I started covering NCAA DII sports in the 2015-16 season, and while that seems like a microscopic portion of DII’s 50-year history, it seems like an eternity to me. I’m willing to venture the guess that I have seen just about as much DII sports than anyone alive over that span (if another journalist has covered DII soccer, DII swimming and DII tennis in the same year, I’d love to meet them!).
When I started the DII Nation podcast in 2021 with my co-host and former DII student-athlete Bethany Bowman, one of the questions we always asked was “why DII?” The common answer was always something to do with the family atmosphere. As someone that has covered DII sports for as long as I have, that holds true for me as well. I am always made to feel welcomed — no matter what my previous Power 10 rankings or bracket predictions may have said — and because of that, I have been lucky enough to talk to some of DII sports’ living legends over the past few years.
DII at 50:
So, take a stroll down memory lane with me to look back at some of the most amazing interviews I have had the honor of conducting in my career of covering the greatest division in NCAA sports (a completely unbiased opinion, of course).
The first 25: 50 memorable quotes from nearly a decade in DII (in no particular order)
1. "If I’m walking on or off the court and I see a little girl holding her hand over the railing wanting a high five, or hear a mom yell, ‘thank you for doing this for my daughter,’ it’s like, ‘wow, this is really happening,'" said NBA referee Natalie Sago. "It’s crazy. I swear, every night I go on the floor I get the chills non-stop. It’s so fun. The people that you meet, the girls you are inspiring. It’s just awesome to say that this is our job.”
Why it is memorable: We jokingly call this the "interview that will never die," and deservingly so. In 2019, I spoke to Lauren Holtkamp, Ashley Moyer-Gleich, and Natalie Sago — three former DII student-athletes that were among the first female referees in the NBA. Pre-podcasting days, this would have been a great interview to watch in podcast style, as the three dove into what it meant to reach the heights they have. Each one truly appreciates their journey, and it all started in DII. And every year, as the NBA season begins, seemingly thousands of new readers find their inspiring story online and the interview comes to life once again. See for yourself.
2. “It’s great to see that maturation and work pay off, but I try to put that on the back burner,” Le Moyne's ace Josiah Gray said. “We have a great thing going. We’re 20-6. It’s our best start to a season since 2012. I’m really only focused on the wins right now.”
Why it is memorable: I spoke to Josiah Gray in late spring in 2018 after a strong summer in the Cape Cod Baseball League and the MLB draft hype around him building. Gray, who in true DII fashion, put his team first and phased out the weekly trips from scouts to watch him. The rest, as they say, is history: Gray would be drafted in the second round several months later, become one of MLB's top-100 prospects, and is now currently atop the Washington Nationals rotation. See the full interview here.
3. “I hope that they know to represent that school on the field. I was a small school kid, I had naysayers my whole career,” said Ashland football’s Bill Royce. “If I can show a kid that a guy like me can do well here, that we can give them the platform to do well as an Eagle, then that would be a great thing.”
Why it is memorable: Bill Royce was one of my first interviews. I spoke to him on Jan. 12, 2016, shortly after he received word that he was entering the College Football Hall of Fame — a rare feat for a DII football player, so it was a very big deal. It was also the day before my daughter was born. I was whispering in the basement during the interview so not to bother my pregnant wife and when I told him why, we went off the rails and just chatted about life and family. I wrote the article up two days later in the hospital room while my newborn napped and received an email that night from Royce, thanking me for the article and congratulating me “on your little Hall of Famer " (I still have the email). Throw away the record-setting numbers and Hall of Fame career — Royce showed me what it really meant to be a DII student-athlete right off the bat. You can read the full interview here.
4. “I knew I was stepping into a really good situation,” Glenville State head coach Kim Stephens said. “I wasn’t coming into a situation where the cupboard was bare. I inherited a very good team. We had to fill some spots, there was nobody signed for the next season, so my first couple months here were full panic mode. I knew I wanted girls that could rebound, but could score and were athletic and could play this up-tempo style. Had you asked me then if we would have been 14-2 in January, I would have laughed at you.”
