Basketball Performance Podcast

Jon Giesbrect is the Owner and Lead Instructor of Play Free, a membership training service that helps players enhance their basketball mindfulness, improving their confidence, resilience and focus. I have been a fan of Jon's for a long time and have followed many of his lectures and talks on social media (Instagram: @Playfreebball). The topics that Jon and I cover are: 1.) Where he is from and how he got into basketball 2.) How his career his transitioned within the basketball world. 3.) How he combines the technical, tactical and mental component to create a holistic program for this athletes and much much more! I truly learned a lot from Jon and look forward to having him on the podcast again!

Todd Wright is an assistant coach and Vice President of Player Performance at the Los Angeles Clippers. Todd is also Fellow of Applied Functional Science from the Gray Institute which is where I base the foundation of my training off of. Todd is someone that I have looked up to for a long time! I love how he is able blend a true functional movement program specifically for the movements of the game along with elements of strength and power development. It would be what I consider the total package for any player.  Topics that I discussed with Todd are: 1.) His background and how he got into strength and conditioning. Especially the early days when he was first starting out. 2.) His Assessments on how he elevaluates players physically. 3.) Building relationships and accountability with players in order to get the best results. And a whole lot more. As I mentioned before, Todd is truly someone that I look up to and I'm so glad to have had him on the podcast. 

Andrew Rang is the Head Coach of Trine University's Women's Basketball. In 2022 they made an amazing run in the D3 NCAA tournament and made it all the way to the Final 4. Topics that Coach Rang and I discussed today are: 1.) Culture building and creating a “Self Developed Culture” for the players to hold each other accountable  2.) The Red Belt mentality of always getting better 3.) What a year of basketball would look like at Trine and many more topics  Enjoy guys!

Coleman Ayers is the founder of ‘By Any Means Basketball” a globally known training service that shares world class information as well as an online platform for learning. He has also opened a state of the art training facility called “Detail” in Miami Florida. Coleman's story on how he got into the industry is truly admirable! Betting on himself instead of going the college basketball route, he decided to get a head start in coaching and moved to Miami from DC.  Coleman shares stories of what it was like first starting off in the training industry and the long hours, blood sweat and tears it took for him to get his start. Among many things, one of the traits I really admire about Coleman is his consistency and his persistence into whatever he does. Enjoy this guys!

  Joe Mazzulla is the interim Head Coach of the Boston Celtics. Before his career began in the NBA Joe was a star player at the University of West Virginia under coach Bob Huggins. After his career in college, Joe went into coaching at the college levels for Glenville State and Fairmont state before moving into coaching in the G League.  One of the characteristics that truly seperates Joe as a coach is his passion for applying researched back teaching methods into his coaching. I learned so much from talking to Joe and the wealth of knowledge and experience from so many levels, we are truly lucky to have him on the show. Let's get into it!

Kayleigh and Kaylynne Truong play for the women's basketball team at Gonzaga University (a very prestigious basketball and academic school located in Washington state). Collectively they have earned multiple honours from the West Coast Conference for athletics as well as their academics level. But most importantly they are a shining example to the world of what Asian women can do in the game of basketball. The girls team that I coach were extatic when they found out I was going to have the Truong twins on the podcast! Topics that we go over today include: 1.) Their backgrounds and how they got into basketball. 2.) A day in the life of a Division 1 college athlete 3.) Their experience playing on the Vietnamese national team 4.) Their message to Asian American athletes about success and following their passions. This was an unbelievably important episode for me because I learned so much about Kayleigh and Kaylynne's background and experience growing up as Asian American basketball players. They are so inspirational to so many around the world who aspire to be just like them!

Logan Schwartz is currently a clinical professor at the University of Texas as well as the owner of Vitality Restoration that has been running for 10 years. Prior to that he as an assistant basketball strength and conditioning coach for the Men's Basketball program at the university of Texas along with Todd Wright. For me one of the main reasons I wanted to have him on is that is also a GIFT Fellow of the Gray Institute which I draw the foundation of my training from as well.   Topics that Logan and I talk about today are: 1.) Logan's background and how he got into strength and conditioning  2.) What it was like starting off as an intern to eventually a senior role for for a powerhouse program. 3.) Logan's training methods for basketball players and how it differs to the majority of other basketball programs in the country. 4.) How much does maximal strength actually matter to the game of basketball, or are their other qualities that are equally as important? 5.) Finally advise to new strength coaches looking to one day be in the same position that Logan is today.   I connected very well with Logan on and off air. There were so many similarities between how we train basketball players and what we feel are the most necessary qualities in developing a robust athlete! Enjoy guys I definitely learned a lot.  

