Marching To Madness

Coach Niko Medved returns to “Marching to Madness” as he discusses Rams fifth-year returnee and all-MWC first-teamer Isaiah Stevens. Colorado State also returns a solid three-point shooter in Jalen Lake. The Rams welcome in a solid transfer class and will look to pick things up defensively over a year ago. Topics of discussion include: The growth of Isaiah into a player who could turn down the NBA Draft and remain a Ram for one more season Minutes for Jalen Lake The addition of D-2 Player of the Year Joel Scott Evaluation of commonalities on the new roster Much more!

Coach Sampson and his Cougars move into the Big XII after being a stellar member of the AAC. Houston is 93-14 in the past three seasons with a pair of AAC regular season titles as well as two AAC Tournament championships with the Final Four appearance in 2021. Houston loses three stellar players in Jarace Walker, Marcus Sasser and Tramon Mark, but the return of Jamal Shead plus the additions of Baylor transfer LJ Cryer and Temple transfer Damian Dunn will give the Cougars plenty of scoring punch in the backcourt once again. Topics of discussion include: The Cougars’ Australian trip in early August The presence of returning guard Jamal Shead LJ Cryer and Damian Dunn as transfers into the backcourt J’Wan Roberts in the post Much more!

Coach Jones built Radford University into a Big South contender and now he has the UNCG Spartans challenging in the Southern Conference. Last season, they finished one game behind Furman and Samford last season in the race for the SoCon crown. Coach Jones returns solid twin brothers, Keyshaun and Kobe Langley as Keyshaun was the leading scorer while Kobe works as a solid playmaker. Topics of discussion include: The Spartans’ foreign trip to Senegal and France Creating depth in the attacks in preseason practice The Langley twins and Mikeal Brown-Jones as keys to the program How basketball mentality and physicality change once the season begins   Much more!

A candid conversation with former UCLA head coach Jim Harrick about the loss of the Pac-12. Ken laments his loss as well as a watcher of many Pac-12 games as he studies the league in football as well as basketball. Coach Harrick gives his ideas on where and how the league was unnecessarily brought to its knees. He also talks about the potential of the upcoming 2023-24 Bruins. Coach Harrick also took Pepperdine to four NCAA Tournaments in his nine seasons and led UCLA, Rhode Island, and Georgia to 13 NCAA Tournaments in 14 seasons. The legendary head coach took the Bruins to the 1995 NCAA title as he won 470 games in his 23 seasons. Topics of discussion include: Coach Harrick’s thoughts on the loss of the Pac-12 What happens to Washington State and Oregon State as they are the lone Pac-12 members Changes with the realignments of 10 of the 12 league teams Could teams in one, two, or three bid leagues delete the difference between themselves and power conferences                                                 

Coach Dambrot returns to “Marching to Madness” with three key returning starters in guards Dae Dae Grant, who made 94 triples last season, and Jimmy Clark, an all-defensive A-10 talent. Coach Dambrot discusses 6-7 shot blocker Tre Williams who is also closing in on 1,000 points. Dambrot also welcomes 10 new players for the second season in a row. Topics of discussion include: Duquesne’s Basketball Tip-off Event which is scheduled for Thursday evening Duquesne’s Dae Dae Grant and Jimmy Clark, III, in the backcourt Tre Williams’ versatility on both ends of the floor Adding 10 new players to the roster for the second consecutive season Much More!

Iowa Hawkeyes’ head coach Fran McCaffery is a guest on “Marching to Madness” once again as he discusses the team’s tour to Spain and France and the importance of the international trips for teams. Coach McCaffery welcomes his returning leading scorer in Tony Perkins, who started all 32 games for Iowa last season. He also comments on the addition of Pryce Sandfort, who joins his brother Payton Sandfort on this season’s team. Topics of discussion include: Six new Hawkeyes includes four freshmen on the 2023-24 roster Working on different styles of play and player to go into a “playbook.” Tony Perkins as the leading returning scorer Iowa high school player of the year Pryce Sandfort joins his brother Payton as a Hawkeye … And Much More!

