Marching to Madness

Coach Driscoll and I recorded this on Friday, which, of course, was before Sunday’s 105-93 win over Georgia Tech. The Ospreys have moved to 3-0, starting with wins over South Carolina and Charleston Southern. To begin the season, the Ospreys defeated an SEC and an ACC opponent. Coach Driscoll explains the team’s makeup as a unit and discusses players who will step up, forming Coach Driscoll’s culture at UNF.

Topics of Discussion include:

• UNF’s opening 74-71 win at South Carolina
• Confidence and momentum that carried into the win over Charleston Southern
• Josh Harris’s game personality as he comes in as a freshman
• Ability to work the glass to supplement both offense and defense

Fullerton State was smitten with injuries a year ago and Coach Taylor had to spend the season without three talented players who were a springboard to the finish in ’22-23. The Titans bring back four of their top five scorers as they have the potential to be able to score at a faster pace than a year ago. Kaleb Brown, who came over from Missouri, gives the Titans a nice inside threat in the conference and Donovan Oday should bring his all-around game consistently each night.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Restructuring the TItans after losing 4 of the top 5 scorers
• Lolo Rudolph’s potential on the point
• How Donovan Oday formulates his attack
• The Prospectus of Freddie Cooper and Zion RIchardson

The Anteaters once again have an eye on the top of the Big West Conference after finishing first in the conference a season ago. Coach Turner returns key players in Justin Hohn and Andre Henry at guard, with Bent Lecturn and Jurian Dixon as key contributors inside and on the wing, respectively. Coach Turner begins his 15th season as the winningest coach in Anteaters history with 289 wins, as he has led UCI to seven Big West regular-season titles and two conference tournament championships.

Topics of Discussion include:

• The return of four starters and four of the top five scorers from a yeargo
• Justin Hohn and Andre Henry as leaders in the backcourt
• The role of Devin Tillis
• Bent Lecturn as a solid Anteater in the paint

Coach Shrewsberry begins his second season as the head coach of Fighting Irish basketball. He returns seven of his top eight scorers from last season as Marcus Burton and his son, Braeden Shrewsberry will take charge of the depth on this team. Watch Burton’s talents on the point in attack mode and Braeden Shrewsberry consistently nails the three.

Topics of discussion include:

• The tenacity of Burton and Shrewsberry in the backcourt
• The art of players making quick decisions
• Tae Davis’ scoring ability
• Variables in Notre Dame’s man-to-man defense that are keys o his philosophy

… And much more!

Coach John Jakus takes over the Owls after Dusty May moves to the head coaching seat at Michigan. Coach Jakus has an extensive background as a head coach overseas. He worked for three years under Coach Mark Few at Gonzaga before joining Scott Drew’s staff at Baylor. He was the associate head coach at Baylor for the last two seasons. An irony in his career is that he was on Drew’s staff when the Bears met the Bulldogs for the 2021 national championship. Coach Jakus looks to keep FAU’s transition game and three-point attack as a continuation of the Owls’ team identity.

Questions of Content include:

• Coaching overseas as well as at Gonzaga and Baylor
• Developing the transition and culture at FAU
• The return of Tre Carroll and his presence on the floor
• International players coming into the Owls’ program

… And much more!

Coach Hamilton returns to “Marching to Madness” as he will feature another group of Colonels who can follow the team’s first conference championship in 45 years. Building the program with his quality approach has allowed him to win ASUN Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons. The Colonels will run the floor, look for the early three, and feature many types of presses to wreak havoc on defense with their talented players.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• The confidence and stability of senior Tae Tae Blanton
• Building rotations with generally a new roster
• Developing shooters and attacking from three
• Playing for and coaching as an assistant at NC State to Coach Kevin Keatts

… And Much More!

Coach Drew is back for his 22nd season, leading the Baylor Bears. It’s amazing to trace back to how he took a wavering program and built it into a national champion in 2019. Baylor will be a Big 12 challenger is what has become one of the deepest conferences in the nation. The Bears will look to a backcourt of Jeremy Roach and VJ Edgecomb as complementary tools to Norchad Omier and Josh Ojianwuna in the post.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Building Bears culture
• How Roach and Edgecomb could be a major 1-2 punch in college basketball
• Omier as a potential shooter from the perimeter as well as a aggressive athlete in the paint
• The 6-10 Ojianwuna’s inside presence

… And Much More!

Stephen F. Austin returns to the Southland Conference after the Lumberjacks have spent their last three seasons in the WAC. Coach Keller’s ‘Jacks tied for the regular season WAC title in year one before the team was besieged with injuries in the last two seasons. Before the move to the WAC, SFA went to the NCAA Tournament in 2018 and 2020 as the later was the season where Keller’s forces took an 85-83 win at Duke.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• The return to the Southland Conference
• Return of Matt Hayman and Nana Antwi-Boasiako
• Discussing how the offensive attack is made
• How coaching is different with the transfer portal and NIL

… And Much More!

Coach Hamilton starts his 23rd year as the Seminoles head coach as he has recorded 443 wins at FSU with 643 overall. He and his staff have worked throughout the recruiting season to put together a squad that will challenge in the ACC. Coach Hamilton returns Jamir Watkins as he is the only returning player in the ACC to be in the Top 10 in the league in both scoring and rebounding. Think back to 2020 when the NCAA Tournament was canceled because of COVID. Florida State finished with a 26-5 record and would have been a favorite to get to the Final Four and potentially win a national championship.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Presenting information to a new squad so that everyone starts at the same place
• The opportunity for Jamir Watson to be a key leader
• The abilities of Daquan Davis and Bostyn Holt to be key components in the Semiole system
• Thoughts and ideas on the changes which are based on the transfer portal

… And much more!

Pittsburgh head coach Jeff Capel returns to MTM as he starts his seventh season with the Panthers and brought Pitt back into the NCAA Tournament in 2023 for the first appearance since 2017. The Panthers were 22-11 last year and were erroneously left out of the NCAAT despite winning 11 of their last 14 ACC games. Pittsburgh returns a solid group of contributors from a year as Ish Leggett could be the catalyst as he is the leading returning scorer and led Pitt in rebounds.

Topics of Discussion include:

• The abilities of Jaland Lowe with his ballhandling and playmaking skills
• How Ish Leggett could get even more shots this upcoming season
• Stylizing the Panthers’ three-point attack
• The solidity of assistants Jason Capel, Tim O’Toole and Milan Brown