Hoops HD

Last Sunday Michigan beat Wisconsin in the Big 10 title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament and complete 1 of the wildest weeks of their lives: I know because I was there! The Wolverines made it to the NCAA tourney in 2016 and beat Tulsa before a 7-PT loss to Notre Dame, and are back again as a #7-seed to face #10-seed Oklahoma State in a Midwest Region match-up on Friday afternoon in Indianapolis. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with 2 of Michigan coach John Beilein’s former assistant coaches (Mike MacDonald/Dave Niland) about his unconventional defense and long history of success in the postseason.

Coach Beilein is the only active college coach with 20-win seasons at 4 different levels (JC, NAIA, D-2, and D-1) and 1 of a handful of coaches to have taken 4 different D-1 schools to the NCAA tourney: how has he been able to be so successful at so many schools on so many levels? Mike McDonald: He is a great teacher who connects with the kids and knows the kind of players who will respond to his teaching. He has a great work ethic. Dave Niland: He is a great teacher of the game and is very clear in how he wants his teams to play. He can recruit to his philosophy.

He is known for using an unconventional 1–3–1 zone defense: what makes it so effective? MM: That is more personnel-driven: he used it a lot at West Virginia because his players were long/athletic but does not use it as much as Michigan. DN: He can recruit to it so he just finds players with some length and he has played it a lot throughout his career. If you understand zone offense you are going to understand zone defense. There are not a lot of different ways to attack it so if you are not a really good passing team then it is a major problem. He picks his spots with it but he never used it when I was at Canisius.

What are your memories of the 1995 NIT when he was coach at Canisius (Craig Wise scored 9 PTS and grabbed Michael Meeks’ missed 3-PT attempt and put it in with less than 1 second left in a 2-PT win over Bradley)? MM: The whole crowd was wearing red and we were a decided underdog on the road. It was a classic Beilein game where we hung around and made enough plays at the end to win the game.

In the 1998 NCAA tourney when he was coach at Richmond, Jarod Stevenson scored 24 PTS in a 1-PT win over #3-seed South Carolina: how was he able to pull off the upset? DN: His teams have always been hard to prepare for in a tourney situation. It was huge because it was his 1st NCAA tourney win as a head coach.

Take me through the 2005 NCAA tourney when he was coach at West Virginia:
Tyrone Sally blocked Nate Funk’s 3-PT attempt and then dunked the ball with 2.9 seconds left in a 2-PT win over Creighton: how was Sally able to singlehandedly win the game? DN: I was at that game and there was a lot of talent on the floor for both teams.

Mike Gansey scored 29 PTS in a 6-PT 2-OT win over Wake Forest: how does his coaching style change from regulation to overtime (if at all)? DN: I do not think that it changes that much. You might have to adjust if your roster is depleted due to foul trouble so you might do some switching on offense/defense.

His team made 18 threes and was up by 20 PTS in the 1st half of an 8-PT OT loss to Louisville: how on earth did he lose that game? DN: They got off to a great start but every team in the tourney can score so it is not as big a lead as if you were in the 2nd half. You just have to keep playing your game because the other team will start playing with some desperation and change what they do to try and get back into the game.

In the 2006 NCAA tourney Kenton Paulino scored 8 PTS including a 3-PT shot at the buzzer in a 3-PT win by Texas: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of his career? DN: Just look at how many NBA guys were on Texas compared to how many were on West Virginia! The Mountaineers made a late shot to tie the game but it was still a tough ending.

Take me through the magical 2007 NIT Final 4:
Darris Nichols scored 17 PTS including a 3-PT shot at the buzzer in a 1-PT win over Mississippi State in the semifinals: where does that rank among the most clutch shots that you have ever seen? DN: They st up a little double-stack play down low and just ran it to perfection.
NIT MVP Frank Young scored 24 PTS (6-7 3PM) in a 5-PT win over Clemson in the title game: what did it mean to him to win the title? DN: I know that he really valued the NIT for a lot of reasons because his roots go way back: the NIT was always a big deal.

