Hoops HD

Last Saturday New Orleans had a 3-PT OT win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the Southland tourney title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Privateers have not made the NCAA tourney since 1996 but are finally back this year and will face fellow #16-seed Mount St. Mary’s on Tuesday evening in the 1st 4 in Dayton, with the winner having the daunting task of facing defending champ Villanova in an East Region match-up on Thursday night in Buffalo. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with SR PG Christavious Gill about winning a conference title in OT.

You are 1 of several players on the roster who grew up in Louisiana: what made you choose New Orleans? I have had a relationship with Coach Sless since he started recruiting me when I was back in the 9th grade.  When he came to UNO he gave me my only D-1 offer and showed me that this could be home.

What makes Coach Mark Slessinger such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? He gives all his players confidence and shows us how to grow up and the qualities of being a man.

You are only 5’8”: do you view your size as an advantage or a disadvantage on the court? I view it as an advantage because I am much quicker on offense and can stay lower than my opponent on defense. I can do a lot of things that taller guys simply cannot do.

Last March you scored a career-high 38 PTS/8-12 3PM in a win over Northwestern State: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? We had to win that game to make our conference tourney and I did not want our lone senior to go out like that so I played my hardest and laid it all on the line.

Your roster is loaded with juniors and seniors: how crucial has all of that experience been to your team’s success this year? It has been very crucial. Myself and 3 other juniors on the team had a down year last season but worked hard this summer. We brought in a couple of JC transfers and we all stuck together. We dropped 2 games down the stretch but pulled together and made a run in the conference tourney.

You played several power conference teams this year in Oklahoma State/USC/Washington State: which 1 of them impressed you the most? The Cowboys pressured hard on defense but that game helped turn our whole season around because it showed us that we needed to work harder.

SR SF Erik Thomas was named conference POY/conference tourney MVP: what makes him such a great player? His work ethic/positive attitude: he is always smiling and never has any negative energy. He has worked so hard for the past 12 months and even told us before the season started that he would win POY. I am prouder of him than anyone else and I let him know it every day.

You won 10 games last year and are now in the NCAA tourney: how was your team able to improve so much in only 1 year? Just working! We are blue-collar street-sweepers and never take a day off because we wanted it so much. Stephen F. Austin had won our conference for the past 3 years but we wanted to show the world that we could win. Our coaches believed in us and we listened to every word they had to say.

Last Saturday you scored 10 PTS in a 3-PT OT win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi: how were you able to pull out the win, and what was the feeling like in your locker room afterward? It was all about executing down the stretch. We felt like we had a story to tell. We were down by 7 PTS at halftime but it was like a movie in that we were able to come all the way back and make our dream come true. It was a surreal/special moment that I will never forget.

What do you think about being a #16-seed, and what do you know about Mount St. Mary’s? We are happy to be here and it is a blessing. Mount St. Mary’s is a good team who presses a lot but we look forward to playing them.

Last Friday Florida State had a 4-PT loss to Notre Dame in the ACC tourney but were still good enough to earn an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Seminoles have not made the NCAA tourney since 2012 but are back this year and will face #14-seed/in-state foe Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday evening in a West Region match-up in Orlando. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with SO SG Terance Mann about why he has a rooting interest in Rhode Island’s run to the tourney.

You grew up in the Northeast: what made you choose the Seminoles? I have known 1 of their assistant coaches since I was 13 years old and I had a lot of faith in him because he thought that he could help me go far.

Your mother Daynia is the head women’s basketball coach at Rhode Island: how much of an influence has she been on you both on and off the court, and how happy are you that her school in not in your region?! I am very happy because that would kind of suck! I am rooting for URI and hope they do great things but I am glad that we are not playing them because it would be awkward.

Last year Dwayne Bacon was a Freshman All-American and this year he has made the most 3-PT shots of anyone on your team: how crucial has he been to your team’s success? He has been a huge key to our success: whenever we need a clutch basket to get us going he is there to come to our rescue. He is 1 of the best finishers that I have ever played with.

You play for Coach Leonard Hamilton: what makes him such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you have learned from him? He lets guys play through their mistakes, learn from our experiences, and grow into great college players. He tells us so many life stories and teaches us so many things that it is hard to put my finger on just 1.

In the 2016 NIT you scored 10 PTS in a loss to Valpo: what did you learn from that game that you think can help you in the postseason this year? I learned that you have to do all the little things: if you get too hyped up then you will not be successful.

