Rich, Cam and Drew hand out NBA offseason grades for the teams in the Western Conference, talk with the reigning Ivy League POY, Cade Pierce, and discuss the Foo Fighters.

Pierce just finished competing for Team USA in the U23 3x3 Tourney in Mexico, helping the squad qualify for this year’s World Cup.  Last season as a sophomore for Princeton, he averaged 16.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game.  He led the Ivy in FG% (54.6), finished fifth with FT% of 76.7, and made 34 percent of his threes.  In terms of metrics, Cade led the conference in both PER (27.3) and win shares (5.6), finished in the top three for offensive rating (126.6), defensive rating (98.0), and REB% (17.2), and finished in the top 10 for plus-minus (4.9) and AST% (20.2). 

CHAPTERS:

1.  Cade Pierce Interview (9:06)

2.  NBA Notebook – Western Conference Offseason Grades

• Dallas Mavericks (38:52)
• Denver Nuggets (49:12)
• Golden State Warriors (59:54)
• Houston Rockets (1:12:38)
• Los Angeles Clippers (1:19:36)
• Los Angeles Lakers (1:30:29)
• Memphis Grizzlies (1:35:40)
• Minnesota Timberwolves (1:44:35)
• New Orleans Pelicans (1:50:22)
• Oklahoma City Thunder (2:00:02)
• Phoenix Suns (2:08:36)
• Portland Trail Blazers (2:16:26)
• Sacramento Kings (2:22:59)
• San Antonio Spurs (2:30:42)
• Utah Jazz (2:37:59)

Rich, Cam, and Drew give their final thoughts on the 2024 Summer Olympics and hand out offseason grades for all 15 NBA teams in the Eastern Conference. 

CHAPTERS:

1.  Wrapping up the Olympics (5:17)

• Final thoughts on the basketball tourney
• Which international players at the Olympics could/should be in the NBA?
• Best memories from this Olympics in general

2.  NBA Notebook – Offseason Grades for the Eastern Conference 

• Atlanta Hawks (36:35)
• Boston Celtics (41:50)
• Brooklyn Nets (44:01)
• Charlotte Hornets (48:44)
• Chicago Bulls (52:17)
• Cleveland Cavaliers (59:21)
• Detroit Pistons (1:04:45)
• Indiana Pacers (1:11:32)
• Miami Heat (1:17:13)
• Milwaukee Bucks (1:22:58)
• New York Knicks (1:28:54)
• Orlando Magic (1:35:10)
• Philadelphia 76ers (1:40:06)
• Toronto Raptors (1:47:16)
• Washington Wizards (1:51:24)

Rich, Drew, and Jake tip off Season Four of the Hoops Prospects Podcast by previewing the Olympic Basketball Tourney and recapping the 2024 NBA Summer League.  Enrique Freeman, a participant at Summer League and a 2024 second-round pick of the Indiana Pacers, joins the show to talk about his incredible journey to the pros. 

Prior to the draft, Enrique played five years for Akron in the MAC.  This past season, he was not only the conference MVP, but also an All-Defense selection and the MAC Tourney MVP, leading the Zips to a berth in the NCAA Tournament.  Enrique ranked in the top 5 of the MAC for PPG (18.6), RPG (12.9, 1st in DI), BPG (1.7), FG% (58.4), PER (31.1, 7th in DI), win shares (7.5, 4th in DI), and plus-minus (8.3). 

CHAPTERS:

1.  NBA Notebook (4:33)

• Top free agents out there
• Summer League Recap

2.  Enrique Freeman Interview (51:22)

3.  Olympic Hoops Preview (1:15:57)

Rich Harris and the rest of the guys return to closeout Season 3 by grading each team's performance in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Cam and Rich discuss the top players still in the portal, the teams that are winning and losing in the transfer battle, and the latest early entries in the 2024 NBA Draft.  Coach James Jones, the all-time winningest men’s basketball coach at Yale, joins the show and talks about Bulldog hoops and the state of college basketball.  Also, Doc joins the guys to examine the NBA Playoffs and answer a few listener questions. 

CHAPTERS:

1.  College Hoops Notebook (2:11)

• Top players still available in the Portal
• Which Teams are Winning and Losing in Terms of Transfers
• The Latest Early Entries into the 2024 NBA Draft

2.  Coach James Jones Interview (36:22)


3.  NBA Draft Stock Report — Portsmouth Edition (1:08:32)

• Big Winners
• Biggest Losers 
• Mixed Bag

4.  NBA Notebook (1:41:32)

• Reviewing the Hoops Prospects Consensus Playoff Picks
• Playoff Game Quality is OFF THE CHARTS
• Most Entertaining Game so Far
• Top Seeds in the Western Conference are Taking Care of Business
• Most Intriguing Series

5.  Mailbag (2:18:26)

• Best Run NBA Organization?
• Brandon Ingram for LaMelo Ball - Who Says No?

