Season preview: Bradley coach Brian Wardle

Posted on October 17, 2015 by Jon Teitel

For all of our extensive Preseason Coverage – CLICK HERE

Brian Wardle made 3 straight postseason appearances as head coach at Green Bay, so now it is on to the next challenge after being named head coach at Bradley last March.  The bad news is that the Braves only won 3 conference games last year, but the good news is that they did not lose a lot of seniors.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Wardle about being a great scorer in college and bringing in a ton of freshmen this fall.

wardle

As a freshman for Coach Mike Deane at Marquette you were named C-USA 6th Man of the Year: how does your mindset change when you are a starter vs. coming off the bench? When you come off the bench you want to bring some energy and toughness, and coaches like to bring in guys who can score. You have an advantage when you can pay attention to the details before you check into the game. I challenge my players to do that: it is not about who starts the game but who finishes it.

You led the Golden Eagles in scoring during each of your final 3 seasons: what is your secret for being a great scorer? You have to build a swagger through hard work and confidence is gained through your work ethic. I would get in the gym and watch the ball constantly go through the net, so even if I missed my 1st 5 shots in a game I thought the next shot would go in. You also have to put the time in to be the best-conditioned athlete on the floor by doing the extra things to be successful.

In 2010 you were hired as coach at Wisconsin-Green Bay: what was the best part of being the youngest D-1 head coach in the nation, and what was the worst part? The best part was the opportunity to build a relationship with your players and try to put yourself in their shoes. You can jump into practice when you need…to if you are still in playing shape and have your health! You always think you are prepared, but you are never as prepared as you think to move 1 seat over on the bench: you can only gain wisdom through experience. There were some things that caught me completely off-guard because there are so many time constraints and so many different aspects to a program.

In the 2013 Horizon League tourney Ryan Broekhoff scored 25 PTS including a 3-PT shot with a man in his face at the buzzer in a 1-PT win by Valparaiso: where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? I have had a lot of them as a player and coach, but that is because basketball is a rollercoaster ride. It was tough to swallow but we battled as a group and fought hard through the end, so you just have to be proud of what you were able to accomplish.

In 2014 you were named Horizon League COY: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? Any personal accolades a coach receives is due to his team winning games. I had really good players who bought in and sacrificed for each other, which is the beauty of team sports. We had a vision and took it step by step: you need good players and coaches around you.

Your best player last year was Keifer Sykes: how do you think he is going to do in the pros? I think he will have a very long career in pro basketball and end up in the NBA 1 day. Everyone has a different path but he is a warrior and will help a team win, which he has done his entire career.

Last March you were hired as head coach at Bradley to replace Geno Ford: why did you take the job, and how has the transition been so far? I took the job because having grown up in Chicago I know what a great place this is academically.  Bradley basketball has great history/tradition so it was a no-brainer. I was extremely excited just to be interviewed, and to get it was a dream come true. My goal is to build a program that can last a long time and contend for championships. The transition has been wonderful: we have great people on campus and throughout the community and our athletic director has helped us all become comfortable and build a culture. It is a team effort to build a program and you need help with everything from marketing to sports information to training.

You play 6 games in a 13-day stretch in November highlighted by a pair of heavyweights in Arizona/Virginia: how do you expect to survive such a gauntlet? We are 1 of the most inexperienced teams in America so we will throw ourselves into the fire and see what we are made of. In-game experience against high-quality programs is the best way to evaluate your players, and to beat the best you have to play the best. Young men want to be challenged and try to get better.

You have 9 freshmen on the roster: do you consider this a rebuilding year or do you think you have a real chance to contend? It will be a learning process but nobody will feel sorry for us so we just have to get better each day/week/month. If we focus on the daily process then the results will happen. It is a big year for us to build our brand and then move forward.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Ultimately we want to establish our identity and let people know what we stand for. I am not big on predicting a specific number of wins: great coaches do not get ahead of themselves and I just want us to get better each day on the little things.

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Season preview: West Virginia assistant coach Ron Everhart

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Jon Teitel

For all of our extensive Preseason Coverage – CLICK HERE

West Virginia is so good that even their assistant coaches have 15+ years of head coaching experience!  Ron Everhart won more than 250 games as a head coach at Duquesne/Northeastern/McNeese State before becoming an assistant to Bob Huggins.  He played high school basketball at DeMatha for the legendary Morgan Wootten and at Virginia Tech he was captain of the team that made the 1985 NCAA tourney.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Everhart about the tragic shooting at Duquesne a decade ago and his longtime friendship with his boss.

everhart

You were a 1st-team Catholic Prep All-American for Hall of Fame coach Morgan Wootten at DeMatha High School: what made him such a great coach, and what was the most important thing that you ever learned from him? He was an amazing coach for so many reasons. He had a unique way of motivating guys without raising his voice. He made us accountable for everything we did, which made us better players/people. He instilled so much confidence in us because he never got rattled. If we were trailing in a game we always thought that we could come back because we worked on that so much in practice.