Why it is memorable: A young, aspiring head coach by the name of Kim Stephens took the reins of the Glenville State Pioneers, and almost instantly, the Pioneers were a DII women's basketball powerhouse. A few short years later, they won the first NCAA college basketball national championship the state of West Virginia has ever seen. We reconnected on the DII Nation Podcast in 2022 and found out that it was the first interview Stephens had ever given and I was humbled to find out that it still hung on her office wall five years later. Read that first interview here.
5. “I’ve seen the clip thousands of times," said Findlay's Tyler Evans. "The going into the net and all of us kind of piling on top of each other and hugging each other. Man, it just gives me chills thinking about it.”
Why it is memorable: I caught up with Evans 10 years after Findlay won the 2009 DII men's basketball championship. Evans, who was 0 for 3 on the day, was called upon to take the game-winning 3-point shot in the last overtime DII men's basketball championship game played to date. Evans stuck the shot, the dog pile ensued, and Findlay ran the table a perfect 36-0. You can read Evans recollection of that memorable season here.
6. “He was over at the house when he came to Game 5 of the World Series," Evan Gattis said. "We had an off day the next day to travel to [Los Angeles]. He came and stayed that night and hung out at the house and talked baseball. That we stay in touch is an understatement. [Our relationship] has just kind of grown. When you’re younger it’s a player-coach relationship, but then afterwards, it just grew. I know a lot of people would say the same thing from that team because a lot of us stay together and stay in touch.”
Why it is memorable: The legend of El Oso Blanco — former MLBer and World Series champion Evan Gattis — is well documented and one of the more memorable rises to MLB stardom. When Gattis added World Series champion to his resume, I caught up with him to find out his side of the story, and his memories of DII baseball were some of the most important on his journey. Despite just playing one year for UT Permian Basin, the family values of DII were instilled in him, and not only was his coach a long-lasting confidant, he was also at the World Series to watch Gattis play. The interview with one of MLB's more likable players at his time was everything you'd expect it to be, and you can read it here.
7. "I’m sitting in the stands, and I’m like, ‘Holy cow, what am I doing?'" Texas A&M-Commerce's Luis Perez said. "That was kind of the first red flag, there was something wrong. I shouldn't be up here; I should be on the sidelines."
Why it is memorable: Perez was one of the best quarterbacks in DII football of the past decade... except he almost wasn't. Prior to college, on the heels of 12 perfect-300 games in bowling, he walked away from high school football and joined the bowling team until he had the above epiphany in the stands. Of course, Perez chose football, won the 2017 Harlon Hill Trophy, and threw for more than 300 yards and two touchdowns to win the DII football championship that same year. He has since floated around the NFL, AAF, USFL, and XFL where he most recently led the Arlington Renegades to the 2023 XFL title. Dubbed "the most interesting man in DII football," you can read his whole story here.
8. "I may not win every game, but I’m going to go out fighting every time I step on the court," said Shorter's Phil Taylor. "I love it. I’ll take it any day. It’s a chip on the shoulder, but you become a fan favorite. That actually motivates me even more, giving the people a good game to see. I come in and I put in the work, and I love to entertain the fans.”
Why this is memorable: Shorter point guard Phil Taylor had an interesting road to DII hoops. His godfather is NBA Hall of Fame point guard Allen Iverson, and he was recruited by another NBA Hall of Famer, Isiah Thomas, who he eventually played for at FIU prior to transferring to Shorter. “He could really shoot and score the basketball,” Thomas told me of his memories of recruiting Taylor. “I went to watch him a couple times at Wheeler. His competitive drive and his willingness to work really attracted me to him just as a person who wanted to compete. He was small in stature, but he was big in heart.” Taylor averaged 34.0 points per game to not only lead all scorers in the 2016-17 season, but all scorers of the entire 2010s decade in DII men's basketball. Read his story here.
9. "The thing about the record and the streak that I like to share is that it's much less about the number, but much more about the story of the why and the people," Ashland women's basketball head coach Robyn Fralick told NCAA.com after the record-setting win. "Just the mission. It's been a group of people over a long time that decided to put the team first. That part as a coach has been really rewarding and meaningful."
