Marching to Madness

Coach Ryan Odom returns to "Marching to Madness" with his VCU Rams, who won 24 games last season and made it to the NIT's Elite Eight. Returning three key scorers in Max Shula, Zeb Jackson, and Joe Bamisile return as three prolific shooters and scorers who will help VCU focus on an Atlantic 10 title. Coach Odom also discusses some philosophical and analytical details as well.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Max Shulga's return to the program
• Ideas on break players out of slumps
• Putting uncertainty or doubt in an opposing ballhandler's mind
• The basketball relationship with his father, legendary head coach Dave Odom
• Much more!

Coach Dustin Kerns looks forward to another season of Mountaineers basketball as he led ASU to its most wins in a season at 27 and the 16-2 record to win the Sun Belt regular season was Appalchian's best league record in school history. Coach Kerns had eight losses in the transfer portal, but he has a recruiting class of strong players who can make the transition into the new season and the upper echelon of Sun Belt Conference play. Coach and I discuss his ideas and philosophies on several college basketball/sports topics.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• The transition involved with losing eight but bringing in six players
• Leadership in the return of CJ Huntley and Miles Tate
• Physical and emotional energy among players
• Allowing players to break slumps and bring positivety back into their games

Coach Justin Gainey checks into "Marching to Madness" as he is in his 19th season in college coaching which has featured a position in each of the Power 6 conferences. Coach Gainey discusses his role as the Volunteers' defensive coordinator and brings in philosophical ideas and the approach to basketball under Coach Rick Barnes at Tennessee. Coach Gainey played on the point at NC State for Coach Herb Sendek from 1996-2000. He started in the Wolfpacks' 67 games in his last two seasons where his defense and playmaking were essential means for NC State.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Coach Gainey's approach in all phases of the Tennessee program
• How the staff moves from game to game in SEC play
• Point guard Zakai Ziegler's growth inside of the program
• Scorer Chaz Lanier's transfer into Vols' basketball

Coach Chris Mooney, who missed the end of the 2022-23 season with heart surgery, led the Richmond Spiders to a 15-3 record last season in the Atlantic 10 as UR shared the regular season title with Loyola Chicago. Coach Mooney has 366 wins in 20 seasons as he led Richmond to four NCAA Tournaments and had tournament wins in 2010 and 2022. He was the A-10 Coach of the Year this past season.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• The work of tying with Loyola Chicago for the A-10 regular season crown
• How the Spiders' defense played a major role in last season's success
• The sustainability of team culture with losing five senior starters
• The basis of his three-point attack from season to season

Houston head coach Kelvin Sampson checks into "Marching to Madness" as his Cougars won the Big 12 regular season title in their first season in the conference. His roster and rotation generally remain intact as Jamal Shead moved onto the Toronto Raptors, but he returns a quality backcourt with Lj Cryer and Emmanuel Sharp on the perimeter and J'Wan Roberts and Ja'Vier Francis inside. Watch role players in Terrence Arceneaux, Mylik Wilson, and JoJo Tugler, who were injured throughout last season. The Cougs returned with a 125-19 record over the last four seasons, including two Sweet 16s, an Elite Eight, and a Final Four.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• The mentality that allows Houston to be able to keep players in his program in the era of the transfer portal
• The dynamics of guards LJ Cryer and Emmanuel Sharp on both ends of the floor
• The length of learning the Cougars' culture
• Building consisttency on the defensiv end of the floor as they led the nation in allowing only 57.6 ppg last season and opponents only shot 37.9 percent from the floor. Both of those stats placed Houston as the nation's leader in both categories

Coach Dan Monson moves to Eastern Washington as the Eagles head coach after he took Long Beach State to a Big West Tournament title and an NCAA berth last season. The Eagles have a staunch program in Cheney, Washington as they are a tough Big Sky Conference basketball challenger.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Team building with the Eagles
• Bringing Maddox Monson and Shaumba Ngoyi
• Breaking down a practice that just ended and evaluating how you use that information
• Bringing over Elijah Thomas from Des Moines Area Community College
• Much more!

Coach Ed Schilling begins his first season at Pepperdine as he will work to piece together the program and make it competitive in the tough WCC. Coach Schilling has assisted Coach John Calipari at UMass, Memphis, and with the New Jersey Nets. He was an assistant at Indiana and UCLA before checking in with Bryce Drew at Grand Canyon where they led the Antelopes to their first NCAA Tournament win in March. Coach Schilling was the head coach at Wright State from 1998-2003. Ed will look to build the Waves from the ground up as he brings point guard Moe Odum over from Pacific.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• Ways to build the Waves into a WCC challenger
• Instilling needs from Day 1 of his tenure
• Philosophy on practice evaluations
• Bringing versatility into the program at Pepperdine
• Much more!

Coach Schwartz expresses his philosophies on many different ideas inside the game from things off the floor to offensive and defensive modes of attack. He was Coach Rick Barnes's assistant at Tennessee for six seasons where the Volunteers made four NCAA appearances and won the SEC Tournament in 2022. We talk about RJ Felton, who will be a versatile player for East Carolina as the team's returning leading scorer.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• His reference as a defensive coordinator
• RJ Felton and his versatility with the basketball
• CJ Walker and Jordan Riley as key transfers into the program
• How to build a team with so much movement in the transfer portal

Coach Mark Byington comes into Nashville to take over the Commodores since turning James Madison into a potent winner after his Georgia Southern Eagles netted 20-plus wins in four of his last five seasons. The Dukes finished with a 32-4 record last season with a Sun Belt Tournament Championship and a 72-61 decision over Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament's Field of 64. Vanderbilt will look for a more potent offense this season as the Commodores shot only 39.9 percent from the floor a year ago which included 28.3 percent from three. Coach Byington has turned the roster over as Vandy will possess a virtually new roster and an exciting new look for the 2024-25 season.

Topics of Discussion Include:

• An incredible year at JMU followed by a trip into Nashville where Vandy looks to improve in the SEC
• Helping the Commodores regain their shooting prowess
• A.J. Hoggard's move from point guard at Michigan State and into the Vanderbilt program
• Positively enabling players on and off the floor

Coach Sendek begins his 31st season as a head coach after his job as an assistant to Coach Rick Pitino at Providence where he helped take the Friars to the Final Four in 1987. Sendek begins the 2024-24 season with 553 wins as he has overseen the rebuilds at Santa Clara, Arizona State, NC State, and Miami-Ohio. He welcomes back Carlos Stewart, who was injured two seasons ago and returned near his hometown close to LSU for 2023-24 season.

Discussion Topics include:

• Sustainability needed to have six consecutive winning seasons with the Broncos
• The return of multi-talented athlete Adama Bal
• Converting his three-point attack with Carlos Marshall and Johnny O'Neil joining Bal on the perimeter
• How he and his assistant coaches are able to mold a positive mindset within their players