Independent

Jon Teitel's All-Conference Teams, Part Two

Jon Teitel — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 21:01:39 -0800

Last week CHN writer Jon Teitel unvelied part one of his CollegeHoops.net All-Conference selections, featuring the fourteen conferences that begain conference tournament play at that time. The final seventeen teams are here, with the Player of the Year in each league in italics.

Atlantic 10
G Ramone Moore (Temple)
G Tu Holloway (Xavier)
G Khalif Wyatt (Temple)
F Chris Gaston (Fordham)
F Andrew Nicholson (St. Bonaventure)

ACC
G Terrell Stoglin (Maryland)
G C.J. Harris (Wake Forest)
F Tyler Zelller (North Carolina)
F Mike Scott (Virginia)
F John Henson (North Carolina)

Big 12
G J'Covan Brown (Texas)
G Marcus Denmon (Missouri)
G Tyshawn Taylor (Kansas)
F Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
F Royce White (Iowa State)

Big East
G Darius Johnson-Odom (Marquette)
G Jeremy Lamb (Connecticut)
F Kevin Jones (West Virginia)
F Jae Crowder (Marquette)
F Herb Pope (Seton Hall)

Big Ten
G Tim Frazier (Penn St.)
G Drew Crawford (Northwestern)
F John Shurna (Northwestern)
F Jared Sullinger (Ohio St.)
F Draymond Green (Michigan St.)

Big West
G Orlando Johnson (UCSB)
G Phil Martin (UC Riverside)
G Casper Ware (Long Beach St.)
F Stephan Hicks (Cal-State Northridge)
F T.J. Robinson (Long Beach St.)

Conference USA
G Will Barton (Memphis)
G DeAndre Kane (Marshall)
G Miguel Paul (East Carolina)
F Cameron Moore (UAB)
F Arsalan Kazemi (Rice)

Independents
G Mitch Albers (Nebraska-Omaha)
G Isaiah Wilkerson (NJIT)
F Aaron Broussard (Seattle)
F Jeremy Robinson (Chicago St.)
C Antwan Carter (Longwood)

Ivy
G Zack Rosen (Pennsylvania)
G Brian Barbour (Columbia)
G Sean McGonagill (Brown)
F Greg Mangano (Yale)
F Ian Hummer (Princeton)

Mid-American
G Rian Pearson (Toledo)
G Trey Ziegler (Central Michigan)
F Julian Mavunga (Miami (OH))
F Jarrod Jones (Ball St.)
F Mitchell Watt (Buffalo)

MEAC
G Darrion Pellum (Hampton)
G Tony Gallo (Coppin St.)
G Jay Threatt (Delaware St.)
F Brandon Riley (South Carolina St.)
C Kyle O'Quinn (Norfolk St.)

Mountain West
G Wes Eikmeier (Colorado St.)
G Jamal Franklin (San Diego St.)
G Chase Tapley (San Diego St.)
F Mike Moser (UNLV)
F Drew Gordon (New Mexico)

Pac-12
G Jared Cunningham (Oregon St.)
G Tony Wroten (Washington)
G Devoe Joseph (Oregon)
F Brock Motum (Washington St.)
F Andre Roberson (Colorado)

SEC
G John Jenkins (Vanderbilt)
G Dee Bost (Mississippi St.)
F Jeffery Taylor (Vanderbilt)
F Arnett Moultrie (Mississippi St.)
F Anthony Davis (Kentucky)

Southland
G Mike James (Lamar)
G Anthony Miles (Lamar)
F Patrick Richard (McNeese St.)
F LaMarcus Reed III (UT-Arlington)
C William Mosley (Northwestern St.)

SWAC
G Quincy Roberts (Grambling St.)
G Savalace Townsend (UAPB)
G Terrence Joyner (Mississippi Valley St.)
F Quinton Doggett (Southern)
C Paul Crosby (Mississippi Valley St.)

WAC
G Kevin Olekaibe (Fresno St.)
G James Kinney (San Jose St.)
G Deonte Burton (Nevada)
F Wendell McKines (New Mexico St.)
C Vander Joaquim (Hawai'i)

Consensus Conference Ranking: February vs January

Shawn Siegel — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 07:56:23 -0800

Although the conference table was mostly set back in January when we last updated the Consensus Conference Ranking, there have been some changes since. As you'll see below, the Mountain West dropped from 4th to 6th since January 3rd, while the Colonial and Ivy have jumped 2 spots. This often has to do with the benefits conferences get from regularly playing a Top ranked team: ie, Murray St's ranking rubbing off on the rest of the OVC teams, or Kentucky rubbing off on the SEC.

Below is the Consensus Conference Ranking as of today, as well as January's ranking below for reference. The difference in standings can be seen in green/red.

Rank	Conference	RPI	KenPom	Sagarin	Avg	Change
1	Big Ten	1	1	1	1.0
2	Big 12	3	2	2	2.3
3	Big East	2	3	3	2.7
4	SEC	4	4	4	4.0	+1
5	ACC	6	5	5	5.3	+1
6	Mountain West	5	6	6	5.7	-2
7	Atlantic 10	7	7	8	7.3	+2
8	Pac 12	10	8	7	8.3	-1
9	Missouri Valley	8	9	9	8.7	-1
10	CUSA	9	10	10	9.7
11	WCC	11	11	11	11.0
12	WAC	12	12	12	12.0	+1
13	Horizon	13	15	13	13.7	-1
14	Colonial	15	13	14	14.0	+2
15	Ivy	14	14	16	14.7	+2
16	MAC	17	17	15	16.3	-2
17t	Summit	16	18	19	17.7	-2
17t	Atlantic Sun	20	16	17	17.7
19	Sun Belt	19	19	18	18.7	-1
20	MAAC	18	20	20	19.3
21	Big West	24	21	21	22.0
22t	Patriot	22	22	23	22.3
22t	Ohio Valley	21	24	22	22.3	+2
24	Southern	23	23	25	23.7	-2
25	Big Sky	26	26	24	25.3	+1
26	Big South	27	25	26	26.0	+2
27	Northeast	25	27	28	26.7	+1
28	Southland	28	28	27	27.7	-1
29	America East	29	29	29	29.0
30	MEAC	30	30	30	30.0	-1
31	Independent	31	31	31	31.0
32	SWAC	32	32	32	32.0	-1