In the 1985 NCAA tourney as a player at Virginia Tech you scored 4 PTS in a 3-PT loss to Temple: do you think you would have won if Coach Charles Moir had not benched Perry Young/Tim Lewis for 11 minutes due to missing practice? They missed practice because they missed the bus. I think we would have won if we had them, but we played well enough that we could have won anyway. We missed some FTs and failed to box out…but I can promise you that I would love to have that game back!

In the 1986 ACC tourney title game as a grad assistant to Bobby Cremins at Georgia Tech you had a 1-PT loss to Duke: could you have ever imagined that 3 decades later that almost every single guard in that game would become a head coach (Mark Price/Craig Neal/Tommy Amaker/Johnny Dawkins/Quin Snyder)? I could never had predicted that, but the 1 thing I always knew was that Danny Ferry would become an NBA GM. I knew his brother Bob from our playing days.  Danny made every big play to keep them in the game.

Take me through your 1st 6 months as head coach at Duquesne:
In March of 2006 you were hired and brought in 10 new recruits: why did you undertake such a massive rebuilding project? It was not by choice: it was probably a necessity. I am big on education and we had a few players who had missed class or a study hall. The very 1st day I had my guys running a few miles because they had not adhered to the rules, and most of them ended up asking for their releases. I thought we were going to be very successful with our recruits.

6 months later you had 5 players injured in a shooting after they left a dance on campus: how did that incident change your life, and how did it impact your thoughts on gun control? It was 1 of the toughest things that has ever happened to any of my teams. It was a random act of violence and was a bad deal. You can look at it 2 ways: if you ban guns from the good guys then only the criminals will have them, but thank god the police were there as soon as possible. I think it was just a couple of high-school dropouts who were looking for trouble.

In the 2009 NIT Aaron Jackson scored 46 PTS (8-13 3PM) in a 116-108 2-OT loss to your alma mater: what are your memories of such an incredible game? It was a great game and Aaron was phenomenal. We certainly played well enough to win but there were at least a dozen plays where we missed a layup or tip-in. We had a great season and felt snubbed by the NCAA tourney, but I looked at it as a great opportunity. We played our hearts out and just did not come out on top.

In 2012 you were hired to be an assistant to Bob Huggins at West Virginia: why did you take the job, and how do you like working for Huggins? It was a dream come true for me. My wife and I are from West Virginia and both of our families still live here. Bob was my childhood hero: I used to rebound for him when he played here.  I do not if I have ever made a move without talking to him 1st: he has been instrumental in helping me get most of my jobs. Even if I were still a head coach elsewhere I would still feel honored to get the chance to work for Bob, and I am always grateful to him for giving me this opportunity.

In the 2015 NCAA tourney you had a 78-39 loss to undefeated Kentucky: where does that Wildcat team rank among the best that you have ever seen? I would say they are 1 of the top 2 or 3 teams that I have ever seen, perhaps behind the Louisville or Memphis teams I played against in the early-1980s. The most dominant team I have ever seen was Coach Huggins’ team at Cincinnati in 2000 with Kenyon Martin.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Virginia/Virginia Tech/Florida: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Early on the Virginia game will be a huge test due to their success last year. Their style is opposite of our own up-tempo game. Florida will certainly be tough, as will Richmond in the Las Vegas Invitational. Coach always wants to play the best teams that we can schedule: I will be surprised if our strength of schedule is not among the top-5 in the nation.

You lost your starting backcourt (Juwan Staten/Gary Browne) but return each of your other top-10 scorers: how crucial will all of that frontcourt experience be to your team’s success this year, and how is the guard situation looking at the moment? Our backcourt is obviously young but we have some guys who played a lot of games as freshmen in the best league in the country. Our frontline will be crucial, especially if Nate Adrian is as remarkably healthy as he looks. They will have to step up and be every-play players. I really like our team: we have great kids who like each other, which makes for a very cohesive locker room.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Our main goal every year is to play for a conference championship. Coaches do not even have to say anything: they just listen to their team. Goal 1A is to try to make the championship translate into a trip to Houston.

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Conference Preview: Ivy League

Posted on October 16, 2015 by Chad

For the rest of our Preseason Coverage, CLICK HERE.

