Marching to Madness

The Santa Clara Broncos finished third in the WCC this season as Coach Herb Sendek once again had a player bound for the NBA. Golden State made Brandin Podziemski the 19th pick in the first round as he led the Broncos with 19.9 points per game while making 48.3 percent of his field goals. Coach Sendek and his staff also turned Jalen Williams into a solid guard who averaged 30 minutes per game at OKC last season. The Broncos are 44-22 in the last two years as guard Keshawn Justice was also a key player for the Utah Jazz in the NBA Summer League.

Topics of discussion include:

• Williams, Podziemski and Keshawn Justice in the NBA
• Chris Tilley and Cameron Tongue as the top two returning scorers
• Adama Bal and Tyeree Bryan as 6-7 and 6-6 guards
• Making positive corrections to help players' struggles

… And Much More!

Coach Chris Beard is back on "Marching to Madness" as he takes over the program at Ole Miss. Coach Beard sports a 70.1 percent winning percentage at UALR, Texas Tech and Texas. In four of his seasons as a head coach, he has taken teams to NCAA Tournaments and in 2019, he had the Red Raiders in the national championship game where they dropped an 85-77 overtime matchup to Virginia.

Topics of discussion include:

• Coach Beard's relationship with legendary head coach Tom Penders
• The excitement and focus of being head coach at Ole Miss
• Reuniting with his former assistant coach Wes Flanigan
• The presence of returnees Matthew Murrell and Jaemyn Brakefield

…And much more!

Coach Smith had the Cougars pick their games up this past season as they finished tied for 5th in the Pac-12 and moved back into an NIT berth once again. His Cougars had a 7-game winning streak late in the season, but they lost Justin Powell to the Miami Heat's Summer League squad as well as TJ Bamba's transfer to Villanova. This coming season, Coach Smith is going to have more depth in the post as well as more speed in the backcourt.

Topics of discussion include:

• The addition of Idaho guard Isaac Jones and Kansas transfer Joseph Yesufu
• This summers' skill developing, conditioning, and fundamentals
• The creativity or head coaches and their staffs with the continual changes in college athletics
• The idea to "get old and stay old"

…And much more!

Western Carolina Catamounts head coach Justin Gray was a phenomenal shooting guard at Wake Forest for the late Skip Prosser. He averaged 2.7 made three-pointers per game in his 120-game career. Coach Gray led Western Carolina to an 18-16 record and a CBI appearance this past season. He returns a strong backcourt of Tre Jackson and Vonterius Woolbright.

Topics of discussion include:

• The correlation of finding the three-pointer and an inside attack
• Jackson and Woolbright as a one-two punch in the backcourt
• Kamar Robertson and the Catamounts' transfer portal
• How you can teach players to upgrade competitiveness

…. And much more !

Coach Gillen once again is a guest on "Marching to Madness" where he discusses San Diego State and their run to the national title game where they eventually lost to UConn. Coach Gillen is an analyst for CBS Sports Network where he also focuses on the Mountain West as one of his conferences. He also discusses the Big East and Providence where the Friars went to the Elite Eight in 1997 before losing an overtime game to eventual national champion Arizona. Coach Gillen won 392 games which were 65 percent of the matchups in his career as the head coach at Xavier, Providence, and Virginia.

Topics of discussion include:

• The emergence of the San Diego State Aztecs in this season's NCAA Tournament
• Sean Miller's influence on Xavier in his return to the Cincinnati-based university
• Coach Gillen's Elite Eight appearance with Providence in 1997
• The Denver Nuggets' first World Championship in NBA History

… And Much More

Coach Skinn checks in as he begins his first season as the head coach at George Mason. He played on coach Jim Larranaga's Final Four team at George Mason in 2006 as he played on the point and drove the Patriots by Michigan State, North Carolina, and UConn in that run. He takes over after assistant coaching stints at Maryland, Ohio State, Seton Hall and Louisiana Tech.

Topics of discussion include:

• Coach Skinn's Final Four appearance as the point guard of the Patriots in 2006
• The pursuit of becoming a head coach
• The influence of the assistant coaching positions with the Terps, Buckeyes, Pirates and Bulldogs
• Leading returning scorer Ronald Polite's leadership and talent skills

… And much more!

Coach Rodney Terry returns to "Marching to Madness" as he took the Texas Longhorns to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight after they won their second Big 12 basketball title in the last three seasons. He took over the Longhorns in Game 9 as they finished 29-9, overall, and 22-8, in Coach Terry's tutelage. Texas keeps a solid experience level in Dillon Mitchell, Tyrese Hunter, Dylan Disu, and Brock Cunningham.

Topics of discussion include:

• Coach Terry's impact on Longhorns roundball
• The influence of former Longhorn coaches Tom Penders and Rick Barnes
• The impact of the depth and experience level of the upcoming Texas Longhorns
• Adding former Miami, Missouri, and Tulsa head coach Frank Haith to his quality coaching staff

… And Much More!!!

Coach Bruce Pearl is back on "Marching to Madness" as he continues his 72 percent winning percentage, overall, which includes a D-2 national championship in 1995 with the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles. He has one of the top winning percentages in the game when combined with his D-1 experience at Auburn, Tennessee, and Milwaukee. The Tigers return Johni Broome, Jaylin Williams, and Dylan Cardwell with Lior Berman as the four accentuate experience on the 2023-24 Tigers Roundball team!

Topics of discussion include:

• Coach Pearl's 1995 national championship with Southern Indiana
• How returnees such as Broome, Williams, Cardwell, and Berman solidify team culture
• The addition of Aden Holloway as a 5-star point guard
• Opening the season with Baylor on Nov. 7 at the Sanford Pentagon

… And Much More!

Coach Russell Turner returns to "Marching to Madness" as he discusses building the UC Irvine program when he came 14 seasons ago. He has 11 consecutive winning seasons and eight of those have encompassed 20 wins or more. Two that did not were in the COVID years. Coach Turner discusses losing DJ Davis and Dawson Baker in the transfer portal, but he has recruited at a high level again with solid depth a usual foundation for his team.

Topics of discussion include:

• Coach Turner's building blocks for the Anteaters' pedigree
• The advantage with Bert Leuchten as an inside threat
• The Anteaters' defensive initiative
• Depth in Big West basketball

… And much more!

Coach Pettway moved from Alabama where he was an assistant coach to Mark Gottfried, Avery Johnson, Anthony Grant, and Nate Oats over the past 15 seasons. He played guard for the Crimson Tide from 2001-2004 and he played with a high level of energy and was a player who made key plays in the clutch of close basketball games. He spent two years as an assistant at Jacksonville State before his run as a top Crimson Tide assistant.

Topics of discussion include:

• Coach Pettway's mentors in Mark Gottfried, Anthony Grant, Avery Johnson, and Nate Oats
• Following Amir Abdur-Rahim's four seasons where he turned the Owls into winners
• Terrell Burden and Demond Robinson as leading returning scorers
• Thoughts on game-planning and recruiting

… And much more!