Season preview: Iowa SR F Jarrod Uthoff

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Jon Teitel

For all the rest of our Preseason Coverage – CLICK HERE

Most players would get frustrated after having to redshirt for 2 straight years, but Jarrod Uthoff has made the most of this tough situation.  Off the court, he worked hard enough to graduate with a degree in economics last May and was named to the 2015 Capital One Academic All-District 1st Team.  On the court, he was named to the 2015 All-Big Ten 3rd Team and has already established himself as 1 of the best rebounders/shot-blockers in the entire conference.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Jarrod about making 2 NCAA tourneys in a row and how often he checks the team’s schedule. 

jarrod

You began your college career at Wisconsin: why did you decide to transfer, and what made you pick Iowa? The main reason was the style of play. I was not a good fit in the Wisconsin system, but I got to see how Iowa played and I liked it.

You play for Coach Fran McCaffery: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you ever learned from him? He allows us the freedom on offense to do what we do.

In the 2014 NCAA tourney you scored 6 PTS in an OT loss to Tennessee: how close did you come to winning the game in regulation, and what happened in OT (your team was outscored 14-1)? I do not really know: it was just 1 of those things where the tide turned in overtime.

Last February you scored a career-high 25 PTS (5-11 3PM) in a 5-PT OT loss at Northwestern: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? Not necessarily: I have had some other games where I was making every shot, but I was not in a pure zone that night.

You finished the year by leading the team with 54 3PM: what is your secret for making shots from behind the arc? It is all about practice and confidence.

In the 2015 NCAA tourney you scored 20 PTS (10-19 FG) in a loss to Gonzaga: what did you learn from that game that you think will help you this year? Gonzaga played as well as they could have so we learned that we need to bring our best every night to beat teams like that.

You have twice been named Academic All-Big 10: how do you balance your work on the court with your work in the classroom? I do all of my homework and go to all of my classes. It does not take a whole lot to get a 3.0 GPA: you just have to be diligent about it and be good at time management.

You lost 2 of your top-3 scorers from last year (Aaron White/Gabe Olaseni): how will you try to replace all of that offense? Offense will not be a problem for us.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Marquette/Dayton/Florida State/Iowa State: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? I have not even looked at our schedule because I like to take it 1 game at a time. During the season I do not normally know who our next opponent is until we finish the previous game.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? Every year we have the goal of winning a Big 10 title: anything less than that is accepting failure.

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Conference Preview: Atlantic Sun

Posted on October 9, 2015 by Chad

For the rest of our Preseason Coverage, CLICK HERE.

ATLANTIC SUN

The North Florida Ospreys won the regular season title in the Atlantic Sun last year for the first time ever, and then rode the home court advantage in the conference tournament that came with the title to their first NCAA tournament bid.  Their bid came with an invite to the First Four in Dayton as a 16 seed, where they fell to Robert Morris by 4 points.  Two other A-Sun teams received postseason invites, as Florida Gulf Coast and South Carolina Upstate both played in the CIT.  After the season, Northern Kentucky announced that it would be moving to the Horizon League, temporarily reducing the A-Sun’s membership down to only 7.  To get that number back up to 8, the conference went a bit out of its historic geographic footprint and invited the nation’s only independent last season, NJIT, to join.  NJIT brings in a solid resume from last season, having played in the CIT and advanced all the way to the semifinals, not to mention picking up a huge regular season victory at Michigan.

Although the NJIT Highlanders are the newcomers to the conference, they return a deep team that has proven it can win games against this level of competition and are therefore the preseason pick to take the conference and its automatic bid.  It will not be easy though as North Florida returns the majority of its defending champion team.  Keep an eye on Lipscomb to move up this season, and Florida Gulf Coast may still be in the hunt despite losing its two best players to graduation.  South Carolina Upstate, on the other hand, looks like it will be taking a step backwards this year as Ty Greene, who seems to have led the team for the past ten years, has finally graduated.