IVY LEAGUE

In 1962, Yale won the Ivy League championship and earned a berth in the NCAA Tournament where they fell by 10 points in overtime to Wake Forest.  The following season, the Bulldogs tied Princeton for the Ivy title but lost a one-game playoff.  Yale failed to earn even a tie for the Ivy League title again until 2002, when they finished the season in a three way deadlock with Penn and Princeton.  Yale defeated Princeton in the first playoff game, but fell to Penn the following night giving the Quakers the automatic bid.  Last season, for the third time since their last NCAA appearance, Yale again tied for the Ivy League championship.  And again they fell in the playoff, this time losing to Harvard.  The Crimson went on to earn a 13 seed and fall to North Carolina in the Round of 64 by 2 points while Yale’s season was over.  Only Dartmouth, which received a bid to the CIT,  joined the Crimson in the postseason, playing extra basketball for the first time since 1959.

This season, Yale’s streak may finally come to an end as the Bulldogs are among the favorites to win the league.  Yale’s chances increased when Harvard announced that its top returning player, Siyani Chambers, would be lost for the season due to injury.  Without him, the Crimson appear to be a longshot to extend their streak of four straight NCAA tournament appearances.  Princeton will join Yale among the top contenders as the Tigers return all five starters from last season.  However, none of these teams are the pick to win the title.  Yale has not been in the Big Dance since 1962, but Columbia’s streak is almost just as long, not having been in since 1968.  Although picking the Lions to take the conference title may be a bit of a shock, they appear to have all the pieces necessary to do just that.

Predicted Order of Finish

1.  Columbia – The Lions return four starters that gained tons of experience last season including senior guard Maodo Lo.  However, it is not the return of last year’s starters that makes this team the pick to win the conference.  Instead, it is the returns of forward Alex Rosenberg and guard Grant Mullins, a pair of double digit scorers from 2013-14 that both missed the majority of last year with injuries.  When these two are added to the experience and depth of the rest of the returning lineup, the Lions should have all the tools they need to finish the season at the top.

2.  Yale – Even though three starters are gone, Yale does return Ivy League Player of the Year Justin Sears along with Jack Montague and a deep bench.  The Bulldogs may be a popular pick to win the league, and should be right in the hunt for their first tourney bid since 1962.

3.  Princeton – The Tigers return all five starters plus a deep bench from a team that went 16-14 last season.  What’s more, Princeton only has one senior on its roster and is set up to be a serious contender beyond this year as well.

4.  Harvard – Corbin Miller will be called upon to lead the Crimson now that Wesley Saunders and Steve Moundou-Missi are gone and Siyani Chambers has been lost for the season.  The good news is that head coach Tommy Amaker has brought in a very strong recruiting class, meaning that even if they do not return to the NCAA Tournament this season, the Crimson will be a factor next year and beyond.

5.  Pennsylvania – Steve Donahue had tons of success during his last stint in the Ivy League as head coach for Cornell.  He returns to the Ivy this season in Philadelphia and has some solid pieces upon which to begin building up the Quakers program.  Tony Hicks in the backcourt and Darien Nelson-Henry down low both figure to be major factors and there is no reason why they will not rise in the standings this year.

6.  Brown – The Bears will be competitive this season with Tavon Blackmon at guard and Cedric Kuakumensah down low.  However, this team always seems to be on the verge of taking that step into the upper division of the Ivy League but just never seems to get there.  It is hard to pick them to do that this year.

7.  Dartmouth – Playing in the postseason was a nice reward for the Big Green last season, but it is unlikely to be repeated this time around.  The Big Green lost their top two scorers off of last year’s squad and may struggle just to avoid the conference basement.

8.  Cornell – Robert Hatter is the only returning player for the Big Red that averaged more than 4 points per game last season.  This figures to be a very long season in Ithaca.

(Note: My next preview will not be posted until Tuesday, October 20 due to other commitments.)

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Season preview: Hofstra SR PG Juan’ya Green

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Jon Teitel

For all of our extensive Preseason Coverage – CLICK HERE

Juan’ya Green is so good that he has already been 1 of the best players in 2 different conferences.  He began his college career at Niagara, where he started all 33 games as a freshman, led the team in 3PM/FT%, and was named All-MAAC 1st team.  After transferring to Hofstra and sitting out a year, he started all 34 games, led the team in PPG and led the conference in AST, and was named All-CAA 1st team.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Juan’ya about why he decided to transfer and how he runs 1 of the best offenses in the nation.

green

You began you college career at Niagara, where you were named conference ROY in 2012: how were you able to make such a smooth transition from high school to college? Coach Mihalich put the ball in my hands when I got there and said that I would be the main reason for our success, so I just tried to work hard.