	January 3rd
1	Big Ten	1	1	1	1.0
2	Big 12	3	2	2	2.3
3	Big East	2	3	3	2.7
4	Mountain West	4	6	4	4.7
5	SEC	6	4	5	5.0
6	ACC	5	5	6	5.3
7	Pac 12	9	7	7	7.7
8	Missouri Valley	7	9	8	8.0
9	Atlantic 10	8	8	9	8.3
10	CUSA	11	10	10	10.3
11	WCC	10	11	11	10.7
12	Horizon	12	13	13	12.7
13	WAC	18	12	12	14.0
14	MAC	14	15	14	14.3
15	Summit	13	17	15	15.0
16	Colonial	20	14	16	16.7
17	Ivy	17	16	19	17.3
18	Sun Belt	15	20	17	17.3
19	Atlantic Sun	19	18	18	18.3
20	MAAC	16	19	21	18.7
21	Big West	21	21	20	20.7
22t	Patriot	23	22	26	23.7
22t	Southern	22	24	25	23.7
24t	Ohio Valley	24	25	24	24.3
24t	Big South	27	23	23	24.3
26	Big Sky	28	26	22	25.3
27	Southland	25	28	27	26.7
28	Northeast	26	27	28	27.0
29t	America East	31	29	29	29.7
29t	MEAC	29	30	30	29.7
31t	Independent	32	31	31	31.3
31t	SWAC	30	32	32	31.3

Jon Teitel's End of January All-Conference Teams

Jon Teitel — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:35:35 -0800

With the final month of the regular season on our door step, this is a good time to put together some all-conference teams. Enter CHN writer Jon Teitel, who not only picked his all-conference teams for each league but also provided a conference Player of the Year as well. Without further ado here are the all-conference teams, with the league POY in italics.

America East
G Gerardo Suero (Albany)
G Darryl Partin (Boston University)
G Gerald McLemore (Maine)
F Chase Plummer (UMBC)
F Alasdair Fraser (Maine)

Atlantic 10
G Ramone Moore (Temple)
G Carl Jones (Saint Joseph's)
G Tu Holloway (Xavier)
F Chris Gaston (Fordham)
F/C Andrew Nicholson (St. Bonaventure)

ACC
G Terrell Stoglin (Maryland)
G C.J. Harris (Wake Forest)
F Harrison Barnes (North Carolina)
F Mike Scott (Virginia)
F John Henson (North Carolina)

Atlantic Sun
G Jordan Burgason (Lipscomb)
G Markeith Cummings (Kennesaw State)
G Adam Sollazzo (ETSU)
F Torrey Craig (USC Upstate)
F Adam Pegg (Stetson)

Big 12
G J'Covan Brown (Texas)
G Marcus Denmon (Missouri)
G Tyshawn Taylor (Kansas)
F Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
F Perry Jones III (Baylor)

Big East
G Maalik Wayns (Villanova)
G Darius Johnson-Odom (Marquette)
G Jeremy Lamb (Connecticut)
F Kevin Jones (West Virginia)
F Herb Pope (Seton Hall)

Big Sky
G Damian Lillard (Weber State)
G Charles Odum (Portland State)
G Will Cherry (Montana)
F Collin Chiverton (Eastern Washington)
F Scott Bamforth (Weber State)

Big South
G Nick Barbour (High Point)
G Anthony Raffa (Coastal Carolina)
G Darren White (Campbell)
F Stan Okoye (VMI)
F Eric Griffin (Campbell)

Big Ten
G Tim Frazier (Penn State)
G Drew Crawford (Northwestern)
F John Shurna (Northwestern)
F Jared Sullinger (Ohio State)
F Draymond Green (Michigan St.)

Big West
G Orlando Johnson (UCSB)
G Phil Martin (UC Riverside)
G Casper Ware (Long Beach State)
F Stephan Hicks (Cal State Northridge)
F T.J. Robinson (Long Beach State)

Colonial
G Mike Moore (Hofstra)
G Devon Saddler (Delaware)
G Keith Rendleman (UNC Wilmington)
F Ryan Pearson (George Mason)
F Jamelle Hagins (Delaware)

Conference USA
G Will Barton (Memphis)
G Miguel Paul (East Carolina)
G DeAndre Kane (Marshall)
F Cameron Moore (UAB)
F Arsalan Kazemi (Rice)

Horizon
G Ray McCallum (Detroit)
G Chase Simon (Detroit)
G Kendrick Perry (Youngstown State)
F Kevin Van Wijk (Valparaiso)
F Ryan Broekhoff (Valparaiso)

Independent
G Mitch Albers (Nebraska-Omaha)
G Isaiah Wilkerson (NJIT)
F Aaron Broussard (Seattle)
F Jeremy Robinson (Chicago State)
C Antwan Carter (Longwood)

Ivy
G Zack Rosen (Pennsylvania)
G Tyler Bernardini (Pennsylvania)
G Brian Barbour (Columbia)
F Greg Mangano (Yale)
F Ian Hummer (Princeton)

MAAC
G Juan'ya Green (Niagara)
G Scott Machado (Iona)
G George Beamon (Manhattan)
F Michael Glover (Iona)
F O.D. Anosike (Siena)

MAC
G Rian Pearson (Toledo)
G Trey Ziegler (Central Michigan)
F Julian Mavunga (Miami (OH))
F Jarrod Jones (Ball State)
F Javon McCrea (Buffalo)

MEAC
G Darrion Pellum (Hampton)
G Tony Gallo (Coppin St.)
F Amin Stevens (Florida A&M)
F Brandon Riley (South Carolina State)
C Kyle O'Quinn (Norfolk St.)

MVC
G Colt Ryan (Evansville)
G Rayvonte Rice (Drake)
F Doug McDermott (Creighton)
F Taylor Brown (Bradley)
F Kyle Weems (Missouri St.)

Mountain West
G Chase Tapley (San Diego St.)
G Wes Eikmeier (Colorado St.)
G Jamaal Franklin (San Diego St.)
F Mike Moser (UNLV)
F Drew Gordon (New Mexico)

Northeast
G Shane Gibson (Sacred Heart)
G Velton Jones (Robert Morris)
G Robby Ptacek (CCSU)
F Ken Horton (CCSU)
F Julian Boyd (LIU Brooklyn)

OVC
G Kevin Murphy (Tennessee Tech)
G Isaiah Canaan (Murray State)
G Jud Dillard (Tennessee Tech)
F Robert Covington (Tennessee St.)
F Tyler Stone (Southeast Missouri St.)

Pac-12
G Jared Cunningham (Oregon St.)
G Tony Wroten (Washington)
G Allen Crabbe (California)
F Brock Motum (Washington St.)
F Andre Roberson (Colorado)

Patriot
G C.J. McCollum (Lehigh)
G Charles Hinkle (American)
F Ella Ellis (Army)
F J.J. Avila (Navy)
F Mike Muscala (Bucknell)

SEC
G John Jenkins (Vanderbilt)
G Kenny Boynton (Florida)
F Jeffery Taylor (Vanderbilt)
F Arnett Moultrie (Mississippi St.)
F Anthony Davis (Kentucky)

Southern
G Kevin Giltner (Wofford)
G Eric Ferguson (Georgia Southern)
F Antwaine Wiggins (Charleston)
F De'Mon Brooks (Davidson)
C Mike Groselle (Citadel)

Southland
G Mike James (Lamar)
G Trevon Lewis (Nicholls St.)
F Patrick Richard (McNeese St.)
F LaQuentin Miles (Central Arkansas)
F LaMarcus Reed III (UT-Arlington)

SWAC
G Quincy Roberts (Grambling St.)
G Savalace Townsend (UAPB)
G Jenirro Bush (Jackson St.)
F Casey Cantey (Alabama A&M)
C Paul Crosby (Mississippi Valley St.)