Predicted Order of Finish

1.  NJIT – The Highlanders return their top four players and will have a chance to play for an automatic bid for the first time in school history.  They are led by Damon Lynn, though all four returning starters averaged double digits in scoring.

2.  North Florida – The Ospreys should be right near the top of the conference standings as they return four starters from last year’s tournament team including their top three scorers.  Dallas Moore, Beau Beech and Chris Davenport have a great chance to put this team back in the dance again.

3.  Lipscomb – Josh Williams leads a deep backcourt and the addition of 7-2, 276 pound transfer David Wishon from College of Charleston gives them a huge size advantage against the rest of the league.  If Wishon can contribute significantly, the rest of the conference better watch out.

4.  Florida Gulf Coast – Bernard Thompson and Brett Comer are gone, meaning the Eagles will need to rely a lot more heavily on Julian DeBose.  VCU transfer Antravious Simmons and freshman Rayjon Tucker should both be factors this year.

5.  Jacksonville – The Dolphins return all five starters led by Kori Babineaux, one of the top guards in the conference.  Coach Tony Jasick has added a couple of solid JC transfers this season, and there is no reason the team will not show significant improvement from last year’s 10-22 record.

6.  Stetson – The Hatters are ineligible for postseason play due to their APR; however, the future is looking brighter with no seniors on the roster and a pair of point guards, Divine Myles and Brian Pegg, who each had more than 100 assists last year.

7.  South Carolina Upstate – Ty Greene was everything for the Spartans, and now he is gone.  Head coach Eddie Payne will be in rebuild mode this year.

8.  Kennesaw State – The Owls brought in a big name head coach in Al Skinner who should get this program moving towards the upper division very soon.  A pair of seniors, Yonel Brown and Nigel Pruitt, will lead the team this year, but the rebuild by Coach Skinner will take a few seasons.

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Season preview: Vermont JR PG Dre Wills

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Jon Teitel

For all of our Preseason Conference Previews, Articles, and Interviews – CLICK HERE

Where there’s a Wills, there’s a Dre: too easy!  He needed a lot of will as a freshman to deal with a broken finger that cost him 7 games.  He showed his all-around ability as a sophomore in 2015, being named to both the America East All-Conference 2nd-Team as well as the conference All-Defensive Team, and somehow led the Catamounts in rebounding despite standing all of 6’1″.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Dre about making the CBI last March and being 1 of the best FG shooters in the entire conference.

dre

You grew up in Indiana: what made you choose Vermont? I liked the family atmosphere and they are 1 of the top mid-major programs in the country who are always competing to get into the NCAA tourney.

You play for Coach John Becker: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? He pushes everyone the same regardless of whether you are the 1st guy on the team or the 10th guy, so it makes us all work together and not have any egos.

Last year you had 63 STL and were named to the America East All-Defensive Team: what did it mean to you to receive such an outstanding honor? It meant a lot to me. I have always been a defensive-first guy because the offense will always come to you.

You also led your team with 4.8 RPG: how does a 6’1” guard get so many rebounds?! I just try to attack the ball and be in the right position. Our big men do a good job of boxing out so I just have to track the ball when it bounces off the rim.

You shot 60.9 FG% in conference play: what is your secret for being a great shooter? I just take good shots, act unselfish, and try not to get in trouble when I go to the hole. You cannot force your shot so I just wait for the right opportunity.

In the 2015 CBI semifinal you scored 11 PTS in a 6-PT loss to Louisiana-Monroe: what did you learn from that loss that you think can help you this year? We were a young team last year so the experience of getting those extra games will definitely help us out in the long run.

Your non-conference schedule includes games against Purdue/Florida: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? Purdue is a real big team and that is where I am from so I am looking forward to going back there to play. We just have to play our game and try to keep them off the glass.

Your team returns each of its top-4 scorers from last year: how crucial will all of that experience be to your team’s success this year? We had a lot of freshman last year, but they are ready to make the jump this year and will be much more comfortable on the court.

