Chop Talk

Darius Theus is one of the most humble people I've met during my time in basketball. As a player he helped lead VCU to a Final Four the played professionally afterwards. Since getting into coaching he has worked at Texas, VCU, and Siena. Topics in this episode-Basketball journey -Former players transition into coaching -Taking uncomfortable risks -Skill development -What it means to coach where you're from -VCU way -Future goals  

Guest: Ivan Thomas is the Associate Head Coach for Georgetown Men's Basketball. Coach Thomas started as a High School / AAU Coach where he won multiple state titles before breaking into the business at Providence College. After spending 9 years there he made the move back home to Georgetown a few months ago. His journey is different which makes this episode a great listen. Enjoy! 

Guest: Sean Hoehn is a stand out basketball player who now plays professionally in Kosovo. He also graduated from Sacred Heart University where he earned first team all conference honors. Sean shares his journey on how he got to where he is now. Here are some of his career highlights College Named to the All-NEC First TeamNamed to NABC All-District First Team185 made career three-pointers places him fifth all-time in program's Div. I historyEnded SHU career with 1,366 points, which ranks 23rd all-time in program-historyLed the Pioneers and was third in the NEC in scoring with 17.9 ppgHigh SchoolMorris County Player of the YearFirst Team All-Conference, League, and Area as Junior and SeniorSecond Team All-State Group 3 as Junior and Senior

Guest: Danny O'Connor is the Director of Player Development for Delaware Men's Basketball. Before graduating from Indiana University, Danny worked numerous camps. One of those camps was Hoop Group where we met. After graduating he got on at UDEL and has been a part of their growth ever since. Enjoy!

Guest: Cole Dewey is the Head Coach of the Men's Basketball program at Garden City Community College in Kansas. Cole is a young star in college basketball and has worked his way to being one of the younger head coaches in the basketball world. I look forward to following his journey as he returns to Garden City.Coach Dewey's Resume: -Head coach Garden City -Head Coach Otero -Assistant Coach Indian Hills -Assistant Coach South Plains-Assistant Coach Garden City -GA Campbell University

Guest: Justin Delaney. If you haven't check out NJ Hoop Recruit on Instagram, you need to know. Justin has grown the brand from a small 3,000 follower account to over 100k now. I remember when I was at St. Benedict's he was grinding and going to games everywhere. Five years later he has one of the strongest brands in basketball and THE strongest in NJ. Breakdown: Background 3:15 - What is NJ Hoop Recruit? 12:30 - Contacting media guys 15:30 - Building a BRAND 20:50 - Creating momentum 31:45 - How would you keep NJ kids home? 40:01 - Grad Transfers

Guest: Luke St. Lifer is the Director of Basketball Operations for Bryant University Men's Basketball. Luke started his career out as a student manager before working his way to Bryant and then LeMoyne. Breakdown: Background 3:55 - Landing a job at Bryant 6:30 - Subject line 12:55 - What have you learned? 15:00 - Staff Dynamic 20:01 - Being on the road 22:17 - Working your way back to Bryant 25:00 - Connect with kids 30:20 - Staying organized 36:30 - DOBO life

Guest: Connor Clark works for a company called The Gazelle Group where he helps put on different types of events. A lot of those events are college basketball tournaments including the most recent one, Bubbleville. In this episode we talk about what went into setting up a bubble at Mohegan Sun and the challenges for college teams to play. BreakdownBackground 3:30 - Securing a job in sports 7:20 - Gazelle Group 9:45 - Bubbleville 13:45 - Operations of running a bubble 20:00 - Biggest challenge in the bubble 25:30 - Most organized teams 29:00 - Bench noise 35:25 - Will the NCAA tournament allow fans?

Guest: March Mitchell is the Head Women's Basketball Coach at St. Peter's University. I met Coach Mitch at FDU Florham where we both worked together. During his time at FDU Florham he had tremendous success including a D3 National Championship. He is the winningest coach I've ever been around and I appreciate him sharing his journey on Chop Talk.

