Category Archives: College basketball

Bethany College coach’s trip to UTSA ‘like coming home’

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Bethany College coach Dan O’Dowd chats with his players during Saturday’s shoot-around at UTSA. Video: thejbreplay.com

Dan O’Dowd walked into the UTSA Convocation Center Friday and angled toward the corridor leading into the home team dressing room.

“I started heading in there and, ‘Oh wait,’ ” he said, smiling.

Forgive the first-year head coach of the Bethany College Swedes for making a wrong turn on his first trip back to the ‘Bird Cage.’

Some things you do in life are just reflex, especially if you’re O’Dowd, and you’ve spent 10 years of your career working out of the home of the Roadrunners.

O’Dowd admitted Saturday morning that it’s an emotional visit for him as his Kansas-based NAIA team prepares to play a road game against UTSA tonight.

Tipoff is at 7 p.m. between the Swedes and the NCAA Division I Roadrunners.

“You know, San Antonio is home,” O’Dowd said. “My wife and kids are still here. Our oldest finished high school last year. The youngest is a junior and we wanted him to finish school and sports with all the kids he’s grown up with.

“So, it’s like coming home. You know, I spent a lot of time in this gym. It’s just fun to see the changes and improvements that they’ve made.”

O’Dowd, a Colorado native and a Bethany graduate, worked for a decade at UTSA through 2016 under the late Brooks Thompson.

After UTSA, he moved on to work for a year at North Texas, before taking the job at Bethany last May.

Nick Allen, one UTSA’s hottest players at the moment, said it was fun to see O’Dowd again on Friday.

The two were able to catch up in a brief conversation.

“He just wanted to see how I was doing,” Allen said.

It was sort of like Allen’s first meeting with the coach, when O’Dowd visited his high school on a recruiting trip.

Of the first meeting, Allen remembers the coach being “really cool, really relaxed.”

“But you could tell he was serious,” said Allen, from Surprise, Arizona. “He was about his business when he came in. Just a good guy. I don’t know. I didn’t get any bad vibes from him. He’s the one that recruited me here. So I’ve got a lot of appreciation for him, a lot of respect for him.

“He’s a great coach. If it wasn’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be here. He’s a good dude. He means a lot to me.”

Dane Pavlovich, Bethany’s dean of athletics and student development, said it’s been fun to watch O’Dowd at work in his first year.

“He’s been a joy to work with,” Pavlovich said. “He also serves as assistant athletic director. So he helps us out with game management for football games and all the different other events.

“He’s really thrown himself into being a part of the Bethany culture. Being an alum, the job isn’t too small for him.

“He’s coached at some of the highest levels of NCAA basketball … but he’s thrown himself into (this job), being a part of the Bethany campus and the Lindsborg community … It’s been a lot of fun.”

O’Dowd, who has worked as an assistant at high-major jobs at Ole Miss and Arizona State, said he’s enjoying being the head coach.

“As an assistant coach for 30 years, you have a special relationship with your players, but you’re not the guy. Being head coach is fun, just the respect factor they have for you is a little bit different,” he said. “But it doesn’t change much. Biggest difference is that as an assistant you’re making suggestions. As a head coach you’re making decisions.

“I’ve been fortunate to work for coaches that prepared me for that. Whether its dealing with the media, going out (and) speaking at fundraisers, everything that I’ve needed to do to be prepared. So, it’s been a lot of fun.”

Baylor’s Lual-Acuil scores 18 in front of his proud parents

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The video from Baylor athletics says it all.

Senior center Jo Lual-Acuil, Jr., running ahead of the competition on the fast break, fielding a pass and dunking.

Lual-Acuil punctuated a big day in his college basketball career with 18 points, as the 21st-ranked Bears ran away with a 99-68 victory Thursday night over the Texas Southern Tigers.

What was so big about a game in December? Well, for starters, his parents traveled from Africa to Waco to see him play.

According to ESPN, his parents made the trip to see their son play and to attend his graduation, which is scheduled Saturday.