Your brother Tony plays basketball at Illinois State: who is the best athlete in the family? I do not want to compare us. I am a better athlete but he can shoot better than me, so it is a real good competition.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I expect us to get to the NCAA tourney. I hope we can win the conference outright and I think we can also win 20 games.

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CONFERENCE PREVIEW: AMERICA EAST

Posted on October 8, 2015 by Chad

For quick access to all of our 2015-16 Season Previews, CLICK HERE.

AMERICA EAST

The 2015-16 previews begin in the America East.  Over the next five weeks, you will see my Conference Previews released almost every day, beginning with the 23 small and mid-major conferences and then ending in early November with the top 9 conferences, all in alphabetical order.

The America East was dominated last season by the Albany Great Danes, a team that went 15-1 in conference regular season play then followed up with the conference tournament championship before falling by 9 points to Oklahoma in the Round of 64.  Stony Brook, Vermont and New Hampshire all made postseason appearances as well.  For Stony Brook and Vermont, it was the CBI where the Catamounts advanced to the semifinals.  For New Hampshire, it was the CIT where they lost in the first round to NJIT.  New Hampshire did make history though, as they hosted a conference tournament game for the first time ever, beating Hartford in overtime in the quarterfinals in front of a raucous crowd, and made their first ever postseason appearance in the CIT.

This season, the chances of one team dominating in conference play are much lower.  This is because all four of last year’s postseason participants return deep veteran lineups.  Although the conference will only put one team in the Big Dance, this league could give us some of the most exciting basketball as Albany, Stony Brook, Vermont and New Hampshire battle it out all season for the top spot in the conference and home court advantage in the conference tournament.  Beyond the top four teams, Binghamton should be improved while UMBC and Maine should both be more competitive than last year — though that should not be hard for a pair of teams that combined for 7 total wins last season.

Predicted Order of Finish

1.  Stony Brook – The entire team pretty much returns this year including conference Player of the Year Jameel Warney and all-conference first teamer Carson Puriefoy.  The Seawolves also add in Longwood transfer Lucas Woodhouse and welcome back Ahmad Walker who spent last season playing for a junior college after being a freshman standout for Stony Brook two years ago.  It won’t be easy with the competition in this conference, but this could be the season that the Seawolves finally make their first dance.

2.  Albany – Peter Hooley, Evan Singletary and Ray Sanders lead a deep team that has advanced to three straight NCAA tournaments.  If Mike Rowley can step in to replace his brother Sam in the frontcourt, there is no reason why they won’t be right in the hunt for a fourth straight bid.

3.  New Hampshire – Four starters and top reserve Daniel Dion return from last year’s 19 win team.  Last season’s conference Rookie of the Year Tanner Leissner will try to help lead the Wildcats to the program’s first ever 20 win campaign, and maybe even their first ever NCAA tournament.

4.  Vermont – Ethan O’Day leads four returning starters that are joined by Hofstra transfer Darren Payen.  The pieces are in place in Burlington for this team to be right at the top.

5.  Binghamton – The Bearcats should take a big step forward this season from last year’s 6 win effort as they return all five starters and welcome in a solid recruiting class.  On top of that, none of the returning starters are seniors, so don’t be surprised if they are a contender for the league’s upper division by next season.

6.  UMBC – The Retrievers should improve vastly off of last year’s 4 victories with the senior leadership of Cody Joyce and the return of 2013-14’s conference Rookie of the Year Rodney Elliott from an injury that cost him almost all of last season.

7.  Maine – The Black Bears welcome back four starters plus key reserve Kevin Little.  Head coach Bob Walsh has added a solid recruiting class, so things should be much better than last year (though at 3-27 last season, it would be tough to be worse).

8.  Hartford – The Hawks only return one starter (Taylor Dyson) from a sub-.500 team.  If they want to compete for the upper division this year, they will need their newcomers and former bench players to step up.