Why it is memorable: Then-Ashland women's basketball head coach Robyn Fralick told me this after setting the DII basketball — men's or women's — all-time winning streak at 58 games. The Eagles would continue reeling off wins, reaching 73 straight in the fourth-longest winning streak in all college basketball history at any level. Along the way, the Eagles won their second of three national championships since 2013. You can read about the record-setting run here.
10. “The culture continues to build on itself," said Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball head coach Ben McCollum. "When kids graduate, they should want for success more than what it was when they were here, because they made it better when they were here. I think our program back to when I played takes a lot of pride in that. This wasn’t our last game; we’re going to continue to compete. We’ll have practice tomorrow."
Why it is memorable: Coach McCollum said this on the dais after completing a perfect season and winning the 2019 DII men's basketball championship. It was the Bearcats' second title in three years, and no less than 20 minutes after winning it, he joked to a full press room that they would resume practice the next day. Perhaps he wasn't joking: The Bearcats went 93-8 over the next three seasons, winning the two tournaments played (2020 was canceled due to COVID) in an unprecedented run in the sport. Read the journal, including that interview, from the 2019 DII men's basketball championship here.
11. “I don’t know if the story is true,” Delta State senior righty Tre Hobbs explained. “Some years ago, the baseball team was on a losing streak. One of the guys made an okra necklace and they started winning. I don’t know if that’s true or not, but that’s what I heard.”
Why it is memorable: The year is 2017 and the DII baseball championship is in Grand Prairie, Texas. Still somewhat fresh to the world of DII sports, I saw a slew of Delta State fans wearing shirts with a large, angry okra on it. I decided to catch up with the 2018 player of the year and 2017 Tino Martinez Award winner Zack Shannon, All-American Clay Casey and pitcher Tre Hobbs — who pitched a complete game shutout in the Statesmen’s victory that same day to stave off elimination — to find out what the heck a Fighting Okra was. It wasn't your normal postgame interview, but it was one of the most fun I had the honor of conducting in all my years. Check it out here.
12. “It’s the coolest thing ever," SWOSU's Hailey Tucker said. "Hayden and I have been best friends and roommates for our three years here. It’s cool to have someone by my side that entire time and build a program with our coaches and other teammates — it’s an amazing experience.”
Why it is memorable: Hailey Tucker and Hayden Priddy were best friends and roommates at Southwestern Oklahoma State. They also put the Bulldogs on the map, each scoring more than 1,000 points in their careers and taking the team to the summit of DII women's basketball. Though the dynamic duo lost the 2019 national championship game to Lubbock Christian, it was a double-overtime thriller — the only double-overtime game in the 50-year history of the sport. Tucker's legacy is cemented in DII lore as a 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year finalist and NCAA DII Gold Award Nominee. Here's their story.
13. “I’ve told people all along, the first recruiting class is a special class because they did buy into the vision," West Florida head coach Pete Shinnick said. "They did believe what we said. I couldn’t be happier for them to reap the benefit of great success early because it was them saying I want to be a part of that team that opened the door for everybody else.”
Why it is memorable: Fifty more years from now, the story of the early days of the West Florida football program will still be talked about, with a somewhat fairy tale-feel to it. The Argos went from non-existent in 2015 to the DII football national championship game in 2017, and despite losing that game, they rebounded quickly and won it all in 2019. An annual threat for the national semifinals and a DII football championship tournament regular, what West Florida has accomplished in less than a decade of existence is what some programs that have been around for decades aspire to. Here is an interview with Shinnick and then-quarterback Mike Beaudry on that magical 2017 season.
14. “By the time the season finally started, it was all normal,” West Liberty's Dalton Bolon said. “The first couple games were normal nerves. Then I just kind of got hot. I’m definitely not blaming the eye for missed shots. I tell people all the time, if I went back to two eyes, I’d probably be chucking the ball right off the backboard.”
Why it is memorable: The 2019 West Liberty men's basketball season was similar to most of the Hilltoppers' seasons over the past two decades: They won a ton of games, made a deep run in the tournament and were one of the top-scoring teams in all DII. Their leading scorer was Dalton Bolon, who was one of the top scorers in DII that year with 20.7 points per game... with one eye. He suffered nerve damage to his eye in a preseason open gym and would have to wear a patch for the entire season and was still deadly from 3-point land, shooting 41.1% from downtown. Here was his story.