For more on Lual-Acuil’s amazing story, here is an article authored by John Werner of the Waco Tribune-Herald.

Published in January last season, it’s a fascinating chronicle of Lual-Acuil’s journey from the Sudan, to Uganda, to Australia, to Chanute, Kansas, and, finally, to Waco.

Lual-Acuil is listed on the roster at 7-feet and 225 pounds.

After sitting out the 2015-16 season with a heart condition, the transfer from Neosho Community College (in Kansas) emerged last year as one of the top shot-blockers in the nation.

Lual-Acuil had 87 blocks in 35 games.

This year, his game is expanding. Both his scoring and rebounding numbers are up. Coming into the Texas Southern game, Lual-Acuil was averaging 13.9 points and 10.1 rebounds.

After blocking two shots against the Tigers, he has produced 14 rejections in 10 games for the Bears (8-2).

Baylor, in a push to prepare for the start of Big 12 play later this month, hosts Savannah State at home on Sunday.

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Charlotte fires Mark Price after a 3-6 start; assistant takes over

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UNC Charlotte has fired basketball coach Mark Price, according to a statement from the university’s athletic department.

Assistant Houston Fancher has been elevated to a position as interim coach.

In two-plus seasons with the 49ers, Price produced a 30-42 record.

Charlotte is 3-6 and has lost four games in a row heading into a road contest Monday at East Carolina.

The 49ers compete in Conference USA, along with UTSA.

Price’s ouster represents the second coaching change in the C-USA in 18 days, following Tim Floyd’s retirement at UTEP on Nov. 27.

Phil Johnson, a member of Floyd’s staff, has since taken over head coaching duties for the Miners on an interim basis.

UNC Charlotte chancellor Philip Dubois and athletic director Judy Rose made the announcement on Price in a news release Thursday morning.

According to the release, Price has been released from his contract, effective immediately.

Price enjoyed a standout career as a player, earning all-America honors at Georgia Tech and later spending parts of 12 seasons in the NBA.

Playing point guard, his best years in the NBA were in Cleveland, where he led the Cavaliers to the 1992 Eastern Conference finals against the Chicago Bulls.

As a head coach, his program at Charlotte never seemed to gain traction.

In 2015-16, Charlotte produced a record of 14-19 and 9-9 in the C-USA. Last year, he was 13-17 and 7-11.

The move caught Price by surprise, according to a story in the Charlotte Observer.

“I”m still stunned to be honest,” Price told the Observer. “I was called in this morning and was told they were going to make a change. … They said they didn’t like the direction of the program was taking and that I might have lost some of my players, which I don’t agree with.”

Texas offense needs work after 59-52 loss to Michigan

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The Texas Longhorns are expected to get an earful from Coach Shaka Smart in coming days.

Smart just might be in the players’ ears and in their faces through Saturday, when they host Louisiana Tech at the Erwin Center.

The coach said as much after Michigan throttled Texas 59-52 on Tuesday night.

Smart’s message? Stay with the game plan, even when adversity strikes.

“I think that the things that we didn’t do, in terms of following our plan, that stuff needs to be exposed on film and that stuff needs to be hammered hard,” Smart told reporters. “Because regardless of the opponent, the stuff we planned and worked to do in practice, that has to be carried over into the game.

“That (plan) could be different from game to game, but our willingness to go and execute that stuff, through whatever happens, must be better.”

Leading into the Michigan game, Texas planned for the absence of its leading scorer, Andrew Jones, who is out with a hairline fracture in his right wrist.

In the aftermath, they learned that the adjustment won’t be easy.

At the outset against the Wolverines, the Longhorns played well on the defensive end. But a 2-0 lead after the first four minutes easily could have been 10-0 or more.

As the Longhorns sputtered, the Wolverines started to find a rhythm. They started hitting shots and surged into a 32-20 halftime lead.

Texas got within three once in the second half, but couldn’t dig out of the hole. The offense, without Jones on the floor, never got untracked for any extended period of time.