9.  Massachusetts-Lowell – The good news in Lowell is that the team is young and has a star in sophomore Jahad Thomas.  The bad news is that the team is young — too young to expect much this season.

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Season preview: Radford coach Mike Jones

Posted on October 7, 2015 by Jon Teitel

For all other Preseason Previews, Articles and Interviews – CLICK HERE

Radford coach Mike Jones might have an ordinary name but he has been a part of some extraordinary games as a basketball coach.  In the 2008 SEC tourney as an assistant to Georgia coach Dennis Felton he had to deal with a game being postponed due to a tornado before winning 3 games in 30 hours to clinch an SEC tourney title.  3 years later as an assistant to Coach Shaka Smart at VCU he was part of the Rams’ remarkable run to the 2011 Final 4.  After winning only 6 games in his 1st year as head coach of the Highlanders in 2012, he has led them to very high land by winning 22 games in each of the past 2 years.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Coach Jones about working for John Beilein and growing up as the son of an ABA legend.

jones

You played basketball at Howard University: how good a player were you back in the day, and how did you get into coaching? I was a role player: the guy who loved to defend and did not mind passing (because my coach told me not to shoot!). I got into coaching because it seemed like fun. A good friend of mine was a coach and I figured that if he could do it, so could I.

You spent 3 years as an assistant to Coach John Beilein at Richmond/West Virginia: what makes Beilein such a great coach, and what is the most important thing that you ever learned from him? John is a great coach because he is a great person. He has had a lot of practice as a head coach (having never been an assistant himself), and he recruits players who work best with his style of play regardless of what school he is at, so the players fit with what he likes to do offensively. Lastly, he has a special gift of how to make players feel confident and play that way, as well as how to make everyone on the team play together. The most important thing I learned from him is that you must recruit guys who can make shots and who have skills, then further develop those skills after you get them.

Entering the 2008 SEC tourney as an assistant to fellow Howard alum Dennis Felton on a Georgia team that was 13-16, you had a 2-PT OT win over Mississippi, then had to postpone your quarterfinal game due to a tornado, then won 3 games in 30 hours on the campus of your in-state rival Georgia Tech to clinch your 1st SEC tourney title in 25 years: what are your memories of that wild weekend? My best memories were of how tough the staff/players were all year and how it all paid off that championship weekend. We watched the selection show from the court because our game ended so late on Sunday!

In the 2011 NCAA tourney as an assistant to Coach Shaka Smart at VCU, your team made a magical run all the way to the Final 4: what is the key to being a successful “Cinderella” in the postseason? Matchups and confidence.

In 2015 CBI you had a 7-PT loss to Vermont: what do you think your team learned from that game that can help them this year? After playing great in a win over Delaware State in the 1st round, we knew that playing in that environment at Vermont was going to be a great experience for our players. We learned that there is very little margin for error against a good team on their home court in a hostile environment.

Your non-conference schedule includes road trips to Georgetown/VCU to start the season: how are you preparing to face such a daunting duo? Our schedule has gotten tougher and tougher each year. We have to play good teams to challenge ourselves to get better. We played Georgetown last year so we know them a little bit, but we will concentrate more on ourselves than our opponents early in the season.

You lost your top-2 scorers from last year (Javonte Green/RJ Price): how will you try to replace all of that offense? We have other players coming back who are very capable scorers.  They showed some of what they are capable of last season, but we have to keep helping our players get better.

You have 7 seniors on your roster: how crucial will all of that experience be to your team’s success this year? Senior leadership is very crucial to everything we will do this year. It is their last go-round so I know they will all be highly motivated.

Your father Jimmy was a 6-time ABA All-Star who was named to the ABA All-Time Team in 1997: what made him such a great player, and what impact has he had on you either on or off the court? My dad was a great player because he had a high IQ and could really score. He taught me the importance of honesty, integrity, and hard work. Those things are a part of me and now I am passing them along to my kids and my players.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? My goals are to compete for a regular season and tournament championship. I expect our players to work harder and smarter than they ever have and for us to improve every day.

