When I started Southeast Hoops several years ago, there were two objectives.
The first was to give SEC basketball the same attention as SEC football. Considering that I started the website after a season where the league sent just three teams to the NCAA Tournament, I knew it would be a challenge.
However, something was brewing. The coaching roster was being overhauled, and there was an incredible amount of young talent entering the conference. The nation may not have realized it, but SEC basketball was on the upswing.
Sure enough, things changed pretty quickly. The league’s success led to more people wanting to talk about it which, in turn, led to more opportunities to achieve my goal of bringing more attention to the fascinating world of SEC basketball.
For the most part, myself and some of the excellent writers and podcast guests who joined me along the way were able to accomplish that.
Of course, running an independent website with virtually no financial resources is not easy. I built the site myself and did all the daily technical tasks. I failed miserably on numerous occasions to fix what was broken. I wrote when I could despite juggling multiple freelance gigs. I took the pennies I earned and tried to cover games in-person and attend media events as often as I could.
Despite the limitations, it was worth it. I’d like to think Southeast Hoops gained the respect of those in SEC basketball circles, not because we were the biggest or the best, but because we were among the most passionate about SEC hoops.
That’s a great segway into telling you about my second objective.
I wanted to write about SEC basketball – and college basketball in general – for a living.
That was my goal when I regularly started writing about college basketball many years ago as the very first writer/editor at FanSided’s Busting Brackets (shoutout to the current staff there who do a tremendous job). Throughout my career, that goal has never changed.
I started Southeast Hoops in hopes of growing an SEC and college basketball audience to point where I’d find an opportunity that provided the resources needed to do it in a full-time role.
Well, it finally happened.
Starting on Oct. 1, I’ll be covering SEC and national college basketball on a daily basis for ClutchPoints.
It’s an opportunity that will allow me to cover the SEC, mid-majors, and everything else in the college basketball world. Most importantly, it’ll allow me the resources and flexibility to travel to more games and produce better stories.
Yes, I may even consider traveling to Tuscaloosa to watch a game alongside @HunterLJohnson.
Just kidding. I still don’t get paid enough to do that.
But all jokes aside, I won’t just be writing. Like I did with Southeast Hoops, I’m happy to have a part in creating something from scratch.
I’ll be partnering with my friend Joe Nardone (follow him) to build an entire college basketball section for ClutchPoints, which will eventually be available both online and on the ClutchPoints app (download it and also follow on Twitter).
We’re currently in the process of putting together a versatile writing staff that will cover a variety of topics in both men’s and women’s college basketball, and you could say the buzz is palpable.
There’s something I do want to make clear: We aren’t just two random people diving into a huge project without any goals or any experience.
I’ve covered college basketball in a freelance role for many years and have been fortunate to interview hundreds of coaches on the Marching to Madness podcast. I’m also a staff writer for the Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and Athlon Sports College Basketball Preview magazine – both invaluable resources each and every season.
Joe has been doing this as long as I have. He has written a gazillion features, played a hand in covering and breaking news on the NCAA paid-for-play startup HBL, and created his own site, which also developed a large audience.
This isn’t another side project for the two of us. Simply put, with the necessary resources in place, we’re all in.
I’ll have more specifics on how to access everything on ClutchPoints, but for now, just know that we have exciting things in the works and are working hard to create something special. That’s the same approach I took with Southeast Hoops and looking back, it worked.
To all the writers that helped me along the way, I can’t thank you enough.
To all the readers, coaches, and others I’ve interacted with, you helped make this possible with your support and generosity.
Southeast Hoops was a starting point. ClutchPoints is the next step.
And I’m confident it’s one that SEC and college basketball fans are really going to enjoy.