Troy Horne is a pop and rock musician who is also an author of a few great books mainly the AAU Bible and Mental Toughness for young athletes.   Troy's journey into the basketball world was almost by chance, when one of his sons was identified by a teacher as A high potential basketball prospect. From there Troy and his son Moses worked tirelessly travelling around the country and entering AAU tournaments. I really enjoyed reading Troy's book, because he takes a parents perspective(which is very different from a normal coaching perspective on the game)   Today I spoke with Troy about: 1.) His background in performance and music and lessons that he can apply to the basketball world. 2.) How the game has changed from when his son first started off to where it is today. 3.) What are some of the do's and don't do's when it comes to trying to help your kids reach their dreams And many many more topics.   This was a very meaningful episode! I absolutely loved stepping back and learning our game from a different perspective. I also thought it was really cool to have someone outside the industry share their journey and experience. Truly a great episode.

James Maye is an assistant coach for the Long Island Nets, before joining the Nets, we has also had experience working with the Greensboro Swarm.  Prior to coaching, James has had an extensive career playing professional basketball overseas. He has been to countries such as Mexico, Hong Kong and also played for the national team for the Dominican Republic.  In this conversation we talk about: 1.) James's background and how he went from player to coach? 2.) Where the G League and the NBA is headed in terms of style of play. 3.) What James is currently learning to take his basketball and life knowledge to the next level. 4.) Advice that James would have for younger coaches getting into the industry. On a personal note I had the good fortune of training James when he played professional in Hong Kong. I would like to say in all my years of coaching, I have never seen a more professional player in terms of the way he conducted himself on and off the court. He the perfect example of what a true professional player should be and act like! Enjoy guys! 

Chong Xie is the Founder of Secrets to Athleticism and is a Fascia Coach for athletes from youth all the way up to professional level athletes! He has also develop “The Hyper Arch Training and Therapy System” which has given tremendous results for athletes all over the world!  Topics that I discuss with Chong Xie today are: 1.) The introduction to Fascia and how it affects our performance as well as everyday life. 2.) How traditional strength and conditioning MAY be hurting your performance in the long run. 3.) The difference between a strong mover and poor mover. 4.) How Fascial training can. Help us hit more 3's! Chong Xie is someone who is an out of the box thinker which I love. I'm sure that there is a lot of things that I can be tweaking in my program that will give my athletes better results. LETS GET INTO IT!!

Adrian Barr is the Founder of Barr Running based in California. Adrian is one of the most out of the box thinkers that I have come across. His ability break down speed and apply it into every sport is something that separates him from the crowd. I've been in the athletic performance field for over 10 years and learning his concepts was truly a breath of fresh air.  Adrian and I discuss topics such as: 1.) What he looks for when an athlete first comes into work with him. 2.) How basically all athletic movements derive from running in some shape or form. 3.) How traditional strength and conditioning methods play a part in his program if at all. And many more topics. Let get into it. 

Mike Guevara also know as Mr Doin it Movin is a Athletic Performance coach based in California. Although Mike didn't grow up playing basketball, his passion for sports and athletics led him into a career of Athletic Development where he has now been coaching for the past 12 years.   Today Mike trains some of the biggest players in today's game such as Dru Holiday, Spencer Dinwitty and Rajon Rondo just to name a few. Mike's  continuing thirst to get better is really infectious and really motivated me to take my game to the next level.    Topics that we talked about today were: 1.) Creating Buy in with top level players  2.) Performance Assessments 3.) Returning from injury both from a physical and mental standpoint. 4.) What Mike is diving into now to take his teaching and coaching to the next level and many many more topics.   Again I could really feel Mike's energy and the passion for what he does. I truly reminds me that as a performance coach we should be grateful to be in such a rewarding industry to help players be the best they can be! Let's dive in. 

Bobby Whyte is the Owner of Hy Power Performance in Northern New Jersey. Bobby started off as a multi sport athlete that acceled in multiple different sports but especially basketball. His love for sports eventually led him into the athletic perfofmance world, where he trained everyone from youth to NFL athletes. Today Bobby owns one of the most well known basketball services where athletes from all over the world line up to work with him. This is a two part podcast where we discuss training as well as personal issues. We go into depth on topics such as. 1.) Creating Buy In with his players 2.) Athletic Assessments for any new players that walk into the gym. 3.) Bobby's past as a drug addict and how it shaped him into the man he has become today.  4.) How Bobby apporoaches working with kids that remind him of himself.