Guest: Adam Virgile is a sports scientist who is working on his PHD at The University of Vermont. He also worked with the New York Rangers for 4 years before making the move to UVM. This conversation was not only very informative but it opened my eyes to some things coaches don't think about. BreakdownBackground 3:45 - How you got into sports science 5:45 - What data do you look to track? 11:12 - How can you track power? 18:35 - Assign them values23:40 - Load management 30:02 - Info graphics 33:45 - Psych trumps all 40:36 - Goal

Guest: Justin Krompier is a New Jersey based adventure and lifestyle photographer. Justin has traveled all around the country taking photos and has a great story. I've known Justin since high school where we played lacrosse together. Check out his photos on Instagram or his website. https://www.justinkrompier.com/Instagram: @just_passinthroughBreakdown: Background 3:00 - Figuring out what he wanted to do 10:35 - In that moment 13:00 - Working at UPS 19:15 - Leaving the comfortable job 25:20 - Believe in someone 31:50 - Living in a van 36:00 - The failure is not trying 40:30 - Just try

Guest: Nick Hopkins is a guard for the Siena College Men's Basketball team. He started his career at Belmont University before deciding to use his grad transfer year at Siena. While at Belmont Nick earned his degree and also played in the NCAA Tournament. Nick has some great habits that younger players can learn from. Background 1:30 - NCAA Tournament 5:25 - Consistent work ethic 8:20 - Being on time 10:00 - Graduate transfer 15:00 - Bring a teammate to the gym 19:00 - Watch film 25:35 - What makes a program successful29:30 - Advice to incoming freshman

Guest: Matt Gambino is a former college athlete who has a career in sales but also has a serious side hustle that involves sports cards. Over the last year sports cards have exploded, Matt and I have invested in cards and discuss how there is still time to make money. For all my basketball people that listen to this please use the knowledge you already have to make some extra cash. Breakdown: 3:30 - Door to door sales 7:45 - How did you get into sports cards? 11:30 - How do you know how much a card is worth? 16:15 - What to look for when buying a card 19:20 - What can I do with $200 right now? 26:45- BUY KEVIN DURANT 28:30 - Difference in markets 31:40 - Sleeper cards 41:00 - Create relationships

Guest: Anthony Pelliccia is an admissions counselor at Siena College and also an alum. He is one of the most passionate people I have met and really dedicates himself to his craft. In this episode we dive into the similarities between coaching and admissions. We also look at some techniques he uses when recruiting on the road. Enjoy! · Background · Day to day in admissions – 1:45 · Strategies to engage students when recruiting - 5:35· Representing a brand – 8:15 · Having confidence - 13:25 · Do your homework – 16:30 · What makes a good campus tour? – 17:50 · Pick your battles- 23:15 · Students following up – 26:45 · Coaches & Admissions – 32:30 · Help students – 35:30 · Goals – 41:50

Guest: Athan Katsantonis is a Graduate Assistant for Nebraska Men's Basketball. He is also the former Head Manager of the Syracuse Men's Basketball team. I met Athan when he was a 17 year old kid at a workout and it's been fun to watch him rise. Breakdown · Background · 2:40 – Landing a manager job · 6:32 – Working up to head manager · 11:45 – Building relationships on staff · 16:00 – Favorite part about the ACC · 19:45 – What did you do to land GA spot? · 29:05 – Don’t tell coaches what they want to hear · 34:15 – What have you learned as a GA?