Summit
G Reggie Hamilton (Oakland)
G Nate Wolters (South Dakota St.)
G Frank Gaines (IPFW)
F Alex Young (IUPUI)
F Dominique Morrison (Oral Roberts)

Sun Belt
G DeJuan Wright (FIU)
F Tony Mitchell (North Texas)
F Chris Udofia (Denver)
C LaRon Dendy (Middle Tennessee)
C Augustine Rubit (South Alabama)

WCC
G Kevin Foster (Santa Clara)
G Anthony Ireland (Loyola Marymount)
G Matthew Dellavedova (Saint Mary's)
F Noah Hartsock (BYU)
F Rob Jones (Saint Mary's)

WAC
G Kevin Olekaibe (Fresno St.)
G James Kinney (San Jose St.)
G Deonte Burton (Nevada)
F Wendell McKines (New Mexico St.)
C Vander Joaquim (Hawaii)

College Basketball Conference Ranking: RPI, KenPom, Sagarin

Shawn Siegel — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 08:09:28 -0800

With the new year upon us and conference play starting in earnest, it seemed like a fitting time to check on how the computers rank the conferences so far. The computers all agree on one thing: the Big Ten is by far the most dominant league in the country. After that, there are subtle disagreements down the line. It is noteworthy that the Mountain West is ahead of 3 traditional power conferences, while the Pac 12 barely comes in ahead of the MVC and A10.

The overall ranking is based on an average of three rankings: the RPI, KenPom.com's ratings, and the Sagarin rating from USA Today.

Rank	Conference	RPI	KenPom	Sagarin	Avg
1	Big Ten	1	1	1	1.0
2	Big 12	3	2	2	2.3
3	Big East	2	3	3	2.7
4	Mountain West	4	6	4	4.7
5	SEC	6	4	5	5.0
6	ACC	5	5	6	5.3
7	Pac 12	9	7	7	7.7
8	Missouri Valley	7	9	8	8.0
9	Atlantic 10	8	8	9	8.3
10	CUSA	11	10	10	10.3
11	WCC	10	11	11	10.7
12	Horizon	12	13	13	12.7
13	WAC	18	12	12	14.0
14	MAC	14	15	14	14.3
15	Summit	13	17	15	15.0
16	Colonial	20	14	16	16.7
17	Ivy	17	16	19	17.3
18	Sun Belt	15	20	17	17.3
19	Atlantic Sun	19	18	18	18.3
20	MAAC	16	19	21	18.7
21	Big West	21	21	20	20.7
22t	Patriot	23	22	26	23.7
22t	Southern	22	24	25	23.7
24t	Ohio Valley	24	25	24	24.3
24t	Big South	27	23	23	24.3
26	Big Sky	28	26	22	25.3
27	Southland	25	28	27	26.7
28	Northeast	26	27	28	27.0
29t	America East	31	29	29	29.7
29t	MEAC	29	30	30	29.7
31t	Independent	32	31	31	31.3
31t	SWAC	30	32	32	31.3

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Jon Teitel's All-Conference Teams (Pre-League Play Edition)

Jon Teitel — Mon, 26 Dec 2011 23:00:21 -0800

With conference play beginning for many leagues this week (a few conferences began their league slate in early December) it's a good time to look back on some of the top performers. Enter CHN writer Jon Teitel, who put together his all-conference teams for each of the leagues.

America East
G Gerardo Suero (Albany)
G Darryl Partin (Boston University)
G Gerald McLemore (Maine)
F Ben Dickinson (Binghamton)
F Chase Plummer (UMBC)

Atlantic 10
G Carl Jones (Saint Joseph's)
G Tu Holloway (Xavier)
G Ramone Moore (Temple)
F Chris Gaston (Fordham)
F Chris Braswell (Charlotte)

ACC
G Terrell Stoglin (Maryland)
G Kendall Marshall (North Carolina)
F Travis McKie (Wake Forest)
F Mike Scott (Virginia)
F Harrison Barnes (North Carolina)

Atlantic Sun
G Markeith Cummings (Kennesaw St.)
G Kerron Johnson (Belmont)
G Adam Sollazzo (East Tennessee St.)
F Torrey Craig (USC Upstate)
C Adam Pegg (Stetson)

Big 12
G Steven Pledger (Oklahoma)
G J'Covan Brown (Texas)
G Marcus Denmon (Missouri)
F Thomas Robinson (Kansas)
F Royce White (Iowa St.)

Big East
G Jeremy Lamb (Connecticut)
G Darius Johnson-Odom (Marquette)
G Dion Waiters (Syracuse)
F Kevin Jones (West Virginia)
F Herb Pope (Seton Hall)

Big Sky
G Damian Lillard (Weber St.)
G Charles Odum (Portland St.)
G Will Cherry (Montana)
G Stallon Soldivar (Northern Arizona)
F Collin Chiverton (Eastern Washington)

Big South
G Darren White (Campbell)
G Nick Barbour (High Point)
G Anthony Raffa (Coastal Carolina)
F Eric Griffin (Campbell)
C Al'Lonzo Coleman (Presbyterian)

Big Ten
G Drew Crawford (Northwestern)
G Tim Frazier (Penn St.)
F John Shurna (Northwestern)
F Robbie Hummel (Purdue)
F Jared Sullinger (Ohio State)

Big West
G Orlando Johnson (UCSB)
G Casper Ware (Long Beach St.)
G Phil Martin (UC Riverside)
F T.J. Robinson (Long Beach St.)
F James Nunnally (UCSB)

Colonial
G Mike Moore (Hofstra)
G Devon Saddler (Delaware)
G Keith Rendleman (UNC Wilmington)
F Ryan Pearson (George Mason)
F Jamelle Hagins (Delaware)

Conference USA
G Will Barton (Memphis)
G Damier Pitts (Marshall)
G DeAndre Kane (Marshall)
F Keith Clanton (UCF)
F Arsalan Kazemi (Rice)

Horizon
G Chase Simon (Detroit)
G Kendrick Perry (Youngstown St.)
G Ray McCallum Jr. (Detroit)
F Ryan Broekhoff (Valparaiso)
F Ben Averkamp (Loyola (IL))

Independent
G Mitch Albers (Nebraska-Omaha)
G Isaiah Wilkerson (NJIT)
F Aaron Broussard (Seattle)
F Art Bernardi (Houston Baptist)
C Antwan Carter (Longwood)

Ivy
G Zack Rosen (Pennsylvania)
G Tyler Bernardini (Pennsylvania)
F Keith Wright (Harvard)
F Ian Hummer (Princeton)
F Greg Mangano (Yale)

MAAC
G Dylon Cormier (Loyola (MD))
G Harold Washington (Canisius)
G Scott Machado (Iona)
F Michael Glover (Iona)
F Rakim Sanders (Fairfield)

Mid-American
G D.J. Cooper (Ohio)
G Rian Pearson (Toledo)
F Julian Mavunga (Miami (OH))
F Jarrod Jones (Ball St.)
F Javon McCrea (Buffalo)

MEAC
G Tony Gallo (Coppin St.)
G Darrion Pellum (Hampton)
F Brandon Riley (South Carolina St.)
F Dominique Sutton (North Carolina Central)
C Kyle O'Quinn (Norfolk St.)

