Full Q&A With ESPN Basketball Insider Jeff Goodman

photo courtesy of Linwood Ferguson

Liam Jones: So a couple years ago we saw Lehigh, Norfolk State, but FGCU took it to the next level, what was different about them that enabled them to get all the way to the Sweet Sixteen?

Jeff Goodman: I think their style of play was important, taking momentum. They had more than one guy. I think that was almost as important as anything. Lehigh was based off C.J McCollum. Norfolk State was based on their big guy. Florida Gulf Coast had multiple weapons and played fast so it was really hard to prepare for them.

LJ: From a media standpoint, how far up there was FGCU in terms of hype and coverage after beating Georgetown? Do you believe it was THE story in sports?

JG: It was. Certainly the story. College basketball and the NCAA Tournament was sports then and everyone was talking about Florida Gulf Coast for at least a week there when they got to the Sweet Sixteen. They were the major headline in the sports world for the better part of the week.

LJ: Andy Enfield left but they obviously brought in a great replacement with Joe Dooley. He has already brought in two transfers and a 2014 commit in Christian Terrell. How hard is it for a school like this to recruit when they're going against some of the best schools in Florida?

JG: I don't think, if you're Joe Dooley, you're not worried about competing against Bill Donovan, Leonard Hamilton and those guys. You're worried about getting THE BEST in your league, every year. That's what, if I'm Joe Dooley, I'm trying to do. Take advantage of the momentum that school and that program gained over the past months. I think Dooley is a guy who, if you look at his track record at Kansas, they have been terrific over the past decade. Here is a guy who is under his second term as a head coach. He got a chance at East Carolina when he was really young and probably admittedly. I’ve talked to him recently, made a few mistakes and learned from them.

LJ: Going back to Lehigh and Norfolk, neither of them made it back the next year, what is so hard about repeating what FGCU did?

JG: Luck. At that level you got to have some luck too. Whether it is match-ups, help, or returning the core of your team. I think that is the one thing for Joe Dooley, he is gonna have most of those guys back and a couple transfers and recruits. That is a big reason why he took this job because he knew they were set up to be able to sustain this. They weren't just set up to be a one year wonder.

LJ: Players and coaching staff have focused on not being content, it's early but how much potential do they still have? Do you think they can make it as far?

JG: For me, if you make the NCAA Tournament again, it's a successful year. The expectations are going to be high. You lost a couple pieces. It's hard to predict. No matter what you do in the regular season, you're going to have to win the conference tournament to get to the NCAA Tournament right now when you're a program like this. Get in the NCAA tournament and then anything can happen as proven by last year. Getting in and then roll the dice. You're not gonna get a great see any year you're just going to have pull one off again. Last year the match-ups were good against Georgetown. I thought that was a terrific match-up and they just got rolling.

LJ: That was my next question. At this point for FGCU, do you see them having a chance at an at large bid?

JG: For a program like that to get an at large bid, the chances are very low. Nebraska and NC State are both programs right now that are not NCAA tournament teams. NC State has a chance and Nebraska is in rebuilding mode. It's a pipe dream, to me, to start thinking about an at large bid. You have to dominate your league and then win the conference tournament. They didn't win the regular season last year but ended up  getting into the tournament.

Read more ...

Sherwood Brown: Ever Closer

Sherwood Brown's road to the NBA didn't go as expected, but neither did his path to play college ball. Look how amazing that turned out.

Brown was not selected in the 2013 NBA Draft, and to my surprise was not signed to a NBA summer league roster. So Brown's path to reach the league is not the traditional one, but that isn't getting him off track.

"Plan on playing overseas one year, maybe two years. Get more skills, get a little better, get a better feel for the game and get back to the NBA," Brown said.

Brown has not signed a deal yet but said he has many offers on the table.

"I'm looking at my options, trying to find the best opportunity to come to the NBA next year," Brown said. "A country I'd like to go play in would probably be Spain, or somewhere like that. France maybe. I'm obviously going to go where it gives me the most advantages to get better."

In my multiple interviews with Sherwood Brown, he has emphasized the role of an underdog as a source of motivation. That motivation busted many brackets this year and let's hope it gives him a well deserved shot at the NBA also.

Be the first to know about the latest Sherwood Brown news by following the Eagles Nest on Twitter.

Read more ...

Road To the NBA With Sherwood Brown Episode 2

I recently talked with Sherwood Brown about his workouts. Be sure to thank him for stopping by.

"The Houston, Memphis and Portland workouts, they were 3 on 3, the workouts were usually about an hour long. At the beginning we did a little bit of drills to get warmed up. Before that actually we do measurements, vert test, wingspan, height, weight, body mass index. After the drills, the rest of the time is 3 on 3 competitive.