On top of that, Michigan occasionally would hit a difficult shot or would take advantage of a defensive breakdown, and the body language on the floor for Texas would sag again.

Smart traced it to not staying with original plan.

“With young guys like some of our freshmen, young guys that haven’t played a lot, it’s certainly understandable that that might affect them, but it’s not acceptable, the coach said. “There’s a difference between those two things and we have to understand that to whom much is given, when there’s an opportunity, much is expected, of all of us.

“And it starts with me.”

Texas center Mohamed Bamba who finished with 10 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks, said he can do more on the offensive end.

“I can definitely be more aggressive, get fouled more and just throw my body around, he said.

A case could be made that Bamba, a lithe, 6-foot-11 post, might benefit from getting a few more touches on the perimeter, facing the basket.

But, in the meantime, the heralded first-year player from New York said he needs to attack more from the low post.

“In high school, you don’t have guys who are 6-10 and 200-and-whatever pounds,” he said. “That’s one of the things we have the liberty of practicing against.

“We have to go up against DO (Dylan Osetkowski), James (Banks III), Jericho (Sims) and Royce (Hamm Jr.)

“When game time comes it’s a little bit easier, because there are fouls being called,” Bamba said. “But I still have to keep that aggressive mindset and keep attacking.”

Guard Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman paced the Wolverines with a double-double, producing 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Charles Matthews finished with 12 points, while Moritz Wagner and Duncan Robinson had 10 each for the Wolverines (9-3).

Texas (6-3) didn’t have as many players show up on offense as the coaching staff would have liked.

Osetkowski hit 6 of 11 from the field and scored 17. Guard Kerwin Roach II added 11 points on 4 of 8. Bamba, for his part, was 4 of 10 from the floor.

Michigan coach John Beilein said he thinks the Texas coaching staff will figure out how to adjust without Jones, a sophomore from Arlington.

“Hopefully Jones won’t be out too long, but watch other people just get better as they go through this,” he said. “We went through this three years in a row — your other guys get better and coach may have to change some things here and there.

“It’s hard to change that immediately, but Shaka (Smart) will find a way.

Interim coach Phil Johnson sparks UTEP basketball program

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A few weeks ago, the UTEP basketball program was reeling with the news that Tim Floyd had retired from coaching. Today, it’s a different story, with interim coach Phil Johnson leading the Miners to back-to-back victories over New Mexico and Washington State. Read the story by Bill Knight of the El Paso Times.

Resurgence at Stephen F. Austin

Last season, the fortunes of the Stephen F. Austin basketball program declined in coach Kyle Keller’s first year on the job. The Lumberjacks finished 18-15 with a first-round loss in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament. It was a shock to fans who had experienced three straight trips to the NCAA tournament under the previous coach, Brad Underwood. Keller seems to have SFA moving in the right direction again, with the Lumberjacks (9-1) knocking off two Conference USA programs last week.

Freshman star on the rise

After a close loss at Arizona last weekend, Coach Avery Johnson’s Alabama Crimson Tide returns home next week to open a three-game stand. The Tide will play Mercer on Dec. 19 in Huntsville. Alabama meets Texas on Dec. 22 in Birmingham. Finally, the Tide hosts Texas A&M on Dec. 30 at Tuscaloosa in an SEC opener. With dynamic freshman Collin Sexton, Alabama has a chance for a run to the NCAA tournament this season. Sexton dumped 30 on Arizona in an 88-82 setback Saturday night.

Texas, minus its top scorer, prepares to host Michigan

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Texas basketball coach Shaka Smart speculated Monday that guard Andrew Jones would be out “at least the next few games” before Christmas with a hairline fracture in his right wrist.

Jones is Texas’ leading scorer at 15.3 points per game.

The Longhorns (6-2) host the Michigan Wolverines (8-3) tonight at the Erwin Center.

The game will be carried on ESPN2 starting at 8 p.m.

In meeting with reporters Monday in Austin, Smart didn’t understate the impact the injury could have on his team.