Guest: Bob Gallager is a former college basketball manager for St. Bonaventure Men's Basketball. After earning his undergrad and masters degree there he jumped into the prep school basketball world. He spent two years at Massanutten Military Academy before getting his job now at IMG. Bob is one of the hardest workers I know and continues to climb. · Background · 2:30 – Prep school route · 6:22 – Interview process · 8:00 – Typical prep school day · 11:10 – Most valuable thing you learned· 14:05- 150 D1 coaches · 17:43 – Getting to IMG · 25:02- What do good recruiters do? · 29:30 – What players like · 35:50 – Traits of high-level players · 38:00- Work harder

Guest: Matt Goldsmith is the head coach at TCNJ for the Men's Basketball team. Since taking over the program Coach Goldsmith has brought TCNJ to the NCAA tournament and also won the NJAC. The program's mantra is "Be Uncommon" which we talk about in this episode. Matt continues to rise in the basketball world and I'm really excited for everyone to listen. Breakdown· Background · 3:25 – What makes a powerhouse? · 6:10 – Ready to become a young head coach · 12:00 – Head coaching interview process · 18:45 – Steering the program in the right direction · 25:30 – Be Uncommon · 31:45 – Connect with your players · 34:35 – Recruiting at a high academic institution · 38:00 – Hiring questions · 41:05 – Process of hiring someone · 45:25 – Outlast people

Jake MacDonald is a lead instructor for a company called The Program. This company works with a variety of teams on building leadership, toughness, and more. Jake also served in the United States Marine Corps. In this episode we dive into his experiences in the Marines, how to become tougher, leadership, and more. Check out his book called The Program! · 1:30 – The Program · 3:30 – How do we become tougher? · 11:00 – Being emotionally tough · 13:30 – Planning a military mission · 16:00- Back briefs · 18:45 – Tom Crean Practice · 20:00 – Calm breads calm · 23:45 – Core Values · 25:30 – Making decisions under pressure · 31:30 – Habits · 32:40 – What leaders do · 34:05 – Adrenaline · 38:50 – Firefight · 42:15 – Characteristics of leaders

Guest: Ryan Pedon is an assistant coach for THE Ohio State Men's Basketball team. In this podcast Coach Pedon discusses topics such as positivity, being invaluable, work ethic, and his journey to Ohio State. · Background· Working in an administration role 2:40 · Networking – 8:30· Be invaluable – 16:00 · Reputation – 22:50 · Blue collar work ethic – 30:45 · Making the most of your time – 34:55 · Hiring questions – 44:10

Guest: Rob Ferrara is a Senior Manager of VIP Development for DraftKings. Rob and I have known each other since college and he has had a great journey in the gaming world so far. Once graduating college he picked up his stuff and moved to Las Vegas to work in the gaming industry. In this episode Rob talks about the Vegas lifestyle, working with high end clients, his role now at Draft Kings, what he looks for when hiring people and more. Breakdown: Background 2:30 - How he got his job at MGM 5:45 - Staying in touch with your connections 8:35 - Moving across the country 11:40 - High level clients 14:00 - Ask questions 16:15 - Vegas events 20:00 - DraftKings 25:45 - Hiring people 30:45 - Stand out in interviews 33:10 - Future of sports betting 41:05 - Relationships

Guest: Dr. Atur Turakhia is an experienced leader, educator, and team builder. After graduating from UC Berkeley with a Bachelors in Molecular & Cell Biology, he obtained his medical degree at the University of California, Irvine. He currently serves his community as the Associate Medical Director for Children, Youth, & Prevention Behavioral Health Services within the County of Orange Health Care Agency. Atur has also worked with multiple professional athletes. Breakdown: · 1:15 Background · 5:05 Culture · 7:30 Courage to open up · 12:00 Techniques to use · 17:07 Proactive · 24:50 Maturity · 27:30 NBA Mindset · 35:00 Routine · 43:00 Getting in the zone

Guest: Matt Elkin is the Director of Basketball Operations at Ivy league power Yale University. Coach Elkin started as a student manager and has climbed his way up in the basketball since graduating. In this episode he talks about coaching prep school, moving across the country to LA, his time in AAU basketball, and much more. Enjoy!Breakdown: •1min - Background •2min – Manager at Wisconsin •5:20min – Coaching D3 in college •9:15 min – Vermont Academy •15min – Prep School Route •18min – Working with kids •21:30 – Lifestyle of working at a prep school •26:50 – Process of moving to California •35:40- West Coast Elite AAU

