern Iowa
-Zek Montgomery – Bradley
-Malachi Poindexter – Illinois State

MEDIA DAY PRESEASON ALL-MVC 3RD TEAM:

-Kennard Davis Jr. – Southern Illinois
-Ali Dibba – Southern Illinois
-Cam Manyawu – Drake
-Filip Skobalj – UIC
-Bennett Stirtz – Drake

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COMMENTS FROM DAVID:

-Brian Wardle has done a great job since taking over at Bradley, and it looks like this could be one of the better teams he has had. Duke Deen is a very strong guard that gives them a solid backcourt presence, and Darius Hannah gives them a strong presence at the forward position. Zek Montgomery is also transferring in from Rhode Island and should help make up a very strong backcourt.

-I need to preface this by saying that I know I overvalue Northern Iowa every year…but I really like this Panthers team coming in to this season. They have three starters returning from a team that won six out of their last seven before losing in the MVC semis, and they also add four impressive-looking transfers on top of that. I like Ben Jacobson as a coach and think this is a team that can win the league, and perhaps do a more than just that.

-Expectations are high for Murray State after they won just 12 games a year ago. They do return their two best players and add Kylen Milton (who transfers in from Arkansas Pine Bluff). Terence Harcum from Appalachian State also joins the roster, so they do appear to have some better players this year. It should result in more wins, but I am still a little surprised they are being picked this high.

-Illinois State is another team that was rather unimpressive throughout last season, but who did show a few signs of life at the end, and with three starters returning should be a little better this year. Boden Skunberg is also transferring in from North Dakota State and should be another asset to their lineup, so we could see some improvement for the Redbirds this year.

-For the last several years Drake has been among the best teams in the conference and also made an impact at the national level. This year, they are having to start completely over. Darian DeVries took the job at West Virginia and Ben McCollum now takes over as head coach. He is tasked with replacing the entire starting lineup. It does seem a little unfair whenever a team is a victim of its own success, but that seems to happen a lot these days. Players and coaches who have success look to move on and sometimes there is nothing left at the place they were at before.

-Belmont has managed to win 20+ games each year they have been a member of the MVC, so you cannot call them a bust, but at the same time they haven’t been NCAA Tournament regulars or finishing at the top of the conference. This year the Bruins are in complete reset mode with all five starters being gone from a year ago. I like Casey Alexander as a coach…but he has his work cut out for him this year.

-Southern Illinois is another team that now has a new coach and entirely new starting lineup. Scott Nagy takes over, and has proven that he can be successful with a good run at South Dakota State and a decent one at Wright State. They do have some solid-looking transfers in Elijah Elliott who averaged over 16ppg at UTRGV last year, and Ali Dibba who was a strong player at Abilene Christian. It does at least look they are not starting completely from scratch.

-Indiana State won 32 games a year ago and made it all the way to the NIT Championship game after some would (correctly) say they were snubbed out of an NCAA Tournament bid. They are yet another team that is a victim of their own success. Coach Josh Schertz is gone, and so are all the top players. The Trees are having to start completely over. Matthew Graves takes over as head coach, and he has tried to go into the portal and piece together a team of guys who have some solid D-1 experience.

-After season after season of complete crap two years ago, Evansville managed 17 wins a year ago. They won just 5 the previous year, so it was a huge improvement. The bad news is that four of those starters are gone and Coach David Ragland (who has done a phenomenal job) will be forced to rebuild. It could be another long year for the Aces.

-Valparaiso always seems to be at the bottom of the league, and this year is not looking to be any different. They won just 7 games a year ago, and as Roger Powell enters his second season as head coach he could be in for another long season. Having said that, the top-three scorers are back, and they are adding some notable transfers. I do not think Valpo will be at the top of the league, but I also do not think they will be quite this close to the bottom either.

-Cuonzo Martin is back at Missouri State!! I really do like him as a coach and think he will do well with the Bears. He experienced quite a bit of success when he was there before. Having said that, virtually no one else is back. They appear to be relying on JUCO transfers this season to fill out the roster.

-UIC…oh boy. They actually have not been the worst team in the country since joining the league, but this year could be rough. Jordan Mason is a solid transfer from Texas State, but they will need some other guys to step up if they are going to be competitive at all.

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