Missouri Valley
G Colt Ryan (Evansville)
G Rayvonte Rice (Drake)
G Kyle Weems (Missouri State)
F Doug McDermott (Creighton)
F Taylor Brown (Bradley)

Mountain West
G Chase Tapley (San Diego St.)
G Wes Eikmeier (Colorado St.)
G Michael Lyons (Air Force)
F Chace Stanback (UNLV)
F Mike Moser (UNLV)

Northeast
G Shane Gibson (Sacred Heart)
G Kyle Vinales (CCSU)
F Ken Horton (CCSU)
F Julian Boyd (Long Island)
F Ike Azotam (Quinnipiac)

Ohio Valley
G Kevin Murphy (Tennessee Tech)
G Isaiah Canaan (Murray St.)
G Jeremy Granger (Eastern Illinois)
F Robert Covington (Tennessee St.)
F Tyler Stone (Southeast Missouri St.)

Pac-12
G Jared Cunningham (Oregon St.)
G Jorge Gutierrez (California)
G Tony Wroten (Washington)
F Brock Motum (Washington St.)
F Andre Roberson (Colorado)

Patriot
G Charles Hinkle (American)
G C.J. McCollum (Lehigh)
G Jim Mower (Lafayette)
F Mike Muscala (Bucknell)
F JJ Avila (Navy)

SEC
G John Jenkins (Vanderbilt)
G Kenny Boynton (Florida)
G Dee Bost (Mississippi St.)
F Anthony Davis (Kentucky)
F Arnett Moultrie (Mississippi St.)

Southern
G Kevin Giltner (Wofford)
G Harouna Mutombo (Western Carolina)
F Antwaine Wiggins (Charleston)
F De'Mon Brooks (Davidson)
C Mike Groselle (Citadel)

Southland
G Brandon Fortenberry (SE Louisiana)
G Kannon Burrage (UTSA)
G Anthony Miles (Lamar)
F LaQuentin Miles (Central Arkansas)
F Patrick Richard (McNeese St.)

SWAC
G Savalace Townsend (Arkansas-Pine Bluff)
G Marquis Baker (Alcorn St.)
G Jenirro Bush (Jackson St.)
F Kenderek Washington (Alabama St.)
C Paul Crosby (Miss. Valley St.)

Summit
G Reggie Hamilton (Oakland)
G Nate Wolters (South Dakota St.)
G Frank Gaines (IPFW)
F Alex Young (IUPUI)
F Terell Parks (Western Illinois)

Sun Belt
G Raymond Taylor (FAU)
G Chris Jones (North Texas)
F LaRon Dendy (Middle Tennessee)
F Chris Udofia (Denver)
C Augustine Rubit (South Alabama)

West Coast
G Kevin Foster (Santa Clara)
G Matthew Dellavedova (Saint Mary's)
G Kevin Pangos (Gonzaga)
F Noah Hartsock (BYU)
F Rob Jones (Saint Mary's)

WAC
G Kevin Olekaibe (Fresno St.)
G James Kinney (San Jose St.)
G Zane Johnson (Hawaii)
F Wendell McKines (New Mexico St.)
C Kyle Barone (Idaho)

Jon Teitel's "Forgotten Legends" Series: Utah Valley's Ryan Toolson

Jon Teitel — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 09:33:44 -0800

In the latest installment in his "Forgotten Legends" interview series CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time with Ryan Toolson, the greatest player in Utah Valley history. After his time at Utah Valley, Toolson left as the school's all-time leader in points, assists, three-pointers made and free throw percentage just to name a few categories. Toolson is now playing professionally in Turkey.

Jon Teitel: In 2003 at Gilbert (AZ) High you were named Arizona Player of the Year. Why did you choose to go to Utah Valley?

Ryan Toolson: In high school I was not highly recruited because I did not go to many AAU tournaments until the summer before my senior year. I had a few good schools interested in me after that but I chose to sign before my senior season started. UVU felt like a good choice because I thought coach Dick Hunsaker could help me progress the most. UVU was just transferring from a JC to a D-1 program, and it was in a great area where there are a lot of members of my faith.

JT: You served an LDS church mission to Guatemala City. What role does your faith play in your life, and what lessons did you learn from your mission?

RT: The LDS faith means everything to me. It has helped me become the man I am today and teaches great principles that every family should want to have in their own lives. On my mission I grew from being a boy to being a man; that was the time in my life where they "cut the umbilical cord" (so to speak) from my parents. In the two years I spent in Guatemala I only spoke with my family twice a year: once on Christmas Day and once on Mother's Day. I wrote home via email once a week but other than that I did not have a lot of contact with anybody from home. The quote that describes my mission perfectly is, "Pray as though everything depends on God; work as though everything depended on you." My family was not there to help me through my problems so it helped me rely on the man upstairs.

JT: In 2007 you led the nation in free throw shooting with 97% (96-of-99). Did you feel like you were going to make every free throw you took that season, and do you still remember the three you missed?

RT: When it comes to shooting I am a very confident person. Every time I shoot I think the ball is going in. I guess I always thought that is how you should think if you want to be good, and that is the approach I also take when it comes to free throws. For me missed free throws haunt me more than missed buzzer-beaters because you should not miss free throws. During a game there are so many things that can impede you from getting a good shot or prevent you from even getting a shot off, but during a free throw you have ten seconds to shoot a wide-open shot right in front of the hoop. I do remember the three I missed. I missed the front-end of a 1-and-1 in a game at Southern Utah, and then I actually missed two in a row in a game at South Dakota State. The two in a row were actually the second of two free throws followed by the front-end of a 1-and-1 later in the game.

JT: In 2008 you led the nation in free throw shooting for the second straight year (95.1%) and were named Division I Independent Player of the Year. What did it mean to you to win such an outstanding individual honor?

RT: Winning the Player of the Year award did not really mean a whole lot other than the fact that I played on a good team. You are not a good player unless you have other good players around you.

JT: After the 2008 season you got married. What was it like to be married while still in college, and do you think it had any effect on your game?

RT: Getting married in college was the greatest decision I ever made. I found the girl of my dreams and knew that she was the one for me so there was no point in wasting time. Being married also helped my game. No more parties until 2 AM or staying up late with your buddies doing who-knows-what! I had time to focus on my studies, basketball, and her, and that is the way I wanted it.

JT: In 2009 you had 12 rebounds and scored a school-record/NCAA season-high 63 points in 60 minutes in a quadruple-overtime win at Chicago State (the tenth-highest total in NCAA history). How did you have any energy left for each successive overtime period, and how has that one game changed your life?