Brian Morehouse the Head Coach for Hope College Women's Basketball. Hope College is the 2022 Division 3 National Champions. Coach Morehouse was able tor rack up 650 wins faster than any other Coach in NCAA history regardless of what division they are in.  In today's discussion, we go over the topics of: 1.) Culture building for a powerhouse organization and the concept of “Winning in the Dark” and ‘The Win Everything Mindset”   2.) How his coaching philosophy has changed over the years.   3.) A look inside to what it takes to be the best program in the country. 4.) The impact that coach Morehouse wants to leave on his program as well as the impact that he wants to leave on each individual he encounters.   Hope you enjoy guys!

Josh Fan is a skill development and strength and conditioning coach. He spent the last 10 years of his career working full time with Jeremy Lin. Josh and I were able to dive into a wide range of different topics: 1.) His background and how he got into basketball and then transitioned into coaching. 2.) Playing and coaching basketball in the United States as an Asian American. 3.) How Josh's basketball and physical training philosophy has changed from when he first started coaching. 4.) His experiences coaching in the United States and China. 5.) Advice that Josh would have given himself as a younger self. This was a special episode because I could really see Josh's passion for the game and player development. He knows great deal about his craft, and it was just a pleasure sitting down with someone who has accomplished so much and is looking to continue bettering themselves in service of their players and clients.

Mike Bradley is the Strength and Conditioning coach for the Florida State Men's Basketball Team. He has a wealth of knowledge with over 30 years in the field of working with some of the most elite players in the world. Mike also has an extensive resume previously working at institutions such as Stanford, University of Miami and SMU just to name a few. Today we go over topics such as: 1.) Mike's background and how he first became a strength coach. 2.) His philosophy of training and what needs to be done to get an athlete ready. 3.) A look at an annual schedule of a powerhouse basketball school. 4.) Creating with buy in with his players to create a solid culture and accountability. On a side note, Mike was willing to talk to me years ago when I was first getting started in the industry. He gave me the encouragement and motivation to help me get to where I am today. I strongly suggest anyone who is serious about their strength and conditioning craft, consider contacting him and learning from him!

If anyone wanted to hone their skills in the late 90's and early 2000's Ganon Baker would probably be the name that first comes to mind. I had the great fortune of catching up with Ganon on the podcast. We talked about: 1.) What it was like when the skill training industry was brand new. 2.) What it takes daily to have boundless energy and to bring passion to each and every training session.  3.) The proper ratio of skill developement to game exposure in order to give you the best possible results. 4.) Spiritual training that will in turn help fuel your journey no matter what field you are in.

David Lepisto is the assistant coach Kimberly High School in Wisconsin. Kimberly High School is ranked one of the best high school girl's basketball team in the state and frequently make appearances in the state tournament. From talking to all the coaches that I speak to, David is truly a great basketball mind, his attention to detail from individual skill development, to their offensive philosophy to their approach to defence is something that coaches on ANY level can learn from! Today we speak to David about: 1.) His Background and How he got into Coaching 2.) His philosophy on offence and how teaching through advantages has really given their players a well rounded foundation to understand the game. 3.) Combining his experiences as a teacher into what he does on the court Thank you for your time David I learned so much!

Aaron and Andrew Robinson are the Founders of All Facts Media media covering college basketball extensively. Before jumping into journalism both Aaron and Andrew were Division 1 college players first at Quinnipiac University then at Coppin State. After an epiphany at Coppin that they had a knack for journalism, they decided to dive into starting their own media company. We talk to the Robinson twins about: 1.) What it was like playing and being recruited at a D1 level. 2.) How basketball has changed since they played and where they feel like the game is headed today. 3.) How they made the transition into journalism and some Do's and Don't that will help any sports journalist who are just getting started.

Jamie Smith who is the founder of "The U of Strength" is someone who I have been following on social media for a long time. His unique blend of combining Constraints Led Approach, Differential Learning into a well thought out, evidenced based performance program truly puts him amoungst the top in our profession.    I was lucky enough to sit down and talk to Jamie about topics like: 1.) How he got started. 2.) What it took to get him to where he is today. 3.) How he combines CLA and a games approach to learning with developing strength and power. 4.) How we applies sensorimotor stimulus into energy systems development. 5.) Keep the "fun" and engaging elements of training at the top of the list when it comes to working with athletes of all ages.