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Season preview: UC Davis SR SF Josh Fox

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Jon Teitel

For all of our Preseason Previews, Articles and Interviews – CLICK HERE

If you need a tour guide to take you around the state of California, Josh Fox is your man.  He was born in Fiji but grew up in Los Angeles and went to high school in Northern California.  He began his college career at UC Riverside, then spent a year at City College of San Francisco, and after finding a home at UC Davis he was named Big West 6th Man of the Year last spring.  HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with Josh about why he chose the Aggies and how it felt to make the NIT last season. 

fox

You were born in Fiji: how did you 1st get into basketball? I lived there for 4 years and played a lot of rugby as a kid, but after we moved to LA I found a basketball court at our local YMCA and started following the Lakers.

You began your college career at UC Riverside but after 1 year you switched to City College of San Francisco, where you had a 28-game winning streak: did it reach a point where people just expected you to win every time you stepped onto the court? We had high expectations for ourselves. There were already a lot of seasoned players on the team before I got there, many of whom ended up playing in D-1, and the coaching staff put us in a great position to win. When we actually lost a game it was shocking!

What made you later choose UC Davis? Darius Graham is a friend of mine from high school. When he suggested that I join him at Davis instead of Riverside I just kind of chuckled at him, but after I transferred out of there he hit me up again. I like the coaches here and the program is going in the right direction. I fell in love with it during my visit so it was an easy decision for me to join the team.

You play for Coach Jim Les: what makes him such a good coach, and what is the most important thing that you have ever learned from him? He loves basketball and wants us to succeed. However, his main concern is our life off the court. He acts as a father-figure in terms of our classes and our family. His basketball pedigree speaks for itself so I could not ask for more. Everyone says how basketball is more of a mental sport but not everyone takes that into account. He has helped me watch a lot of film and taught me to think things through. The other thing he taught me is to be a leader by the impact I have on others.

Last November you scored a career-high 23 PTS (11-14 FG) in a win over Utah State: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? It felt good. It was like throwing a tennis ball into the ocean and I was making some ridiculous layups. I let it loose and Coach just told me to relax, so it felt well to help the team.

You finished the year by being named Big West 6th Man of the Year: what did it mean to you to win such an outstanding honor? I did not even know they had an award for that, so when people congratulated me I thought it was just for having a nice season. Coach called me to tell me that I got it, which was great, but you cannot win that kind of award without teammates who make you look good. I was very happy to see that my hard work paid off.

In the 2015 NIT you scored 2 PTS in a loss to eventual champion Stanford: what did you learn from that game that you think will help you this year? It was a tough loss: we were sad because we had a bigger goal of making the NCAA tourney. Our heads were all over the place: we were taking final exams at that time because our schedule is different than other schools. We were trying to deal with so many things happening at once, but now I can tell my teammates to handle their business early so that we are better prepared. I want to help my teammates when they have to juggle so many things at once.

Your non-conference schedule includes road games at St. Mary’s/Boise State: which of these games do you feel will present your biggest test? They will both be battles. Boise State had a great season last year so we are looking forward to playing them. We will have some growing pains at first but I am happy to have such a great team on our schedule, as it will really help prepare us for conference play.

You are 1 of 2 seniors on the roster: how much pressure is there on you to be a leader this year? I have always tried to lead in different ways. I have not been the loudest guy in the past but I am trying to become more vocal. I think the guys respect me and really listen to me. I try to lead by example so it should be easy for me to step into that role.

What are your goals for the upcoming season, and what are your expectations for the upcoming season? I have high goals and I will not set our standards any lower than last year. We really want to win the conference this year and hopefully I can be a good leader. It will be a fun battle and we are looking forward to the challenge. Our coaches will keep our expectations high even if other people think we will have a down year.

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