RT: I finally got the respect that I thought I deserved after the CSU game. Pro scouts knew that I was pretty good but I needed a performance like that to catch their attention and help them realize that I could play at the next level. I was playing on pure adrenaline in the overtime periods because after every play I thought to myself that I was finished and could not go up and down the court one more time. Somehow we managed to win it and it felt amazing.

JT: In 2009 you led the nation in free throw shooting for the third straight season (92.7%), and you finished your career ranked second all-time in NCAA history in career free throw shooting (93.9%). How were you able to maintain your focus over your entire career, and what is your secret for free throw shooting?

RT: For me free throws are more mental than anything else. I remember arguing with my uncle Danny Ainge about why big guys cannot make free throws and why the average free throw percentage in the NBA is so low. He tried to tell me that it is like putting in golf...but I think he used this example because he knew that I sucked at golf! My counter-argument was that the putting greens on every course are different and even the same green can be different in the morning vs. the evening, which basically makes for a hard putt every time. A free throw is the only thing that has not changed in basketball. Three-point lines have changed a few times, along with the length and width of the court from college to the NBA, but the free throw line has never changed. The floor is flat, the hoop is 10-feet high/15-feet away from you with nobody guarding you, and you have 10 seconds to put it in. If I missed a putt I could say that the grass was too wet or dry, or sloped too much, or whatever. There are no excuses for missing a free throw.

JT: You graduated as the all-time leading scorer in school history, and you also hold the school record for career assists. Did you realize at the time how prolific a player you were, and how were you able to balance your scoring with your passing?

RT: During my junior and senior years all the attention was on me. I was double-teamed coming off screens every time or just had a box-and-one on me the whole game. Due to that happening so much I was able to free up a lot of my teammates for easy shots. However, being a shooting guard I never thought that I would set the assist record.

JT: You went overseas to play in Turkey, where you currently lead your team in scoring and made your first All-Star game. What have you learned from this experience, and how does it compare to college basketball?

RT: Right now I am on a very young team that relies on their foreign players (like me) a lot. I guess that I just came to the right situation during my rookie year and it has helped me make a good transition to the European style. The difference from college to the pros is the athleticism of the players and the speed of the game: here you get up and down the floor a lot faster than in America. They love shooters too. They even want their centers to be able to shoot well which makes the need for teamwork on both offense and defense an absolute necessity.

JT: Your family has a very impressive athletic lineage. Your cousin Andy played for the Utah Jazz, and your uncle Danny is the only person to be a high school First Team All-American in football, basketball, and baseball. Is it a coincidence that you have such an athletic family, or do you credit at least some of your success to genetics?

RT: My lineage is not as strong as everybody thinks. I am not actually related to Danny by blood; he just married my dad's sister Michelle when he was at BYU. Everybody thinks that we are related because we are both shooters and we look alike, but that is where it ends. My dad's side of the family has Andy but my mom's side of the family is mostly cowboys, so I am leaning more towards coincidence and a little bit of a competitive drive.

Toolson is also on Jon's list of best players in Independents history.

CSU Bakersfield: Kenny Warren (1993) 1521 PTS (#1), 520 AST (#1), 278 3PM (#1), 46.4 3P% (#1), All-American
Chicago State: David Holston (2009) 2331 PTS (#1), 529 AST (#1), 254 STL (#1), 450 3PM (#1), 84 FT% (#1), 39.5 3P% (#5)
Houston Baptist: E.C. Coleman (1973) 1846 PTS (#2), 1287 REB (#1)
Longwood: Jerome Kersey (1984) 1756 PTS (#2), 1162 REB (#1), 255 STL (#1), 142 BLK (#1), 57 FG% (#5), 2-time All-American, conference POY
NJIT: Clarence Pierce (1996) 2028 PTS (#1), 787 REB (#5), 273 STL (#1), 76 BLK (#4), 259 3PM (#1), 78.8 FT% (#5)
North Dakota: Dave Vonesh (1991) 2053 PTS (#2), 1207 REB (#1), 122 STL (#4), 118 BLK (#4), 56.7 FG% (#4), 2-time All-American, 2-time conference POY
Seattle: John O'Brien (1953) 2733 PTS (#1)
Texas-Pan American: Otto Moore (1968) 1880 PTS (#1), 1679 REB (#1), 3-time All-American
Utah Valley: Ryan Toolson (2009) 2163 PTS (#1), 282 AST (#1), 100 STL (#2), 315 3PM (#1), 93.9 FT% (#1), 43.2 3P% (#1), conference POY

Jon Teitel's November All-Conference Teams

Jon Teitel — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 14:22:46 -0800

With the first month of the college basketball season concluded, this is a good time to recognize some of the top players throughout the country. With that in mind, CHN writer Jon Teitel gave his all-conference selections for each conference (and independents, which includes the Great West in this piece).

America East
G Darryl Partin Boston University
G Justin Edwards Maine
G Gerardo Suero Albany
F Ben Dickinson Binghamton
F Chase Plummer UMBC

Atlantic 10
G Carl Jones Saint Joseph's
G Mark Lyons Xavier
G Tu Holloway Xavier
F Andrew Nicholson St. Bonaventure
F Chris Braswell Charlotte

ACC
G Kendall Marshall North Carolina
G Terrell Stoglin Maryland
G Glen Rice Jr. Georgia Tech
F Travis McKie Wake Forest
F Mike Scott Virginia

Atlantic Sun
G Marcus Dubose ETSU
G Markeith Cummings Kennesaw St.
G Jordan Burgason Lipscomb
F J.J. Mann Belmont
F Torrey Craig USC Upstate

Big 12
G J'Covan Brown Texas
G Marcus Denmon Missouri
F Royce White Iowa St.
F Thomas Robinson Kansas
F Quincy Miller Baylor

Big East
G Maalik Wayns Villanova
G Darius Johnson-Odom Marquette
G Jeremy Lamb Connecticut
F Kevin Jones West Virginia
F Herb Pope Seton Hall

Big Sky
G Damian Lillard Weber St.
G Will Cherry Montana
G Kareem Jamar Montana
F Scott Bamforth Weber St.
F Collin Chiverton EWU

Big South
G Keith Gabriel VMI
G Darren White Campbell
G Anthony Raffa Coastal Carolina
F Eric Griffin Campbell
F Al'Lonzo Coleman Presbyterian

Big Ten
G Tim Frazier Penn St.
G Drew Crawford Northwestern
F John Shurna Northwestern
F Jared Sullinger Ohio St.
F Robbie Hummel Purdue

Big West
G Casper Ware Long Beach St.
G Orlando Johnson UCSB
F Stephan Hicks Cal State-Northridge
F James Nunnally UCSB
F T.J. Robinson Long Beach St.