Take me through the magical 2013 NCAA tourney when he was coach at Michigan:
Trey Burke had 23 PTS/10 AST and made a long 3-PT shot with 4.2 seconds left in regulation in a 2-PT OT win over Kansas: where does Burke rank among the best players that he ever coached? DN: He has to be right up there, if not the best.

Tourney MOP Luke Hancock scored 22 PTS off the bench in a 6-PT win by Louisville: what are your memories of that title game? MM: It was gut-wrenching to get that close and lose but it was a great coaching job to get there. DN: It was an interesting game where Spike Albrecht hit a bunch of shots in the 1st half. Rick Pitino is a great coach and has proven it at many different schools because he always gets great players. It was a pretty amazing run by Michigan just to get there but then Burke got in foul trouble during the 1st half. It could have gone either way but he could not put Burke back in the game too early because if the guy picks up his 3rd foul during the 1st half then it would take away his aggressiveness in the 2nd half.

Last Saturday Middle Tennessee beat Marshall in the C-USA title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Blue Raiders made quite a splash last March by upsetting Michigan State as a #15-seed, and now they are back in the NCAA tourney as a #12-seed to face #5-seed Minnesota in a South Region match-up on Thursday afternoon in Milwaukee.  Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with SR PF JaCorey Williams about making a game-winning shot in his hometown and being named conference POY.

You began your career at Arkansas, where you beat Wofford in the 2015 NCAA tourney before losing to North Carolina: what did you lean from that experience that you think can help you this time around? I learned that the idea of survive/advance is so critical: teams will give you their best shot regardless of the name on the front of your/their jersey.

Why did you decide to transfer after that season, and what made you choose the Blue Raiders? My AAU coach talked to Coach Davis 1st and then I talked to him myself. He told me how good I could become if I worked hard and was a good teammate while sitting out for a year. I also worked on my individual skill set a lot.

You play for Coach Kermit Davis: what makes him such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him so far? He never lets up no matter who on the team he is talking to: we are all accountable. We never take any opponent for granted and always stay focused. He taught us that when you are preparing for a game you cannot skip any steps in the process no matter which game it is.

In November you scored a career-high 31 PTS in a 3-PT OT win over Toledo: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? It had a lot to do with my teammates having confidence me, but I definitely had it going that night and just tried to keep making plays to help us win.

You played several good non-conference teams this year like UNC Wilmington/Vandy/VCU: which of these teams impressed you the most? UNC Wilmington can shoot the 3-ball and can drive against bigger defenders: they can play with anybody. Their big man (Devontae Cacok) rebounds and shoots about 80 FG%: you need guys like that on your team.

On February 26 you scored 15 PTS including the game-winning jumper with 5 seconds left in a 2-PT win at UAB (which happens to be the city where you grew up): did you think that your shot was going in, and where does that rank among the most clutch shots of your career? About 2/3 of my shots are mid-range jumpers so it felt good when I released it and I was not surprised that I made the shot. It was big to win the game in front of so much of family/friends in attendance.

Last week you were named conference POY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It just shows all of the hard work that I have put in since I came here from Arkansas. I have improved as a person/player/leader and let my game speak for itself. I worked hard in the summertime on my ball-handling/jump shot, but if it was not for my teammates then I could not have won that award.

Last Saturday you scored 17 PTS in an 83-72 win over Marshall in the C-USA title game: how were you able to pull out the win after the Thundering Herd cut your lead to 2 PTS with 12 minutes left, and what was the reaction like when you got back to campus? When they cut our lead to 2 we still felt confident because we knew that they would make a run at some point. We then went on a run of our own and then I figured the game would stay in our favor. I was very tired when I got back to campus after celebrating the win but I was excited to see us announced on the selection show.

You have only lost 3 games since Thanksgiving by a combined 14 PTS: how has your team able to remain so dominant throughout the entire season? Coach Davis is not satisfied by getting a couple of wins in a row: he wants to win every game and holds us to that standard. If we are slacking at practice he will call out the leaders to get the whole team going.