Guest: Kyle Young is a sophomore on the Siena Men's Basketball team. In this episode Kyle and I talk about his adjustment to college hoops, mindset during the pandemic lockdown, and investing as a college student. Enjoy! Breakdown: -Background 2:13- Adjustment to college 6:02- Pandemic Mindset 14:00- Control what you can control 18:00- Changing weights 21:02- Goals 24:40- Controlling your emotions 31:50- Continue to grow 33:20- Investing

Guest: Dwayne Killings is the Associate Head Coach at Marquette University for the Men's Basketball team. Coach Killings and I met about five years ago and he's always been willing to help the next generation. I appreciate him taking time to join the podcast! Breakdown: :30 - Background 4:00 - Connecting with people 9:30 - Learn from everyone 14:50 - Building trust 19:30 - First impression of Marquette 23:45 - Culture 30:10 - Show what your thing is 34:02 - Go visit schools35:00 - Social media 37:09 - Interview questions

Guest: Drew Flanagan is a former Villanova Men's Basketball student manager. I met Drew while working camp at Lehigh University. Since graduating Drew has climbed the ladder in the fundraising world. He currently works as the Director of Business Development at George Washington University. Enjoy! 1:00 - Background 3:45 - Working camps 9:20 - His time at Stanford13:20 - Be authentic 18:10 - Willing to do anything 20:15 - Attention to detail 25:20 - Relationships / Coaching HS 29:50 - Fundraising and recruiting 34:45 - Coaches in fundraising 40:00 - Using social media 47:15 - Advice on how to get a "real world" job

Guest: Josh King coaches for MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg a professional team in Germany. He's our first overseas coach on Chop Talk and has taken a unique route to get to where he is today. 1:00 - Background 3:00 - Getting bumped up 6:00 -Hoop Group 8:00 - Working in the real world 13:30 - Getting a job in sales 17:00 - Marshall vs UNH 18:24- Recruiting JUCO 20:45- Getting involved with a job in Europe 23:38- Environment in Europe 28:00- Understanding European Basketball 32:45- Adjust to Europe 37:00- Goals 38:40- What have you learned? 42:40- What players need to understand about overseas 52:00- Advice for breaking in

Guest: Coach Carm is the head coach at Siena College for the Men's Basketball team. Before coming to Siena he had stops at George Washington, Boston University, Providence, Fairfield, and Siena as an operations guy. He is also our FIRST D1 head coach to come on Chop Talk. Hope everyone enjoys! 2:25- Coaching in the community your grew up in 3:45- Getting your foot in your door 5:30- Pick the right fit 8:25- How do you find minutes to get on the floor? 10:45- Winning a MAAC Championship 12:45- What would you tell your college self? 15:25- Habits and Routine 20:40- Eating with your team 24:25- Challenges with COVID 27:10- How do you become a better coach each day? 29:40- Coaches 4 Change 35:40- FAMILY 40:25- Organize recruiting information 43:00- Weaponize your phonebook

Guest: Jared Czech is an Assistant Basketball Coach at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. Coach Czech has worked his way up from Graduate Assistant, Director of Operations, Hoop Group, and finally got his break as an assistant at Columbia. This episode is filled with tangible advice that people can go out and apply right now. Enjoy! Breakdown: 1:00 - Background 4:00 - St. Patricks High School 7:00 - NJ High School Basketball 13:35- Process of landing GA job at University of Denver 14:38- GREAT ADVICE LISTEN 18:30- GO DO IT 20:40- Start early 23:35- NJIT 24:55- How do you prepare for an DOBO role? 28:05- Great advice on food orders 28:50- Check your bus routes *****32:00- Check your hotels 3-4x***33:50- Working at the Hoop Group43:33- Air Force Academy