15. "UCM is the program it is because of the people," said Central Missouri's Ana Dilkes. "We have the best coaches, administration, trainers, and athletes a program could ask for. The people who came before us set the bar that we have been determined to exceed each year. They created the culture and we’ve been trying to extend their legacy every day since. Our staff does everything in their power to prepare us for each game. We all wouldn’t be where we are without Coach [Lewis] Theobald. He knows how good we can be and holds us to a high standard. It’s a collective effort, but I'd say it’s the perfect mixture of people."
Why it is memorable: Dilkes is one of the best goalkeepers in the history of DII women's soccer. Her 21 shutouts in 2017 are still the benchmark in DII women's soccer, as are her 64 career shutouts. That 2017 season — when I caught up with her for the above interview — culminated with Central Missouri's lone national championship, firmly placing Dilkes in the GOAT conversation for her sport.
16. "A lot of people are mistaken for how much DII athletes grind, on and off the court," said Drury's Paige Robinson. "Studies are very important at the DII level, and I take that to heart. If you do it in the classroom, you can do it on the court as well. Really, truly being a student-athlete is what's special about the DII level."
Why it is memorable: Paige Robinson was an absolutely dominant DII women's basketball player for Drury, earning national player of the year honors in 2021 when she led Drury to the championship game. Though the Panthers lost, Robinson went out in style, scoring 20 points, grabbing six rebounds, and dishing out six assists. She went on to be drafted in the third round by the WNBA's Dallas Wings this past May after an MVC player of the year campaign at Illinois State, but it was all rooted in DII — and specifically the classroom. Watch her talk about it here.
17. "When the athletic director Rob Foumier came in, he asked me about 17 years ago if I wanted a new scoreboard," Wayne State (MI)'s Gary Bryce said. "There was a lot of things we needed at that time and a new scoreboard wasn't one of them. And it passed by. I was always kidding him that when I retire, they'll finally put that new scoreboard out. Then all of a sudden, he came out and said, 'We're getting you that new scoreboard and your name is going to be on it,' and I just about fell through the ground. It's a great honor, it is humbling. Certainly never expected that, what a wonderful thing. A truly wonderful thing to have your name on something that should be everlasting."
Why it matters: In early March, the Warriors' Gary Bryce set the DII softball record for most wins as a head coach with win No. 1,217. He finished up his career with a 1,340-793 record, with his 1,340 wins eighth all-time across all divisions of college softball. When he set the record, he had the honor of doing it under a brand-new scoreboard that donned his name. Read all about his illustrious career here.
18. “[Giovanine’s] father — who is kind of a high school legend as a basketball coach in the state of Illinois — was actually my principal when I was in elementary school in Illinois,” Augustana (SD)'s Tom Billeter explained. “Grey and I had never seen each other or had any idea of each other until I got hired at Rice. I had been the GA in Arizona and Scott was Lute’s [Olsen] assistant so I went with him. We were sitting in New Orleans and Scott asked me if I knew Grey Giovanine, and I just laughed.”
Why it is memorable: Imagine sitting on the phone on your first DII men's basketball interview and finding out Augustana is the preseason No. 1 in men's basketball... in both Division II and III. That's what happened in 2015 when the DII Augustana (SD) Vikings opened at No. 1 as did the DIII Augustana (IL) Vikings. The DII head coach Tom Billeter led his Vikings to the championship that season while the DII head coach Grey Giovanine led his team to the final eight in DIII. But the ties that bound the two were remarkable. Here was their interview.
19. “The word that sums it up is grateful,” SMC's Matt Bonds' mother said. “We’re grateful that we had the opportunity to come and support him and see him mature and develop. He started basketball late. To see him mature, not only physically in the game, but mentally as well -- we are just in awe that we had this opportunity to be there for him during the ups, and during the downs. Whether they win or lose.”