Today we are luck to have Brianna Finch on the podcast. Brianna has an extensive background of nearly 20 years of coaching. One of the things that makes Brianna special is her broad perspective of how basketball is developing globally. In this episode we talk about : 1.) Her background playing and coaching, countries she has been to to coach and play the game. 2.) Her recruiting process and experience at the colleigate level. 3.) Her games approach to developing athletes across the board. 4.) The ratio between individual skill development, small sided games and 5 v 5.   

Zach Kancher is the Associate Head Coach of the women's basketball team at Towson University. He has great deal of experience at all levels of the game. Today he shares with us: - His expertise in recruiting and film breakdown and scouting reports. - What a yearly plan looks like for a division 1 college player. - How Zach and his team go about building culture. - Off the court passion in educating student athletes on the process of voting.

Mike and I go back, so I thought he would be a perfect person to have on the Hang Out Series. Mike is one of the most humble and genuine guys I know and he never brags about himself. Mike is the Head Strength and Conditioning Coach for Gonzaga University, he is also a Fellow of Applied Functional Sciences and a Co Founder of U District in Washington State. Today's topics include: - True physical preparation for basketball players. - Mindset: How we can use it in everyday life on and off the court. - 5 Levels of Leadership "How it can be applied on the court and in your business"

Chris Oliver is the founder of the website Basketballimmersion.com which in my opinion is one of the best resources out there for coaching development. Chris has a wealth of knowledge especially when it comes to developing a modern approach to basketball. We discuss topics such as: - How Chris first got involved in the "non traditional" approach to coaching basketball. - Why decision making is the most important part of basketball skill development. - Modern basketball concepts such as "2 Side Transition" and the 32 Match up Zone.

The Hang Out series is a like having lunch with a friend. I have planned no topics at all, we just see where the conversation takes us. Alex had tonnes of awesome topics to talk about. - The myth of fundamentals (Why so many coaches feel like players need to master the "Fundamentals" before they play basketball" - Differential shooting and how that has impacted Alex's philosophies - Constraints led approach to skill development Awesome episode!

Today we have Roberto Iezzi on the podcast. Roberto brings a wealth of knowledge from over 15 years in the strength and conditioning industry. Today we deep dive into topics such as  1.) Key aspects of training basketball players and things to keep in mind. 2.) Load management throughout the year 3.) Developing transferable strength, power and speed. 4.) Training high quality movement skills that not only boosts performance but reduces the chances of injury. 

James Janssen is the Assocaite Head Coach of the Davidson Wildcats Women's Basketball Team. James and I go into depth on topics such as: 1.) His background  2.) A games approach to teaming basketball 3.) Tagging Up Defensive System 4.) Decision Making Skill Development    

Jen Fay is an assistant coach at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, she is also the founder of "Backyard Buckets" which in my opinion one of the most informative podcast out there. In this episode she shares so much information of the recruitment process, skill development and her background of grit and toughness that got her to where she is today. You can follow Jen on instagram at @jenfaybball, on YouTube  @Jen Fay  or Twitter @jenfay_QU

Coach Joe Mantegna is the Head Coach of Blair Academy Boys Basketball one of the most highly ranked and respected programs in the country. Coach Mantegna bring his wealth of knowlege and discusses topics such as: 1.) Growth Mindset  2.) Decision Making for Skill Work  3.) Creating a Championship Culture and much much more!  

Francesco Rossi is kind enough to come on the podcast. Francesco is a coach at College Basket in Italy (one of the most prestigious basketball programs in Europe) Francesco is also the author of 'Free Entry' A Conceptual Princeton Offense For High School where he breaks down a conceptual style of play for the Princeton offense. Today our topics include:   1.) How Francesco first came to know about Princeton offense and how he decided to bring it back to Italy.   2.) Francesco's journey loop of working with young players. and many more topics.   ENJOY!          

 Alex Sarama joins us on the basketball performance podcast. Alex is one of the brightest young coaches out there and is an out of the box thinker when it comes to challenging traditional ways of doing things to get better results. Today we go through: 1.) Alex's background and how he got into basketball 2.) How teaching through a games and constraints led approach has led to much better results. 3.) Conceptual offense and many many more interesting topics.

Today we are very lucky to have Steffan Jones on the show. Steffan is the founder and owner of Pace Lab a performance company that trains cricket fast bowlers to increase the power, velocity and mechanics of their bowling. Steffan is also the Director of Sports Performance at the Wellington school in the UK. Although Steffan comes from a different sport, I couldn’t help but to reach out to him because I feel like his principles and philosophies are similar to ours at Strive and there is a tonne of carry over from him no matter what sport we coach in. Lets get into it.  