Coach Legans checks in as he has finished his second season in command of the University of Portland Pilots. He is in the middle of rebuilding the program as the Pilots have won 33 games in his first two seasons. You have to go back to 2013-14 and 2014-15 to find when Portland was close to that statistic when the PIlots tallied 32 in back-to-back campaigns. Watch Tyler Roberts who will be a key player on both ends of the floor for Coach Legans this season. Topics of discussion include: Playing through tough challenges Tyler Robertson’s prep as a leader plus his skills Creation of a solid three-point game in the offensive structure The building of team defense    And much more!

The Cardinal returned at the end of August after a 10-day trip where they played in Spain and Greece in late August. Stanford and it’s rival, the Cal Bears, have one more Pac-12 season before moving to the ACC with SMU. The Cardinal will be led this season by Spencer Jones, who was an all-Pac-12 forward a year ago and will be key in the Cardinal potentially moving into the top echelon of the Pac-12. Topics of discussion include: Bringing the trip to France and Greece to where it is a springboard for the beginning of spring practice What to accomplish in the 10 extra practices that are a result of the trip Spencer Jones’ scoring ability and rebounding prowess The effects of losing five transfers from last year’s team And much more!

Coach Stoudamire, who was the 1996 NBA Rookie of the Year with the Toronto Raptors, checks in as the head coach at Georgia Tech in the ACC. Coach inherits the program as he comes over after a five-year stint as the head coach at Pacific and then a two-year stint as an assistant coach with the Boston Celtics. GT looks to get back near the top in the ACC as it won the ACC Tournament in 2021. Coach Stoudamire has an extensive background inside the game with a 12-year NBA career that took him from Toronto through Portland and then ended in Memphis and San Antonio. Topics of discussion include: The learning curve between coaching in the NBA and college basketball NBA Rookie of the Year season in 1996 GT guard Miles Kelly inside his program Newcomer Kowacie Reeves and how he translates into Georgia Tech … And much more!!

Coach Johnson took over the Minnesota Golden Gophers and is working on a monumental rebuild of the basketball team, which he took over three seasons ago. Coach Johnson played for Minnesota from 2002-2005 and has held assistant positions at five different schools as well as Minnesota (2013-18). This is a really solid and analytical conversation where we learn about Coach Johnson’s thoughts and ideas on a wide range of basketball concepts. Topics of discussion include: Interesting aspects of the depth of his coaching philosophy Key ways of rejuvenating Gophers basketball Dawson Garcia as the leading returning scorer Coach Johnson’s ascension inside the game as an assistant coach … And much more!

Coach McCasland comes to the Red Raiders after taking the North Texas Mean Green to the NIT Championship while the 31 wins last season were the most in a season in NT history. Coach McCasland’s defensive acumen makes him one of the top coaches in college basketball and he now takes his philosophy to Lubbock. The Red Raiders also look forward to the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas in November when they open with Villanova. Topics of discussion include: Leading North Texas to the NIT title as well as the 31 wins The ability of Pop Isaacs, who looks forward to continuing as a Red Raider Incoming transfers in Darrion Williams, Warren Washington and Joe Toussaint Competing in the Battle 4 Atlantis … And Much More!

Coach Chris Gerlufsen talks about his initial year as the head coach at USF. He piloted the Dons to 20 wins which was the sixth time in seven seasons that USF won at least 20 games. Coach Gerlufsen also discusses his offensive coordinator assignments when he was an assistant to Eran Ganot at Hawaii. Khalil Shabazz and Tyrell Roberts graduated as this was the second time in as many seasons that the Dons had two first-team WCC basketball players. Topics of discussion include: How Shabazz and Roberts were able to push the Dons’ image higher Studying, game-planning, and scouting opponents The return of Marcus Williams, Saba Gigiberia, and Josh Kunen Adding USC transfer Malik Thomas … And Much More!

Coach Micah Shrewsberry takes over the Fighting Irish after leading Penn State for two seasons as he was able to place the Nittany Lions into the NCAA Tournament where the win over Texas A&M in Round 1 was the Lions’ first ‘W’ in NCAA play since 2001. Shrewsberry will work on developing an uptempo and three-point offensive attack with the Irish. He has brought in a transfer class that features former Seton Hall Pirate Tae Davis, Penn State transfer Kebba Njie, and Julian Roper, a guard from Northwestern and also four freshmen. Topics of discussion include: How six seasons as a Celtics assistant helped him prepare for the move from Penn State to Notre Dame The influence of Purdue head coach Matt Painter How the inside-outside attack is a staple of his offensive philosophy  Potential influence of Tae Davis and Kebba Njie … And Much More!