In all the workouts I've had, I've felt I've had something to prove just because people haven't really had the chance to watch me as much as they watched everyone else. The only time people watched me in the tournament but they kinda want to make sure I'm a consistent player.
Today with the Mavericks it was 2 on 2 and everyone was a guard. We did basically the same thing but we did a little one on one today.

[On which workout he felt most confident on] I felt really confident with the one today with the Mavericks, it was probably the one I felt most confident about.

[On back to back workouts] I don't feel its taking that much of a toll on my body, like I said before the workouts or only a hour long so you just have to go hard for an hour and you have the rest of the day to rest.

Going to Orlando to workout is definitely going to be something a little different cause every kid that plays basketball their dream is to play professional basketball for their hometown so playing for my hometown would be great, I would love the opportunity to play for them but to be honest I would love the opportunity to play for anyone, whoever gives me the chance, I would be much grateful."

Read more ...

MLB Draft Recap With Harrison Cooney Interview

Photo courtesy of Linwood Ferguson

 The 2013 MLB Draft ended with six Eagles being selected. Led by Harrison Cooney, the 187th pick, FGCU Baseball had a great representation at this year's draft, tying the previous record (6) of FGCU players taken in one draft 2006.

"It was such a relief...once my name got called it was pretty awesome. It was a pretty surreal moment in my life," said Harrison Cooney.
The first five FGCU players drafted were all juniors which shows how great of a job the Eagles staff does at developing their players.

"The work ethic is definitely one of the main things, getting up at 6:00 a.m every morning in the fall, really long practices...it really simulates what it is it like in pro ball," Cooney said.

This hard work put in by the FGCU Baseball squad is shown not only in the draft but by the sweep of Florida and a late season ten game winning streak.

It sounds familiar but FGCU's athletic success will have a long lasting impact.

"Its awesome, its definitely going to help with recruiting down the road.  Also, people who cover college baseball are going to see how many players are being drafted from FGCU," Cooney said.

Eagles already in the pros are White Sox' ace Chris Sale and the Cubs' Casey Coleman. As every baseball players' dream is to make it the big leagues, this helps out FGCU recruitment immensely.

The FGCU recruiting class already features great players such as Mario Leon and Sterling Koerner but future recruiting for Dave Tollett will be made a lot easier because of this years draft. Tollett is the founder of FGCU Baseball and has put tremendous amounts of working into building this program from the ground up and everyone from player to coaches to fans has reaped the rewards.

FGCU Players Drafted:
Round 6 Pick 21 (187th Overall): Harrison Cooney [Angels]
Round 7 Pick 26 (222th Overall): Brandon Bednar [Giants]
Round 8 Pick 9 (236 Overall): Rick Knapp [Mets]
Round 11 Pick 3 (319th Overall): Sean Dwyer [Rockies]
Round 16 Pick 4 (470th Overall): Brandon Bixler [Twins]
Round 21 Pick 9 (625th Overall): Mike Reeves [Blue Jays]

"Seeing these guys get a chance to live their dream, its pretty awesome," Cooney said.

*Kyle Buchanan was selected 1214st (Yankees) but did not play for FGCU due to injury.

Read more ...

Jamail Jones Interview

Photo Courtesy of Linwood Ferguson

I had the opportunity to interview Jamail Jones, Marquette transfer, who will finally step out on the court next year for FGCU. He is a 6'6" F/G with great athleticism and talent; Jones played senior year at Montverde Academy and was #53 on ESPN 150. Be sure to thank Jamail Jones for stopping by and enjoy.

 Liam Jones: You obviously have practiced with new coach Joe Dooley, how do you think it compares to practices with Coach Enfield?

Jamail Jones: "Coach Enfield was a little more relaxed, Dooley is relaxed but a little bit more intense and more disciplined and expects us to do these things when Coach Enfield really gave us a more free lance type of deal."

LJ: You transferred to FGCU and now have gone through a coaching change, how do you stay focused on improving your game while going through these changes?

Photo Courtesy of Linwood Ferguson

JJ: "I'm not gonna lie, when I first hear Coach Enfield was leaving, it was kind of a shock but not really a shock because me and him discussed it if like a opportunity were to come, he would obviously take it if it was a better situation than what he was in but as far as, I don't really let which coach dictate how I play. I always give a 110% percent and listen to coaches so I just have been working extremely hard to prepare my game and help my teammates."

LJ: When you transferred, what was attractive about FGCU, the university and the basketball program, and do you think that is still there today with Enfield leaving?

