Marching to Madness

Fresno State head coach Vance Walberg made his first trip into the “Marching to Madness” CBB podcast as he looks to push the Bulldogs back into a position where they are a solid challenger in the tough Mountain West Conference. Coach Walberg has coached the game for 40 years at all levels, including 697 wins and 16 league titles as a prep coach. He has worked in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings, Philadelphia 76ers, and Denver Nuggets as well as two seasons as the head coach at Pepperdine and three as an assistant at UMass. He is a basketball scientist with his development of the dribble drive motion offense which is part of his own basketball culture. Arkansas head coach John Calipari is on board with Coach Walberg’s acumen as the two met for the first time when Coach Cal was at Memphis. The discussion includes: Coach Walberg’s development of the dribble drive offense Qualities to move the Bulldogs forward New signings for the Red Wave Growing the program inside of the tough Mountain West Conference … And much more!

Coach Jim Les just finished his 11th season at UC Davis where he led the Aggies to within one game of the NCAA Tournament while they finished the season second in the Big West basketball regular season. Coach Les discusses the campus as well as giving plenty of ideas in coaching and his thoughts and ideas inside the game. We discuss Big West Player of the Year Elijah Pepper who has moved on to the Australian Professional Basketball League as a member of the Perth Wildcats. Coach Les also talks about the ascension of the league and how it has become a solid stop along the course of the 32 NCAA basketball conferences. Coach Les played seven seasons in the NBA for the Kings, Clippers, Jazz, and Hawks. He shot 39.6 percent from three-point range throughout his career. Topics include: According to kenpom.com, UC Davis posted a 20.9 percent forced turnover average per game The quality of Big West Player of the Year, Eli Pepper The return of Ty Johnson and his 17.8 points per game Coach Les’s defensive and three-point shooting philosophies

Coach Taylor just finished his 11th season at CSF as he worked on a rebuild in ’23-24. He posted back-to-back 20-win seasons in ’21-22 and ’22-23 and placed the Titans in two of their four NCAA appearances dating back to when the program was born in NCAA Division-1 hoops in 1975. He loses his top three scorers in DJ Brewton, Tory San Antonio, and Max Jones, but has five new players that will be able to figure in the rotation next season. Topics of Discussion include: How the Titans present their summer workouts and the subsequent drills Losing the those top three scorers Five new Titans as three came in the transfer portal and two committed to CSF out of high school Maintaining sustainability in a one-bid league

Coach Mike Jones drops by “Marching to Madness” once again as his talented Spartans finished tied for second with Chattanooga in the Southern Conference in 2023-24. Jones loses three of his top players as Mikeal Brown-Jones was the SoCon’s second-leading scorer with 18.9 ppg. Twins Keyshaun and Kobe Langley finished their fifth years at UNCG as they were two of the top defensive players in the league. Coach Jones also gives us a coaches clinic on his defensive philosophy as his teams are always atop their leagues on the defensive end of the floor. Topics include: Concepts and drills in coaching defense Mikeal Brown-Jones’ transfer to Ole Miss and Keyshaun and Kobe Brown finishing their fifth seasons in the program Donovan Atwell as the Spartans’ leading returning scorer Kenyon Giles and Michael Polite, III, coming to UNCG as transfers from Radford and George Mason, respectively

Coach Frank Haith returns to “Marching to Madness” as he looks forward to his second season as an assistant coach on Coach Rodney Terry’s staff. Haith is following an assistant coaching position at Memphis in 2022-23 and he spent 2004-2022 as the head coach at Miami, Missouri, and Tulsa, winning 343 games in those 17 seasons. Haith was second on the all-time wins list with 138 ‘Ws’ at Tulsa just after he went 76-28 with the Tigers in 2011-2014. In his seven years at Miami, he led the Hurricanes to 129 wins and three 20-win seasons. Topics of Conversation Include: Texas’s defense allowed 17.9 seconds per possession for it’s opponents Kaden Shedrick returns to the middle as the Longhorns’ leading returning scorer How losing nine players to transfer portal or graduation can affect the dynamics of a team in the following year Transfers join Texas basketball for the 2024-25 campaign Much more!

Coach Driscoll chatted about the potential NBA opportunity or high-major transfer for Chaz Lanier who along with Dorian James graduated from UNF on Friday, James earned his M.S. while Lanier was presented with his Bachelor’s Degree. Driscoll has organized the North Florida basketball team as a current player in the Atlantic Sun where the Ospreys played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in college basketball, once again in 2023-24. Topics include: Chaz Lanier’s stride to becoming a potential NBA Draft pick or a high-major transfer Dorian James as a key Osprey on and off the floor Transfer portal details Finishing in fifth in the ASUN and with a 9-7 record after being predicted to finish 11th in the preseason Much more!