Coach Odom moves to VCU and the A-10 after leading the Utah State Aggies for two seasons. Utah State finished 26-9 in Odom’s second year as the Aggies lost the Mountain West Tournament championship to Final Four participant San Diego State, 62-57, but USU made it to the NCAA Tournament. Coming into VCU, he saw a group of Rams leave, but added a solid group of transfers into the program. Guard Zeb Jackson is the lone returnee who played major minutes last season. Topics of discussion include: The winning element at VCU Implementation of the transitional pace and three-point game Max Shulga and Sean Bairstow transferring from Utah State Other transfers into the program … And Much More!

Coach Paris makes his debut on “Marching to Madness” as he took over the South Carolina basketball program last season. Paris will look at building the offense into a more sustainable part of the program as he brings in a solid transfer class for the upcoming season. Coach Paris built Chattanooga back into the NCAA Tournament as they played Illinois in 2022 NCAAT and lost a tough 54-53 decision to Illinois. He had 20 years as an assistant coach at Akron and Wisconsin as well as D-2 IUP, and DePauw, and D-3 Wooster. Topics of discussion include: Early August trip to Bahamas The ability and approach of guard Meechie Johnson The transfer class which will help upgrade the level of the squad Changes in recruiting that he has seen since he became an assistant in the late 1990s … And Much More!

Coach Monson was able to push The Beach back into a winning record after losing two of his top three scorers and then leading scorer Joel Murray was lost for the season with a wrist injury. LBSU led D-1 basketball by taking 48.2 two-point field goal attempts per game. Coach Monson also discusses key returnees plus his two seasons as head coach at Gonzaga in the late 1990s. Topics of discussion include: Leading the nation with 48.2 two-point field goal attempts per game The return of Marcus Tsohonis Lassina and Aboubacar Traore and their impacts on LBSU roundball Coach Monson’s first head coaching job at Gonzaga in the late 1990s … And Much More!

UMass head coach Frank Martin visits “Marching to Madness” as he will begin his second season with the Minutemen in the ’23-24 season. Coach Martin led UMass to an 8-1 start last season before injuries derailed the team with six players out for nearly 40 games and that made the Minutemen struggle in the Atlantic 10. Although the injuries left them in peril, UMass returns with leading scorer Matt Cross as well as eight freshmen and two transfers on the season’s roster. Topics of discussion include: Working on the rebuild to make UMass an A-10 contender and consistency in making the NCAA Tournament Returns of Matt Cross, Keon Thompson, and Rahsool Diggins to the Minutemen The effects of the injury-riddle opening season The knowledge and support of his wife Anya … And Much More!

Florida Atlantic head coach Dusty May is back as his Owls flew into the Final Four in March. The Owls keep their players together for this upcoming season as Michael Forest was the only senior on the team. FAU won 35 games, the high for any D-1 team this season, and they return Johnell Davis and Alijah Martin, who are the team’s top two scorers. Topics of discussion include: Care and loyalty keeping the squad together How to take the 35 wins and find the next step to go even further Emphasis in summer practices The impact of the returning players with Davis, Martin and Boyd comprise a stellar backcourt. … And Much More!

Coach Johnson is building the Lions into a major competitor in the WCC. This past season’s wins over Wake Forest, Nevada, Gonzaga, BYU and Saint Mary’s defined how far the team has come in his three years. We also chatted about his perceptions of summer workouts as well as coaches’ meetings. Topics of discussion include: The 68-67 win at Gonzaga Cam Shelton’s next move in his basketball career Kelli Leaupepe as the leading returning scorer What needs to happen for the Lions to take the step into NCAA Tournament play

Cal State Fullerton Titans head coach Dedrique Taylor is back as a guest on “Marching to Madness”. Coach Taylor once again led CSF to the Big West championship game after winning 10 out of it’s last 11 games to finish the season. He discusses the Titans’ emergence as well into 44-22 record in the past two seasons as they won the tournament last year and made it to the NCAA Tournament, but lost to UCSB in this season’s championship outing. Topics of discussion include: Leading scorer Latrell Wrightsell, Jr., and his transfer to Alabama The emergence of Max Jones as a scorer The idea of defending and forcing turnovers and its influence on possession length New Titans for the upcoming 23-24 season … And Much More!