CAA
G A.J. Davis James Madison
G Devon Saddler Delaware
G Humpty Hitchens James Madison
F Ryan Pearson George Mason
F Nathaniel Lester Hofstra

Conference USA
G Will Barton Memphis
G Miguel Paul East Carolina
F Keith Clanton UCF
F Josh Davis Tulane
F Cameron Moore UAB

Horizon
G Kendrick Perry Youngstown St.
G Chase Simon Detroit
F Kevin Van Wijk Valparaiso
F Ryan Broekhoff Valparaiso
C Alec Brown Green Bay

Independents
G Mitch Albers Nebraska Omaha
G Isiah Williams Utah Valley
F Aaron Broussard Seattle
F Jeremy Robinson Chicago State
F Antwan Carter Longwood

Ivy
G Zack Rosen Pennsylvania
G Sean McGonagill Brown
F Ian Hummer Princeton
F Greg Mangano Yale
F Keith Wright Harvard

MAAC
G Scott Machado Iona
G Harold Washington Canisius
G Dylon Cormier Loyola (MD)
F Michael Glover Iona
F Rakim Sanders Fairfield

MAC
G Rian Pearson Toledo
G D.J. Cooper Ohio
G Trey Ziegler Central Michigan
F Jarrod Jones Ball State
F Julian Mavunga Miami (OH)

MEAC
G Tahj Tate Delaware St.
G Tony Gallo Coppin St.
G Darrion Pellum Hampton
F Dominique Sutton NC Central
F Brandon Riley South Carolina St.

Missouri Valley
G Colt Ryan Evansville
G Rayvonte Rice Drake
F Doug McDermott Creighton
F Ben Simons Drake
F Taylor Brown Bradley

Mountain West
G Michael Lyons Air Force
G Chase Tapley San Diego St.
G Wes Eikmeier Colorado St.
F Anthony Drmic Boise St.
F Mike Moser UNLV

NEC
G Kyle Vinales Central Conn. St.
G James Johnson Quinnipiac
F Ken Horton Central Conn. St.
F Alex Francis Bryant
F Ike Azotam Quinnipiac

Ohio Valley
G Kevin Murphy Tennessee Tech
G Isaiah Canaan Murray St.
G Jud Dillard Tennessee Tech
F Mike Liabo UT Martin
F Robert Covington Tennessee St.

Pac-12
G Jared Cunningham Oregon St.
G Jorge Gutierrez California
G Trent Lockett Arizona St.
F Devon Collier Oregon St.
F Brock Motum Washington St.

Patriot
G Charles Hinkle American
G Jim Mower Lafayette
G C.J. McCollum Lehigh
F Ryan Willen Lafayette
C Mike Muscala Bucknell

SEC
G John Jenkins Vanderbilt
G Kenny Boynton Florida
G Brad Beal Florida
F Arnett Moultrie Mississippi St.
F Tony Mitchell Alabama

Southern
G Jamaal Trice Appalachian St.
G Eric Ferguson Georgia Southern
F De'Mon Brooks Davidson
F Antwaine Wiggins Charleston
F Mike Groselle Citadel

Southland
G Brandon Fortenberry SE Louisiana
G Anthony Miles Lamar
G Antonio Bostic Stephen F. Austin
F LaQuentin Miles Central Arkansas
F Patrick Richard McNeese St.

SWAC
G Marquis Baker Alcorn St.
G Savalace Townsend UAPB
G Tramaine Butler Alabama St.
F Casey Cantey Alabama A&M
F Demarquelle Tabb Alabama A&M

Summit
G Frank Gaines IPFW
G Nate Wolters South Dakota St.
G Reggie Hamilton Oakland
F Dominique Morrison Oral Roberts
F Alex Young IUPUI

Sun Belt
G Chris Jones North Texas
G Jeremy Allen FIU
G Phil Taylor FIU
F Chris Udofia Denver
C Augustine Rubit South Alabama

WCC
G Evan Roquemore Santa Clara
G Kevin Foster Santa Clara
F Noah Hartsock BYU
F Rob Jones St. Mary's
C Robert Sacre Gonzaga

WAC
G Kevin Olekaibe Fresno St.
G Christian Kabongo New Mexico St.
G Zane Johnson Hawaii
F Wendell McKines New Mexico St.
C Kyle Barone Idaho

Jon Teitel's All-Conference Picks, Part One

Jon Teitel — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 23:08:21 -0700

In the latest installment in our 2011-12 preview series, CHN writer Jon Teitel took some time selecting his preseason all-conference selections for 31 conferences as well as the Independents. Below are the picks, which should be interesting to look back on come March.

America East
G: Darryl Partin (Boston University)
G: Chris De La Rosa (UMBC)
G: Gerald McLemore (Maine)
F: Ferg Myrick (New Hampshire)
F: Brian Voelkel (Vermont)

Atlantic 10
G: Tu Holloway (Xavier)
G: Ramone Moore (Temple)
G: Tony Taylor (George Washington)
F: Chris Gaston (Fordham)
C: Andrew Nicholson (St. Bonaventure)

ACC
G: Durand Scott (Miami)
G: Kendall Marshall (North Carolina)
F: Harrison Barnes (North Carolina)
F: Tyler Zeller (North Carolina)
F: Mike Scott (Virginia)

Atlantic Sun
G: Markeith Cummings (Kennesaw State)
G: Ian Clark (Belmont)
F: Torrey Craig (USC Upstate)
F: Isiah Brown (ETSU)
C: Mick Hedgepeth (Belmont)

Big 12
G: Marcus Denmon (Missouri)
G: Scott Christopherson (Iowa St.)
F: Perry Jones III (Baylor)
F: Khris Middleton (Texas A&M)
F: Thomas Robinson (Kansas)

Big East
G: Ashton Gibbs (Pittsburgh)
G: Darius Johnson-Odom (Marquette)
F: Tim Abromaitis (Notre Dame)
F: Kevin Jones (West Virginia)
F: Kris Joseph (Syracuse)

Big Sky
G: Will Cherry (Montana)
G: Charles Odum (Portland State)
G: Damian Lillard (Weber State)
F: Kyle Bullinger (Weber ST)
F: Scott Bamforth (Weber ST)

Big South
G: Matt Dickey (UNC Asheville)
G: Nick Barbour (High Point)
G: JP Primm (UNC Asheville)
F: Al'Lonzo Coleman (Presbyterian)
F: Stan Okoye (VMI)

Big Ten
G: William Buford (Ohio State)
G: Jordan Taylor (Wisconsin)
F: Trevor Mbakwe (Minnesota)
F: John Shurna (Northwestern)
F: Jared Sullinger (Ohio State)

Big West
G: Casper Ware (Long Beach State)
G: Phil Martin (UC Riverside)
G: Orlando Johnson (UCSB)
G/F: James Nunnally (UCSB)
F: TJ Robinson (Long Beach State)

CAA
G: Kent Bazemore (Old Dominion)
G: Bradford Burgess (VCU)
F: Samme Givens (Drexel)
F: Ryan Pearson (George Mason)
F: Quinn McDowell (William & Mary)