You led the MAAC in STL during each of your 1st 2 years: what is your secret to being a great defender? You need the mentality of not letting your opponent score and you have to play hard 100% of the time.

After being named 1st-team All-MAAC as a sophomore you decided to transfer: why did you choose to leave? I did not want to stay there after Coach Mihalich left: I just wanted to try something new so I went with him.

You played for Coach Mihalich at Niagara before following him to Hofstra: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? He always wants the best for us: he gets everything out of us whether we are having a good or bad day. He taught me to give 100%.

In the 2015 CAA tourney you scored 26 PTS and played all 50 minutes but Daniel Dixon made a 3-PT shot with 0.8 seconds left in a 1-PT 2-OT win by William & Mary: did you think the shot was going in, and where does that rank among the most devastating losses of your career? When I saw him get the ball I did not think that he would make it because he was so wide open. It was heartbreaking because we had played such a good game.

In the 2015 CBI you scored 16 PTS (3-9 3PM) in a 4-PT loss to Vermont: how close did you come to winning the game, and what did you learn from that game that you think will help you this year? We were very close to winning but made a lot of mistakes on defense.

Last year your team’s 78.5 PPG was top-15 in the country: what makes your offense so effective? We have different guys who can score in a variety of ways. We can make threes or post up or drive to the hole and kick the ball out to our shooters.

You are 1 of 4 returning starters: how crucial will all of that experience be to your team’s success this year? It is great to have a lot of leaders on the team: we all have to be vocal and bring something to the table.

You have scored at least 16 PPG in each of your 3 college seasons, and last year you led the CAA with 6.5 APG: how do you balance your scoring with your passing? I just tell myself every game to be the player I am. When it is time to score I score, and when it is not time to score I try to make passes to help my team.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? My goal is to be the best leader I can be, especially being vocal. I also want to get to the CAA title game after losing in the semifinals last year.

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Conference Preview: Horizon League

Posted on October 15, 2015 by Chad

For the rest of our Preseason Coverage, CLICK HERE.

HORIZON LEAGUE

The battle for the Horizon League championship last season came right down to the wire, with as many as four teams chasing the top seed in the conference tournament and the right to host it on their home court heading into the final weeks of the season.  In the end, a pair of late season losses by Cleveland State helped give the title to Valparaiso, which rode their home court edge into an NCAA Tournament bid where the Crusaders narrowly lost as a 13 seed in the Round of 64 to Maryland.  Green Bay received a bid to the NIT while the other two contenders, Cleveland State and Oakland, both played in the CIT.

Things will be different in the Horizon League this year.  First and foremost, the advantage of hosting the conference tournament no longer goes to the regular season champion.  Instead, the entire event will be played in Detroit.  The membership of the Horizon League is different too as Northern Kentucky moves over from the Atlantic Sun to become the conference’s 10th member.  On the court things do not appear to be nearly as close as last season’s exciting race.   Valpo returns virtually everyone from last year’s championship team and, with the other three postseason participants from last season all having lost key pieces, appears to be head and shoulders better than anyone else in the league.  Of course, being the best team on paper does not win conference titles and NCAA Tournament bids — winning on the court does.

Predicted Order of Finish

1.  Valparaiso – With pretty much everyone back from season, all signs point to a repeat title and a return to the NCAA Tournament.  In fact, with Alec Peters leading the way and plenty of depth, do not be shocked if the Crusaders are involved in at-large bid discussions should they need one.

2.  Milwaukee – The Panthers will be led by Matt Tiby in the frontcourt and Akeem Springs in the back, while adding in a fairly strong recruiting class.  Forward Austin Arians returns from a medical redshirt season and his addition should help the team be strong enough to be near the top of the conference standings.

3.  Oakland – Despite losing two of their top three scorers, the Golden Grizzlies do bring back Kahlil Felder and his 18.1 points per game.  They also add in three noteworthy transfers in guards Martez Walker (Texas) and Sherron Dorsey-Walker (Iowa State) plus forward Percy Gibson (also Iowa State).

4.  Wright State – The Raiders will be looking to rebound following an injury-plagued 2014-15 campaign.  JT Yoho and Steven Davis are both healthy heading into the season and there is no reason why they will not be vastly improved from last year’s 11-20 record.

5.  Detroit – Paris Bass was Freshman of the Year in the Horizon League last season and should be even better this time around.  However, it will be tough for the Titans to make up for the loss of Juwan Howard, Jr.