You went 12-6 in ACC play this year: how were you able to be so successful in arguably the best conference in the country? We just stayed focused and did not buy into all the hype. We stuck together and were connected on the court.

Your FT% went way up from last year to this year: how were you able to have such incredible improvement? A lot of repetition over the summer: I worked out twice/day and got in the gym a lot: I cannot even tell you how many FTs I shot! I still need to work on my concentration and think that eventually I can make even more of them.

You only have a couple of seniors on your roster: do you think that your team is ready to win right now or do you think that you might be 1 year away from making a deep run in the NCAA tourney? I think that we do not need many experienced dudes because we already work so well with each other. We just need all 13 guys to play their best.

James Earl Jones’ fictional character in the movie “Field of Dreams” is named Terence Mann: have you even seen the movie, and does everyone think you were named in honor of the author? Everyone assumes that I was named for him: I hear it ALL the time. I have not seen the movie yet.

Do you expect a ton of fan support while playing in Orlando, and what do you know about Florida Gulf Coast? I expect a lot of our fans to show up because it is so close. We do not know much about the Eagles but I am sure that our coaches will get us prepared. I do know that they are athletic and have given a championship effort so we will be ready for them.

Last Thursday Oklahoma State had a 9-PT loss to Iowa State in the Big 12 tourney but were still good enough to earn an at-large bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. The Cowboys did not make the 2016 NCAA tourney but bounced back this year and will face #7-seed Michigan on Friday afternoon in a Midwest Region match-up in Indianapolis. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with SR SF Leyton Hammonds about why he was not in panic mode after an 0-6 start to conference play.

You grew up in Texas: what made you choose the Cowboys? Former coach Travis Ford recruited me pretty hard and I knew a couple of other guys who came up here from Texas to play like Le’Bryan Nash/Marcus Smart.

You play for Coach Brad Underwood: what makes him such a great coach, and how has your team been able to have so much success during his very 1st season in Stillwater? He came in and told us that we would work hard every day, so I was ready to get after it from the very 1st day that he stepped onto campus. He cares about us as players/men and has led us in the right direction both on and off the court.

You faced several NCAA tourney teams in non-conference play including Arkansas/Maryland/UNC/Wichita State: which of these teams impressed you the most? All of those teams were great tests for us (especially the 2 on the road with their great crowds) because they are all great teams. We went 2-2 against some great competition but they are all well-rounded.

You started conference play 0-6 before winning 10 of your next 11 games: how were you able to turn things around so dramatically in late-January? Coach made some changes defensively and we all bought in. I give all our players/coaching staff the credit because our confidence never wavered even when we were 0-6: we never doubted ourselves so it was just a matter of time until we turned things around.

You lost each of your final 3 games this season by single digits to #1-seed Kansas and Big 12 champ Iowa State: what is the mood of the guys knowing that you are a 20-win team but entering the tourney on a 3-game losing streak? Our heads are held high because the Jayhawks are a #1-seed and the Cyclones are playing as well as anyone in the country (9 wins in their past 10 games). We are not doubting ourselves and we are ready to face Michigan because we know that our next loss will be our last loss.

 SO PG Jawun Evans was Big 12 ROY last year and 1 of the best PGs in the nation this year: what makes him such a great player? He has a great feel for the game and knows when to take over and the right plays to make on the court. I think he is the best PG in the country because he can do it all and knows where everyone needs to be on both ends of the court. He is 2 steps ahead of whoever is trying to defend him.

You and Phil Forte III are the only 2 seniors on the roster: how much pressure has there been on you to be leaders this season? None at all. It would be hard if we had teammates who were nutcases, but everyone bought in to our style of play, so we just go out there and keep the train going. They make it easy on us because they do whatever it takes for us to win.

Your team missed the NCAA tourney last year but faced Oregon in 2015 and Gonzaga in 2014: what did you learn from those losses that you think can help you this time around? I learned that you cannot just flick the switch whenever you want to: it is win or go home so you have to be locked in physically/mentally the entire week and cannot take anything for granted.

Your older brother Justin played basketball at the Air Force: who is the best athlete in the family, and how proud are you of his service to our country? I would say that he is the best athlete: to play basketball and serve in the military at the same time takes incredible physical/mental strength. I am blessed to have a brother who is such a role model: he understands that there is a bigger picture than just himself and is trying to make our world a better place.