Gary Gray is the owner and founder of the Gray Institute in Michigan. Gary has been in the movement field for over 40 years and has worked with some of the best basketball players and strength and conditioning coaches ever!    1.) Gary and I go through our approach to developing a well rounded player on the court and in the weight room.  2.) We go into how to combine traditional strength training with 3 dimensional training. 3.) How we bring this 3 dimensionality on the court and how it translates. 4.) The behavior science of working with players and how we can serve them best!

Trevor Ragan is the Founder of The Learner Lab formerly known as "Train Ugly' We dive into a wide range of topics with Trevor including: 1.) Motor Learning and how to incorporate it into basketball for the best results. 2.) Small Sided Games and how it has a great blend between involvement of the athlete and real game decision making. 3.) Becoming a "Jungle Tiger'  4.) Reframing fear to allow you to push your comfort zone for maximum improvement.

Sefu Bernard is the Director of Player Development for the Washington Mystics. He is also the owner of ACX basketball. Today we dive in to how Sefu breaks down skill development piece by piece, to give it the highest chance of transferring from workouts/ practice into the game.  Honestly speaking, I would recommend listening to this episode a couple of times, because there are just so many nuggets that Sefu gives out here!

Kirby Schepp is the Head coach of the University of Manitoba as well as the being a part of the Canadian Men's National Basketball team for the past nine years. Kirby was the presenter of the very popular Youtube video "Don't teach plays teach them how to play" which has changed the thinking process for many coaches worldwide. Today Kirby talks about his experience training youth all the way to national team players as well as his experience internationally and some of the differences between basketball in North America compared to the rest of the world. 

Brian McCormick is one of the most forward thinking coaches in the world. He is the author if 19 books such as 180 shooter, Developing Basketball Intelligence and my personal favorite Crossover. Today we go into depth and talk with Brian about hot to holistically train youth players. 

Mike Mackay is a Master Coach Developer for Canada basketball. He is one of the most respected coaches in the world regardless of what level, and has a wide range of experience coaching players at all levels. What separates Mike from most coaches, is his incredible attention to detail as well as always challenging the norms of what is traditionally taught in basketball. His systematic approach to teaching skills in mind blowing and this is an episode you absolutely wont want to miss!  

Joerik Michiels is the founder of Elite Athletes basketball in Belgium. With a burning desire to do everything in his power to elevate youth basketball in Belgium and around the world, Joerik and I talk about how he first got started, his unique perspective of training youth and  how to build world class culture in an organization!

In this episode mental skills trainer Graham Betchart shares with us what it means to "Play Present" Graham shares his insight on what it really means to train the mind and how we can get an edge on our competition before a game. Graham encourages players who "play it safe" to take a different approach in how they view the game in order to get the outcome that they really want.

In this episode we hang out with NBA skills trainer Jordan Lawley. Jordan dives deep into how he survived a brain tumor and how that experience pushes him to be the best version of himself at everything that he does. Jordan shares his training template with us on how he trains everyone from kids, to NBA superstars. This is not an episode that you want to miss!

On this Episode we have one of the best coaches in the game Phil Handy from the Los Angeles Lakers here to share his knowledge and experience with everyone. Phil and I talk about what NBA players can learn from high school players, how coaches need to take their ego out of the equation in order to serve their players and how Phil analyzes the game through film and study!

On Episode 4 we have Blair O'Donovan who is the Director of Physical Preperation for the Washington Wizards. On this episode Blair shares his knowledge on initial assessments for basketball players, creating buy in from players and coaches and how to create a healthy lifestyle for basketball players in order to take their game to the next level!

On Episode 3 we have speed expert Lee Taft come on the show and discuss how to develop multi directional speed for basketball. We also dive into what the most important traits are for youth basketball in order for them to become great players in the future.

Drew is the Founder of Pure Sweat Basketball, a world renowned basketball skills development company. We talk about how to create buy in with our players as well as how to take our skill work sessions and turn them into game time results!

For Episode 1 we are very lucky to have guest Mike Nilson founder of Hoop Commitment. Mike is a former starter for the Gonzaga Bulldogs for 1997-2000. He was named Defensive Player of the year, and played a crucial role in helping Gonzaga solidify their place in the Elite 8 and establishing them as a powerhouse in the NCAA.