6.  Green Bay – Keifer Sykes is gone.  So is head coach Brian Wardle, who took the top job at Bradley.  However, the Phoenix are the only DI team other than Duke that can claim their head coach won the NCAA Tournament last season.  Linc Darner led Florida Southern to the Division II title last year and will try to continue his success at the Division I level.  He has already brought in a solid group of newcomers, including twin brothers Anthony and Avery Brown from the State of Florida.  This year may be a tough one, but the rebuild should go quickly.

7.  Illinois-Chicago – Steve McClain takes over as head coach and has some solid depth plus a strong first recruiting class, even if the team has no true star.  A repeat of last season’s 24 losses would be a shock for the Flames.

8.  Northern Kentucky – The conference’s newest member is in its final transitional year from Division II and is ineligible for the NCAA Tournament (though the Norse will be allowed to participate in the Horizon League tournament).  With Tyler White in the backcourt and Jalen Billups down low, the Norse could make some noise this year.

9.  Youngstown State – Senior forward Bobby Hain will be the clear leader for the Penguins, but the program was crushed by transfers and another long season looms ahead.

10.  Cleveland State – The Vikings were crushed in the offseason, losing their top four players including Trey Lewis, who transferred to Louisville, and Anton Grady, who transferred to Wichita State.  Head coach Gary Waters must now start to rebuild from the bottom up and it appears that they will go from battling for the championship last year to fighting to avoid the league cellar this one.

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Season previews: Stony Brook SR PG Carson Puriefoy

Posted on October 14, 2015 by Jon Teitel

For the rest of our extensive preseason coverage – CLICK HERE

Heeeeeeeeeeeeer’s Carson!  Carson Puriefoy played in all 33 games as a freshman at Stony Brook, then took it up a notch by finishing in the top-10 in the America East in PPG/APG/SPG as a sophomore.  Last year as a junior he was name 1st-team all-conference, became just the 3rd player in school history to score at least 500 points in a single season, and helped his team make the CBI.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Carson about the Albany-Stony Brook rivalry and how to be a good PG.

carson

You grew up in New Jersey: what made you choose Stony Brook? I had narrowed down my final list to 3 schools, but after taking a visit here with my family I fell in love with it. It has been the best 4 years of my life so far and I am glad that I made the right decision.

You play for Coach Steve Pikiell: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? He is a player’s coach: he was straight up with me and my family about how it would be, and that is what I cherish the most. He taught me to always compete no matter what the score is, both in a game as well as in life.

You played in all 33 games as a freshman: how were you able to come in and contribute right from the start? It was a struggle: I thought that I would come in and make a big impact because I knew everything, but it took me until conference play before I started to play well. We had some great leaders and all of the seniors helped me stay confident.

In the 2013 America East tourney you scored a team-high 16 PTS before Mike Black made a layup in the final seconds of a 2-PT win by Albany, and in the 2015 America East tourney you scored a team-high 23 PTS before Peter Hooley made a 3-PT shot in the final seconds of a 1-PT win by Albany: how intense is the rivalry, and what will it take to get over the hump against the Great Danes in March? It has always been a big rivalry between the 2 New York schools in every sport, not just basketball. If we meet them again: bring it on! We are really optimistic about the season and we welcome the challenge.

In November 2013 you scored 16 PTS in a 2-PT 3-OT win at Detroit: where does that rank among the most exciting games of your career? That was a great experience. It was probably the longest game that I have ever played and we were all exhausted against a good Detroit team, but Coach just told us to keep plugging away.

In the 2015 CBI you scored 19 PTS (3-8 3PM) in a 2-PT loss to Mercer: how close did you come to winning the game, and what did you learn from that loss that you think can help you this year? They made a buzzer-beater and it was close throughout. The key thing we learned is to make our FTs and be able to finish games by staying mentally tough throughout the game.

You have led the team in AST/STL during each of the past 2 years: what is the key to being a good PG? You have to stay balanced and get your teammates involved. The PG is also the 1st line of defense so you have to stay diligent.  Our coaches stress defense so I try to be a leader on the defensive end.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Vanderbilt/Notre Dame: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Those 2 are obviously the highest-ranked teams that we play, so they will probably be our toughest tests. Do not count us out: we went to Washington last year and upset them. It has always been a dream of mine to play at Notre Dame so that game should be great.

Your father Carson played basketball at Bucknell: who is the best athlete in the family? He would probably say himself but I would have to say me! He has not beaten me in 1-on-1 for quite some time so I think that the torch has been passed.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? We have accomplished everything else over the past 4 years besides getting to the NCAA tourney so that is really the only goal left for us. We have very high expectations because we have a lot of guys back as well as some good transfers.

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