Guest: Kevin Hoehn is a walk-on for the Villanova basketball team. Kevin was 14 years old when I met him coaching a local AAU program called NJ Thunder. In this episode he takes us through the process of walking on, Villanova culture, and most importantly his Mental Health Struggles. Breakdown: 1:46 - Decision to not pursue D3/D2 opportunities8:30 - Learning from the older guys 14:30 - COVID adjustments 16:00 - Mental Health Struggles 18:03 - Knowing when to say something 20:30 - Check on your people 24:00 - Stay in the moment 26:10 - Give your self battles to win 27:30 - Brain dump 29:45 - Be grateful 32:45 - Sleep routine 36:05 - Counselor 43:00 - What will you miss after graduation?

Guest: Jake Martino is a freshman at Texas Christian University (TCU) where he works with the football team in content creation. He is at every BIG12 game shooting video to create content on and off the field. Jake got his start through Siena athletics and really helped the basketball team in particular. He does a great job of breaking down what makes elite content and the process of making your videos stand out. 2:50- Background 6:00- Sent an email to break in 11:35- If you don't try you wont get there 12:50- Take every opportunity when starting out 15:10- Self Taught 18:30- Working for free 24:30- TCU Football BIG1227:50- What makes ELITE content? 33:45 - What can you do to have your Instagram stand out? 38:50 - Follow up is important 41:00 - Never know where a connection will bring you

Guest: Matt Healing is the Head Men's Basketball Coach at D2 Pace University. In this episode we talk about working his way up the ladder, revitalizing a program, and more. Matt coached me in high school and it's been fun to watch his journey. Enjoy!3:30- Jobs while coaching 6:03- D3 prepares you 9:45- Adjusting to DOBO 12:30- Volunteering is underrated 16:20- Getting involved @ Pace 19:10- What helped you get the Head Coach job 24:00- Interview Process 28:00- Rebuilding a program 31:05- Non-negotiables in recruits 34:00- Recruits communication36:00- What’s too much? 38:30- Hiring assistant coaches 42:30- FAMILY

Guest: Nick LoPinto works for the Montag Group as a sports agent where he represents numerous sports broadcasters. Nick was also a former St. Johns student manager and worked as an Executive Assistant for Steve Lavin after college. Breakdown 1:30 – Manager Experience 6:00 – Building Relationships with you coaches 10:40 – Things you learned as a manager that helps you now 16:30 – Networking while working with Steve Lavin & Fox Sports 20:30 – Mowing lawns in between 21:30 – How he got into Montag Group 23:40 – Clients Nick works with 26:00 – Typical tasks that an Agent does 31:45 – How to stay organized 36:50 – Things to work on for an aspiring agent 41:10 – Relationships 43:45 – Following up with people is huge 48:40 – What do the best people you know do consistently

Breakdown 2:00 – Choosing Temple University 5:00 – Taking defense seriously 8:50 – What makes a good defender? 10:45 – Looking for tendencies 18:40 – Work Ethic 22:50 – Rankings don’t matter 24:20 – Who do you model your game after? 28:45 – Time is so important 30:30 – Family 33:34 – Advice for the youth 38:30 – What’s a good day? Guest: Nate Pierre-Louis Resume-All-State Selection (Roselle Catholic)-American Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team -Co-Most Improved AAC -Second on the team in Scoring 10.9PPG-First on the team in rebounding 8.5 (5th AAC)

Breakdown: 1:00 - Hoop Group / Working camps 6:05 - Relationships 10:30 - Getting the job at St. Rose College 20:29 - D2 recruiting challenges 24:23 - How to contact a college coach via email 29:10 - Try this email HACK 34:00 - Recruits communication with coaches 37:15 - 2020/2021 Season 41:10 - Career goals Guest: Mike Murray Resume-Assistant Coach St. Rose College -Hoop Group Camp Director -Queens College Assistant Coach -Played at St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn

Guest: Bobby Whyte. Bobby is the owner of HyPower Performance, a company that helps develop athletes. HyPower offers both basketball and strength programs that allow athletes to develop. Whyte has worked with a variety of athletes ranging from D1 to D3 the NBA and more. Breakdown: 2:20 - Coaching in China 10:00 - I'm Possible Training 16:00 - Training athletes 22:30 - Building a business / Network 35:30 - What makes a good trainer? 41:05 - What do the best athletes have in common? 45:00 - What's important to you? 5,6,7 game. Resume: -Certifications on mobility including both Functional Range Conditioning (FRC) and Functional Movement Systems (FMS). - Head Strength Coach for the Guangxi Rhinos (China). - Camp director for Israel basketball - Strength and conditioning coach for Hudson Catholic Basketball -I'm Possible certified

Guest: Andrew Ford: University of Florida Men's Basketball Graduate Assistant In this episode of Chop Talk Andrew talks about his transition from Providence College to University of Florida. Ford gives some key advice and also shares some of his experiences that he has had with USA Basketball. Resume: -Providence College Basketball: Head Manager -Team USA Basketball: Head Manager. Gold Medal. -University of Florida Basketball: Graduate Assistant

Jordan King is a local product of Albany NY and Siena Men's Basketball player. In this episode King talks about different topics including playing on the "B" team in AAU and how it helped him develop into the player he is today. Jordan also talks about coming to Siena and earning his scholarship by putting in the work. Instagram: @_ChopTalk Twitter: @_ChopTalk

AJ Mott is the head strength coach at Division 2 Western Colorado University. He joins Chop Talk to discuss moving across the country for his new job, betting on yourself, and much more. Coach Mott has had stops at UNC, South Carolina, FDU Florham, and now Western Colorado. Enjoy!

Welcome back to a new season of Chop Talk. We have joined with us MAAC player of the year Jalen Pickett. In this episode, he talks about his journey to where he is today. Pickett goes into depth about choosing the right fit when being recruited and what can separate you from the pack. Rob Mahala and Greg Fahey are back with some new and fresh content. Be sure to stay tuned in for a fun season of Chop Talk. Instagram : @_ChopTalkTwitter : @_ChopTalk

Rob Mahala and Greg Fahey talk to Elijah Burns about what it means for him to play his last season in front of his family. Coming off a 28 point performance against Bucknell and a game winning shot to top Canisius, as well as being named Player of the Week for the MAAC, he goes through his story about how he got to where he is today. Elijah goes into detail about work ethic and taking care of your body throughout his journey. Listen to find out the perspective of a Division I basketball player.

We are back at it again with another hot new episode of Chop Talk. Rob Mahala, Ben Diamond, and Greg Fahey, with special guest Danny Cohen, go into depth of Danny's life of being a Division I men's basketball manager. Danny gives some great insight of the skills and tools he uses to be successful in everything he does. He also touches on the importance of friendship and a strong support staff to help him continue to be the best he can be. Listen to find out the foundation that a college basketball program is built upon.Instagram: @_ChopTalkTwitter: @_ChopTalk

Rob Mahala and Ben Diamond are joined by great friend and mental health activist Thomas Smalley. In this episode Thomas Smalley (Smalls) goes through his continually battle with OCD and how he lives his life. He shares some amazing experiences and the journey to how he got to where he is today. Smalls also goes into detail about the stigma surrounding mental health along with his passion for Strength and Conditioning to keep him motivated during it all. This is a very special episode and we hope you are able to see mental health from a different perspective.Instagram: @_ChopTalkTwitter: @_ChopTalk

The first episode of Chop Talk is finally here. Co-Hosts Rob Mahala and Ben Diamond, along with Greg Fahey and guest Conner Fenlon, go into depth on Conner's story of being a walk-on for Siena College's Men's Basketball team from '08 to '12. Rob Mahala and Ben Diamond share their experiences so far with being a walk-on on the current Men's Basketball team at Siena College. Listen to find out what it takes to be a Division 1 athlete from a different perspective. Instagram: @_ChopTalkTwitter: @_ChopTalk