UMass head basketball coach Frank Martin led the Minutemen to a 20-11 record, finishing 11-7 in the Atlantic-10 and receiving a double-bye in the A-10 Tournament. The 2023-24 season was UMass’s first 20-win campaign since 2013-14 when they were 24-9 and this was also the last season the Minutemen made it to the NCAA Tournament. Coach Martin took South Carolina to it’s only Final Four and Elite Eight in 2017. He had a five-year run at Kansas State where the Wildcats were in the NCAA Tournament in five of those seasons. K-State went to the Elite Eight in 2010. Topics of Discussion include: A 20-win season in Coach Martin’s second year in Amherst Transfer Portal Problems Returning point guard Rahsool Diggins Jayden Ndjigue rising to his sophomore season as a small forward … And much more!!!

Legendary Coach Jim Harrick is back on “Marching to Madness” as he posted ‘W’s’ in 470 games in his career. We remember 1995 when he became the only UCLA coach since John Wooden to lead the Bruins to a national championship. Harrick took UCLA to the national championship in 1995 as he was the National Coach of the Year and the Pac-12 Coach of the Year during that season. He is still the second-winningest coach at UCLA behind Wooden with his 192 wins. He led the Bruins to three Sweet 16s and two Elite Eights. Harrick started his head coaching career at Pepperdine, leading the Waves to five WCC titles and four NCAA Tournament appearances. Harrick also notched four WCC Coach of the Year awards as the Waves were 87-35 in the ACC in Harrick’s career. After coaching the Bruins for seven years, Harrick went to Rhode Island as the head coach in 1997 as he turned the Rams into a national competitor with his two NCAA Tournament appearance and a berth in the Elite Eight in 1999. Harrick moved into the SEC at Georgia where he took the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament twice. Topics of Discussion include: Discussion about leading the UCLA Bruins to a national championship in 1995 Coach Harrick thoughts on UConn and the Back-to-Back national championships A look at the descending of the Pac-12 His thoughts on issues in college basketball … And Much More!!

Coach Gillen does a stellar job as the college basketball analyst for CBSSN on predominantly Mountain West Conference. We discuss NC State as an upstart in winning 9 in a row to get to the Final Four where we also discussed UConn winning the first back-to-back title in 17 years. We had a good SEC/ACC discussion as well as some excellent thoughts about coaches from several different stops. Topics of Discussion include: Discussion about this season’s Final Four Coach Gillen’s Elite Eight matchup as the Providence coach vs. Arizona in 1997 A look at Mountain West and SEC/ACC Basketball Excellent job by Coach Kevin Keatts in getting NC State to the Final Four … And Much More!!!

Coach Magpayo steered a young Highlanders team into a tough out from the middle to later part of the season. UCR ended up winning eight out of their last 11 games as they defeated a top UC Irvine Anteaters squad, 88-78, and made it to the semifinals of the Big West Tournament with a win over Cal State Bakersfield before losing to eventual champion Long Beach State. Barrington Hargress, Isaiah Moses, and Nate Pickens form a talented and complementary backcourt that should complement each other well. Topics of Discussion include: The Highlanders’ solid finish in winning those 8 out of 11 games Barrington Hargress as the Big West Freshman of the Year Manufacturing many three-point attempts as nine Highlanders posted from 45 to 148 three-point attempts Idea to create shorter possessions with many of the abilities coming in transition off of turnovers … And much more!!!

Coach Eran Ganot checks in after his Warriors finished the season with 10 wins in their last 14 games. The competitiveness gave them an opening night win in the Big West Tournament and put them in a position to face Cal-Davis in the semi-finals where they lost a tough 68-65 decision. Coach Ganot has led the Warriors to winning percentages in each of the last seven seasons as they posted their first back-to-back 20-win seasons since 2014-2015. Topics of Discussion include: The Warriors’ six seniors who provided them with a 20-win season Coach Ganot’s administration of a plan of attack on both ends of the floor The evaluation of how to use the transfer portal Tom Beattie and Ryan Rapp as two strong players on the 2024-25 roster … And much more!!!

We catch back up with Oregon State head basketball coach Wayne Tinkle as his Beavers were a freshman/sophomore-oriented team that lost nine games by eight points or less during the season. Coach Tinkle finished his 18th season as a head coach as he finished his 10th season at Oregon State after eight years at Montana. Next season, Oregon State and Washington State will play in the WCC as the Beavers and Cougars who are the two returning Pac-12 teams. Topics of Discussion include: Oregon State’s 23-24 campaign with such a young roster The movement of Beavers’ hoops into the Pac-12 for next season Thoughts on the transfer portal and NIL Looking at this weekend’s Final Four

Coach Cantu checks back in on “Marching to Madness” as he and I discuss the tournament from lots of angles, including our thoughts on the misses the NCAA made in seeding and placing teams. We also went around the country and discussed the Big 12 and SEC as well as teams we thought could pull upsets. Coach Cantu also named his Final Four and national champion. Topics of Discussion Include: Big 12 and SEC Invitees to the Tournament Basketball discussions dealing with the reputations of different teams Teams that could crash the Tournament’s party Thoughts on players on teams that could make a difference … And much more!