The show switches gears, as Cam Reihl, Doc Louallen, and Rich Harris preview the 2024 NBA Playoffs with injury updates, analysis, and predictions.  The guys also take a look at the teams that over- and underachieved during the regular season, and they discuss whether Zion will ever live up to expectations and if the Golden State Dynasty has ended. 

CHAPTERS:

1.  NBA Notebook (2:31)

• Fearless Forecast Debrief – Over/Underachievers
• The Zion Williamson Experience
• Is the Warriors era over?
• Key Playoff Injuries

2.  NBA Playoff Predictions (50:31)

• Eastern Conference
• Western Conference
• NBA Champion

Rich, Drew and Cam wrap up the 2024 college basketball season, announcing Hoops Prospects’ annual season awards and sharing their final thoughts on the NCAA Tournament.  The guys also look ahead to the 2025 season, discussing possible rules changes, expansion of the Big Dance, tweaks for the seeding process, portal developments, the biggest transfer commitments, coaching changes, the top early entries into the NBA Draft, and more.

CHAPTERS:

1.  College Hoops Notebook (0:56)

• Final Tournament Thoughts
• Tournament Expansion
• Keeping Auto-bids 
• The Coaching Carousel
• Most Significant Players in the Portal
• Most Significant Transfers to Date
• Top Early Entries into the 2024 NBA Draft

2.  2024 HP All-Americans and Awards (1:17:04)

• First Team
• Second Team
• Third Team
• Player of the Year
• Freshman of the Year
• Coach of the Year

3.  Results of Bracket Contests and Final Tally for the “Picks of the Week” (1:35:30)

Caleb, Cam, Drew and Rich review the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, present a March Madness edition of the Draft Stock Report, and make their picks for the Sweet Sixteen and the Elite Eight.  The guys also discuss the fate of the NIT tournament, the latest transfer portal developments, and the very early entries into the 2024 NBA Draft. 

Chapters:

1.  College Hoops Notebook (2:21)

• Most Entertaining & Craziest Tournament Games
• Inexplicable Upsets — WTF, Kentucky?
• NCAA Tourney Conference Scoreboard
• NIT Woes — 17 teams Declined Invitations
• Biggest Names to Enter the Portal to Date
• Very Early Entries into NBA Draft
• Injury Updates

2.  NBA Draft Stock Report (39:37)

Who is Hot 

• Ben Gregg
• Jack Gohlke
• Jaedon LeDee
• Jared McCain
• Kam Jones
• Koby Brea
• Kyle Filipowski
• Mark Sears
• Terrence Shannon Jr.
• Tristan Da Silva
• Tyler Kolek
• Tyon Grant-Foster

Who is Cold

• Aidan Mahaney
• Grant Nelson
• Reed Sheppard
• Ryan Dunn
• Tyson Degenhart

3.  Picks of the Week (1:00:04)

• SDSU vs. UConn
• Illinois vs. Iowa State
• East Regional Champ
• Clemson vs. Arizona
• Alabama vs. UNC
• West Regional Champ
• NC State vs. Marquette
• Duke vs. Houston
• South Regional Champ
• Purdue vs. Gonzaga
• Creighton vs. Tennessee
• Midwest Regional Champ

The Hoops Prospects staff members pick their annual collective March Madness bracket.  The guys discuss every matchup all the way to the National Championship game.

CHAPTERS:

• East Region (5:46)
• South Region (48:15)
• West Region (1:30:11)
• Midwest Region (2:03:41)
• The Final Four (2:33:26)

Drew Barton and Rich Harris preview Championship Week and make some fearless predictions.  Roddy Gayle joins the show to talk about his game and the red-hot Ohio State Buckeyes, who just may sneak into the Big Dance.  Rich and Drew also review the Player of the Year winners in a number of conferences, talk about recent key injuries, and debate the latest bracket projections. 

Gayle, a former 4-star recruit, has emerged as a full-time starter this season for the Buckeyes, who have won five of their last six, including victories over Purdue and Michigan State.  The 6-foot-4 sophomore guard is averaging 13.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 45% from the floor and 85% from the free-throw line.

CHAPTERS:

1.  College Hoops Notebook (3:17)

• Conference Players of the Year Selections
• Bracketology Update
• Injury News and Other Notable Developments

2.  Roddy Gayle Interview (34:12)

3.  Picks of the Week — Conference Championships (49:53)