Hoops HD

Going for the Gold: HoopsHD interviews FIBA U19 World Cup Team USA member JJ Mandaquit

Posted on June 21, 2025 by Jon Teitel

For those of you who cannot wait until Midnight Madness tips off this fall, you can still see some of the best college basketball players this summer at the FIBA U19 World Cup. USA Basketball announced its roster yesterday, which includes many of the best incoming freshmen in the country including AJ Dybantsa (BYU)/Mikel Brown Jr. (Louisville)/Koa Peat (Arizona). 1 of the players with the most experience representing Team USA is JJ Mandaquit: he won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2023 FIBA Americas U16 Championship, then won another gold medal last year at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup. JJ is preparing to head to Switzerland as he tries to win yet another gold medal, but HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with him about choosing Washington for college and growing up in Hawaii.

You were born/raised in Hawaii: how big is basketball on the islands? I am from the Big Island and am trying to represent my state as best I can to open up opportunities for other young kids.

You received your 1st D-1 scholarship offer at age 14: when did you 1st realize that you were good enough to make it to the next level? I have always had the belief that I was good enough, but I remember playing on the Nike Circuit in 8th grade and thought that I belonged with the other great players who were there.

You received offers from several great schools including BYU/Cal/Louisville: what made you choose Washington last November? My connection to Coach Danny Sprinkle and our belief in each other. I want to develop as a player on the court and also as a young man off the court.

The Huskies went 13-18 last season and lost several players to the portal/graduation: how muh pressure is there on your freshman class to turn things around? I would not say that pressure is the right word, but there is a lot of excitement going into this season. I see it as extra motivation so if people are looking down on us then I would prefer to surprise them: I have been an underdog for most of my life.

Yesterday you were named to the 12-man roster for Team USA at the FIBA U19 World Cup: what does it mean to you to represent your country? It means everything to me. This was by far the hardest training camp I have attended, but to make it onto the roster for 3 straight summers is a blessing that I do not take for granted. Team USA finished 4th at the U19 World Cup in 2023 so this year we are hungry to get back onto the podium.

1 of your teammates on the U19 roster (AJ Dybantsa) was not only your teammate on the U17/U16 rosters but also last year at Utah Prep: how close are you 2? We are pretty close due to having that shared connection. Our chemistry on the court is really good and we will get to show it off this summer.

You are part of a great recruiting class for the Huskies including Hannes Steinbach, who signed with Washington in April: what will happen if you end up facing your fellow future freshmen on the German team in the tournament? That would be a fun game: we will probably be living together next year so there would be a lot of bragging rights at stake!

You are listed at 6’1”: do you see your size as an advantage or disadvantage on the court? I would say it is an advantage. I might be 1 of the shorter guys, but I use my size well and play bigger than I am. I am pesky and can be an irritant to taller guys on the court: we have seen in the NBA playoffs this year how a 6’1″ guy like TJ McConnell impacts winning.

You turned 18 last month: what did you do for the big day? I went home to Hawaii for the weekend and spent time with my family before heading to training camp.

You won a gold medal with Team USA in 2023 at the FIBA Americas U16 Championship and again in 2024 at the FIBA U17 World Cup: any predictions for next month in Switzerland? Gold! That is our only goal so we will go out and try to win it all.

Posted in News and Notes | Tagged JJ Mandaquit, washington | Comments Off

Going for the Gold: HoopsHD interviews FIBA 3×3 World Cup Team USA member Sarah Strong

Posted on June 20, 2025 by Jon Teitel

For those of you who cannot wait until Midnight Madness tips off this fall, you can still see some of the best college basketball players this summer at the FIBA 3×3 World Cup. USA Basketball announced its rosters last week, and the Women’s National Team includes Morgan Maly/Sarah Strong/Mikaylah Williams/Sahara Williams. When it comes to winning it is hard to find a stronger candidate than Strong: 3 straight state titles in high school, 3 straight gold medals at the FIBA 3×3 U18 Women’s World Cup, and an NCAA title last April as a freshman at UConn. Strong is with Team USA in Mongolia as she tries to win yet another gold medal, but HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with her about choosing UConn for college and winning an NCAA title.