How do you feel about getting a #10-seed, and what do you know about Michigan? I am glad that we have an opportunity to make the NCAA tourney again: when you do not have something after you had it in the past it makes you miss it more. I watched some of the Wolverines’ games last night: they have a great offense and make a lot of threes but I think that we will be prepared.

Last Tuesday Northern Kentucky beat Milwaukee in the Horizon title game to earn an automatic bid to this week’s NCAA tournament. This is the 1st year that the Norse have been eligible for the NCAA tourney since receiving full D-1 status only 7 months ago…and their reward is a game against #2-seed Kentucky on Friday night in a South Region match-up in Indianapolis (which is approximately 70 miles closer to NKU’s campus than it is to Big Blue Nation!). Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Northern Kentucky head coach John Brannen about how his team’s entire season turned around a couple of months ago.

You began your college career at Morehead State before transferring to Marshall, where you led the SoCon in scoring as a senior (20.9 PPG) and were named 1997 conference tourney MVP: how good a player were you back in the day, and how did you 1st get into coaching? It has been a long time since anyone has asked about my playing days! I was blessed to play for tremendous coaches who put me in a place to succeed.

1 of your assistant coaches for the Herd was Anthony Grant, who you later worked for as an assistant at VCU/Alabama: how much of a mentor has he been to you over the past 2 decades, and will you ask him for any tips since you ended up playing an SEC team?! Anthony has been a great mentor to me. He was 1 of the 1st folks to call me after we won the Horizon League championship. He is an assistant right now with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Even though they had lost a game that night, he told me that he was the only 1 smiling in the locker room because he knew that NKU won and was heading to the NCAA Tournament!

This is only your 2nd year at Northern Kentucky: how were you able to go from 9-21 to 24-10 in only 1 year? Trust. It is 1 of our core values, which we define as believing and investing in each other without knowing the outcome. Our players have taken ownership of this team and trust one another.

Your final non-conference game of the year was against your most difficult opponent of the year: how did you deal with West Virginia’s press, and what advice do you have for whichever school has to face them next week? We break the season down into 3 parts: non-conference, Horizon League, and postseason. At this point we are just going to look at how we can continue to work on the process of getting better for Kentucky.

Earlier this month you were named Horizon COY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It is all a tribute to my coaching staff/players. I have always felt that the award should be for the “Coaching Staff of the Year” because they do such a great job preparing. I know this sounds like “coach-talk” but it truly is a team effort.

In the Horizon tourney you were the only 1 of the top-4 seeds to win a game as Green Bay/Oakland/Valpo each lost to lower seeds: was it weird/comforting/other to see your team walk onto the court for its quarterfinal game knowing that you were the highest-remaining seed left in the whole tourney? We always tell our players to play with a clear mind and play in the moment. We cannot control what happens in any other game so all we focus on is whatever is happening in our contest at that very moment. We can only control our next game regardless of who our opponent is.

Lavone Holland II was named conference tourney MVP after scoring 56 PTS in 3 games: what makes him such a good player, and how was he able to play his best when it mattered the most? Lavone is a dynamic talent, but once again it goes back to our core value of trust. His teammates trust him to make plays and as the guy with the ball in his hands the most they trust him to make the right decision. He is fully invested in helping his teammates and taking our program to the next level.

Your team lost 4 of its last 6 games in January to fall to 5-5 in conference play, but rebounded to win 10 of its final 11: was there something that just clicked, or did they realize that they only had 1 month left to get their act together, or other? Our players really took ownership of this team in mid-January. We have a saying in this program that goes, “Bad teams have no leadership. Good teams are led by the coach. Great teams are led by the players.”

You only have 2 seniors on your roster: your team is obviously capable of winning right now, but are you even more excited that you have built a program that should be able to remain successful in the future? I am only focused on what we have at NKU right now…and what we have is a team that went 24-10 in 1 of the toughest mid-major conferences in the country and won the Horizon League tournament championship…and this team still is not finished. That excites me, but this is just the beginning for NKU Basketball

How do you feel about getting a #15-seed, and what do you know about your in-state foe Kentucky? We are excited to be in the NCAA tournament but still have work to do. I have not had much time to focus on Kentucky so I will be doing a lot of studying over the next few days to put in a game plan for our guys.