Conference USA
G: DeAndre Kane (Marshall)
G: Marcus Jordan (UCF)
G/F Kendall Timmons (Tulane)
F: Arsalan Kazemi (Rice)
F: Cameron Moore (UAB)

Horizon
G: Ray McCallum (Detroit)
G: Trevon Harmon (Cleveland State)
G: Chase Simon (Detroit)
F: Ben Averkamp (Loyola)
F: Khyle Marshall (Butler)

Independents
G: Isaiah Wilkerson (NJIT)
G: Sterling Carter (Seattle)
F: Stephon Carter (CA State Bakersfield)
F: Aaron Broussard (Seattle)
C: Antwan Carter (Longwood)

Ivy
G: Noruwa Agho (Columbia)
G: Zack Rosen (Penn)
F: Keith Wright (Harvard)
F: Ian Hummer (Princeton)
C: Greg Mangano (Yale)

MAAC
G: Derek Needham (Fairfield)
G: Scott Machado (Iona)
F: Mike Glover (Iona)
F: Novar Gadson (Rider)
F: George Beamon (Manhattan)

Next: MAC through WAC

Jon Teitel's "Forgotten Legends" Series: Lewis College Great Wayne Molis

Jon Teitel — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 21:35:37 -0800

In the latest installment in his "Forgotten Legends" interview series CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time with Todd Molis, brother of the late Wayne Molis. Wayne began his collegiate career at Chicago State (then Chicago Teachers College) before transferring to Lewis University for his final two seasons. Wayne holds the school record at both schools for points scored in a single game to this day.

Jon Teitel: Wayne's nickname was "Big Moe", and he later had a bar in Chicago called "Big Moe's". Who gave him the nickname, and how did he like it?

Todd Molis: That is all he ever went by. He got the nickname in high school because by then he was already 6'8".

JT: He attended Chicago Teachers College (now Chicago State) for two years before transferring to Lewis University, where he became an All-American. Why did he switch schools and what did it mean to him to win such an outstanding individual honor?

TM: He broke his ankle after the first game of his junior year, and got an extra year of eligibility from the NCAA before transferring to Lewis. Being named All-American was the highlight of his basketball career. I also played for the varsity at Teachers while my brother was at Lewis, and one time I got put into the game to guard him. He let me get past him for an uncontested layup, and everyone was cracking up because they could tell what happened!

JT: He still holds the Lewis school record for field goals in a game with 20 against Chicago Teachers in 1964. Do you think he might have been out for revenge against his old team, and what made him such a great shooter?

TM: He was not out for revenge. He just wanted to play basketball. What is amazing is that he not only holds the Lewis record for points in a game, but also holds the Teachers record for points in a game...which he did against Lewis before ending up there! He later went to the weddings of some of his old teammates at Teachers because he remained friends with them.

JT: In the summer of 1965 he was drafted in the 10th round by the Knicks, but was released soon after that. Was he thrilled to realize his dream of getting drafted or disappointed that he did not make the team?

TM: He was definitely disappointed, but ended up playing amateur ball because he just wanted to keep his skills sharp.

JT: He played amateur basketball for one year before returning to the Knicks. How did he like amateur basketball, and how did he feel about going back to New York?

TM: He played for the Jamaco Saints under owner Jack Mathis, and the Knicks asked him to come back the following year. He also played with an Argentinian team in a tournament in Spain.

JT: In 1967 he made the playoffs with the Knicks before losing to Boston. How big a deal was it for him to make the playoffs, and did he make it sound like there was a big difference between the regular season and the playoffs?

TM: He often said that playing with the Knicks was the high point of his life, despite making a whopping $14,000 per year. He did not get on the court a lot, so it was a big deal to make the playoffs because the bonus was around $750 per player! He saw Philly warming up before a game one night, and saw Wilt stretch out with his feet on the ground and touch the rim. He said Wilt must have been at least 7'4"! One year he had us come to St. Louis and sit opposite the TV cameras in the front three rows so that it would look like there were actually people at the game!

JT: In the summer of 1967 he switched to the ABA for its inaugural season. Why did he make the change, and was he nervous about joining a brand new league?

TM: Oakland drafted him from the Knicks, but after their coach told him to rebound instead of shoot Oakland released him and he went to Houston. He was a great outside shooter, and had never been asked to spend all of his time hitting the boards.

JT: He later suffered a career-ending knee injury while working over the summer as a Bedford Park firefighter (although he continued to be a firefighter for the next eight years). Did he feel frustrated that he could not go out on his own terms, and how did he like bring a firefighter?

TM: He really liked being a firefighter after bouncing around a couple of other jobs. When the chance came to buy the bar, he did. He loved being a bartender because he could talk sports with his customers all day.

JT: He went back to college and earned a degree in history from Lewis in 1971. How important were academics to your family, and what did he end up doing after getting his degree?

TM: He used the degree to be a substitute teacher on his days off from the firehouse, but did not really enjoy teaching. My family grew up during the Depression, so my dad had to leave school early to get a job to support the family. It was important for me and my two siblings to finish our education and graduate because my parents did not get the chance to do so themselves.

JT: His son Brian played basketball at Colorado before transferring to Northern Illinois and having to deal with a number of physical and emotional challenges (arthroscopic knee surgery, surgery for a bone chip in his left ankle, a cracked tibia, then his mother/grandfather dying later that year). How hard was it for Wayne to see everything that Brian had to go through, and how supportive was your family during that time?

TM: My brother and I went to a lot of Brian's games, and Brian was basically living to watch his brother Derek play basketball, which was the greatest thing. Derek played basketball at Fordham, but transferred to Loyola after getting homesick. Derek set a bunch of three-point shooting records at Loyola despite only playing there for two years, and he now has a basketball school called "The Athlete Within" and runs several AAU teams. Brian is now a very successful salesman, so they all turned out okay.

Molis is also on Jon's list of best pro players in Great West history.

Chicago State: Wayne Molis (1967)

Houston Baptist: EC Coleman (1974)

NJIT: NO ALUMNI IN ABA/NBA

North Dakota: Phil Jackson (1968)

South Dakota: NO ALUMNI IN ABA/NBA

Texas Pan American: Lucious Jackson (1965)

Utah Valley University: Ronnie Price (2006)

Jon Teitel's Coaching Greats Interview Series: Longwood's Cal Luther

Jon Teitel — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 22:50:25 -0800

In the most recent interview in his "Coaching Greats" interview series CHN writer Jon Teitel spent some time with former Longwood head coach Cal Luther. In nine seasons at Longwood Coach Luther won 136 games, and he was also successful at DePauw and Murray State.

Jon Teitel: You were an All-State football and basketball player at Bay View HS in Milwaukee. Which sport did you enjoy more, and which one were you better at?
Cal Luther: I was a better basketball player but really loved playing football. I also enjoyed track and field.