You were born in Madrid: how did you 1st get into basketball? I grew up watching my mom play for her club team and I have just always been around basketball. When she would practice, I would always be shooting and watching her.

In the 2024 McDonald’s All-American Game you had 11 PTS/12 REB be for the East in a win over the West en route to being named co-MVP: which of your fellow honorees impressed you the most (Mikayla Blakes/Joyce Edwards/Syla Swords/other)? Joyce: she did very well and then had a great season during her freshman year at South Carolina.

You won 41 straight games to finish your high school career at Grace Christian School and were named the Naismith High School Player of the Year: what made you choose UConn for college? It was always my dream school, and I wanted to be coached by Coach Geno Auriemma and his staff. I knew they would set me up to go to the WNBA and become a pro.

Last season you averaged 16.4 PPG/8.9 RPG/3.6 APG/2.3 SPG/1.7 BPG and were named WBCA Freshman of the Year: how do you balance all the different aspects of your game? I really go out there and play. I try not to focus too much on a certain type of stat: I just play basketball and have fun.

In the 2025 NCAA title game you had 24 PTS/10-15 FG/15 REB in a win over South Carolina: what did it mean to you to win a title? It was an amazing feeling. It was so much fun having played with my teammates and for the seniors it meant a lot so I am very proud.

Gamecocks coach Dawn Staley said you might become the best player to ever come out of UConn: what was your reaction after hearing such powerful praise? Thank you for the compliment…but I am not going to let that get to me. I want to stay level and focus on what is in front of me.

Coach Auriemma now has the most wins (1250)/championships (12) of any men’s or women’s coach ever: what makes him arguably the greatest coach in the history of the sport? He is going to set his players up for success. He has very high expectations for us and pushes us hard to be the best that we can be.

Your father Danny played basketball at NC State and your mother Allison played in the WNBA for a decade: who is the best athlete in the family? I would say me: it’s me, it’s me.

You won the FIBA 3×3 U18 Women’s World Cup in each of the past 3 years and last summer you won the FIBA U18 Women’s AmeriCup: what does it mean to you to represent your country, and where do you keep all those gold medals?! Representing my country is a great honor. I love to do it and am thankful for it. My medals are on a wall in my house, so I get to look at them often.

Last week you were named to the USA Basketball roster for the 2025 FIBA 3×3 World Cup: any predictions for Mongolia? My goals are to get better every game and get closer to my teammates. I want us to be confident in ourselves and hopefully win gold.

Posted in News and Notes | Tagged Sarah Strong, UConn | Comments Off

2025 NBA Mock Draft (Version 2.0)

Posted on June 15, 2025 by Jon Teitel

The NBA Draft is scheduled to take place on June 25th/26th and until then we will do our best to predict where everyone will get selected. Some websites do their mock drafts based on “best player available” but we try to focus on team needs: for example, if a team like San Antonio already has Victor Wembanyama at the 5 then they are probably not selecting a C with the 2nd overall pick. Please see our 1st round predictions below and then tweet us your comments regarding what looks good and what might need a re-pick.