“Obviously it’s a tough injury for us because he’s our leading scorer and has just done a phenomenal job for us this year,” the coach said. “But we’re really excited and hopeful about getting him back as quick as we can.

“In the short term, it’s one of the reasons you have a team with depth and (it’s) why you bring guys in to step up and be part of something that’s larger than themselves.

“We’re going to need everyone on our team, not just guards, but everyone on our team to step up and take (on) a little more responsibility.”

Forward Dylan Ostetkowski (14.0), guard Kerwin Roach II (11.1) and center Mohamed Bamba (10.7) are Texas’ next three top scorers.

Jones, a sophomore from Irving, suffered the injury in Texas’ 71-67 victory at Virginia Commonwealth last Tuesday.

Junior forward Moritz Wagner (16.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg) leads the Wolverines, who have lost to LSU on a neutral site and to North Carolina and Ohio State on the road.

In its last outing, Michigan won at home on Saturday, beating UCLA 78-69 in overtime.

The Wolverines trailed the Bruins by 15 in the second half and then rallied for a win that will supply substantial momentum leading into Austin.

Texas Tech’s Chris Beard: My players have made me better

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Texas Tech freshman Zhaire Smith throws down a dunk off a rebound to fire up the home crowd in Lubbock.

With second-year coach Chris Beard at the helm, the Texas Tech Red Raiders have started to assert themselves as a potential threat in the Big 12 Conference. This is something of a surprise considering that Tech was picked seventh in the conference’s preseason poll.

But since the season started, the Red Raiders have been much better than advertised. They’ve forged a 7-1 record with victories at home over two ranked opponents. Two weeks ago, Tech emerged as a Top 25 team itself, showing up at No. 22 in the Associated Press poll.

After a 10-point loss to Seton Hall, the Red Raiders fell out of the rankings for a week, only to re-appear on Monday at No. 24. Now, it’s starting to look like they might be a fixture in the national spotlight.

Buoyed by an energized fan base and by a group of talented athletes playing hard for him, Beard could be poised for a big season. Tech’s latest triumph came last Tuesday when it rallied from a 10-point second-half deficit to beat Nevada, 82-76, in overtime.

More than 9,000 fans at United Supermarkets Arena roared as Keenan Evans scored 25 of his career-high 32 points after intermission. Beard credited the fans, his players and his staff for making it happen.

“You got to give the players a lot of credit,” he said. “These guys have made me a better coach. I’m kind of a competitive, fiery guy. Patience isn’t one of my strengths. But I think with these guys, I’ve really tried to learn to try to keep the culture positive during the game. Now, we still tell the truth. If we’re not playing well, I’ll be the first to tell ‘em.

“But I think overall, as a coach, you try to give your team a chance to win the game. I give our staff a lot of credit. We didn’t have any panicked timeouts. We didn’t get negative. We stayed positive. I’m proud of our staff for doing that. We gave our players a chance to win the game tonight. Give our players all the credit. They’re the ones that did it.”

Tech clearly has more going on this season than in Beard’s first, when the Red Raiders finished 18-14. The Red Raiders started 11-1 through the non-conference phase of the schedule last year, but they did it against a weaker schedule.

This year, the Red Raiders have defeated two Top 25 opponents (Northwestern and Nevada), and they also knocked off Boston College. The Eagles aren’t ranked but they did beat previously undefeated and No. 1 Duke last weekend.

Tech’s only loss came on Nov. 30 in New York’s Madison Square Garden. Seton Hall of the Big East hit 11 three-pointers and scored 50 points during the second half. Asked after the victory over Nevada whether his team learned a few lessons in defeat, Beard said they did.

“Just like every team in the country, we’re a work in progress,” he said. “We’re trying to get better. The Seton Hall game, we didn’t think we were the most aggressive team. Tonight (against Nevada), I think we were. And even if we lose this game tonight to a really good Nevada team, I still think the same thing. I thought we were aggressive enough down the stretch to give ourselves a chance.”

Beard said the Red Raiders did a better job of keeping their composure against the Wolf Pack.