JT: You spent two years as a member of the 82nd Airborne Division and were a member of Fort Benning's basketball and championship-winning football teams. What was it like to serve in the military, and how competitive were the games against other armed forces teams?
CL: All of the West Point grads came down to Fort Benning for one year of field training after graduation. Army had some fabulous football teams under Earl Blaik like Doc Blanchard, Arnold Tucker, and Glenn Davis (who were all Air Force guys from TX). I was just a second-string punter but it was still a great experience. We played in a national AAU basketball tourney in Denver featuring 64 teams from around the country, including several players who ended up in the NBA (like Hall of Famer Bob Kurland).

JT: You played college basketball at Valparaiso. How good a player were you, and how far did you think you could go as a player?
CL: All players think they are better than they actually are...which I saw a lot as a coach! I was a decent player and had a very good two-handed set shot. I remember talking to a guy from Chicago who came up with an idea for a league with something called a three-point arc, which I thought was pretty good, but everyone else just laughed at him.

JT: You became DePauw's head coach in 1954, and after defeating Wabash by a score of 67-66, both you and the Wabash coach decided the game should be recorded as a tie due to a scorer's error. How important did you consider sportsmanship to be, and what was the reaction like after the game?
CL: I spent three years at Illinois as an assistant in the early 1950s [before going to DePauw] where we won two Big Ten titles with Johnny Kerr. I became DePauw's coach at age 26. It was a funny situation, as the scorer's table was elevated. Wabash had a guy make two free throws in the 1st half, and during the substitutions between the two free throws both of the scorers somehow missed the fact that he made both throws. The Wabash coach came running over to me after the game and called me a cheater, so we called the officials over to double-check, but both scorers said that DePauw had won the game. I asked some of my staff about it after the game, and two of them said that the scorers had missed one of the throws. I went to our AD that night and told him that it was obvious that the game should have been a tie. DePauw and Wabash have a heated rivalry dating back many years. I suggested that maybe we could play a five-minute overtime before our next game against them, but they said that might not be a good idea. We decided to call it a tie, and issued a press release to let everyone know.

JT: At DePauw you broke the color barrier by having the first African-American basketball player in the OVC, even though some schools in the south dropped you from their schedules. How big a deal was it at the time, and did you feel like a pioneer?
CL: It was very groundbreaking, as I had to get permission from the school president to even recruit an African-American player. I grew up in a poor neighborhood in Milwaukee, where I played basketball against kids of all races. Some of our opponents dropped us, but I thought it was the right thing for us to do. The first kid we recruited in 1962 was outstanding for our freshman team, but he ended up leaving campus after enduring some harassment and threatening calls. The following year we brought in Stew Johnson, who ended up having a long NBA career. Stew's dad was a police captain in Pennsylvania, and he came down to our campus to check it out himself.

JT: At Murray State you ran an offense involving the "double rolling post". How did it work, and what made it so effective?
CL: That terminology is a bit new to me: we just referred to is as a "3-out" offense with 3 perimeter players and 2 men down low. When I got to Murray State we did not have the personnel to run anything in the low post, so it was a bit of a struggle. It was hard to recruit back then because most of the talented kids went to the MVC or SEC.

JT: What are your memories of the 1964 NCAA Tournament, the first tournament appearance in school history (John Egan had 24 points in a 10-point win by Loyola-Illinois)?
CL: There were only about 25 teams who made it to the tourney back then, so we were very glad to be there. The weather was pretty bad, so instead of flying we had to take a bus/train to Chicago, and did not arrive at the hotel until 3AM! We got off to a great start, as we had them doubled-up early, but we got in some foul trouble and they had a lot of depth. They were the defending champs, and scored over 100 points against us, which was a lot back then.

JT: What are your memories of the 1969 NCAA Tournament (George Thompson had 23 points in a win by Marquette)?
CL: I did not do a very good job, as the score should have been a lot closer. I contracted the flu earlier in the season, but refused to stop coaching. We tied Morehead State for the conference title, so we had to beat them in a playoff game in front of 13,000 people just to make the NCAA tourney. Our player Don Funneman had gotten hurt, so I kept him out of the Marquette game because I did not want to take the chance of him doing any further damage. Al McGuire was an excellent coach at Marquette, and he had some great kids that he brought in from NY.

JT: In 1990 you served as coach of the Egyptian national basketball team and finished last out of 16 teams in the FIBA World Championship in Argentina. What was it like to coach a foreign country, and how close did you come to beating the Korea Republic in the 15th place game?
CL: The Egyptian team was very unusual, as nobody played basketball in Egypt back then. There were a couple of basketball courts in Cairo, but they would just put up soccer goals and play soccer! We practiced in a giant plastic bubble that got unbearably hot during the day, so we would have to practice at either 5AM or late at night. Egypt had never previously come within 25 points of anyone in an international tourney. We played Canada (who had Rick Fox), and we were ahead by two points at the half. We kept it within single digits for most of the second half before losing. We played the host country Argentina after they had been upset by Canada, and there would have been turmoil in their country if they had lost to us. It was close at the half, but we lost. Our team was led around by a general, who was pissed off because FIBA had not given him money for travel expenses, and he used the post-game press conference to talk about the situation. Finally one of the media members said, "We would like to hear from the coach", and he reluctantly let me get up there to congratulate our opponent! Our point guard was banished for the remainder of the tourney after an on-court dispute during the controversial finish of our two-point loss to Venezuela in pool play. We made a shot at the end to win it, but the officiating is pretty unbelievable in those things, so they waved it off. I recall that Korea had a couple of phenomenal three-point shooters.

JT: When people look back on your career, how do you want to be remembered the most?
CL: I would just like to be remembered as a guy who loved to coach. I was in very few places where I could easily recruit, so I had to work hard to win games. I won the only conference title in DePauw history. I have always thought that sportsmanship was an important part of the game, and I tried to play the game fair and square. I took the Minnesota job in 1971, but left after four days once I found out some things that would not make it possible for me to be there. They ended up hiring Bill Musselman, and the school later ended up on probation after the NCAA discovered over 100 NCAA violations. I enjoyed the game very much and was very interested in my kids. One of them became a world-famous sculptor and another became head of the International Kidney Foundation. I am still in touch with several of my players, and I treasure all the relationships I have made over the years.

INDEPENDENTS

CSU Bakersfield: Pat Douglass (1987-1997) 257-61, 6 conference titles, 3 Division II titles, 3-time national Coach of the Year, 3-time conference Coach of the Year

Longwood: Cal Luther (1981-1990) 136-105, one-time conference Coach of the Year

Morris Brown: Cab Greene (1952-1965) 117-90

N.C. Central: John McLendon (1940-1952) 239-68, 8 conference titles

Savannah State: Russell Ellington (1976-1985) 148-91, 3 conference titles

Seattle: Vincent Cazzetta (1958-1963) 94-39, 3 NCAA Tournament appearances

SIU-Edwardsville: Larry Graham (1984-1992) 147-84

Winston-Salem State: Clarence "Big House" Gaines (1946-1993) 828-447, 8 conference titles, one Division II title, one-time national Coach of the Year, 6-time conference Coach of the Year