#. TEAM: NAME, POSITION (SCHOOL/YEAR OR COUNTRY)
1. Dallas: Cooper Flagg, SF/PF (Duke/FR)
2. San Antonio: Dylan Harper, PG/SG (Rutgers/FR)
3. Philadelphia: Ace Bailey, SG/SF (Rutgers/FR)
4. Charlotte: VJ Edgecombe, PG/SG (Baylor/FR)
5. Utah: Tre Johnson, SG (Texas/FR)
6. Washington: Jeremiah Fears, PG/SG (Oklahoma/FR)
7. New Orleans: Kon Knueppel, SG/SF (Duke/FR)
8. Brooklyn: Khaman Maluach, C (Duke/FR)
9. Toronto: Derik Queen, C (Maryland/FR)
10. Houston: Carter Bryant, SF (Arizona/FR)
11. Portland: Kasparas Jakucionis, PG/SG (Illinois/FR)
12. Chicago: Liam McNeeley, SF (UConn/FR)
13. Atlanta: Jase Richardson, PG/SG (Michigan State/FR)
14. San Antonio: Egor Demin, SG/SF (BYU/FR)
15. Oklahoma City: Noa Essengue, SF/PF (France)
16. Memphis: Nique Clifford, SG (Colorado State/SR)
17. Minnesota: Nolan Traore, PG (France)
18. Washington: Collin Murray-Boyles, PF/C (South Carolina/SO)
19. Brooklyn: Thomas Sorber, C (Georgetown/FR)
20. Miami: Asa Newell, PF (Georgia/FR)
21. Utah: Cedric Coward, SG (Washington State/SR)
22. Atlanta: Joan Beringer, PF/C (France)
23. Indiana: Hugo Gonzalez, SG (Spain)
24. Oklahoma City: Rasheer Fleming, PF/C (St. Joseph’s/JR)
25. Orlando: Walter Clayton Jr., PG (Florida/SR)
26. Brooklyn: Will Riley, SF/PF (Illinois/FR)
27. Brooklyn: Danny Wolf, PF/C (Michigan/JR)
28. Boston: Maxime Raynaud, PF/C (Stanford/SR)
29. Phoenix: Ryan Kalkbrenner, C (Creighton/SR)
30. LA Clippers: Drake Powell, SG/SF (North Carolina/FR)

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The Hoops HD Report – May Session (May 33rd): House Case, NIL, and Transfer Discussion

Posted on June 2, 2025 by David Griggs

It’s the May addition of our offseason podcasts. Chad is joined by David, Rocco, Joby, and Jon Teitel as they discuss the ongoing House Case (at the time we recorded this it had not yet been approved), and how it is effecting the current state of college basketball, and the impacts it could continue to have in the future. Many of the Under the Radar schools that we love appear to be at a massive disadvantage, and they may continue to fall further and further behind.

And for all you radio lovers, below is an audio only version of the show…

Posted in Hoops HD Report, Podcasts, Videocasts | Comments Off

2025 NBA Mock Draft (Version 1.0)

Posted on May 12, 2025 by Jon Teitel

#. TEAM: NAME, POSITION (SCHOOL/YEAR OR COUNTRY)
1. Dallas: Cooper Flagg, SF/PF (Duke/FR)
2. San Antonio: Dylan Harper, PG/SG (Rutgers/FR)
3. Philadelphia: Ace Bailey, SG/SF (Rutgers/FR)
4. Charlotte: VJ Edgecombe, PG/SG (Baylor/FR)
5. Utah: Kon Knueppel, SG/SF (Duke/FR)
6. Washington: Jeremiah Fears, PG/SG (Oklahoma/FR)
7. New Orleans: Derik Queen, C (Maryland/FR)
8. Brooklyn: Tre Johnson, SG (Texas/FR)
9. Toronto: Kasparas Jakucionis, PG/SG (Illinois/FR)
10. Houston: Khaman Maluach, C (Duke/FR)
11. Portland: Jase Richardson, PG/SG (Michigan State/FR)
12. Chicago: Egor Demin, SG/SF (BYU/FR)
13. Atlanta: Nolan Traore, PG (France)
14. San Antonio: Asa Newell, PF (Georgia/FR)
15. Oklahoma City: Collin Murray-Boyles, PF/C (South Carolina/SO)
16. Orlando: Nique Clifford, SG (Colorado State/SR)
17. Minnesota: Liam McNeeley, SF (UConn/FR)
18. Washington: Noa Essengue, SF/PF (France)
19. Brooklyn: Walter Clayton Jr., PG (Florida/SR)
20. Miami: Will Riley, SF/PF (Illinois/FR)
21. Utah: Rasheer Fleming, PF/C (St. Joseph’s/JR)
22. Atlanta: Joan Beringer, PF/C (France)
23. Indiana: Hugo Gonzalez, SG (Spain)
24. Oklahoma City: Carter Bryant, SF (Arizona/FR)
25. Orlando: Boogie Fland, PG/SG (Arkansas/FR)
26. Brooklyn: Thomas Sorber, C (Georgetown/FR)
27. Brooklyn: Danny Wolf, PF/C (Michigan/JR)
28. Boston: Tahaad Pettiford, PG (Auburn/FR)
29. Phoenix: Yaxel Lendeborg, PF/C (UAB/SR)
30. LA Clippers: Labaron Philon, PG (Alabama/FR)