How do you feel about getting a #12-seed, and what do you know about Minnesota? I do not mind a #12: we were a #15 last year so this is a step up for us. I know that the Gophers have some good big men, a good PG, and a coach named Pitino so it will be no small task to beat them, but I like our match-up.

Last Sunday Princeton beat Yale at the Palestra in the 1st-ever Ivy League title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Tigers joined Vermont as the only 2 teams to not lose a conference game all season, and after playing in the NIT in 2016 they are back in the NCAA tourney where they will face #5-seed Notre Dame in a West Region match-up on Thursday afternoon in Buffalo. Yesterday HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with SR SF Steven Cook about being an Academic All-American and the fact that his team still had to win its conference tourney to make it to the NCAA tourney.

You play for Coach Mitch Henderson: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? He adds so much value to our program because he was such a successful player here himself. He went to 3 NCAA tourneys and was on a team that at 1 point was ranked in the top-10 in the nation. He taught us how hard it is to win so victory demands that you bring it every day in practice/games: you need a constant drive for success.

In the 2016 NIT you scored 22 PTS in a 5-PT OT loss to Virginia Tech: how close did you come to winning the game, and what did you learn from that game that you think will help you in the postseason this year? 1 of our advantages is that we have so much experience, which has helped us win in so many ways this year. The NIT felt like a big stage last year in a hostile environment, so we will be ready for anything this year on an even bigger stage.

In December you lost SR SF Henry Caruso for the year with a toe injury: how was your team able to overcome this obstacle? We also lost Hans Brase after he re-injured his ACL so those were 2 big hits to our team. It was a hard adjustment early in the season, which is why we struggled a bit, but it allowed younger guys like Myles Stephens/Devin Cannady to contribute in ways they did not have an opportunity to do in the past.

You had a tough non-conference schedule this year with teams like BYU/VCU/Cal/Bucknell: which team impressed you the most? All of those teams impressed us but VCU was probably the toughest team that we faced: it was such a hostile environment at their place due their great crowd. When you face tough situations early on and can look back on those games later in the season it helps you realize what it takes to win.

Your team swept most of the Ivy League awards this year (POY/DPOY/COY): do you think that you went 14-0 in conference play because your team was just better than everyone else? 1 thing about awards is that they tend to go to people on winning teams. There is a lot of talent around the Ivy League but we are a senior-driven team. We play together and can succeed as a cohesive unit, which is what separates us.

In any other year that would have been enough to earn a bid to the NCAA tourney, but for the 1st-time ever you had to win the Ivy League tourney to do so: did you think it was an unfair situation? I would not say that it was unfair. Our senior class always wanted to play in a conference tourney because it gives us more exposure and is 1 of the most exciting parts of March Madness. Playing against Penn on their home court was not easy, but as a competitor it is hard not to love those environments so we were still excited.

Earlier today you scored 15 PTS in a 71-59 win over Yale to clinch the conference title: what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward, and what was the reaction like when you got back to campus? It was unbelievable and pretty surreal for all of us: it has not really sunk in that we went 16-0, which is what we set out to do at the start of the year. There was a lot of hype/hysteria in the locker room so we just tried to appreciate the moment: even though it was just the day before it feels like it happened a week ago! The campus was really supportive with everyone congratulating us when we returned.

You are 1 of several seniors on the roster: how crucial will all of that veteran leadership be to your team’s success? That is what has carried us all year so I think it will continue to be a big factor for our team.

Earlier this month you were named a 3rd-team Academic All-American due to your 3.51 GPA in economics: why did you choose economics, and how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? I chose economics because it is a subject that has interested me since high school. I love it because it gives you a structured way to solve problems and look at the world in general. It is definitely a struggle to be a student-athlete at times but 1 of the most important things that I have learned during college is time management. You have to plan out your day and make time to fit in everything.

How do you feel about getting a #12-seed, and what do you know about Notre Dame? We are happy with whoever the committee matches us up against. Notre Dame is a great team with a lot of talent, which is why they made it all the way to the ACC title game, and I am looking forward to playing them on Thursday.