“Against Seton Hall, it turned into a 6-7 minute game (and) we made too many mistakes. We didn’t make enough plays,” he said. “Tonight, when it turned into a 6-7 minute game, we’re still making mistakes. But I thought we were making plays. You know, victory favors the more aggressive team. Sometimes, you got to go make a play, especially at this level. I thought we did that tonight.”

Villanova takes over at No. 1; Texas A&M 9th in AP poll

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Knocked out in the second round of the the NCAA tournament last spring, the Villanova Wildcats are back on top as the No. 1 team in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll.

Four teams from the state of Texas are also in the rankings. Texas A&M is 9th, undefeated TCU is 14th, Baylor is 21st and Texas Tech 24th.

Villanova has been one of the nation’s most consistently dominant teams over the past few years.

In 2016, the Wildcats entered the NCAA tournament seeded second in their region and seventh overall and soared to the championship.

Last year, Villanova was seeded first in its region and first overall. But in a round-of-32 game at Buffalo, the defending champs lost to Wisconsin, 65-62.

So far this season, the Wildcats have forged a 10-0 record. Led by dynamic guard Mikal Bridges, they play at Temple on Wednesday.

Big men from San Antonio standing tall in NCAA Division I

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Minnesota’s Jordan Murphy isn’t the only big man from the San Antonio area making an impact in NCAA Division I basketball this season. Here is a breakdown on four of the best from Final Four city:

Who: Jordan Murphy, Minnesota junior from Brennan
Size, position: 6-6, 250, forward
Notable: Averaging 19.9 points and 12.5 rebounds. His 11 double doubles lead the nation. He’s also fourth nationally in rebounds and leads the Big Ten.

Who: Ben Lammers, Georgia Tech senior from Alamo Heights
Size, position: 6-10, 234, center
Notable: Averaging 14.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.8 blocks. He’s eighth in the nation in blocks.

Who: Tanner Leissner, New Hampshire senior from Judson
Size, position: 6-7, 230, center
Notable: Averaging 19.2 points, 8.8 rebounds. His scoring leads the team and ranks second in the America East Conference.

Who: Tristan Clark, Baylor freshman from Wagner
Size, position: 6-9, 240, forward
Notable: Averaging 8.4 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.2 blocks. One of four players to start all nine games for the Bears.

Can anyone stop Middle Tennessee in the C-USA?

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Building on a burgeoning winning tradition in men’s college basketball, the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders appear poised to make another run at the Conference USA title.

Coach Kermit Davis’ Blue Raiders, based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, opened eyes two years ago by knocking off Tom Izzo’s Michigan State Spartans in the round of 64 of the NCAA tournament.

Last year, they did it again, taking down Minnesota in the NCAA’s R64.

This season, the Blue Raiders continue to step up their game.

They swept two games against Southeastern Conference foes in the last week, improving to 5-0 against the SEC since 2015.

With a 77-58 win over Ole Miss Saturday at the Murphy Center, the Blue Raiders (7-1) continued to burnish their reputation as the top program in the C-USA.

It was the second SEC victory of the season for Middle Tennessee, with the first coming Wednesday at Vanderbilt.

“The score really wasn’t indicative of what the game was, it just kind of broke open in the last three or four minutes,” Middle Tennessee coach Kermit Davis told reporters later. “What a great fan turnout for our team, over 8,000 fans.

“It was a big game for us, for our town and our campus. When our team has that kind of home court, it means a lot to those guys in that locker room.”

Newcomer Nick King, who has played at both Memphis and Alabama in his college career, has been well worth the price of admission so far.

The 6-foot-7 forward from Memphis East High School is averaging 24.3 points and 6.6 rebounds. King is shooting 55.5 percent from the field.

“Coach always preaches to us about being a national team, and that we have to have the opportunity to show it and take advantage,” he said. “We have the opportunity now, and we’re taking advantage.

“We’re practicing absolutely as hard as we can each and every practice. Not a lot of teams do that during the season … but we have to have that edge every single day.”