JJ: "He was a pretty big reason why I came but when I initially enrolled in school, change isn't always bad, obviously the change for me was good, the program, the coaching staff that we have, the student body, the campus, everything is so FGCU, and I'm happy to be here even with Enfield is gone because I developed that relationship with my assistant coaches, with the students, with my teammates so it was really about him [Enfield] before I got there but once I got there it became much bigger than just the relationship I had with him."

Photo Courtesy of Linwood Ferguson

LJ: Coach Dooley just added Tulane transfer Marc Eddy-Norelia, what is your advice for him and other transfers to stay motivated even with a year of sitting out?

JJ: "I know I could tell them that a year sitting out, its no fun but you just have to approach it as if you were playing. What helped me get through my year was coaches not taking it easy on my just because I had a year sitting out, they treated me as if I was suiting up for each and every game and you just have to take that. That year will go by fast and treating like that will help expedite the process.

LJ: Sitting out, you can still practice but how do you stay on top of your game without that fast paced in game action?

JJ: That aspect is pretty tough but you just have to stay on your conditioning, that is the most vital things but it is also one of the hardest things to do because you feel 'I have a long year ahead of me, I don't really have to work on my conditioning' well before you know it, the year will be over. So that extra conditioning will always keep you in tip top shape cause practicing with the team will help you but once they go on road trips, you don't have practice everyday. They leave on a Wednesday and don't get back until Sunday, you have to take it upon yourself to get to the gym and the treadmill, ride the bike or whatever. It is a tough process but also helps you develop into a young man."

LJ: What is the part of your game that you think will most benefit the teams overall performance?

JJ: "Main thing, is leadership. There were some times during the season where we had some rough patches, we lost 2 or 3 game losing streak and I feel that during those tough times we didn't really have one leader to step up and hold people accountable and hold themselves accountable and pull the team together when there are tough times in a game. I feel that I get along with my teammates and it is one of the vital aspects of a team. Me, I'm all about the team, whether I score 20 points, it doesn't really matter, as long as we win.

LJ: None of you want to be a one and done team, how do you guys continue to stay focused for next year and strive to be even better?

JJ: "Not being complacent, we have to remember what got us there and continue to build on top of that. Now we know what it takes and people know that our school is not a push over, we are a legitimate Division I team, now we have to continue to live up to that. Teams will now look at us 'We can't take these guys lightly, NCAA tournament, they got the nickname Dunk City'. We have to come into every game like we have a target. We can get complacent or we can get hungrier but not too greedy."

(All photos were taken by Linwood Ferguson during FGCU scrimmage in 2012)

Read more ...

Sherwood Brown Interview Extended

I was able to ask Sherwood Brown some other questions, along with the Road To the NBA. Here are his responses. Enjoy and feel free to leave comments/suggestions.

"Coach Enfield is a really good shooter, one thing he definitely helped me with was my shooting form, he took my shooting form to another level, made me a more consistent shooter. Also he helped me work on 1 on 1 moves to help become a better all around scorer. He gave me confidence. You can't do much in this type of business unless you have a lot of confidence."

"The pace of the game, its definitely a lot faster pace than in college but even though, our team we played at a very fast pace anyways so I don't think it will be too hard for me to adjust to. But its a long season, one thing I definitely have to be able to do is take care of my body the whole season, stay durable."

"One thing I have always been good at is rebounding the ball, for my size. No matter what level. My coach always said 'If you're a good rebounder in high school, you're going to be a good rebounder in college, you're going to be a good rebounder in the next level, wherever you end up. That is definitely something I can take to the next level."

"When I started going to FGCU, one thing I definitely wanted to do is be the beginning of something new, so it just feels that much better when you set out do to something and you accomplish that goal."

"We had a pretty good season, we lost some games that we felt we should have won but we also won some games that were total confidence boosters, we beat University of Miami, that was a huge confidence booster for us. We played Duke, we played them tough, that was also a big confidence booster. After we went into the tournament, we knew he had a really good team we just had to keep everyone on the same page at the right time and that's what we did, we just got on a good little winning streak and carried it on."

"We beat Georgetown. A lot of teams, after the win the first game, then they just satisfy, but we were always hungry and that helped lead us to more victories."

"Its definitely a dream come true. Everyone has a dream, every basketball player has a dream of playing in the NBA and so to actually get a chance to make my dream become a reality is just really special to me"

"Yeah, coming out of high school I was always the underdog and it helped me, its just gave me that motivation to play hard and get better. Me being the underdog, something that I'm used to so I just gotta take that hunger and continue to do what I do best and stay motivated"

Read more ...