Why it is memorable: Saint Michael's will never be known as a DII men's basketball powerhouse, but Matt Bonds will be remembered as one of its greatest players in the program's history. But this story wasn't about the stats or accolades: It was about a family that nurtured their son, traveling the nine-hour trek from Maryland to snowy Vermont in the harsh winters to fulfill a promise they would never miss a game. I sat down with Matt and his mother Toni in what turned out to be a feel-good story. Check it out here.
20. "My mom always says I wear my heart on my sleeve," said Jaizec Lottie of Flagler. "That's just who I am. I have a brand 'Be You' and that's what I want everyone to be, always be themselves, no matter the circumstance, no matter who's watching. If you're always yourself, you're succeeding in life."
Why it is memorable: Flagler's Jaizec Lottie was one of DII men's basketball's most-feared scorers for a few years running and took the Saints to uncharted program heights that they haven't seen since he graduated. But that was only half his story. He was a better person than player, and he joined us on the DII Nation Podcast to discuss a very special story about when he gave up his starting spot to freshman Jax Bouknight when his family was at the game for a very special moment. If you want to feel good about humanity, watch him and his coach tell his story here.
21. “The decision making — both are pretty fast, so you try to make quick decisions,” Jared Bernhardt said of how lacrosse is helping him adjust. “I’m not up to par, there’s different coverages, whereas lacrosse I had time to build my IQ. I’m trying to grow and learn along the way.”
Why it is memorable: Jared Bernhardt's collegiate career was one for the ages. He was a highly decorated DI lacrosse player at Maryland — where he was the 2021 Tewaaraton Award winner — and experienced a national championship there as well. To cap off his career, he returned to his roots and joined Ferris State as a quarterback... where he added another national championship to his resume in a game that he rushed for 148 yards and three touchdowns. It was a story that took the nation by storm and didn't fail to deliver in the end.
22. “Taylor Stafford and I became very close friends when he came to Western last season,” Western Washington's Taylor Peacocke said. “During the spring we put in a lot of work together and pushed one another to better both of our games. We became roommates during the summer and worked out nearly every day together. He would make up the basketball drills and I would come up with our cardio for the day.”
Why it is memorable: This interview was Taylor made... literally. In 2017 the Western Washington men's and women's basketball teams were firmly fixed in the national rankings. The teams were led by a pair of Taylors — the men by Taylor Stafford and the women by Taylor Peacocke. I caught up with both and learned about this story of friendship and basketball that overlapped in quite a different way than most. Read it here.
23. “You could tell there were questions they were afraid to ask,” Catawba's Tharon Drake told NCAA.com. “But once we got rolling, they’ve opened up and asked those questions. I’ll never forget the day I heard them pulling on the lane lines. They make a clicking noise. So, I called out one of the boys and they started laughing. They thought it was cool I knew exactly what he was doing.”
Why it is memorable: Drake is believed to be the first blind coach in collegiate swimming. He was a decorated swimmer himself, capturing his silver medal victory for Team USA in Rio at the 2016 Paralympic Games and brought that same fire to the team. He turned his blindness into an advantage because "it taught me to be tough mentally and not look at obstacles the same way as others." Here's his story.
24. "The diversity on our team is the most fun part about our team," Barry's Elvar Fridriksson told NCAA.com. "We share different cultures and we learn from each other. We are all different and we make fun of each other, which creates a good chemistry on our team."
Why it is memorable: Barry's men's basketball team is always a threat in the SSC, but that's not what made the 2018 team memorable. It was the "cultural gumbo" that made up the Bucs, with players hailing from eight different countries spanning England, Iceland, Serbia, Denmark, Norway, Australia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and the United States. I caught up with head coach Butch Estes and star player Elvar Fridriksson to hear their story and how it all came together.
25. "Obviously that's the goal every year," said Lubbock Christian's Allie Schulte. "We try not to look too far in the future all the time. He always writes on the board every game 1-0, so just go 1-0 that day. We try not to think about it, but it's always in the back of our mind."
Why it is memorable: Lubbock Christian's rise to DII women's basketball prominence came on quickly, and in just seven years as a DII program, the Chaps have three titles and two undefeated seasons. Schulte was a member of the back-to-back national champs in 2019 and 2021 and joined the DII Nation Podcast to talk about her journey with a program that is rewriting the history books in no time at all.
