The second installment of our interview series is a conversation with one of the most passionate and articulate voices in college hoops today. Coach Martelli was gracious enough to discuss a number of issues facing college basketball today with me. Also, Marie Wozniak of the St. Joe’s sports information department was essential to the scheduling of this interview. She has my utmost thanks. So, without further delay, here’s the interview.

1. Subject: Ahmad Nivins.
Coach Martelli-”Ahmad’s jump from his first year to being and All A-10 player is the result of his hard work.” “The next step is to see him develop into a better defender and become more fierce.” Coach Martelli stated that as Nivins’ game grows, he should be a contender for A-10 Player of the Year. We discussed the fact Ahmad played for Bob Hurley, Sr. in high school, which led to:

2. Subject: The Importance of Players Having Played In Winning High School Programs.
Coach Martelli-”In today’s society, winning sometimes takes a backseat. I don’t understand that.” We discussed how the quality programs instill an attitude that winning is more important than individual accolades. Coach Martelli mentioned that recruits from winning prep programs are “emphatic” about winning. He believes recruiting players from winning programs is exceptionally important.

3. Subject: Rick Majerus Being Hired At St. Louis and Its Impact On The A-10’s National Profile.
Coach Martelli-”Our league’s profile took a hit when we lost our national spokesmen, John Calipari and John Chaney.” Coach Martelli feels like the addition of a “colorful and successful” coach like Rick Majerus will be a big plus to the league’s image.

4. Subject: The Perceived Decline of The A-10.
Coach Martelli-”A league’s perception is created by success in March.” We discussed how, since St. Joe’s and Xavier made the Elite Eight, the league hasn’t had as much success in the NCAA tournament. “A league needs a lead horse,” was how Coach Martelli described the need for a team to go deep into March.

5. Subject: Balance In The A-10.
Coach Martelli-”At our media days next week, there will be a team picked eighth that is capable of winning our league.” He cited Duquesne as an example of how the teams that have struggled in previous years have become far more competitive. Xavier, Rhode Island, Fordham and Dayton are teams he expects to make strong showings.

6. Subject: Tennessee’s Opening Game Opponent, Temple.
Coach Martelli-”They have a great coach in Fran Dunphy and two guys, in Mark Tyndale and Dionte Christmas, who will combine to average 45 points per game.”

7. Subject: The Biggest Crisis Currently Facing College Basketball.
Coach Martelli-”The APR.” “We need to prepare for the public perception” once the numbers begin to come out and some programs face penalties. Coach Martelli is on the committee examining the APR and how college basketball can do a better job of graduating players. He said he appreciates the NCAA allowing the coaches to have input into the process. The problem is “deeper than just measurements,” Coach Martelli said. In his opinion, “systematic changes” will have to take place in order to rectify the the fact basketball is lagging in its graduation rates. A possible solution he proposed would be identifying, and working with, players at the high school level to emphasize academic responsibilities. Coach Martelli fears “not enough coaches are making themselves aware” of the ramifications of the APR. He does feel a positive solution to these problems can be found.

8. Subject: The Three Point Line Being Moved Back Next Season.
Coach Martelli-”I think it’s a solid change. It doesn’t really make sense that we’re using the same line as 7th and 8th graders. It should help spacing. We could learn something from the NBA and their empahsis on spacing.” He, however, doesn’t think simply moving the line back to create better spacing will clean up post play. “We have to work on how we teach post play to do that,” he said.

9. Subject: His Team’s Backcourt.
Coach Martelli-”I had to make a decision on how we are going to play. We’re going to play quicker than we ever have.” He feels comfortable that he has enough experience in the backcourt, including Iowa State transfer Tasheed Carr. Coach Martelli-(Talking about players)-”Older isn’t always better. Sometimes, better is simply better.” He feels his team’s execution of its halfcourt offense will go a long way towards determining his team’s success.

10. Subject: How Many NCAA Bids Will The A-10 Receive? Coach Martelli-”Three. I certainly hope we’re one of them.”

I hope everyone enjoyed our second interview. There are more to come.