Coach Jones is no stranger to basketball in Florida as he was an assistant at Florida for 11 years and built teams at Marshall and UCF as head coaches at both schools. He came into DeLand, Fla. five years ago and led the Stetson Hatters to 22 wins this season.  They finished second in the Atlantic Sun and won the tournament on Sunday with a 94-91 victory over a tough Austin Peay Governors squad. In addition, the NCAA Tournament bid will be the first in Stetson basketball history. Jalen Blackmon was phenomenal in the title game as the Hatters leading scorer netted 43 points for the win. Topics of Discussion include: The Hatters’ ASUN championship and berth in the NCAA Tournament The play and style of Jalen Bridges Building Stetson into a solid basketball program College Basketball in the Sunshine State Much more!

Coach Penders returns to MTM as we talk Big 12 and how Houston made the trek into the conference from the American Athletic Conference. The Cougars didn’t miss a beat behind Coach Kelvin Sampson as they won by two games over Iowa State. Coach Penders also chats about his life as a coach at 7 different schools where he was at seven stops and won a total of 649 games. He took Rhode Island, Texas, George Washington, and Houston and built those programs as he took the Cougars on the rebuild. Coach Penders turned all of these into NCAA Tournament teams and he not only made the tournament, but he took them deep into the brackets on several occasions. Coach Penders played basketball and baseball at UConn and was the 116th pick in the eighth round of the 1968 MLB Draft by the Cleveland Indians. Topics of discussion include: The Houston Cougars winning the Big 12 in their first season in the league Basketball philosophies that Coach Penders has developed through his career Texas guard Max Abmas The approach to playing and being successful in the NCAA Tournament

Coach Kerns led the Mountaineers to the best conference record in school history at 16-2 in the rigorous Sun Belt Conference. The 26 wins were the most in a regular season in App history as well. The Mountaineers won a pair of tight four and six-point victories over James Madison as they finished one fame ahead of the Dukes for the regular season title. Topics of discussion include: The defensive characterization inside the on-court attack Only averaging 13 fouls per game The balance in scoring between the top seven players in the rotation The dynamics of Donovan Gregory, Terence Harcum, and  Tre’Von Spillers Much more!

Coach Hodge steps onto the hardwood at “Marching to Madness” as he is in his first season as the North Texas Mean Green head coach. He discusses his team’s defensive philosophy as he spent six seasons as coach Grant McCasland’s assistant in Denton, Texas. Coach Hodge coached at the junior college level as he rolled up a 146-24 record at Paris JC and Midland College. Topics of discussion include: Coach Hodge’s coaching career The defensive mindset of the Mean Green Jason Edwards’ averaging 18.6 points and 14.2 shots per game “The Mastermind of the North Texas Defense” Much more!

Houston Cougars head coach Kelvin Sampson comes back onto the “Marching to Madness” college basketball podcast as his Cougars are sitting at No. 1 this week while they lead Iowa State in the Big 12 race by one game. We chat about the toughness and backcourt skills of Jamal Shead, LJ Cryer, and Emanuel Sharp and posts, J’Wan Roberts and Ja’Vier Francis. The Cougars defeated Cincinnati, 67-59, on Monday as they scored 15 points off of 19 Bearcats turnovers. Topics of discussion include: The Cougars as a sustainable basketball team The backcourt presence of Jamal Shead, LJ Cryer, and Emanuel Sharp Post-play with J’Wan Roberts and Ja’Vier Francis The skills of freshman JoJo Tugler, who averages 16 minutes per game

The Washington State Cougars have had a strong season in the Pac-12 as they sit one game behind Arizona for the league lead. Coach Smith and I talk about the Cougs’ trips into Arizona State last week as well as look at the two home matchups with USC and USC at the end of this week. WSU features a big lineup with Isaac Jones in the middle and Myles Rice, Jaylen Wells, and Andrej Jakimovski as consistent three-point producers. Topics of discussion include: Last week’s trip to Arizona as well as checking out UCLA and USC in the Palouse this weekend The inside play of leading scorer Isaac Jones On the perimeter with Myles Rice and Jaylen Wells Coach Smith’s hopes of capturing third base in Houston as a senior in high school and an Astros fan

Coach Turner once again has his Anteaters battling for the top spot in Big West basketball. Currently, they hold a one-game lead over UC Irvine and they match up with a solid rival in UCSB on Thursday night before playing at UC San Diego on Saturday evening. This team is known for it’s stingy defense as well as connectivity on offense as those are two keys in building a tough team that has potential in March. Topics of discussion include: The Anteaters’ control of defensive analytics, via kenpom.com, in the Big West Building a three-point attack as part of the overall offensive scheme Justin Hohn, Andre Henry, and Pierre Cockrell on the perimeter Coach Turner closes on his ninth 20-win season with the Anteaters Much more!