I first interviewed John Wooden in the spring of 2003. Ben Howland had just gotten hired as the new head coach at UCLA, and I thought it would make for a cool column if the three of us met at Vip’s restaurant, Wooden’s daily breakfast spot in Tarzana, for a discussion on what it was like to take over a job that was still very much operating in the shadow of the Wizard of Westwood.
When the meal was over, Wooden graciously invited us to go to his apartment and continue the conversation. I readily agreed, of course, but then Wooden said four words that scared the bejesus out of me: “I’ll ride with you.”
I was honored to be in his company, but the last thing I wanted was to be wholly responsible for his physical well-being. Besides, my car was a mess. Wooden put me at ease, though, and as he guided me through the neighborhood he said, “Now follow this road as far as it will go. Those will be your only instructions. Let’s see how you do.”
“Oh, so I’m being coached by John Wooden now, huh?” I quipped.
Wooden set me up for the easy win. The road led straight to the garage in his apartment building. “You’ve done well,” he said. That experience is on my mind as I officially roll into this next journey of my professional life. I’m not exactly sure of what lies ahead, but I feel fairly confident that it’s going to lead me — lead us — to the right place.
So it is in that spirit that I would like to welcome all of you to Hoops HQ, my new venture with InsideHook. Our purpose here is take you on a comprehensive, compelling and unique ride inside the world of college basketball. That includes the women’s game, by the way, of which Wooden was always a great fan. The man was ahead of his time, and I’d like to think he’d be pleased with this new platform that aims to be both futuristic and old-school when it comes to covering Naismith’s game.
Hoops HQ is going to use all the modern tools and delivery systems that today’s hardcore fans expect from their content creators. We are a fully digital platform — you’re welcome, trees — and we plan to utilize emails, videos, alerts, notifications and social media and the like to bring our news, opinions and insights to your digital doorstep.
But we will be old-school in all the important ways. We intend to be an authoritative, primary source of news that will allow you to hear directly from all the important influencers and characters, and show you what’s happening both inside the game and outside the lines.
If there is one word that is going to distinguish Hoops HQ from our competition, it’s access. We’re not serving up quick-hitting clickbait and aggregations, and we’re not going to bombard you with pop-up ads and intrusive pre-rolled videos. We want you to have a championship-level user experience, one which will make you want to become a part of an audience that is all too often neglected by the rest of the sports media, save for those three-and-a-half weeks in March and early April.
As I set out on this new road trip, I plan to bring along all the experiences and relationships I’ve accumulated during my 30-plus years in this business. I first started covering college basketball as an undergraduate at Duke, where I had a close-up view of the men’s basketball team’s back-to-back titles in 1991 and ’92. I continued my work during two years on the high school beat at the New Haven Register, 22 years at Sports Illustrated, and another six at The Athletic. Over the last 20 years, I’ve also had the great pleasure of working as a studio analyst for CBS Sports, and more recently with Turner Sports, on the NCAA tournament. Along the way I’ve also written nine books, most of which are about basketball. As I’ve often said, I’ve never worked a day in my life, and I’m not breaking that streak today.
I’ve been a part of some amazing teams, but now, for the first time, I get to be the head coach as well. I will still be writing as I always have, but as Editor-in-Chief of Hoops HQ, it will also be my job to assemble a staff of top-tier writers and guide our content strategy across the board. That includes our staff writer Alex Squadron, our social media editor Daniel Saied, and a deep roster of correspondents headed by one of the preeminent names in this business (as well as a longtime friend), Jeff Goodman. Eden Laase will spearhead our women’s coverage, which will be supplemented by contributions from the Hall of Fame broadcaster Debbie Antonelli, among others. Our social media feeds will expose you to leading voices like Rapheal Davis, the former Purdue guard (and member of my esteemed All-Glue team) who is now a broadcaster for Big Ten Network.
I also plan to use Hoops HQ to discover younger, less-established writers who have earned the opportunity to take their shots and earn some minutes. We’ll also tap into a deep well of veteran freelancers. If you are a writer who would like to contribute content to Hoops HQ, please reach out to us at writers@hoopshq.com.
Our team has been working feverishly the last few months to prepare for today’s tipoff. We are ready to start winning, but we are also prepared for the long road ahead. I have that same blend of nervousness and excitement that I had that day when John Wooden slid into my passenger seat (after I tossed the trash into the back). So slide into the passenger seat, and let’s get this ride started. I hope you’ll consider subscribing.
Hoops HQ. Sharpie.
