The Atlantic Region used to get eight bids to the NCAA Tournament despite having in the neighborhood of 40 teams. With only the CUNYAC and the Skyline to compete with, the New Jersey Athletic Conference used to get four teams into the tournament on a regular basis, while conferences in larger regions would have a much harder time moving on.

Those days are gone. But they're not forgotten, however, at least by Richard Stockton men's coach Gerry Matthews. Fresh off his 400th career victory but in the middle of a seven-year NCAA Tournament drought, Matthews spoke with D3hoops.com's Gordon Mann.

It's an enlightening interview, with Matthews' take on how the pools system has changed life in the NJAC, how a roster change has helped propel his team to a 15-7 record after a 5-5 start and how gaining and losing players affects team chemistry. Listen.