Road To the NBA: With Sherwood Brown (Episode 1)

I was able to sit down with Sherwood Brown and bring you the first episode of the Road To the NBA. Here is the overall timeline of the process so far, he will be checking in again to do the next episode in a couple of weeks. I asked other questions as well, let me know if you want me to post the full interview. Please Enjoy.

"It all started with, I had to get an agent right after the tournament ended because there was kind of a lot of stuff that I was missing out on just because I hadn't had an agent yet. I got an agent about a week and half after the tournament was over. Seth Cohen is my agent (Verus NBA Management). My AAU coach, she hooked me up with my agent right now."

"And ever since then, I came up here [Chicago] about two weeks and I started working out with tech. You know it has been a lot of gruesome workouts but I'm here for the intense workouts. I have been doing three a days, three times a week and every other day has been 2 a days. I am just here working hard."

"I am going to continue to work out and get better at some skills that I need to possess at the next level. In the next couple of weeks I will be having some workouts with some NBA teams so I'm going to continue to stay conditioned and get ready for those."

"I'm gonna have a sit down with my agent tomorrow and he has a couple of teams lined up for me to go work out with so after I talk to him tomorrow I will find out about my schedule for the next couple of months."

Idea: Only Gators

Read more ...

Eddie Keith II Interview

Today I was able to interview Eddie Keith II, small forward for Edgewater High School in Orlando and Florida Elite (AAU). He currently has offers from Florida Atlantic, FGCU, Georgia Southern, Jacksonville, Charleston, Gardner Webb and has interest from multiple other schools. It was over the phone and the call was breaking up so please excuse and breaks or pauses. Please Enjoy!

Liam Jones: So you are playing Florida Elite, tell me what that is like?

Eddie Keith: Florida Elite, at any given time anyone on the team could take over at the game. I love those guys, it’s a very good environment. I love the coaching staff

LJ: Wherever you end up playing, what do your pride yourself on, what is the biggest asset you will bring to the team?

EK: My competitiveness basically, score the basketball, play defense, whatever my team needs me to do.

LJ: So what affect did the Sweet Sixteen run have on your view of Florida Gulf Coast?

EK: I’ve kept up with them since they offered. Coach Enfield, the head coach, came to my high school to watch me work out and stuff, kept in contact pretty well, gave me a couple pointers on my shot and consistency. The run didn’t really surprise me at all, I always thought they could.

LJ: You talked about Coach Enfield but what do you know about their new Coach Dooley?

EK: I haven’t even talked to him yet; I only really know he came from Kansas.

LJ: Do you think you would fit into the system there?

EK: When Coach Enfield was there, I loved the system, they played up and down. I don’t really know what the new coach is going to do yet so.

Read more ...

Nick Rivera Interview

Today I got the chance to interview freshman infielder Nick Rivera who is hitting .272 with four home runs so far this season. He is from Bishop Verot High School, very close to FGCU. Please enjoy.

Courtesy of Linwood Ferguson

Liam Jones: What was it like growing up near FGCU and now playing for them?

Nick Rivera: Growing up, you really didn’t hear much about them [FGCU] until recently because you had Florida, FSU, and Miami. I mean USF and all those types of schools, FGCU just exploded onto the scene. I think the first time I heard about them baseball wise was sophomore year of high school and to see how much they’ve grown in the past 3-4 years it is just crazy. The baseball team has always been successful. The softball team has always been successful and the basketball team had the awesome run in the NCAA tournament and its great to see how much it has grown the last couple years.

LJ: When you came in, what did you pride yourself on and what do you think the staff at FGCU could help you improve on?

NR: I could always hit, that was my biggest tool coming into FGCU but they helped me with fielding. I wasn’t very good defensively coming in but we’ve put a lot of work and they’ve helped me a lot.

LJ: What was it like on campus and in Fort Myers in general during March Madness?

NR: Wow, it was crazy, everywhere you’d go someone would mention something about Dunk City or FGCU Athletics. I was wearing an FGCU athletics shirt and people would come up to me and give me a high five. The basketball team was just doing great. It was just funny to see how many bandwagoners and all that stuff jumped on FGCU because of what they did. Its great to see, for our whole community, for every sport. I mean it will help with admissions, financial aid, and all that type of stuff.

LJ: Did you guys feed on the energy and school spirit that the basketball team brought for FGCU?

NR: Yea, most definitely, coming to our baseball games, we played Florida about a week ago and there were a ton of people there. I mean I don’t really think before Dunk City, maybe we don’t have as many fans as Florida did but our fan base is improving daily because of what they did and what we are continuing to do.

Read more ...