Posted in News and Notes | Tagged nba draft | Comments Off

2025 Draft Preview: HoopsHD interviews Houston G LJ Cryer

Posted on May 7, 2025 by Jon Teitel

The NBA Finals have not even begun but it is already time for most of the league to start preparing for next season. The lottery will be held on May 12th, the final deadline for early entry withdrawal is June 15th, and the draft will begin on June 25th. We will spend the months ahead interviewing as many members of this year’s draft class as possible. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel continues our coverage by chatting with Houston G LJ Cryer about his great postseason run with the Cougars and what it would mean to him to get drafted.

You were born in New Orleans and went to high school in Texas, where your 3488 career PTS was #5 in state public high school history: what is the secret to being a great scorer? It is not really a secret. Growing up I always had a knack for scoring, ever since the ball was put in my hands. I went to the gym a lot of days and put up a lot of shots. From my junior year on I never went to lunch because I shot every single day. Hard work is never a secret: it is just what you need to do to achieve great things.

As a freshman at Baylor you beat Gonzaga in the 2021 NCAA title game: what did it mean to you to win a title? It meant a lot. That year I had to sit behind a lot of good players who ended up in the NBA (including Jared Butler/Davion Mitchell). I could have transferred but decided to stick it out and learned a lot. Winning makes everything better so that year was a success.

Why did you decide to transfer in 2023, and what made you choose Houston? I felt that I could not showcase everything I wanted to at Baylor. I talked to Coach Kelvin Sampson, and he said that I could show more of my game in Houston. I also wanted to be held accountable on the defensive end, and he is 1 of the best defensive coaches in the country, so I felt that I made the right move.

As a junior you set a school record with 89.4 FT% and you led the conference in 3P% during each of the past 3 years: what is the key to being a great shooter? Hard work. I put up reps on reps on reps, and had a coach who gave me the ultimate confidence to go out there and shoot the rock.

You are the only player in college basketball history to win multiple regular season titles at multiple schools: what makes you a winner? Just being able to adjust to any role I am in: from not playing much during my 1st year to becoming a 6th Man to being the Robin to Jamal Shead’s Batman to becoming the leader of the team. I pride myself on being the best at whatever role I am placed in.

Last month you were named conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year/3rd-team All-American: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? I try to get my schoolwork done on time and not procrastinate. I do not use either 1 as an excuse to not do the other.

Take me through your magical 2025 NCAA tourney run:
In the Final 4 you scored 26 PTS/6-9 3PM in a 3-PT win over Duke: was it extra-special after losing to the Blue Devils by 3 PTS in the 2024 Sweet 16? We tried to not bring up last year’s game too much or let it affect our game this year. It is human nature to look back and want to get revenge, but we both had new teams this year. It was a special moment: I had a good game but we had a lot of other guys step up for us as well.

In the title game you scored a game-high 19 PTS/4-11 3PM in a 2-PT loss to Florida: how close did you come to becoming the 1st player to ever win titles for different schools? It was very close: just a couple of points away! We were 1 shot away from making history…but it did not go our way. That is all you can ask for, but there was a lot of good that came from that game, and it was a successful season.

Your father Lionel Sr. played football at Grambling, your mother Tamica played volleyball at Grambling, and your brother Justin plays football at Florida State: who is the best athlete in the family? Myself! I do not know what you are basing it on but growing up I have won my whole life in every sport I played and am continuing to do so.

What would it mean to you to get drafted, and what is the plan if you do not get drafted? It would mean a lot to hear my name called, as it is something you dream about as a kid, but it is not the end-all/be-all. I have seen guys who did not get drafted but ended up doing very well in the league (Fred VanVleet/Austin Reaves/etc.), so I am willing to do whatever it takes to break the door down.

Posted in News and Notes | Tagged Houston, LJ Cryer | Comments Off